Questions · Speaking interview practice

Speaking practice in the style of a personal-topics interview

Speaking interviews in English tests usually start with questions about your own life, then ask you to describe something, then ask for opinions. These questions follow that shape so you can practice fluency at home. They are not official exam material.

  • 18 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Getting to know№ 24

When you think of home, what small detail comes up first?

Kapag naiisip mo ang home, anong maliit na detail ang unang pumapasok?

Tap to flipkumustahan
A note

Home can be a smell, a sound, a person, a room, or one ordinary detail that stayed.

Pwedeng amoy, tunog, tao, kwarto, o isang ordinaryong detail ang home. Minsan yun ang unang bumabalik.

Tap to returnkumustahan

The questions

18 practice questions, short to long

Unofficial practice questions from a conversation card app, not past or official test questions. Use them to build fluency, and check the official test materials for the real format.

Short answers about you

6 questions

Home, routines and free time. Answer in two or three sentences.

  1. When you think of home, what small detail comes up first?

    Kapag naiisip mo ang home, anong maliit na detail ang unang pumapasok?

    Back of the card

    Home can be a smell, a sound, a person, a room, or one ordinary detail that stayed.

    Pwedeng amoy, tunog, tao, kwarto, o isang ordinaryong detail ang home. Minsan yun ang unang bumabalik.

  2. What helps you settle down after a full day?

    Ano ang nakakatulong sa'yo mag-settle after a full day?

    Back of the card

    The way you come down from a full day matters. Small rituals can help your mind know it is safe to rest.

    Mahalaga rin kung paano ka bumababa from a full day. Kahit maliit na ritual, puwedeng signal na safe nang magpahinga.

  3. Before leaving the house, what do you always check?

    Bago umalis ng bahay, ano yung lagi mong chine-check?

    Back of the card

    Small checks are tiny protection from future hassle. Everyone has one thing they refuse to leave up to memory.

    Maliit lang yung check, pero nakakaiwas sa future hassle. Lahat tayo may isang bagay na hindi pwedeng memory lang.

  4. Which song takes you back to a particular time with friends?

    Anong kanta ang nagpapaalala sa'yo ng isang panahon ninyo ng friends mo?

    Back of the card

    Picture where everyone was when the song came on.

    Isipin kung nasaan ang lahat noong tumugtog ang kanta.

  5. Which small outside task do you secretly like doing, like buying something, picking something up, or dropping something off?

    Anong maliit na task sa labas ang secretly gusto mong gawin, like bumili, kumuha, o maghatid ng something?

    Back of the card

    A small task outside can feel strangely satisfying. It gives the day a tiny mission with a clear finish line.

    May small task sa labas na strangely satisfying. Parang may tiny mission yung araw, tapos malinaw kung kailan tapos.

  6. Which everyday sound reminds you of home right away?

    Anong everyday sound ang nagpapaalala agad sa'yo ng home?

    Back of the card

    Home is not always a place first. Sometimes it is a sound you recognize before you even think about it.

    Hindi laging lugar agad ang home. Minsan sound siya na kilala mo na bago mo pa isipin.

Describe a person, place or event

7 questions

Speak for one to two minutes: who or what, when, what happened, why it matters.

  1. Who is someone you respect for the way they live, even in small things?

    Sino yung taong nirerespeto mo sa paraan ng buhay niya, kahit sa maliliit na bagay?

    Back of the card

    Respect often begins with small, steady things. A simple habit can show a lot about how someone moves through life.

    Madalas nagsisimula ang respeto sa maliliit pero consistent na bagay. May simpleng habit na maraming sinasabi tungkol sa isang tao.

  2. Tell us about a place that left a memory or feeling you still carry.

    Ikuwento yung lugar na may iniwang memory o feeling na dala mo pa rin.

    Back of the card

    Some places stay with us quietly. You may not notice it right away, but later you realize you carried something from there.

    May mga lugar na tahimik lang ang iniiwan sa atin. Hindi mo agad napapansin, pero may dala ka pala mula roon.

  3. What is a recent act of kindness that caught you by surprise?

    Anong magandang ginawa sa'yo lately ang hindi mo inaasahan?

    Back of the card

    Keep names private if you like. Picture the instant you realized what they had done for you.

    Puwedeng itago ang mga pangalan. Balikan ang sandaling naisip mo kung ano ang ginawa nila para sa'yo.

  4. When was the last time a meal became a good memory?

    Kailan huling naging magandang memory yung isang meal?

    Back of the card

    A good meal memory is rarely only about food. It can be the timing, the people, or the feeling around the table.

    Hindi lang pagkain ang laman ng good meal memory. Pwedeng timing, kasama, o yung feeling sa paligid ng table.

  5. What useful skill did someone patiently teach you?

    Anong kasanayan ang matiyagang itinuro sa'yo ng isang tao?

    Back of the card

    Imagine you are teaching the skill now. What would you show a beginner first?

    Isipin na ikaw naman ang nagtuturo nito. Ano ang una mong ipapakita sa baguhan?

