IELTS SPEAKING TIPS AND SAMPLES

IELTS – SIMON

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 CONTENTS
GENERAL TIPS .................................................................................................................... 10

IELTS Speaking: Basic Information ........................................................................................ 10

IELTS Speaking Advice: get to the point ................................................................................ 10

IELTS Speaking: avoid these phrases ...................................................................................... 11

IELTS Speaking: if you don't know the answer ....................................................................... 11

IELTS Speaking: a preparation technique................................................................................ 12

IELTS Speaking: how to feel more confident .......................................................................... 12

IELTS Speaking: the examiner's attitude ................................................................................. 13

IELTS Speaking: add detail...................................................................................................... 14

IELTS Speaking Advice: record, transcribe, analyse .............................................................. 14

IELTS Speaking: real opinions and experiences ...................................................................... 15

IELTS Speaking: is accent important? ..................................................................................... 15

IELTS Speaking: complex structures? ..................................................................................... 16

IELTS Speaking: which part is the most important? ............................................................... 16

IELTS Speaking: it's ok to lie! ................................................................................................. 17

IELTS Speaking: if you don't know what to say ...................................................................... 17

IELTS Speaking: a tip for each part ......................................................................................... 18

IELTS Speaking: 3 simple tips ................................................................................................. 18

IELTS Speaking: use real examples! ....................................................................................... 19

IELTS Speaking: advice about grammar and vocabulary ........................................................ 20

IELTS Speaking: pronunciation ............................................................................................... 20

IELTS SPEAKING PART 1

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IELTS Speaking Part 1: keep it simple .................................................................................... 22

IELTS Speaking Part 1: short, simple answers ........................................................................ 22

IELTS Speaking Part 1: five simple rules ................................................................................ 23

IELTS Speaking Part 1: strange questions ............................................................................... 23

IELTS Speaking: work or study ............................................................................................... 24

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'walking' topic ................................................................................... 24

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'study' answers ................................................................................... 25

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'cooking' topic ................................................................................... 26

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'collecting' answers............................................................................ 26

IELTS Speaking: 'maps' answers ............................................................................................. 27

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'mathematics' topic ............................................................................ 28

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'parks' answers ................................................................................... 28

IELTS Speaking Part 1: negative answers ............................................................................... 29

IELTS Speaking Part 1: House ................................................................................................ 30

IELTS Speaking Part 1: games ................................................................................................ 30

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'reading' topic .................................................................................... 31

IELTS Speaking Part 1: home town ......................................................................................... 32

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Sports ................................................................................................ 32

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'shopping' topic.................................................................................. 33

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'toys' topic.......................................................................................... 34

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'telephoning' topic ............................................................................. 34

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'friends' topic ..................................................................................... 35

IELTS Speaking Part 1: musical instruments........................................................................... 36

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IELTS Speaking Part 1: clothes ............................................................................................... 36

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'communication' topic ....................................................................... 37

IELTS Speaking Part 1: negative answers ............................................................................... 38

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'work' topic ........................................................................................ 38

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'accommodation' topic ....................................................................... 39

IELTS Speaking Part 1: emails and handwriting ..................................................................... 40

IELTS Speaking Part 1: laughing ............................................................................................. 40

IELTS Speaking Part 1: travel habits ....................................................................................... 41

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'numbers' topic .................................................................................. 42

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'neighbours' topic .............................................................................. 42

IELTS SPEAKING PART 2

IELTS Speaking Part 2: essential preparation .......................................................................... 44

IELTS Speaking Part 2: formula phrases ................................................................................. 44

IELTS Speaking Part 2: three tips ............................................................................................ 45

IELTS Speaking Part 2: band 9 answer.................................................................................... 46

IELTS Speaking Part 2: main topics ........................................................................................ 47

IELTS Speaking Advice: how to practise part 2 ...................................................................... 47

IELTS Speaking Part 2: band 7-9 descriptions ........................................................................ 48

IELTS Speaking Part 2: don't focus on linking ........................................................................ 48

IELTS Speaking Part 2: which tense? ...................................................................................... 48

IELTS Speaking Part 2: forget about eye contact .................................................................... 49

IELTS Speaking Part 2: filling the 2 minutes .......................................................................... 49

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 1-minute preparation ......................................................................... 50

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IELTS Speaking Part 2: vocabulary themes............................................................................. 51

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'local area' answer ............................................................................. 52

IELTS Speaking Part 2: educational TV programme .............................................................. 53

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'film' answer ...................................................................................... 54

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'prize' answer ..................................................................................... 55

IELTS Speaking: 'future aim' answer ....................................................................................... 56

