IELTS Speaking Part 1

Tap water: 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 tap water 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 usually drink tap water?

Yeah, pretty much every day. I've got a reusable flask that I fill straight from the kitchen tap before heading out. The water quality in my city is actually really high, so I don't see any reason to spend money on bottled stuff when it's virtually free at home.

2

Do you prefer tap water or bottled water?

Definitely tap water, mainly for environmental reasons. I can't stand the thought of all those single-use plastic bottles ending up in landfill. To be honest, once you filter it or pop it in the fridge to cool down, you can hardly tell any difference in taste anyway.

3

Is the tap water in your hometown safe to drink?

Yes, absolutely. It's completely drinkable straight from the mains supply. The local authorities maintain strict purification standards, so we've never had issues with strange odours or discolouration, though some of my neighbours still prefer using a carbon filter jug just to be on the safe side.

4

Did you drink tap water when you were a child?

Yes, all the time. Growing up, my parents always told us to drink from the tap rather than buying sugary soft drinks or bottled water. Whenever my brother and I were playing outside in the garden, we'd just run in, cup our hands under the tap, and gulp it down.

5

Do you think people will drink more tap water in the future?

I reckon so, yes. People are becoming far more conscious of plastic pollution these days, so more folks are investing in home filtration and carrying metal bottles. Plus, with the rising cost of living, buying bottled water all the time just feels like an unnecessary expense.

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

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8 words

Useful vocabulary

  • reusable flask

    a durable container designed to carry drinks multiple times

  • single-use plastic

    disposable plastic items meant to be used only once

  • mains supply

    the public piped water network connected to buildings

  • purification standards

    official rules regulating the cleaning and safety of water

  • discolouration

    an unusual or unnatural change in colour

  • carbon filter jug

    a container that uses activated carbon to clean water

  • cup our hands

    join curved hands together to hold liquid

  • conscious of

    aware of and concerned about an issue

  • →Explain the practical or environmental reasons behind your habits rather than just saying yes or no.
  • →Use specific collocations related to the topic, such as mains supply, reusable bottle, or water filter.
  • →Contrast tap water with bottled alternatives to naturally show off comparative grammar structures.

Keep practising

More Part 1 topics

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