IELTS Speaking Part 1

Brochures: questions and Band 8 answers

The examiner asks three to five short questions on two or three everyday topics in the first four to five minutes. Here are 5 questions about brochures written by BandLadder in the examiner's style, each with a Band 8 sample answer. Aim for two or three sentences each: answer, reason, one detail.
  • 5 questions
  • 5 Band 8 answers
  • 4 to 5 minutes

5 answers

Sample answers

1

Do you often read brochures or leaflets?

Not very often these days, to be honest. I usually look up information on my mobile phone, but if I spot a leaflet at a museum or a railway station, I'll happily flick through it while having a coffee.

2

What kinds of brochures do you find most useful?

I'd say holiday brochures and travel guides are the most helpful. They usually have glossy photographs and clear itineraries, which make planning a weekend trip to somewhere like Edinburgh so much easier than scrolling through cluttered websites.

3

Have you ever bought something after looking at a brochure?

Yes, actually. A few months ago, a local garden centre pushed a seasonal pamphlet through my letterbox. It showcased some discounted outdoor furniture, and I ended up popping in at the weekend to purchase a small wooden bench.

4

Did you collect brochures when you were younger?

I did, actually. Whenever my parents took me on holiday to seaside towns, I'd grab piles of colourful leaflets from hotel lobbies about local castles and theme parks. I loved pasting them into a scrapbook in my bedroom.

5

Do you think printed brochures will disappear in the future?

Probably not entirely, though they will certainly become rarer. Digital adverts are far cheaper to distribute, but tourists and older folk still appreciate having something tangible in their hands when exploring a new city.

Details are invented. Use the shape, not the sentences: examiners mark memorised answers down.

Answer out loud and get a band

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6 words

Useful vocabulary

  • flick through

    to look quickly through the pages of something

  • glossy

    shiny and high quality in appearance

  • itinerary

    a planned route or journey schedule

  • pamphlet

    a small, thin booklet providing information

  • popping in

    visiting a place briefly or informally

  • tangible

    physical and able to be touched

  • →Use precise phrasal verbs like 'flick through' or 'browse' instead of simply repeating 'read'.
  • →Mention specific settings such as travel agencies, museums, or hotel lobbies to make your answers concrete.
  • →Contrast paper printouts with digital media when discussing whether brochures will survive in the future.

Keep practising

More Part 1 topics

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