A favourite toy, a game you played with friends, a happy memory, a teacher you will never forget: childhood comes up again and again in IELTS Speaking Part 2. These cards are a great chance to show past tenses and phrases like “used to” and “would”.
Do not worry if your memories are not exciting. A simple memory told with clear details and feelings works better than a dramatic story. Below you will find four childhood cue cards with band 7+ sample answers, useful vocabulary, and typical Part 1 and Part 3 questions about childhood.
You get a cue card and 1 minute to make notes. Then you speak for 1 to 2 minutes. Cover every point on the card, add a short example or story, and finish with the “explain” part.
Childhood cue cards with sample answers
Describe a happy memory from your childhood.
You should say:
- what happened
- when and where it happened
- who was with you
and explain why it is a happy memory for you.
Sample Answer:
One of my happiest childhood memories is the summer I learned to ride a bike, when I was about seven. We were staying at my grandparents’ farm in the countryside, and my grandfather decided it was time.
Every evening after dinner, he would walk behind me along a long gravel road between the fields, holding the back of the seat. For days I kept falling into the grass at the side of the road. Then one evening I looked back and realised he had let go a long time before, and he was standing far behind me, waving.
It is a happy memory partly because of the feeling of freedom, which I can still remember, but mostly because of my grandfather. He was very patient, and he made me feel that I could do anything. He died a few years later, and that summer is one of the clearest memories I have of him.
Describe a toy you liked when you were a child.
You should say:
- what the toy was
- who gave it to you
- how you played with it
and explain why you liked it so much.
Sample Answer:
The toy I loved most as a child was a big box of wooden building blocks that my parents gave me for my fifth birthday. There were about a hundred pieces in different shapes and colours, and some of them had little doors and windows painted on them.
I used to build whole towns on the living-room floor, with houses, bridges and towers, and then my younger brother would drive his toy cars through them. Sometimes the towns stayed up for days, and my parents had to walk carefully around them.
I liked them so much because there were no rules: every day I could build something completely different. I think they also made me interested in how things are made, which may be one reason I became an engineer. My parents kept the blocks, and now my niece plays with them when she visits.
Describe a game you played as a child.
You should say:
- what the game was
- who you played it with
- where you played it
and explain why you enjoyed it.
Sample Answer:
A game I played all the time as a child was a version of hide-and-seek that we called “tin can”. I played it with about ten children from the apartment blocks where I grew up, almost every summer evening.
One person put an empty tin can in the middle of the courtyard and counted to fifty while everyone else hid. The seeker had to find people and run back to touch the can before them. But if someone managed to kick the can before the seeker got there, everyone who had been caught was free again.
I enjoyed it because it was exciting and a bit chaotic, and because it brought together children of all ages. There were no adults involved and no equipment except a tin can. We would play until it got dark and our parents started calling us from the balconies, which is one of my favourite sounds from childhood.
Describe a teacher who had an important influence on you.
You should say:
- who the teacher was
- what subject they taught
- what they were like
and explain how they influenced you.
Sample Answer:
The teacher who influenced me most was Mrs Turner, who taught me English from the age of ten until I finished school. She was quite strict, but also very warm and funny.
What made her different was that she never just taught grammar from the book. She brought songs, newspaper articles and short films into class, and every Friday we had a “talking hour”, when we discussed anything we wanted, as long as it was in English. Mistakes were allowed, but silence was not.
She influenced me in two ways. First, she gave me the confidence to speak English without being afraid of mistakes, which is the reason I can communicate comfortably today. Second, she showed me that learning can be enjoyable, and I think that attitude has helped me in everything I have studied since.
Useful childhood vocabulary for IELTS
Use “used to” and “would” for repeated past actions, and precise words instead of “fun” and “nice”:
| Topic | Words and phrases |
|---|---|
| Talking about the past | I used to…, we would…, back then, when I was little, as far as I can remember |
| Childhood | a carefree childhood, to grow up in, my early years, a happy-go-lucky child, to be brought up by |
| Memories | a vivid memory, a fond memory, to look back on, to bring back memories, to remember something clearly |
| Play | to play outdoors, to make up games, to build a den, to play make-believe, a favourite toy |
| Useful phrases | to be a handful, to grow out of something, to have the time of your life, to be the apple of someone’s eye |
IELTS Speaking Part 1: questions about childhood
Part 1 questions are short and personal. Give a direct answer and add one reason or example.
1Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a small town on the coast, in a block of flats with a big shared courtyard where all the children played.
2What did you like doing as a child?
I loved building things with blocks and playing outside with the other children in our courtyard until it got dark.
3Did you have a happy childhood?
Yes, I think so. We did not have much money, but I had a lot of freedom and a very loving family.
4Do you think children today have a different childhood?
In some ways, yes. They spend much more time indoors with screens, while we spent almost all our free time outside.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: questions about childhood and growing up
In Part 3 the examiner asks about childhood in general. Give longer answers with reasons, examples and both sides of the argument.
1Is childhood today better or worse than in the past?
It is better in some ways: children are healthier, have more opportunities and can learn almost anything online. On the other hand, they probably have less freedom, because parents worry more about safety, and they spend less time playing outside. So I would say childhood is more comfortable now, but not necessarily happier.
2How important is play for children’s development?
I think it is essential. Through play, children learn to cooperate, solve problems and deal with losing, which are skills they need for the rest of their lives. Unstructured play, where children make up their own games, is especially valuable, because it develops creativity in a way that organised activities often do not.
3Should parents decide which activities their children do?
Up to a point. Young children need guidance, and parents can introduce them to sports, music or languages they would not discover alone. But as children get older, I think they should choose more for themselves, because they are much more likely to stick with an activity they actually enjoy.
Practise on your own
Choose one of the cue cards above, set a timer for 1 minute to make notes, and then record yourself speaking for 2 minutes. Listen back and check whether you covered every point and used some of the vocabulary from this page. For more topics, see IELTS Speaking Part 2 topics and cue cards with answers.