Part 1 · Band 8

What hobbies do you enjoy in your free time?

Illustrative target band for this model answer · 112 words

AI-completed learning example

Well, there are a wide range of hobbies that I enjoy. However, I think my favorite one is preparing meals and dishes that I learned online from YouTube channels. I really engage myself in learning these secret recipes from platforms, and I try to put them into practice. I really enjoy the smell and the taste of the dishes as they cook. I like discovering new recipes online and learning how different ingredients can be combined. Preparing food is enjoyable because it gives me something creative to focus on, and I feel satisfied when I can make a dish successfully. So, cooking is probably my favorite way to spend my free time.

Answer analysis

Fluency & Coherence

Your answer develops in a clear sequence: you name your hobby, explain how you learn recipes, then describe what you enjoy about cooking. The ending gives a direct summary of why it is your favourite way to spend free time. To practise extending the explanation smoothly, give yourself 45 seconds to say this answer aloud, aiming to connect each idea with a simple link such as “because” or “so.”

Lexical Resource

Phrases such as “put them into practice” and “the smell and the taste” make the answer specific and help explain your enjoyment. “Secret recipes” is expressive, though “recipes I find online” would sound more natural and precise here. As a next step, add one or two topic-specific terms—such as “ingredients” or “cooking technique”—to explain what you learn without overusing general words like “hobbies” and “platforms.”

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

You use a mix of sentence structures, including the contrast signalled by “However” and the relative clause “that I learned online.” The clearest grammatical issue is “there are a wide range,” since the subject “range” is singular and takes “is.” Also, “I really engage myself in learning” is an awkward construction. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and using natural patterns such as “I enjoy learning.”

Pronunciation

This is a text-only response, so pronunciation cannot be assessed from the words provided. For practice, mark the main stress in “preparing meals,” “YouTube channels,” and “put them into practice,” then group the answer into short thought units at the full stops and commas. Record yourself delivering it once, replay it, and check whether each key phrase is clearly stressed. This guide is not an assessment of a recording.

A transcript shows language and organisation. Fluency, delivery and pronunciation require an audio recording; the synthetic voice demonstrates the text, not the original speaker.

  • Correct “there are a wide range” to “there is a wide range,” and check the verb against the main noun in similar sentences.
  • Replace “engage myself in learning” with a more natural phrase such as “enjoy learning” or “like learning.”
  • Add one brief example of what you learn from a recipe, such as a new ingredient combination or cooking technique, to make the explanation more specific.

Plan your answer

Try your own response before reading the samples.

Ideas to explore

  • Explain how you discover recipes, for example, by watching YouTube channels.
  • Describe what you enjoy about cooking, such as the smell and taste of the dishes.
  • Say why preparing meals is a satisfying or enjoyable way to spend free time.

Suggested structure

  1. Name your favourite hobby directly.
  2. Explain where or how you learned to do it.
  3. Describe one or two parts of the activity that you enjoy.
  4. Finish with a short overall reason the hobby matters to you.
Useful vocabulary & examples
put a recipe into practice
to try following a recipe in real life

I enjoy finding recipes online and putting them into practice.

combine ingredients
to mix or use different foods together

I like learning how different ingredients can be combined.

a cooking technique
a particular method used to prepare food

Watching recipe videos can help me learn a new cooking technique.

Practise your answer →

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