You might be asked this question in part one of your IELTS Speaking test, “Do you like going out or staying at home?”
In this post, we’ll talk about how you can answer well, with 10 good examples (go straight to the answers here).
If You Like Going Out
Simply say you prefer to go out or spend time out of the house. Then explain why, or say what you like to do when you go out.
For examples of why you like going out, you might say:
- It’s more fun to get outside
- There are more things to do out of the house
- You can spend time with your friends outside
- You like to get some fresh air and sunshine
- You feel depressed or lonely if you spend too much time at home
- Any other reason you can think of
For examples of what you like to do, you could say:
- You like hanging out with friends
- You like shopping
- You like eating out with friends and family
- You like traveling
- You like exercising at the gym
- You like playing sports
- You like going to the library
- You like going to the coffee shop to read
- You like working on your business
- You like networking for your career
- Anything else you enjoy doing out of the house
If You Prefer to Stay at Home
Again, talk about why you like staying at home, or what you like to do at home.
For examples of why you prefer to stay at home, maybe you can say:
- It’s warm and cozy at home
- Your family is at home
- You enjoy private activities like reading, writing, and computer games
- You can stay in bed and sleep at home
- It saves you money to stay at home
- You like your own company (this means you like spending time with yourself)
- You can do lots of productive work at home
- It’s more relaxing to stay at home
- You don’t need to talk to anyone while you’re at home
- You prefer to cook your own meals than to eat out
- Any other reason you think of
For examples of what you like doing at home, you might say you like:
- Spending time with your young children at home
- Reading
- Writing
- Browsing online
- Playing computer games
- Studying English
- Sleeping
- Exercising
- Working on your online business
- Cooking
- Anything else you enjoy at home
A Few Useful Phrases
Here are some natural phrases we use to talk about this sort of thing:
- Get out of the house (even if we live in an apartment, we can say ‘house’ for this idiomatic phrase)
- Get out and about
- Stuck at home
- Cooped up at home (too much time stuck at home)
- Sit around at home (maybe bored, with nothing to do)
- Enjoy some private time (positive time with just yourself)
- Enjoy some ‘me’ time (positive time with just yourself)
Say the First Thing That Comes to Mind
In part-one questions like this, don’t try to think of a clever answer or idea. Just say the very first thing that comes into your mind.
You just need to focus on answering smoothly and quickly in part one, without hesitation. Focus on fluency, not on clever ideas or vocabulary (you can do all that later, in part two of the test).
Now let’s look at some good example answers to this question.
‘Prefer To Go Out’ Answers
1. I prefer to go out because I get really bored if I spend too much time at home. I love eating out at good restaurants around my city. I do it a few times a week if I can.
2. I need to get out of the house whenever I can because I work from home. I think it’s important for my health to get some fresh air and sunshine every day.
3. Well, I’m quite a social person so I like going out a lot. I’m always meeting up with friends to play games or have a few drinks at the bar. I’m not a fan of sitting around at home.
4. I suppose I prefer to go out most evenings. I live in a big, hectic, exciting city and there are so many fun things to do. If I stay cooped up at home I feel like I’m missing out.
5. I’m a very sporty person so I need to go out every day to the gym or basketball courts. I think it’s impossible to exercise properly at home.
‘Prefer To Stay At Home’ Answers
6. I prefer to spend time at home because my baby is at home and I need to take care of her. I also like being at home, looking after the apartment, and keeping it clean.
7. I really enjoy reading, so I’m happy to spend most of my time indoors, just reading novels or interesting books for my college major. I quite enjoy my own company.
8. I prefer to stay at home because my city is very cold this time of year. But my apartment is so warm and cozy. I can browse online and play computer games. I always have entertaining things to do at home.
‘Both’ Answers
9. I think on weekdays, I prefer to spend my evenings at home after work, just relaxing and watching TV. But at the weekend, I need to get out and about, meet friends, and get close to nature.
10. To be honest, I’m not sure which I prefer. It’s really nice to relax at home, enjoying some private time. But sometimes I also need to go out and be social. I guess it depends on my mood.
Your Turn To Answer
Borrow some ideas from these examples, and then try to answer this question yourself.
Set up your voice recorder and ask out loud, “Do you like going out or staying at home?”
Just say the first thing that comes into your mind. Try to talk for 10 or 20 seconds about it.
When you’ve finished, listen to your answer. Did you hesitate?
If you did, try again. Each time, try to be a little more fluent.
Keep repeating this process. It’s a wonderful way to prepare yourself for a band-seven score in part one of your IELTS Speaking test.
