A painting you like, a photo that means a lot to you, a museum you visited, something creative you have done: art and photography appear regularly in IELTS Speaking Part 2, and Part 3 often moves on to questions about funding the arts and the role of art in education.
You do not need to know much about art history. Describe what you see, how it makes you feel and why, and the examiner will hear exactly the language they are looking for. Below you will find four art and photography cue cards with band 7+ sample answers, useful vocabulary, and typical Part 1 and Part 3 questions.
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.
Art and photography cue cards with sample answers
Describe a painting or work of art you like.
You should say:
- what it is
- where you saw it
- what it looks like
and explain why you like it.
Sample Answer:
A painting I really like is “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh. I have seen it in books and on posters for years, but I finally saw the original at the Museum of Modern Art in New York two years ago.
It shows a small village at night, with a church tower and dark hills, but the sky above it is the main part of the painting. It is full of swirling blue and yellow brushstrokes, with a huge glowing moon and stars that look almost like they are spinning. On the left there is a tall dark cypress tree that looks a bit like a flame.
I like it because it is so full of energy and emotion. Van Gogh painted it while he was staying in a hospital, during a very difficult time in his life, and I think you can feel both his sadness and his amazement at the beauty of the night. Seeing it in real life, I was surprised how thick the paint is, almost like a sculpture.
Describe a photo that you took and like.
You should say:
- what the photo shows
- when and where you took it
- what you did with it
and explain why you like it.
Sample Answer:
A photo I took that I really like shows my father and my daughter sitting on a wooden jetty, fishing together. I took it last summer at a lake near our family’s summer cottage, early one morning.
They are sitting with their backs to the camera, and the lake in front of them is completely still, with mist rising from the water. My daughter, who was six at the time, is leaning her head on her grandfather’s shoulder. I took it on my phone without them noticing, which is probably why it looks so natural.
I had it printed and framed, and I gave a copy to my father for his birthday. I like it because it captures a quiet moment between two people I love, without any posing. It also reminds me of the peaceful mornings at the lake, which is one of my favourite places in the world.
Describe a museum or gallery you visited.
You should say:
- where it is
- what you saw there
- who you went with
and explain how you felt about the visit.
Sample Answer:
A museum I really enjoyed visiting is the national art museum in our capital. I went there last spring with my friend, who is an art student, and she was a brilliant guide.
It is a striking modern building on the edge of a large park. Inside there are several floors of art from my country, from old portraits and landscapes to very strange contemporary installations. One room was completely dark except for a video projected onto the walls, which was quite unsettling but also fascinating.
I felt surprisingly inspired. I had expected to be bored by the older paintings, but my friend explained the stories behind them, and they suddenly became interesting. It made me realise that a good guide can completely change how you experience a museum, and I have been back twice since.
Describe a creative activity you have done.
You should say:
- what the activity was
- when and where you did it
- who you did it with
and explain how you felt about it.
Sample Answer:
A creative activity I really enjoyed was a one-day painting workshop that I went to with my mother last autumn, as a birthday present for her. It was in a small studio in an old wooden house in the countryside.
There were about ten people, mostly complete beginners like us. The teacher showed us some basic watercolour techniques in the morning, like mixing colours and painting wet on wet, and in the afternoon we went outside and each painted the view of an old apple orchard.
I felt nervous at the beginning, because I have not painted since school and I am not very artistic. But the teacher was very encouraging, and after a while I forgot to worry and just enjoyed it. My painting was not very good, but my mother’s was lovely, and we both still talk about how relaxing that day was.
Useful art and photography vocabulary for IELTS
Use precise words instead of repeating “beautiful”, “nice” and “picture”:
| Topic | Words and phrases |
|---|---|
| Types of art | a painting, a portrait, a landscape, a sculpture, an installation, street art, abstract art |
| Describing art | striking, vivid, thought-provoking, moving, bold brushstrokes, a muted colour palette |
| Photography | to take / capture a photo, a snapshot, in the background / foreground, to be out of focus, to frame a shot |
| Places and people | an art gallery, an exhibition, a museum, an artist, a curator, a workshop |
| Useful phrases | to catch my eye, to leave a lasting impression, art is in the eye of the beholder, to have an eye for detail |
IELTS Speaking Part 1: questions about art and photos
Part 1 questions are short and personal. Give a direct answer and add one reason or example.
1Do you like art?
Yes, especially modern painting and street art. I do not know much about it, but I enjoy visiting galleries when I travel.
2Do you like taking photos?
I do, mostly of nature and my family. I take them on my phone, and I try to print my favourite ones every year.
3Did you do art at school?
Yes, until I was about fifteen. I was not very talented, but I enjoyed it because it was so different from other lessons.
4Do you have any pictures on the walls at home?
A few. There is a print of a painting I like in the living room and some framed family photos in the hallway.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: questions about art and creativity
In Part 3 the examiner asks about art in general. Give longer answers with reasons, examples and both sides of the argument.
1Should governments spend money on art?
I think they should, at least to some extent. Art galleries, theatres and music help define a country’s culture and attract tourists, and many of them could not survive on ticket sales alone. Of course, healthcare and education are more urgent, but a small share of the budget for culture makes a society richer in ways that are hard to measure.
2Is art an important subject at school?
Yes, I believe it is. Art teaches children to observe carefully, experiment and express themselves, which are useful skills in almost any job. It also gives children who struggle with academic subjects a chance to succeed at something. Unfortunately, it is often the first subject to be cut when schools need to save money.
3Has photography lost its value now that everyone has a camera phone?
In one sense, ordinary photos have become less special, because we take thousands and rarely look at them again. But I think good photography is still valued, perhaps even more, because it is now clear that owning a camera is not the same as having an eye for a great picture.
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.