# Describe the neighbourhood you grew up in: IELTS Speaking sample answers

Speaking Part 2 - Places

Describe the neighbourhood you lived in as a child.

You should say:
- where it was
- what it looked like
- what people did there
- and explain how you felt about living there

Source: Sample answers and examiner notes are written by Testmigo.

## Band 7 sample

I grew up in a neighbourhood on the eastern side of my city, and I lived there from when I was born until I was about fifteen, when my family moved to a bigger flat.

It was a fairly crowded area with lots of four or five-storeys apartment buildings very close together. Between the buildings there were small shops on the ground floor, like a grocery, a tailor and a tea stall, and there was a small playground in the middle, although the swings were always broken. The streets were narrow and quite noisy, especially in the evenings, when everyone came home from work.

Most of the people there were working families, so the adults were usually busy during the day. In the evenings, though, the whole area came alive. The men used to sit outside the tea stall and discuss about politics, the women chatted on the balconies, and we children played cricket in the street until it got dark. During festivals, everybody decorated their buildings with lights, and there was a real community feeling.

Looking back, I felt really happy and safe there. Because everyone knew each other, our parents didn't worry much about us playing outside, since there was always somebody watching. Of course, it had some disadvantages. It was noisy, there wasn't much green space, and in the rainy season the streets flooded quite often. But I think those things didn't matter so much to me as a child. When I go back to visit now, a lot has changed, there are new buildings and fewer people sit outside, and I feel a bit sad, because the neighbourhood I remember doesn't really exist any more.

**Examiner notes.** This Band 7 answer is relevant and well developed, giving a clear picture of the area and the community. Vocabulary is appropriate with some less common items ("came alive", "community feeling", "green space"), and "used to" is used correctly for past habits. There are some typical errors: "five-storeys apartment buildings" (rather than "five-storey") and "discuss about politics" (rather than "discuss politics"). The long final sentence strings several ideas together loosely. For Band 8, the speaker would need more vivid, idiomatic vocabulary and more varied, controlled sentence structures.

The Band 8 sample is free with an account on the [topic page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/speaking/topics/describe-the-neighbourhood-you-grew-up-in).

## Common questions

### How long should an IELTS Speaking Part 2 answer be?

You get one minute to prepare and then speak for up to two minutes; the examiner stops you at two. Aim to keep talking for the full time, which is usually 220 to 300 words.

### Can I use these sample answers in my test?

No. Examiners are trained to spot memorised answers, and a learned script is marked down. Use the samples to see what each band does, then answer in your own words.