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a hobby................................................................................ 57

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'indoor game' answer ......................................................................... 58

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'school' topic ...................................................................................... 59

IELTS Speaking Part 2: family celebration ............................................................................. 60

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'positive experience' answer .............................................................. 61

IELTS Speaking Part 2: sample answer ................................................................................... 62

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a conversation ..................................................................... 63

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'future plans' answer .......................................................................... 64

IELTS Speaking Part 2: favourite season................................................................................. 65

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a market .............................................................................. 66

IELTS Speaking Part 2: funny situation................................................................................... 67

IELTS Speaking Part 2: team project ....................................................................................... 68

IELTS Speaking: describe a piece of furniture ........................................................................ 68

IELTS Speaking Part 2: old building description .................................................................... 69

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'difficult' questions ............................................................................ 70

IELTS Speaking Part 2: TV channel ........................................................................................ 71

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a vehicle .............................................................................. 72

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IELTS Speaking Part 2: foreign culture ................................................................................... 73

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a website ............................................................................. 74

IELTS Speaking: another garden description .......................................................................... 75

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a hobby................................................................................ 76

IELTS Speaking Part 2: expanded answers ............................................................................. 76

IELTS Speaking Part 2: something that made you angry ........................................................ 77

IELTS Speaking Part 2: artist or entertainer ............................................................................ 78

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a lesson................................................................................ 79

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a building ............................................................................ 80

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a skill ................................................................................... 81

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe an event ............................................................................... 82

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a person ............................................................................... 83

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a festival .............................................................................. 84

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe an advertisement ................................................................. 84

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe an object .............................................................................. 85

IELTS Speaking: describe a toy ............................................................................................... 86

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe an animal ............................................................................. 87

IELTS SPEAKING PART 3

IELTS Speaking Part 3: common question types ..................................................................... 88

IELTS Speaking Part 3: add more detail .................................................................................. 89

IELTS Speaking Part 3: verb tenses ......................................................................................... 89

IELTS Speaking Part 3: verb tenses ......................................................................................... 90

IELTS Speaking Part 3: "it depends" ....................................................................................... 91

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IELTS Speaking Part 3: longer answers................................................................................... 91

IELTS Speaking Part 3: finish strongly! .................................................................................. 92

IELTS Speaking Part 3: long answer technique ....................................................................... 92

IELTS Speaking Part 3: follow on from part 2 ........................................................................ 93

IELTS Speaking Part 3: for example... .................................................................................... 94

IELTS Speaking Part 3: answer structure ................................................................................ 94

IELTS Speaking Part 3: think 'paragraph' ................................................................................ 95

IELTS Speaking Part 3: make it personal ................................................................................ 95

IELTS Speaking Part 3: more long answers ............................................................................ 96

IELTS Speaking Part 3: longer answers................................................................................... 96

IELTS Speaking Part 3: films .................................................................................................. 97

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'community' answers ......................................................................... 98

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'advice' answers ................................................................................. 98

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'TV programme' answers................................................................... 99

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'paragraph' answers ......................................................................... 100

IELTS Speaking: 'hospitality' topic ........................................................................................ 101

IELTS Speaking Part 3: transport .......................................................................................... 101

IELTS Speaking Part 3: questions about the future ............................................................... 102

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'history' topic ................................................................................... 103

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'politeness' topic .............................................................................. 103

IELTS Speaking Part 3: comparing past and present ............................................................. 104

IELTS Speaking Part 3: explain, alternative, example .......................................................... 104

IELTS Speaking part 3: rivers, lakes, sea .............................................................................. 105

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IELTS Speaking Part 3: competitions .................................................................................... 106

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'emotions' topic................................................................................ 107

IELTS Speaking Part 3: leisure activities............................................................................... 108

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'parties' topic.................................................................................... 108

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'wildlife' topic .................................................................................. 109

IELTS Speaking Part 3: sports ............................................................................................... 110

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'lessons' topic ................................................................................... 110

IELTS Speaking: 'questionnaires' topic .................................................................................. 111

IELTS Speaking Part 3: technology at work .......................................................................... 112

IELTS Speaking Part 3: How will the Internet affect our lives? ........................................... 113

IELTS Speaking Part 3: idea, explain, personal example ...................................................... 113

IELTS Speaking Part 3: status symbols ................................................................................. 114

IELTS Speaking Part 3: children's toys .................................................................................. 115

VOCAB FOR IELTS SPEAKING

IELTS Vocabulary: band 7-9 phrases .................................................................................... 116

IELTS Vocabulary: less common alternatives ....................................................................... 116

