IELTS Speaking forecast September–December 2026: topic families and how to build your answer

Mr. Jay Adams (CELTA) · 14 October 2026 Topic families compiled on 14 October 2026 from public forecasts on several Vietnamese test-prep sites. Jurassic English™ is independent and not affiliated with British Council, IDP or Cambridge University Press & Assessment. This is a teacher's advice, not official IELTS guidance.

Key facts

IELTS does not publish its Speaking questions. Every "forecast" is an unofficial guess by prep sites, based on what candidates report after their test.

In Vietnam, September to December is usually labelled "quý 3" (prep sites split the year into three forecast periods: January–April, May–August, September–December).

This guide lists topic families only: no copied question lists, no sample answers.

The real questions may differ. What works on any question is a sequence of thinking: answer, reason, example, extend.

A Jurassic AI Speaking score is a practice estimate, not an official IELTS score.

Close to test day, many learners download a fifty-topic forecast with a model answer for each, and try to memorise as much as they can. Then the examiner asks the question from a slightly different angle, and the prepared answer no longer fits.

A forecast is still useful. It tells you what kinds of topics are being reported, so a question about mirrors or keys does not catch you off guard. It does not tell you how to take an idea somewhere. This guide covers both.

What a forecast is, and what it is not

It is a topic list compiled by prep sites, mostly from what candidates remember after the test.

It is not:

The test. IELTS does not publish Speaking questions in advance and does not endorse any forecast.
A promise. Some sites advertise very high hit rates. Read those numbers as marketing.
A list of answers to memorise. The public band descriptors on ielts.org mention memorised language at the lower bands, as something different from real language ability.
The same everywhere. Each site's list differs, and some say they are still updating.

Use a forecast to choose what to practise, then practise how to build an answer. When the real question differs, the skill still works.

Part 1 topic families, September–December 2026

Part 1 lasts about 4–5 minutes of short questions about you and daily life. The forecasts we read list roughly thirty to fifty Part 1 topics, which group into about ten families. Each appeared in most of the sources we read.

You and where you live: work or studies, home, hometown, your area or city.
Daily rhythm: mornings, evenings, tiredness, tidiness, days off.
Small everyday objects: mirrors, keys, shoes, watches, sunglasses, headphones, clothes.
Technology and the internet: social media, websites, computers and tablets, typing.
Entertainment and the arts: music, singing, art, films, jokes, sports programmes.
History, buildings and science: history, old buildings, science, space and stars.
Outdoors and getting around: parks, cars, walking, travelling, sport.
People and manners: teachers, names, politeness, friends.
Shopping and advertising.
Dreams: the ones you have asleep, and the ones you have for the future.

Part 2 and Part 3 topic families, September–December 2026

Part 2 gives you a cue card, one minute to prepare and one to two minutes to talk. Part 3 is a discussion that takes the Part 2 topic into broader questions.

Describe a person: someone who solved a problem cleverly, a childhood friend, someone who runs a successful business, someone who grows plants, someone good at languages, an older person you admire.
Describe a place or building: a tall building, a river or lake, a home you would visit but not live in, a place you recommend, a quiet, noisy or crowded place.
Technology and media: a power cut or device problem, an app, a time you could not use your phone, a social media video, local news, a film, an advert with a famous person.
Decisions, plans and change: an important decision, a changed plan, a changed opinion, a recent change, a long-term goal.
Food and gifts: a special cake, food for a special occasion, a gift.
Learning and languages: how you learn a language, learning without a teacher, a course.
Environment and rules: a new law you would introduce, an environmental law, a natural place.
An experience or event: a traffic jam, a very early start, group work, an unanswered message, an event you organised, a low-cost day out.
Money and treasured objects: saving money, overspending, a family heirloom.

Part 3 (our inference, not a source list): Part 3 is usually the abstract version of the Part 2 family. "A person who solved a problem" leads to problem-solving at school or work; "a new law" leads to the roles of government and citizens.

How to build an answer: answer, reason, example, extend

This is not a sentence frame. It is four questions you ask yourself before you speak; the content must be yours.

Answer: say your main point in the first sentence.
Reason: one real reason, more specific than "it's convenient".
Example: one real moment, person or place from your life.
Extend: a consequence, a comparison (then and now, you and others), or a condition.

Family 1 (Part 1): small everyday objects. Asked about keys, mirrors or watches: do I use it much (answer)? Why, and what habit is it tied to (reason)? When did I last use, forget or lose it (example; illustrative: "…last week I locked myself out")? How has it changed over time (extend)? The real detail is what makes a Part 1 answer come alive.

Family 2 (Part 2): a person who solved a problem cleverly. In the minute of preparation, write four keywords, not sentences: who the person is; what the problem was and why it was hard; what they did, step by step (illustrative: "…instead of calling a repair shop, she…"), the longest part; what you learned. If the story is real, you remember the order, not the words.

Family 3 (Part 3): environment and rules. Asked whether government or individuals should protect the environment: take a clear position (answer); give a general reason (reason); point to something you have seen in your city or country (example; illustrative: "…plastic-bag rules in some supermarkets"); add a downside, a condition or a prediction (extend). An ielts.org article on band 6 and band 7 makes the same point: stronger speakers build arguments, not just opinions.

A four-week plan

Week 1: three hard Part 1 families, five questions a day, recorded.
Week 2: three Part 2 families, one cue card a day, four keywords, two minutes.
Week 3: two Part 3 questions for each of those cards; practise "extend".
Week 4: mix everything, including topics not on any forecast.

Each week, count two things in your recordings: mid-sentence hesitations and real ideas per answer.

FAQ

Which months does the quý 3/2026 forecast cover? Vietnamese prep sites use "quý 3/2026" for September to December 2026. The label is theirs, not IELTS's.

Is an IELTS Speaking forecast the real test? No. IELTS does not publish Speaking questions. Forecasts are unofficial guesses.

Should I memorise the sample answers in a forecast? No. Practise the sequence: answer, reason, example, extend.

Does Part 1 change much between periods? Families such as work or studies, home and hometown appear in most forecasts. Secure those first.

Is a Jurassic AI Speaking score an IELTS score? No. It is an AI practice estimate with an uncertainty range, not an official IELTS score. Typed answers cannot be assessed for pronunciation.

Is Jurassic English linked to British Council, IDP or Cambridge? No. Jurassic English™ is independent, and this advice is unofficial.

Practise forecast topics, then measure where you are

Jurassic AI Speaking (adults 18+): a full three-part mock, typed or spoken (speaking mode is a limited beta), with a report that quotes your own answers and names one priority. Practice estimate, not an official IELTS score. From 79.000₫ per test. https://jurassicenglish.com/ai-speaking/vi
Live Speaking Baseline: about 15–20 minutes speaking with a Jurassic English assessor, ending with your primary constraint and next step. 690.000₫. https://jurassicenglish.com/ai-speaking/vi/baseline

Jurassic AI Speaking is for adults 18 and over. If you are under 18, show this page to a parent.

Read next: Vietnamese version (/vi/insights/ielts-speaking-forecast-quy-3-2026) · IELTS Speaking 6 to 7 (/insights/ielts-speaking-6-to-7) · IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors (https://ielts.org/cdn/ielts-guides/ielts-speaking-band-descriptors.pdf)

Mr. Jay Adams (CELTA), founder of Jurassic English™. Topic families read from public forecasts on 14 October 2026.