IELTS Speaking Part 1

Festivals: 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. These are the 7 questions about festivals in the BandLadder test bank, with sample answers for the most frequent ones. Aim for two or three sentences each: answer, reason, one detail.

Sample answers

What is your favorite festival?

My absolute favorite is Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. I have always been captivated by the way every house is illuminated with thousands of earthen lamps, creating an incredibly warm and festive atmosphere that makes the entire neighbourhood feel magical during the dark autumn nights.

How do you celebrate the festival?

Well, the celebrations usually involve a massive family gathering where we exchange homemade sweets and traditional gifts. We also spend the evening setting off fireworks in the garden, which has become a long-standing tradition that everyone in the family looks forward to every single year.

With whom do you like to celebrate festivals?

I prefer spending these occasions exclusively with my immediate family and close relatives. There is something deeply comforting about reconnecting with my cousins and grandparents over a shared meal, as it helps us strengthen our bonds and catch up on everything we have missed throughout the year.

What is the most popular festival in your country?

Christmas is undoubtedly the most widely celebrated festival across the country. It is a period when the high streets are decorated with colourful lights and most people take time off work to focus entirely on socialising and preparing elaborate feasts for their loved ones.

Where do people usually go during festivals?

Most people tend to head back to their hometowns to be with their parents and extended family. It is quite common for public transport to be packed as everyone travels across the country to ensure they are at home for the main celebratory events.

Do you like Western festivals?

I am actually quite fond of Halloween because it is such a playful and creative event. I enjoy seeing how people put effort into their elaborate costumes and decorations, as it offers a fun, light-hearted break from the daily grind of our busy professional lives.

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

Useful vocabulary

Illuminated: Lit up with bright lights to look very beautiful.
Long-standing: Something that has existed for a very long time.
Elaborate: Detailed and complicated, involving many careful, thoughtful steps.
Extended family: Relatives beyond just parents and siblings, like cousins.
Daily grind: The tedious and exhausting routine of everyday work life.
Light-hearted: Amusing and entertaining, not serious or very heavy.

Use specific personal anecdotes to make your answers sound more authentic and interesting.
Keep your responses concise but ensure you provide a reason for your opinion.

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.

Practise Part 1 with the AI examiner

On your phone? Get the BandLadder app.