Part 1 — IntroductionQ3/2026Difficulty 2/5

Weather & seasons

IELTS Speaking questions reported by recent test-takers, compiled each quarter. Cambridge does not publish the active list, so this is a compilation of reports, not official material.

Questions

Question 145s to speak

What is the weather like where you live?

Question 245s to speak

Which season do you like best?

Question 345s to speak

Does the weather ever change your plans?

Question 445s to speak

Do you prefer hot or cold weather?

Model answer

Written by 8020 teachers. Do not memorise it — take the structure and the way ideas are developed, then speak about your own life.

What is the weather like in your country? Hot and humid most of the year where I live, and really only two seasons — wet and dry. The north is different; they actually get a cold winter. Which season do you like best, and why? The dry season, around December. It's still warm but the humidity drops, and that's the part that makes a difference — thirty degrees dry is completely fine, thirty degrees humid isn't. Does the weather ever affect your mood or plans? Plans constantly, in the rainy season. It rains hard for an hour most afternoons, so you learn to move things to the morning. Mood less so — I think I've stopped noticing. Do you prefer hot weather or cold weather? Hot, though I've never properly lived in cold. I visited Japan in February once and enjoyed it far more than I expected, so I may be wrong about myself.

Vocabulary you can use today

hot and humid
nóng và ẩm
the humidity drops
độ ẩm giảm xuống
thirty degrees dry is fine, thirty degrees humid isn't
ba mươi độ khô thì ổn, ba mươi độ ẩm thì không
you learn to move things to the morning
rồi mình học được cách dồn việc sang buổi sáng
I've stopped noticing
tôi không còn để ý nữa
I may be wrong about myself
có thể tôi đang nghĩ sai về chính mình

Common traps for Vietnamese speakers

Đề thời tiết là đề dễ nói cụt nhất. Cách chữa: phân biệt hai thứ gần nhau (nóng khô và nóng ẩm). Phân biệt buộc bạn dùng cấu trúc so sánh, mà đó là điểm ngữ pháp. Nhắc tới miền khác của nước mình ("miền Bắc thì khác") là cách mở rộng câu tự nhiên khi bạn hết ý. Câu cuối "có thể tôi đang nghĩ sai về chính mình" là cách kết mở, cho thấy bạn nói có suy nghĩ chứ không đọc câu trả lời chuẩn.

âm cuối /t/ trong hot, wet, mostâm cuối /z/ trong seasons, degrees, plans/θ/ trong thirty, north, month/h/ trong hot, humid, hard

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