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Describe your dream home, the house that you would like to live in one day

Try the card on the exam timer first, then read the band-8 sample answer and the Part 3 questions that follow it.

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Part 2 · Candidate task card

Describe your dream home, the house that you would like to live in one day.

You should say:

  • where the house would be
  • what it would look like
  • what rooms and features it would have

and explain why this would be your ideal home.

Ready

1 minute to prepare, then 2 minutes to speak. It switches on its own.

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Band 8 sample answer

269 words · about 2 minutes at a natural pace · Phrases from the vocabulary list are highlighted.

My dream home would be a two-storey house on the edge of a small town, close to the mountains, with a big garden and a view of the hills. It's something I've been imagining since I was a teenager, and I even sketched the plans once in my notebook.

From the outside, it would look simple and modern, with white walls, large windows and a wooden terrace at the front. Inside, the ground floor would be open-plan, with a spacious living room that connects to a fully equipped kitchen and dining area. I'd like to have lots of natural light, so I'd make sure there are big glass doors that open onto the garden. There would also be a fireplace, which would make the room cosy on winter evenings. Upstairs, I'd have three bedrooms, one of which I'd turn into a study with shelves of books and a large desk by the window, where I'd work and read. There would be a small guest room as well, because I enjoy having friends and relatives stay.

Outside, I'd plant fruit trees and flowers and make a small vegetable patch, and maybe have a hammock between two trees. A little workshop at the back would be a bonus.

The reason it would be ideal is that it combines peace and comfort with space for the people I love. I'm tired of living in a noisy apartment block, where I can hear the neighbours, so a quiet house surrounded by nature would be the perfect place to relax. I realise it's a long-term ambition, but I'm working towards it step by step.

What to notice

  • It takes the points on the card in order, so the examiner can follow it.
  • Each point gets a specific detail or a short story, which is what keeps a talk going for two minutes.
  • The "explain" line at the end gets the most time, because that is where you give an opinion and show your range of language.

We wrote this answer for practice; it does not come from IELTS. Take its structure and phrases and tell your own story, because examiners notice memorised answers.

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Useful vocabulary

PhraseMeaning
spaciouswith plenty of room
open-planwithout internal walls between living areas
fully equipped kitchena kitchen with all necessary appliances
overlook a gardenhave a window with a view of a garden
natural lightlight from the sun, not lamps
cosywarm, comfortable and pleasant

Plan it in one minute

Choose what to talk about in the first ten seconds, then write two or three key words for each point. Full sentences take too long to write and to read back.

Who or what you could talk about

  • A house by the sea
  • A modern apartment in a city centre
  • A cottage in the countryside

How to spend the two minutes

  1. 25 swhere the house would be
  2. 25 swhat it would look like
  3. 25 swhat rooms and features it would have
  4. 45 sand explain why this would be your ideal home.

Part 3 questions

In the exam these come straight after your talk, on the wider subject: Housing and living conditions. Answer each in 3–4 sentences, with your view, a reason and an example.

  1. What kinds of housing are most common in your country?
  2. Why is it so expensive for young people to buy a home?
  3. Do you think it is better to rent or to own a home?
  4. How have homes changed over the last fifty years?
  5. What can governments do to provide affordable housing?

Frequently asked questions

How do I talk about future plans in an IELTS cue card?

Say what you would like to do, why, and how you would go about it. Mix future forms: "I'm planning to", "I'd love to", "if I had the chance, I would". A plan you really have gives you more to say than an invented one.

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