IELTS Advice: topic research ................................................................................................ 117

IELTS Vocabulary: nice bits of language! ............................................................................. 118

IELTS Vocabulary: for your notebook .................................................................................. 118

IELTS Vocabulary: band 7-9 phrases .................................................................................... 119

IELTS Speaking: if you don't understand .............................................................................. 119

IELTS Vocabulary: band 7-9 descriptions ............................................................................. 120

IELTS Vocabulary: good phrases .......................................................................................... 121

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IELTS Speaking Part 2: noticing good language ................................................................... 121

IELTS Vocabulary.................................................................................................................. 122

IELTS Speaking: useful expressions ...................................................................................... 123

IELTS Speaking: verb tenses and vocabulary ........................................................................ 124

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 GENERAL TIPS
IELTS Speaking: Basic Information

The IELTS Speaking Test is the final part of the exam. Your test will be at some time between
1.30pm and 5.00pm. You can take only your ID document into the exam room.

The test lasts between 11 and 14 minutes. You will be interviewed by an examiner who will
record your conversation. Timing is strictly controlled by the examiner, so don't be surprised if he
or she interrupts you during an answer.

There are 3 parts to the Speaking Test:

1. Introduction/ interview: around 10 questions in 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Short presentation: talk for 2 minutes with 1 minute to prepare.

3. Discussion: around 5 questions in 4 to 5 minutes.

Preparation is the key to a good score in IELTS Speaking. Different skills are tested in each part,
so you need to know exactly what to do.

We can predict the kinds of questions that the examiner will ask. We'll prepare ideas, possible
answers and good vocabulary for each part of the test.

IELTS Speaking Advice: get to the point

Yesterday I wrote that you should avoid using long phrases to begin your answers. So what
should you use instead? Native speakers say things like:

- I think...

- I guess...

- Well,...

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These words/phrases might seem less impressive, but you have to remember that examiners are
not impressed by the long phrases either! The important thing is to get to the point of your
answer.

IELTS Speaking: avoid these phrases

In the speaking test, examiners don't like it when students use phrases like:

- That's a very interesting question...

- It is my personal opinion that...

- Personally, I would have to say that...

- I am of the opinion that it depends on...

- To be honest, I personally believe that...

These phrases sound unnatural, and it is obvious to the examiner that the student has memorised
them.

So what should you do instead? My advice: just answer the question directly. Stop using
memorised phrases, and just get straight to the point.

IELTS Speaking: if you don't know the answer

How do you answer a question when you don't know anything about the topic?
There are 2 things you can do:

1. Be honest and explain why you don't know

2. Guess, and tell the examiner that you are guessing

Example question:

How has technology affected the kinds of music that young people listen to?

My answer, using both tips above:

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 (1) To be honest I don't really know the answer to that because I'm completely out of touch
with what young people are listening to, and I'm not a fan of pop music.
(2) However, I suppose that technology must have affected music. Maybe young people are
listening to music that has been made using computer software instead of real musical
instruments like the piano or guitar.

IELTS Speaking: a preparation technique

A good way to prepare for IELTS speaking is to take one topic area and practise possible
questions for all 3 parts. Here are some examples:

'Home' topic

Part 1 - give short answers

1. Do you live in a house or a flat?

2. What's your favourite room in your home? Why?

3. What would you like to change about your home? Why?

4. Would you like to move house in the future?

Part 2 - speak for 2 minutes

Describe an interesting home that you have visited.

Part 3 - give longer answers

1. What factors do you think are important when choosing where to live?

2. Compare life in a city with life in the countryside.

3. How do you think the design of homes will change in the future?

IELTS Speaking: how to feel more confident

Here are some tips to help you feel more confident when you go for your IELTS speaking test:

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  Be prepared: you should know exactly what to expect in the 3 parts of the speaking test,
and you should have read the suggestions on this website about how to answer.

 Lots of practice: a student who has practised answering all of the questions in all eight
Cambridge books, as well as the questions on this site, will feel much more confident
than a student who hasn't.

 Write it down: when studying at home, you have time to prepare 'perfect' answers to
practice questions; write your answers down, and ask someone to help you check and
improve them.

 Speak aloud: start by reading the answers you wrote down (like an actor uses a script),
then gradually stop using the script.

 Record yourself: this allows you to analyse the quality of your answers, as well as your
pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

 Focus on ideas: it's difficult to think about grammar when you are speaking, so I advise
students to stop worrying about grammatical structures, and focus on expressing good
ideas (which means good vocabulary).

