IELTS Life Skills B1 Practice Test: Questions and Answers
Practise IELTS Life Skills B1 here: a 22-minute speaking and listening rehearsal with playable original messages, partner prompts and hidden answers.
Try the whole B1 practice test here
Complete this IELTS Life Skills B1 practice test on this page. Set a 22-minute timer and work through four speaking and listening phases with a partner. The messages play here. Open their scripts and the answer key after listening.
IELTS Life Skills B1 is assessed as Pass or Fail. Check whether your application needs B1 in our citizenship and ILR guide.
How to use the 22 minutes
Give the page to your partner so they can read the questions aloud. Switch who asks and answers when the task says to. If you are alone, record your speaking and answer both sides of the listening task; you will need another person to practise the discussion. These are original exercises in the published B1 format. Keep extra listening questions for review after the timed rehearsal.
- Start a timer. Give your name and nationality, then exchange questions within the 3-minute block.
- Prepare for one minute, take turns speaking, and ask follow-ups within about 7 minutes.
- Listen to both messages twice and answer aloud for about 5 minutes.
- Allow about 3 minutes for planning instructions and a 2-minute partner discussion, then 4 minutes for the wider topic.
| Phase | Practice time | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1a | About 3 minutes | Ask and answer |
| 1b | About 7 minutes | Speak on a topic and take questions |
| 2a | About 5 minutes | Listen, then answer |
| 2b | About 7 minutes | Plan and decide, then discuss the wider topic |
| Total | About 22 minutes | One continuous rehearsal |
Phase 1a: ask questions and respond
Start with a short examiner introduction: give your name, spell it if asked, and say where you come from. Then spend about two minutes asking each other questions. After an answer, ask about a detail you heard.
Partner A asks about the neighbourhood.
- What do you like about where you live?
- What has changed there recently?
- Would you recommend it to a friend? Why?
Partner B asks about travel.
- How do you usually get to work or study?
- Was your journey different last year?
- What would make the journey easier?
Play the questions
0:00 / 0:00
| Speaker | Sample answer |
|---|---|
| A | I used to drive, but now I take the bus three days a week. It is cheaper, though I still drive when I have an early appointment. |
| B | Is the bus reliable in the morning? |
“What is your favourite food?”
“Is the bus reliable in the morning?”
Phase 1b: speak and answer follow-ups
Take about a minute to think. Each person talks for about one and a half minutes, then answers three questions from their partner, as in the official B1 sample. Swap roles without restarting the timer. Official topics can also ask about your interests or something you would like to do; a past story is only one way to practise.
Partner A: a plan that changed at short notice.
- What was the original plan?
- Why did it change?
- What did you do?
- How did you feel?
Partner B: a time you helped someone.
- What did they need?
- What did you do?
- What happened next?
Example: a changed plan
- Sample answer: Last month I planned to collect my sister from the station on Friday evening. We were going to have dinner together, and I had already bought the food. That afternoon she called to say her train had been cancelled. The next train would arrive very late, and I could not drive there because my car was at the garage. At first I was worried about where she would stay. Then she remembered a friend who lived near the station and called her. Her friend offered her a room for the night, so we agreed to meet the next morning instead. I felt relieved once we had a plan. On Saturday I borrowed my father's car and collected her. We still had lunch together, but I learned to check travel updates before arranging the meal.
- Listener: Why couldn't you collect her that night?
- A: My car was at the garage, and there were no late buses from my home.
- Listener: How did your sister find somewhere to stay?
- A: She called a friend who lived near the station.
- Listener: What would you do differently next time?
- A: I would check travel updates before planning dinner.
Answer the new question
Reply to what they asked. Do not repeat the opening of the story.
Phase 2a: listen before you read
Play each message once. Leave the script closed. Say the first answer aloud, then play both messages again and answer the detail questions. If you are alone, answer every question. Say your answers before you open the key.
After the first listen:
- A: What changed about the gardening workshop?
- B: Why is Kamran contacting the residents?
