Cambridge IELTS 20 · Test 1 · Speaking · Part 1

Walking

Q1: How much walking do you do in your daily life?

Quite a lot, to be honest — I aim for a decent walk every day, usually about half an hour after lunch or in the evening. I find it clears my head far better than sitting at a desk, and I've made it a routine I actually look forward to rather than a chore.

Q2: Did you walk more when you were at school than now?

Oh, definitely. Back then I was constantly on the move — running between classes, hurrying to the canteen, that sort of thing. These days, though, unless I deliberately carve out time for it, I don't walk nearly as much, because so much of my day is spent sitting in one place.

Q3: What places are there to go for a walk near where you live?

I'm lucky, actually — there are a couple of parks right near me with plenty of green space, which are great for a leisurely stroll. But my favourite is the riverside path; it's open, it's quiet, and the view down the water always feels like a real escape from the city.

Q4: Would you ever like to go on a walking holiday?

I'd love to, honestly. I've always been intrigued by the idea of trekking somewhere scenic — a coastal path or a mountain trail — where you really earn the landscape. It would be challenging, I think, but that's exactly what would make it worthwhile.

Analysis

Fluency & Coherence

Answers follow a clear statement → detail → personal take shape. Hedges ("to be honest", "I'd love to, honestly") and reflections ("which is exactly what would make it worthwhile") keep the responses natural rather than read.

Takeaway: in Part 1, always close with a small personal judgment or feeling ("I find it clears my head", "it's what makes it worthwhile") so the answer doesn't end on a flat fact.

Lexical Resource

Everyday phrasal verbs carry the answers: "deliberately carve out time", "hurrying to the canteen", "the view down the water always feels like a real escape." "Leisurely stroll" and "earn the landscape" add native-like colour.

Takeaway: use causal structure to justify a habit ("unless I carve out time, I don't walk...") and a vivid collocation ("leisurely stroll", "earn the landscape") to lift a plain topic above the ordinary.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

Conditionals and causal clauses feature: "unless I deliberately carve out time for it" (unless-clause), "because so much of my day is spent sitting" (causal), and the comparative "far better than sitting at a desk."

Takeaway: use "unless" for a conditional habit and a reason clause ("because so much of my day is...") to give a daily-routine answer its natural spoken logic.

Pronunciation

Watch the linked groups: "quite a lot" → /kwaɪt‿əlɒt/, "carve out" → /kɑːv‿aʊt/, "riverside path" → /ˈrɪvəsaɪd‿pɑːθ/. Keep stress on "escape", "worthwhile", "scenic" so the evaluative words carry.

Takeaway: rehearse the linking in "quite a lot" and "carve out" — the /t/→vowel links are a fast win for connected-speech fluency.