Band 8 model answers: Food

Every IELTS Speaking Part 1 question on food, with a band 8 model answer for each one and notes on why it scores. Part 1 answers run 2 to 4 sentences, the length a real answer holds to.

What kind of food do you enjoy most?

I have a real soft spot for spicy food, honestly, the kind that makes you sweat a little. Street food from a good vendor usually beats a fancy restaurant version of the same dish, in my opinion.

Do you prefer eating at home or eating out?

A bit of both, depending on my mood and how busy the week has been. Cooking at home is cheaper and I know exactly what's gone into it, but eating out is the easier option after a long day.

Is there any food you disliked as a child but enjoy now?

Funnily enough, yes. I couldn't stand mushrooms as a child, mostly the texture rather than the taste, but somewhere in my twenties I just started ordering them without thinking twice.

Are eating habits in your country changing?

I think they are, yes, mainly because of how much more delivery apps get used now. People still cook proper meals, but there's definitely less pressure to have dinner ready at a fixed time every evening.

Why these answers earn band 8

"a real soft spot for spicy food" is a natural idiom rather than the plain "I like spicy food", exactly the range Lexical Resource is listening for in a simple Part 1 topic.
"Street food from a good vendor usually beats a fancy restaurant version" states a genuine opinion with a comparison, keeping Fluency and Coherence strong instead of a flat description.
"I couldn't stand mushrooms as a child, mostly the texture rather than the taste" adds a specific, believable reason, the kind of detail that lifts a childhood-food answer above a one-line reply.
"somewhere in my twenties I just started ordering them without thinking twice" uses a time expression and a natural verb phrase together, showing controlled Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
"Funnily enough" and "honestly" are the small discourse markers that keep the delivery sounding like real speech rather than a memorised paragraph, which is part of what examiners listen for in Pronunciation and delivery.

Timing

10 to 20 seconds each. The changing-habits question rewards a specific comparison (more delivery, less fixed mealtimes) over a general claim like "people eat more fast food now".

Phrases worth learning

a real soft spot for	a natural way to say you particularly like something
depending on my mood	to explain a preference that changes rather than picking one side artificially
funnily enough	to introduce a small surprising detail about yourself
mostly the texture rather than the taste	to give a precise reason for disliking a food
there's definitely less pressure to	to describe a social habit relaxing over time

Use your own real food memory in the exam. The mushroom example here shows the SHAPE of a good answer (specific reason, then what changed), not words to repeat.

Questions about this answer

What band is this model answer?

It is written to band 8, and the notes under it quote the answer's own words to show why.

How long should a Part 1 answer be?

Part 1 answers run 2 to 4 sentences, roughly 10 to 20 seconds each, the length a real answer holds to.

What is the most common mistake in Part 1?

A one-word answer, or the opposite: a long answer that eats the time for the next question. Answer directly, add one reason or detail, then stop.

More Part 1 sets

Work and studies Hometown Technology All Speaking cue cards and question sets →

← Hometown Technology →