IELTS Speaking Part 1

Desks: 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 6 questions about desks 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.
  • 6 questions
  • 6 Band 8 answers
  • 4 to 5 minutes

6 answers

Sample answers

1

Do you often use a desk?

Yes, almost every single day. Because I work remotely from my flat, I spend at least seven or eight hours sitting at my desk doing admin tasks or attending online meetings. To be honest, it's pretty much where I spend half of my waking hours.

2

What kind of desk do you have?

I've got a fairly simple wooden desk with a couple of drawers on the right-hand side. It's an adjustable standing desk that I bought a couple of years ago, which is brilliant because I can easily raise it when my back starts to ache.

3

Do you prefer a tidy desk or a messy desk?

Definitely a tidy one. If my workspace gets cluttered with random mugs, sticky notes, and loose cables, I find it really difficult to concentrate. I usually have a quick tidy-up every evening so that I can start fresh the next morning.

4

What do you usually keep on your desk?

Apart from my laptop and an external monitor, I always have a refillable water bottle, a small desk lamp, and a coaster. I try to keep it fairly minimalist, though you'll usually spot a notebook and pen lying around for quick scribbles.

5

Did you have your own desk when you were a child?

Not initially, no. Growing up, I used to do all my school homework at the dining room table with my sister. It wasn't until I turned twelve that my parents bought me a proper study desk for my bedroom, which felt like a massive milestone.

6

Would you like to buy a new desk in the future?

I suppose so, yes. If I move into a larger flat, I'd love to invest in an L-shaped corner desk made of solid oak. It'd give me plenty of room to spread out my paperwork without feeling cramped.

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

Answer out loud and get a band

The AI examiner asks Part 1 questions like these, listens, and scores fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, with the words that cost you.

Log in to practise this with AI scoring — free →

8 words

Useful vocabulary

  • admin tasks

    routine office or administrative duties

  • adjustable standing desk

    a desk that can be raised or lowered to stand

  • cluttered

    untidy and crowded with too many objects

  • tidy-up

    an act of putting things in order

  • minimalist

    simple and keeping items to a bare minimum

  • scribbles

    quick, informal handwritten notes

  • milestone

    a significant event or turning point

  • cramped

    lacking sufficient room or restricted in space

  • →Avoid giving a dry list of objects when asked about your desk; explain what you use them for instead.
  • →Use descriptive adjectives like 'minimalist', 'cluttered', or 'spacious' to showcase your vocabulary.
  • →When asked about the past, use phrases such as 'growing up' or 'not initially' to contrast with your current habits.

Keep practising

More Part 1 topics

© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy

Log in to practise free