IELTS Speaking Part 1

Slippers: 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 slippers 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 wear slippers at home?

Yes, practically all the time. As soon as I walk through the front door, I kick off my outdoor shoes and slide into a pair of cosy fleece slippers. It keeps the flat clean and makes me feel instantly relaxed after a long day at work.

2

What kind of slippers do you prefer?

I usually go for slip-ons with sturdy rubber soles. They need to be warm, but I also like being able to pop out to the garden or take the bins out without having to switch into proper shoes every single time.

3

Did you wear slippers when you were a child?

Not really, to be honest. My parents always tried to get me to wear them, especially in winter, but I hated feeling restricted. I much preferred running around in thick woolly socks or even barefoot on the carpet.

4

Do people in your country usually wear slippers indoors?

Definitely. It's quite customary to take off outdoor footwear at the entrance to avoid trailing dirt inside. Most households will offer guests a spare pair of lightweight indoor slippers, or people just pad around in their socks.

5

Have you ever bought slippers as a present for someone?

Yes, I actually bought a pair of memory foam moccasin slippers for my grandfather last Christmas. He is always complaining about having cold feet, and he told me recently that he wears them every morning while reading the newspaper.

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

  • kick off

    to quickly remove footwear from your feet

  • sturdy

    strong and not easily damaged

  • pop out

    to leave a place for a short time

  • restricted

    limited in movement or comfort

  • barefoot

    without any shoes or socks on

  • customary

    usual or traditional in a culture

  • trail dirt

    to bring mud or mess inside accidentally

  • pad around

    to walk quietly and comfortably indoors

  • →Use natural phrasal verbs for footwear like 'kick off', 'slip into', or 'pad around'.
  • →Contrast your indoor and outdoor shoe habits to naturally extend your answers.
  • →Be honest if you dislike slippers, explaining why you prefer socks or bare feet is completely fine.

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