IELTS Speaking: the examiner's attitude

I sometimes hear from students who are worried that their examiner seemed rude or angry in the
speaking exam. Maybe the examiner didn't smile or make much eye contact, interrupted a lot, or
kept looking at his/her watch. Does this mean that you will get a low score, or that you should
complain?

The answer is no! Don't worry, and don't think that you need to complain. The examiner's attitude
is not important at all, and you should ignore all of the things I mentioned above. Focus only on
answering the examiner's questions as well as you can.

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Remember: it's possible to have a very nice, smiling examiner who gives you a low score. On the
other hand, an examiner who seems impolite or disinterested might give you a higher score than
you expected!

IELTS Speaking: add detail

Many students worry too much about grammar. For speaking parts 2 and 3, it's more important to
worry about the quality of your answers. The best way to improve the quality of your answers is
by adding detail.

Example:
Describe your best friend. Say when you met him/her.

Short answer about when we met:

I met my best friend at school when I was 11 years old.

Detailed answer about when we met:

I met my best friend at school when I was 11 years old, so we've known each other for ... years. I
remember we sat next to each other in my first science lesson at secondary school, and we had to
work together to do an experiment. We got on straight away, and we've been friends ever since.

Notice that by adding more information I've also used more/better vocabulary and grammar.

IELTS Speaking Advice: record, transcribe, analyse

Here are some steps that you could follow when practising for the speaking test:

1. Choose a real speaking test from one of the Cambridge books.

2. Record yourself answering one or all of the parts of the test.

3. Listen to the recording and transcribe it (write down everything you said).

4. Analyse the transcript. How could your answers be improved?

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 5. Take some time to prepare better answers for the same questions.

6. Try the same questions again! Record yourself, transcribe and analyse.

7. Repeat the process a few times until you are happy.

Imagine if you did this kind of hard work every day for a month. I'm sure you'd be more confident
and better prepared than you are now.

IELTS Speaking: real opinions and experiences

Some students are worried about expressing their real opinions in the speaking test. They think
that the examiner might disagree and therefore give a lower score.

Don't worry about this. The examiner only cares about your language. Express your opinions, talk
about your interests, and give examples from your own experience. The examiner will find 'real'
opinions and experiences more interesting than general, superficial answers.

IELTS Speaking: is accent important?

People often ask whether their accent will affect their IELTS score. The simple answer is no.
Your score for pronunciation depends on how clearly you speak and how intelligible (easy to
understand) you are.

So if accent is not important, what are the factors that affect pronunciation? I really like the
explanation on this page from the Warwick University website. They look at 5 key elements of
pronunciation:

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There are some great tips about improving your pronunciation near the bottom of the page, but
my favourites are: work on your mistakes, copy good models of speech, record yourself, slow
down, and try to sound interesting / interested!

IELTS Speaking: complex structures?

Students often worry that they need to use "complex structures" in the speaking test. But what is a
complex structure?

This website explains the difference between simple sentences, compound sentences and complex
sentences. You'll notice that compound and complex sentences are much easier than they sound!
I'm sure you use them all the time without realising it.

Here's my advice: stop worrying about the need for "complex" grammar. Instead, focus on
expressing your ideas well. As you explain your ideas in detail, you will naturally produce longer
sentences which contain a variety of grammatical features.

IELTS Speaking: which part is the most important?

Do the 3 parts of the speaking test carry equal weighting when your score is calculated, or is one
part more important?

The simple answer is that the 3 parts are not scored separately; the examiner rates the student's
performance as a whole. In this sense, neither part is more important.

However, it's useful to think about the 3 parts like this:

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  Part 1 is supposed to be quite easy (like a warm-up), so you won't get a high score if
you only do well in this part.

 Part 2 is when the examiner really gets a chance to assess how good you are. He/she will
now have an idea of what scores to give you.

 During part 3, the examiner is making his/her final decision. A good performance here
can boost your score.

IELTS Speaking: it's ok to lie!

Students often ask me whether it's ok to lie or invent an answer in the speaking test. My advice is
that it's usually easier to tell the truth; however, sometimes your only option is to make something
up (to lie). Take this part 2 question for example:

"Describe a team project that you worked on"

If your job involves working in a team, this might be an easy question. But if you're still a
student, or you work alone, you might be stuck for ideas. You might need to invent something!

Here's how you could adapt to the question above:

 Talk about a project or piece of work that you did alone, and pretend that other people
were involved.

 Go back to your school days and talk about something you studied, pretending that it was
a group project.

 Talk about an English lesson - most English teachers put their students in groups from
time to time.

IELTS Speaking: if you don't know what to say

In Sunday's lesson I suggested answering in the following way if you don't know what to say:

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"Well, I don't really know much about... because..., but I suppose..."

