IELTS exam questions — May 2026

What appeared in May 2026

• SpeakingReported by 2 test-takers· Test-taker recall

  Part 2 cue card reported for May-August 2026: Describe a shop or store you enjoy visiting. You should say what kind of shop it is, where it is, what you usually buy there, and explain why you enjoy visiting it.

  Seen in: China Mainland

  shop · store · shopping · favorite place

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• ReadingAcademicReported by 2 test-takers· Test-taker recall

  Section 1: Passage about the extinction of the cave bear, with True/False/Not Given and fill-in-the-blank questions. Section 2: Passage on libraries, with True/False/Not Given and fill-in-the-blank questions. Section 3: Passage on the Voynich Manuscript, with multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching questions.

  Seen in: 05/16

  cave bear extinction · libraries · Voynich Manuscript

• ReadingAcademicReported by 2 test-takers· Test-taker recall

  Section 1: Passage on Sahara desert climate with Yes/No/Not Given and fill-in-the-blank questions. Section 2: Passage titled 'Why was he so smart?' with Yes/No/Not Given, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions. Section 3: Passage on 'How did music begin?' with multiple-choice and Yes/No/Not Given questions.

  Seen in: 05/23

  Sahara desert climate · intelligence · origins of music

• WritingAcademicReported by 2 test-takers· Test-taker recall

  Task 1: Describe a bar chart showing the percentage of people using different modes of transport in three cities. Task 2: Some people think that children should learn to be competitive, while others believe cooperation is more important. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

  Seen in: Canada

  bar chart · transport · children · competition · cooperation

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• SpeakingReported by 2 test-takers· Test-taker recall

  Part 1 included questions about your hometown, whether you like living there, and what you would change about it. Part 2 was a cue card about describing a time you helped someone. Part 3 involved discussion about helping others, why people volunteer, and whether children should be taught to help others.

  Seen in: Taiwan

  hometown · helping others · volunteering · children and values

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• SpeakingReported by 2 test-takers· Test-taker recall

  Recent IELTS Speaking questions from Kuwait May 2026. Part 1: Questions about your work or studies, and your favorite food. Part 2: Describe a book you recently read. Part 3: Discussion about reading habits and the importance of books in society.

  Seen in: Kuwait

  work · studies · favorite food · book · reading habits · books in society

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• SpeakingAcademic· Test-taker recall

  IELTS Speaking Part 1 topics reported for May-August 2026 in China Mainland include: Money (e.g., How do you save money?), Celebrity News (e.g., Who is your favourite celebrity?), Feeling Bored (e.g., Do you often feel bored?), Crowded Places (e.g., Is the city where you live crowded?), Video Games (e.g., Do you play video games?), Transport (e.g., How do you go to work/school?), Films (e.g., What films do you like?), Helping Others (e.g., Do you usually help people around you?), Robots (e.g., Are robots important?), and Chatting (e.g., Do you like chatting with friends?).

  Seen in: China Mainland

  money · celebrity news · feeling bored · crowded places · video games · transport · films · helping others · robots · chatting

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• Speaking· Test-taker recall

  Part 2 cue card reported for May-August 2026: Describe a creative person (e.g. an artist, a musician, etc.) you admire. You should say who this person is, what creative things he or she does, how you know about him or her, and explain why you admire this person.

  Seen in: China Mainland

  creative person · admiration · artist · musician

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• Speaking· Test-taker recall

  Part 1: Questions about your home, your favorite room, and what you do at home. Part 2: Describe a time when you received good news. Part 3: Discussion about sharing news, how people communicate news, and the impact of social media on news sharing.

  Seen in: Canada

  home · rooms · good news · news sharing · social media

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• Speaking· Test-taker recall

  Part 1: Questions about your hometown, your favorite season, and whether you prefer to live in a city or countryside. Part 2: Describe a time when you helped someone. Part 3: Discussion about helping others, why people help, and whether people today are less willing to help than in the past.

  Seen in: Taiwan

  hometown · seasons · city vs countryside · helping others

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• Speaking· Test-taker recall

  Part 1: Questions about your home, work or studies. Part 2: Describe a time when you helped someone. Part 3: Discussion about helping others and community service.

  Seen in: Taiwan

  helping others · community service · home · work · studies

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• Speaking· Test-taker recall

  Part 1 questions were about your daily routine and whether you prefer mornings or evenings. Part 2 cue card asked you to describe a book you recently read. Part 3 included questions about reading habits, the importance of books, and whether technology is changing how people read.

  Seen in: Kuwait

  daily routine · books · reading habits · technology and reading

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• WritingAcademic· Test-taker recall

  Task 1 was to describe a bar chart showing the percentage of people using different modes of transport in three cities in 2010 and 2020. Task 2 asked whether governments should spend money on public transport or on building new roads, and to give your opinion.

  Seen in: Canada

  bar chart · transport · government spending · public transport · infrastructure

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• Speaking· Test-taker recall

  Latest IELTS Speaking questions from Taiwan May 2026: Test takers reported questions about describing a time when you helped someone, talking about your favorite season, and discussing whether people should help strangers. Part 2 included 'Describe a time when you received good news.'

  Seen in: Taiwan

  helping someone · favorite season · helping strangers · receiving good news

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• Speaking· Test-taker recall

  Recent IELTS Speaking questions from Kuwait May 2026: Part 1 included questions about daily routines and favorite foods. Part 2 cue card: Describe a time you received good news. Part 3 follow-ups discussed the impact of news on people's lives and how people share news nowadays.

  Seen in: Kuwait

  daily routines · favorite foods · receiving good news · impact of news · sharing news

  See a sample answer for this →
• WritingAcademic· Test-taker recall

  New IELTS questions from Canada May 2026 (Academic Module): Writing Task 1 was a line graph showing the number of people using public transport in three cities from 2010 to 2020. Writing Task 2: Some people believe that children should be taught how to become good parents at school. Do you agree or disagree?

  Seen in: Canada

  public transport usage · teaching parenting at school

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• Speaking· Test-taker recall

  Latest IELTS Speaking questions from Taiwan May 2026: Test takers reported being asked about their hometown, favorite season, and a time they helped someone. Part 2 cue card: Describe a book you recently read. Part 3 follow-ups included questions about reading habits and the importance of books in education.

  Seen in: Taiwan

  hometown · favorite season · helping someone · book recently read · reading habits · books in education

  See a sample answer for this →