After the second listen, A answers:
- What time is the bus meeting?
- Why did the meeting move?
After the second listen, B answers:
- Where is the workshop?
- What should people bring?
| Candidate | First listen | Second listen |
|---|---|---|
| A | Message 1: main change | Message 2: time and reason |
| B | Message 2: main purpose | Message 1: place and item to bring |
Message 1: gardening workshop
0:00 / 0:00
Show the script after listening
Hello, this is Leena from the community centre. Saturday's gardening workshop was going to start outside at ten, but rain is expected. It will now start at eleven in the library meeting room. Please bring your small plants, but leave large tools at home because there isn't much space. Your ticket is still valid. Call the centre by Friday if you can't come.
Message 2: residents' meeting
0:00 / 0:00
Show the script after listening
Hi, this is Kamran from the residents' group. Thursday's meeting about the new bus route will be at the health centre at seven, not in the park. We couldn't hear each other over the traffic at our last meeting. Please bring questions about bus stops or journey times. I'll send our suggestions to the council on Friday.
Reveal the listening answers
- A, first listen: the gardening workshop moved indoors and starts an hour later.
- B, first listen: Kamran is telling residents about the bus-route meeting and its new location.
- A, second listen: seven o'clock (7 p.m.); the traffic made it too noisy. The message gives a new place because people could not hear each other in the park.
- B, second listen: the library meeting room (the meeting room at the library); small plants. Rain explains the indoor location, and the room has little space for large tools.
Extra listening practice: after the rehearsal
- A: Where is the bus meeting? At the health centre. The message says not in the park.
- A: What will Kamran do on Friday? Send the suggestions to the council.
- B: When is the workshop? Saturday at eleven (11 a.m.), an hour later than planned.
- B: What should people leave at home? Large tools, because there is little space.
Phase 2b: make a decision together
The community centre can add one evening activity next month. The room has tables and chairs. There is no kitchen. Choose one activity and agree a plan.
The choices are:
- A conversation club
- A cooking class
- A repair workshop
Talk about these points:
- Who would come?
- What would you need?
- How would people hear about it?
Allow about three minutes for these instructions and planning, including about two minutes of partner discussion. Then spend about four minutes discussing activities you attend and why you enjoy them. Both people ask and answer.
More prompts are on the B1 speaking and listening topics page.
| Speaker | Sample answer |
|---|---|
| A | I'd choose the conversation club. People could join without buying anything. What do you think? |
| B | The repair workshop might save people money, but do we have tools? |
| A | No. We could start the club now and ask if anyone has tools for a later workshop. |
| B | That works. How will people find out? |
| A | Let's put a notice in the library and ask the centre to tell its members. |
If you agree too quickly
Add a problem. One person cannot stay late, or the room is busy on your first day. Pick another time together.
What to fix after the rehearsal
Check the listening answers only after you finish. Then ask your partner one question: which of my answers was hardest to follow? Listen to your recording if you made one. Pick a single issue to practise again with a new topic.
Missing "eleven" in Message 1 points to listening for a corrected time. Repeating a prepared story instead of answering a follow-up points to conversation practice. If this rehearsal feels too difficult, the B1 preparation guide for Hindi and Urdu speakers explains when to build A1 or A2 foundations first. For those foundations, ask about lessons.
Review together
- Did I answer the question I heard?
- Did I explain when, why and what happened next?
- Did I catch the new detail rather than the old one?
- Did I ask a question that followed my partner's answer?
- Did we explain a choice and agree on a plan?
Where the format comes from
The phase order and approximate timings follow IELTS's Life Skills format and its published B1 samples.
Frequently asked questions
Can I practise IELTS Life Skills B1 without a partner?
You can record your own answers and do both listening roles alone. To practise asking follow-up questions and reaching a decision, ask another person to join you. The real test includes another candidate and an examiner at an approved centre.
Is this an official IELTS Life Skills B1 sample?
No. This is an independent practice exercise based on IELTS's published four-phase B1 format.
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