Questions about where you live are some of the most common in the whole IELTS Speaking test, so IELTS accommodation vocabulary is worth learning early. Many candidates hear "Do you live in a house or an apartment?" within the first minute of Part 1, and homes come up again in Part 2 cue cards and in Part 3 discussions about housing. This page gives you twenty phrases for describing a home, each with a meaning and three example sentences, along with sentence starters, sample answers for all three parts, and the mistakes to avoid when you talk about where you live.
Table Of Contents
Video Lesson: Talking About Accommodation
The lesson walks you through the accommodation phrases one by one. Listen for where the stress falls in phrases like "fully furnished" and "convenient location", and copy it when you practise.
How Accommodation Comes Up in IELTS Speaking
Part 1 accommodation questions are about your own home. In Part 2 you might describe a place you've lived in, and Part 3 widens the topic to housing in your country and how people's homes are changing.
Part 1 questions
- Do you live in a house or an apartment?
- Which room in your home do you like most? Why?
- Who do you live with?
- Is there anything you'd like to change about your home?
- Do you plan to live there for a long time?
Part 2 cue card
Describe a home you have lived in that you liked.
You should say: where it was, what it looked like, and who you lived there with.
And explain why you liked living there.
Part 3 questions
- Is it better to rent a home or to buy one?
- Why are homes in city centers so expensive?
- What are the advantages of living in a high-rise building?
- How will people's homes be different in the future?
Vocabulary for Talking About Your Home
Each card shows you the phrase, what it means and three ways to use it in a sentence. The cards are grouped into the kind of home you live in, what it's like inside, and where it is, which is roughly the order you'd describe a home in.
Types of home
Start with these when the examiner asks what kind of place you live in.
Spacious apartment
A large apartment with plenty of room.
- I currently live in a spacious apartment in the city center with my family.
- One thing I really like about my home is that it has a spacious apartment with a large living room.
- In the future, I would love to move into a more spacious apartment.
Cozy room
A small but comfortable and warm room.
- My bedroom is quite cozy, so I enjoy spending time there.
- I prefer living in a cozy room because it feels relaxing and peaceful.
- Even though my apartment is small, it has a very cozy atmosphere.
Private room
A room used by only one person.
- I prefer having a private room because I need quiet space to study.
- During university, I shared an apartment but still had a private room.
- A private room can provide more comfort and privacy.
Shared accommodation
Living in a home with other people.
- When I was a student, I lived in shared accommodation.
- Shared accommodation is a good way to save money.
- Some people enjoy shared accommodation because they can make friends easily.
Student dormitory
Accommodation provided for students.
- I stayed in a student dormitory during my first year of university.
- Living in a student dormitory helped me make new friends.
- Some student dormitories are quite affordable for students.
Rental property
A house or apartment that people pay to live in.
- My family currently lives in a rental property.
- It is becoming harder to find a good rental property in big cities.
- I hope to buy my own house instead of living in a rental property.
High-rise building
A very tall building with many floors.
- I live in a high-rise building near downtown.
- Many people in large cities live in high-rise buildings.
- I like high-rise buildings because they usually have a great view.
Dream house
The perfect house someone wants.
- My dream house would be near the beach.
- I hope to buy my dream house one day.
- A large garden is an important part of my dream house.
Inside your home
These help you describe the rooms, the furniture and the everyday life that goes on there.
Fully furnished
A home with all furniture already provided.
- My apartment is fully furnished, so I did not need to buy furniture.
- Many students prefer fully furnished accommodation because it is convenient.
- I would like to rent a fully furnished apartment in the future.
Modern facilities
New and advanced equipment or amenities.
- My apartment building has modern facilities like a gym and a swimming pool.
- I enjoy living in places that provide modern facilities.
- Nowadays, people tend to choose accommodation with modern facilities.
Natural light
Sunlight coming into a room.
- My favorite part of my house is the large window that brings in natural light.
- I prefer homes with plenty of natural light.
- Natural light makes a room feel more comfortable and spacious.
Open-plan kitchen
A kitchen connected to the living area without walls.
- My house has an open-plan kitchen, which makes it look more modern.
- I really enjoy cooking in an open-plan kitchen.
- Many modern apartments now include an open-plan kitchen.
Well-decorated
Designed and furnished attractively.
- My apartment is small but very well-decorated.
- I feel more relaxed in a well-decorated room.
- I enjoy looking at well-decorated homes online.
Household chores
Tasks such as cleaning and cooking.
- I usually help my parents with household chores.
- Doing household chores teaches people responsibility.
- I spend about an hour a day doing household chores.
Location and cost
Part 1 and Part 3 often ask about the area you live in and what it costs, so these phrases are worth knowing well.
Residential area
A neighborhood where people mainly live.
- I live in a quiet residential area outside the city center.
- My neighborhood is a residential area with many parks and schools.
- I prefer residential areas because they are usually less noisy.
Peaceful neighborhood
A quiet and calm area to live in.
- I really enjoy living in a peaceful neighborhood.
- A peaceful neighborhood helps me relax after a busy day.
- In my opinion, a peaceful neighborhood is more important than a modern apartment.
City center
The main central part of a city.
- My apartment is located near the city center.
- Living in the city center is convenient because everything is nearby.
- Although the city center is crowded, I still enjoy living there.
