How can I speak about unfamiliar topics in the Speaking test?

The IELTS Speaking test is an informal conversation. You are not expected to be an expert in any topic, or have facts or deep knowledge about any subject. So, in a normal conversation, how would you answer a question about an unfamiliar topic?

You might mention that you don't know much about it, but give a general opinion - and this is the approach you should take in the real exam.

Let's look at an example question:

   Examiner: Do you think sports play an important role in society?

Even if you do not know about sport, or are not interested in sport, you could still talk about:

• How sport affects other people
• Why young people might benefit from playing sport
• The enjoyment that you see some people in your life get out of sport

You can see that you don't need any expert knowledge to talk about these ideas, or share your opinion.

Here's an example answer:
   

Examiner: Do you think sports play an important role in society?

Student: Well, to be honest, I've never been interested in sport and I don't know much about it. So it doesn't have a significant role in my life, but to some people it seems really important. I don't know for sure, but I guess it's a good way to make friends if you have sport as a common interest. As well as this, I know that sports games on TV and in stadiums make a lot of money, so in terms of the economy and entertainment, it's very important.

However, it is still important to learn and practice vocabulary from different topics before the exam - you should have enough vocabulary to comfortably talk about a range of topics for the Speaking test.