Are these the real IELTS Speaking questions for October 2026?

No. Live IELTS questions are confidential, and any site claiming to have the real paper is guessing or breaking the rules. These are the topic areas candidates have reported after their tests in September and October. The themes recur even though the wording changes, so practise the topic, not the sentence.

When do IELTS Speaking topics change?

Part 2 cue cards are widely reported to refresh at the start of January, May and September, which is why September brings the most new cards of the year. IELTS does not confirm these dates. Part 1 topics change much less, and Part 3 always follows from your Part 2 card.

Will the September cue cards still be used in November and December?

Most likely, yes. Cards reported in the first weeks of a cycle usually stay in use until it ends, so preparing them now covers a test booked any time before the end of the year.

Can I memorise answers for IELTS Speaking?

No. Examiners are trained to spot memorised language and it lowers your Fluency and Coherence score. Prepare ideas, stories and vocabulary for each theme, then build the sentences live.

Speaking 12 min read· October 2026

Recent IELTS Speaking questions: September & October 2026

IELTS Speaking topics for September and October 2026, the start of the Sept–Dec cycle: Part 1 questions, Part 2 cue cards, Part 3 prompts and model answers.

September opens a new IELTS Speaking cycle that runs to the end of December, and this is when the Part 2 cue card pool changes most. Below are the topic areas reported by candidates in September and the first weeks of October 2026, grouped by Part 1, 2 and 3, with sample questions and model approaches. IELTS never publishes live questions, so these are topic round-ups, not official exam content. Early in a cycle the reports are thinner, so we have weighted the list towards themes that recur every year and will keep updating it through October.

Part 1: familiar topics reported in September and October

Part 1 barely rotates. Expect the usual work, study and hometown opener, then two short topic frames such as:

Work or study: what do you do? Do you plan to keep doing it in the future?
Hometown & accommodation: what is the best part of where you live? Has it changed recently?
Weekends & free time: what did you do last weekend? Do you prefer busy or quiet weekends?
Gifts: do you like giving gifts? What was the last gift you received?
Walking & outdoors: do you walk much in your daily life? Where do people walk where you live?
Puzzles & games: did you play puzzles as a child? Do you prefer games alone or with others?
Handwriting & stationery: do you still write by hand? Do you think handwriting matters today?

Part 1 model answer

Q: Do you still write by hand?

Model: "Not as much as I used to, honestly. Almost everything I write for work is typed now. But I still keep a paper notebook for to-do lists, because crossing things off with a pen is weirdly satisfying, and I find I remember things better when I've written them down."

Part 2: cue cards reported this cycle

Part 2 gives you a card, one minute to prepare and up to two minutes to speak. Cue cards commonly reported so far in the September–December 2026 cycle:

Describe a time you had to wait for something.
Describe a festival or celebration that is important in your culture.
Describe a piece of advice you received that was useful.
Describe a time you tried something new for the first time.
Describe a person you know who is good at their job.
Describe a place in your city where people go to have fun.
Describe a goal you have not yet achieved.
Describe a website or online video you watched recently and found interesting.

Part 2 model approach: 'a time you had to wait for something'

Pick a real wait with a clear payoff, so the story has an ending: "Last year I waited almost four months for my student visa. I'd already paid my deposit and booked a flight, so every week without news felt endless… I kept myself busy by working extra shifts and practising my English… and when the email finally arrived I was on a bus, and I actually shouted. Looking back, it taught me that I'm more patient than I thought." Use your prep minute to note one keyword per bullet, and keep the most time for how you felt, because that is where you show range.

Part 3: discussion questions reported this cycle

Part 3 widens the Part 2 topic into abstract discussion. Commonly reported follow-ups:

Patience & waiting: are people less patient than in the past? Has technology made us expect everything instantly?
Festivals & traditions: are traditional festivals losing their meaning? Should governments fund cultural celebrations?
Advice: do young people take advice from older people today? Is advice from strangers online trustworthy?
Work & skills: what makes someone good at their job? Is talent or hard work more important?
Goals: should children be taught to set goals? Do people give up on goals too easily?

Part 3 model answer

Q: Are people less patient than they used to be?

Model: "I'd say yes, at least in everyday things. When you can get a taxi in two minutes or a parcel the next day, waiting starts to feel like a failure of the system rather than a normal part of life. That said, I don't think people have lost the ability to be patient with things that matter. Parents still wait years for a child to grow up, and students still put in years of study. So it's more that our tolerance for small delays has shrunk."

How to use these questions

Prepare themes, not scripts: one story about waiting, one about a celebration, one about a goal will cover many cards.
Record yourself and time Part 2 strictly: one minute of prep, then two full minutes.
For each Part 3 answer give an opinion, a reason, an example and a 'that said…' counterpoint.
Check your recordings against the four criteria: Fluency, Vocabulary, Grammar and Pronunciation.

Earlier cycles

Part 2 cards from the summer cycle still come up with new wording, so they are worth a run-through too.

Practise this cycle's topics with instant feedback

Reading a list is not practice. On IELTSVega you can record answers to Part 1, 2 and 3 questions with the built-in Part 2 prep timer, then get an instant band on all four Speaking criteria, so you know which one is holding you back before test day.