Convenient location
A place that is easy to access.
- My apartment is in a convenient location near my office.
- A convenient location can save a lot of commuting time.
- I would rather live in a smaller apartment with a convenient location.
Quiet surroundings
An area without much noise.
- I really appreciate the quiet surroundings in my neighborhood.
- Quiet surroundings help me focus on my work.
- In the future, I want to live somewhere with quiet surroundings.
Affordable rent
Rent that is not too expensive.
- One reason I chose this apartment is the affordable rent.
- It can be difficult for young people to find accommodation with affordable rent.
- I hope to find a place with affordable rent near my workplace.
Useful Phrases for Describing Where You Live
A good accommodation answer usually describes the place, says what you like or don't like about it, and gives a reason. These sentence starters help you do all three without sounding rehearsed.
| Phrase | Use it to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I live in a … with … | Describe your home | I live in a two-bedroom apartment with my parents and my younger brother. |
| My favorite room is … because … | Explain a preference | My favorite room is the kitchen because it gets lots of natural light in the morning. |
| It's within walking distance of … | Talk about location | It's within walking distance of the subway station and a big supermarket. |
| The best thing about it is … | Say what you like | The best thing about it is how quiet it is at night. |
| If I could change one thing, I'd … | Say what you'd improve | If I could change one thing, I'd make the bathroom a bit bigger. |
| For people my age, renting makes more sense because … | Give an opinion | For people my age, renting makes more sense because buying is so expensive. |
| In the future, I'd love to live somewhere … | Talk about plans | In the future, I'd love to live somewhere with a garden. |
Sample Answers
Here's how the phrases work in real answers. The vocabulary from the cards is in bold, and each answer adds a reason or a detail after it.
Part 1: Which room in your home do you like most?
Probably the living room. We have an open-plan kitchen, so the living room and the kitchen are really one big space, and it gets a lot of natural light in the afternoon. It's where the whole family ends up in the evening, even if we're all doing different things.
Part 2: Describe a home you have lived in that you liked
I'd like to talk about the apartment I rented in my second year of university. It was in a residential area about fifteen minutes from campus by bike, and I shared it with two classmates.
Compared with the student dormitory I'd lived in the year before, it felt like a really spacious apartment. Each of us had a private room, and there was a big living area with a balcony. It came fully furnished, which was a relief, because none of us could afford to buy furniture. The building was old, but the landlord had added modern facilities like a new washing machine and fast internet.
Living with friends was a lot of fun, although we argued about household chores at first. In the end we made a weekly rota, and that solved most of the problems.
I think I liked it so much because it was the first place that felt like mine. It was in a peaceful neighborhood with a park nearby, the affordable rent meant I didn't need a part-time job during the week, and it had a really convenient location, close to a supermarket and a bus stop. It wasn't my dream house, but it taught me how to look after a home.
Part 3: Is it better to rent a home or to buy one?
I think it depends on your stage of life. For young people, renting is usually the smarter choice, because it lets you move for work and you don't need a huge deposit. Most rental properties in my city also cost less per month than a mortgage would. But once people have children, buying makes more sense, since you want stability and you can make the place your own. The problem is that in the city center, prices have risen so much that many families simply can't buy, so they end up moving further out.
How to Use This Vocabulary Well
- Describe before you judge. Say what your home is like first, using a phrase such as "cozy room" or "high-rise building", and then give your opinion of it.
- Use comparisons. Comparing your current home with an old one, or a dormitory with an apartment, gives you a natural reason to use more phrases.
- Keep Part 1 answers personal. The examiner wants to hear about your home, so talk about your own rooms and routines rather than housing in general.
- Save the bigger words for Part 3. Phrases like "rental property" and "residential area" sound most natural when you're discussing housing in your country.
Common mistakes
- Saying "I live in a flat house". Choose one: a house, an apartment or a flat.
- Using "furnitures". Furniture is uncountable, so say "some furniture" or "a lot of furniture".
- Mixing up "rent" and "lend". You rent an apartment from a landlord; nobody lends it to you.
- Forgetting the article: "I live in apartment" should be "I live in an apartment".
What Our Learners' Part 1 Answers Show
Accommodation questions usually come in Part 1, so that's where our data is most useful for this topic. In Part 1, BestMyTest tutors gave learners an average of 5.7 for lexical resource and 5.2 for grammatical range and accuracy. When our automated scoring compared all five of its scores, vocabulary was the weakest in 49% of Part 1 recordings.
Learners' Part 1 answers averaged 50 words. In a short answer like that, one precise phrase such as "open-plan kitchen" or "convenient location" stands out far more than a string of general words like "nice" and "big".
Practise and Get a Band Score
Answer the Part 1 questions above about your own home, using at least two phrases from the cards in each answer. When you're ready, take an IELTS Speaking Part 1 practice test in our app. Each recording gets an instant AI review with bands for lexical resource, fluency, grammar and pronunciation. If vocabulary stays your lowest band, the AI Tutor's speaking vocabulary exercises will help you swap general words for more precise ones.
Next, try the vocabulary for your hometown or family and friends, or go back to all IELTS speaking vocabulary topics.
The figures on this page come from the BestMyTest IELTS learner performance data, our records of IELTS practice on BestMyTest up to October 2026. That page explains how we measure each figure. Last updated 15 October 2026.