  6. Tell us about a time someone was fair to you in a way you still remember.

    Ikuwento yung time na naging fair sa'yo ang isang tao, at natatandaan mo pa rin.

    Back of the card

    Fairness can be memorable because it gives people room to breathe. It says, I see the whole situation, not only the mistake.

    Natatandaan ang fairness kasi nakakahinga ang tao. Parang sinasabi nito, nakikita ko yung buong situation, hindi lang yung mali.

  7. Share the first time you did something on your own and felt more capable afterward.

    Ikuwento ang unang beses mong gumawa ng isang bagay mag-isa at naisip mong, "Kaya ko pala."

    Back of the card

    Finish if you like: "That was when I realized I could..."

    Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Doon ko naisip na kaya ko palang..."

Opinions with reasons and examples

5 questions

Give a view, a reason and an example from your life.

  1. Choose a simple way friends could celebrate your birthday without spending much.

    Pumili ng simpleng paraan para i-celebrate ng friends ang birthday mo nang hindi gumagastos nang malaki.

    Back of the card

    One detail can be just for you: the music, the timing, or something else you love.

    Puwedeng may isang detalye para talaga sa'yo: music, oras, o iba pang gusto mo.

  2. Which small kindness from other people do you notice right away?

    Anong small kindness mula sa ibang tao ang napapansin mo agad?

    Back of the card

    It could be someone checking in, saving you a seat, helping quietly, or remembering a small detail. The kindness you notice may be the kind you needed before.

    Puwedeng may nag-check in, nagtira ng seat, tumulong quietly, o nakaalala ng small detail. Baka yung kindness na napapansin mo ang kind na kinailangan mo dati.

  3. Would you rather have one long vacation or several short ones?

    Mas gusto mo ba ng isang mahabang bakasyon o ilang maiikli?

    Back of the card

    Give your break a title, as if it were a movie.

    Bigyan ng pamagat ang break mo, na parang movie.

  4. What is something you can handle better now than before?

    Ano yung mas kaya mo nang i-handle ngayon kaysa dati?

    Back of the card

    Growth is often noticed in comparison. What used to shake you may now take less from you.

    Madalas napapansin ang growth kapag may comparison. Yung dati kang kinakabahan, baka ngayon mas kaya mo nang harapin.

  5. For a good hangout, what matters most: tasty food, a comfy place, or good conversation?

    Sa bonding, ano ang pinakamahalaga: masarap na pagkain, komportableng lugar, o masayang kuwentuhan?

    Back of the card

    Imagine a hangout with your top choice and nothing fancy. Where would it happen?

    Isipin ang simpleng bonding na mayroon ng pinili mo. Saan ito mangyayari?

How to use them

Before you ask

The best way to prepare for a speaking interview on personal topics is to practice answering real questions about your own life out loud, at the length the test expects, until you can keep going without stopping to translate.

Many learners memorize model answers. Examiners in most speaking tests are trained to notice that, and a memorized answer falls apart at the first follow-up. Practicing with many different personal questions builds the thing that actually scores: fluency, a range of vocabulary and the ability to extend an answer naturally.

The three groups follow the usual rhythm of an interview-style test: short answers, a longer description and a discussion. Time yourself, record your answers, and focus on extending each one with a reason, an example or a detail. These are practice questions from Kumustahan, a conversation card app; they are not from any test provider.

Good for

  • Building fluency before a speaking test
  • Daily speaking practice with a timer
  • Study partners practicing interview questions
  • Tutors running mock speaking sessions
  • Learners who freeze on personal questions

Tips

  1. Don’t memorize answers. Practice many questions instead.
  2. Record yourself and check: did you give a reason and an example?
  3. Use the planning-minute habit for the description cards, even at home.
  4. Practice paraphrasing when you forget a word, rather than stopping.
  5. Check the official test materials for the real format, timing and scoring.

Decks for this

How to extend an answer

A short answer is a missed chance to show your English. Add one or two of these:

  • A reason: “…mainly because…”
  • An example: “For instance, last month I…”
  • A contrast: “When I was younger I…, but now…”
  • A feeling: “What I like most about it is…”

A simple plan for a one-to-two-minute description

Use the minute you have to plan, and note one word for each point:

  • Who or what it is
  • When and where
  • What happened, or what they do
  • Why it matters to you

IELTS-style speaking practice

Frequently asked questions

How can I practice for the IELTS speaking test at home?

Answer personal questions out loud every day, at the right length, and record yourself. Focus on extending each answer with reasons and examples. These questions are unofficial practice; use the official materials to check the real format.

Are these official IELTS questions?

No. They are conversation questions from the Kumustahan card app, arranged in the style of a personal-topics speaking interview. They are for fluency practice only.

What topics come up in speaking interviews on personal topics?

Commonly home, routines, free time, people you know, places and memorable events, followed by opinion questions. Practicing everyday topics like these builds the vocabulary you need.

Bring a better question to the table.

Free on iPhone and Android. 420 cards free, no account, works offline.

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play