In other words, you admit that you don't really know what to say, you explain why, then you
invent an answer anyway. Let's try using the formula above with an example.

Question:
What kinds of jobs might stop when the season changes?

Answer:
Well, I don't really know much about seasonal jobs because everyone works all year round where
I live, but I suppose that some jobs related to tourism must stop at the end of the summer holiday
period.

IELTS Speaking: a tip for each part

Here are three tips, one for each part of the speaking test.

Part 1: stop and smile

For part 1 of the speaking test, you need to get used to giving short answers. Many students find it
difficult to stop speaking, and the examiner is forced to interrupt. My tip is to give your answer
then stop and smile, showing the examiner that you are ready for the next question.

Part 2: tell a story

In the context of speaking part 2, a story is simply a long example to illustrate a point that you
have made. If you‟re describing a person, for example, you could tell a story to illustrate why you
like him/her. People find it easy to keep speaking for longer when they have a story to tell.

Part 3: include an „if...‟ sentence

Look at technique number 2 in this lesson. The 'alternatives' technique helps you to say more, and
it also encourages you to add a conditional 'if...' sentence, which might help your grammar score.

IELTS Speaking: 3 simple tips

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Here are three simple tips that could make a difference to your score:

1. Be confident

Although you might be nervous, try to speak clearly and confidently. Smile and be friendly* with
the examiner. As you go into the exam, tell yourself that you have prepared well and that you're
going to enjoy the challenge.

2. Know that you are prepared

You will feel much more confident if you know that you have prepared and practised for the test.
You should know exactly what to expect. For example, have you prepared some common topics
(e.g. describe a place, a person, a hobby) for the short presentation? Are you ready for a past and
a future question in part 3?

3. Speak naturally

Try to enjoy a normal conversation with the examiner. Instead of worrying about your grammar,
listen carefully to the questions and try to give natural answers. Most of the questions are about
you, your life and your opinions, so it's best to be open. I used to be an examiner, and I always
found the job more interesting when students spoke openly about their opinions and experiences.

*Note: You are not marked on body language, but I'd still recommend that you try to act in a
friendly, confident manner.

IELTS Speaking: use real examples!

To improve your IELTS speaking score, use good examples to extend your answers. Real
examples or stories about yourself are the best.

Use examples in part 2 when you need to make your presentation longer. Use them in part 3 to
support your opinions.

Here's an example that helps me to extend a part 2 presentation about my mobile phone:

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"For example, yesterday I used my phone to call some friends to arrange a get-together this
weekend. Some of them didn't answer, so I either left a message in their voicemail or I sent them
a text. I also replied to a few emails while I was waiting in a queue at the bank."

IELTS Speaking: advice about grammar and vocabulary

It's difficult to think about grammar when you're trying to speak. I think it's much easier to
improve your vocabulary score than your grammar score.

Remember:

 Grammar is only 25% of your speaking score.

 If you are thinking too much about grammar, you will lose fluency.

 If you try to use memorised grammatical structures, your speech will not sound 'natural'.

 You will not avoid small grammar mistakes unless you have lived in an English speaking
country for many years.

I've taught many students who have achieved a score of 7 or higher, and they all made small
grammar mistakes. They got their high scores because we focused on vocabulary, ideas,
opinions and fluency.

Have a look through my speaking lessons, and you'll notice that the focus is usually on
vocabulary.

IELTS Speaking: pronunciation

In the IELTS speaking test, 25% of your score is for pronunciation. Many students confuse
'pronunciation' with 'accent'. These are not the same thing!

Nobody expects you to speak with a perfect British English accent. In fact, the examiner will not
judge your accent at all.

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Your pronunciation score is based on these things:

 clarity (speaking clearly)

 speed (not too fast, not too slow)

 word stress

 sentence stress

 intonation (the rise and fall of your voice)

It's not easy to improve these things quickly or through deliberate practice. Good pronunciation is
usually the result of lots of listening and copying. My tip is: stop worrying about your accent, and
focus on speaking clearly.

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 IELTS SPEAKING PART 1
IELTS Speaking Part 1: keep it simple

Instead of correcting the grammar mistakes in the sentences below, try rewriting the sentences in
an easier way.

1. I admire learning languages as communication bridges.

2. I also do general readings in my spare time.

3. Moreover, learning foreign languages helps us talk friendly.

4. It open more avenues for getting a better job.

5. Young age is the right time to learn multiple languages.

6. You can break many hurdles and expand your horizons.

7. As our knowledge in language expands, the better we can communicate.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: short, simple answers

The first part of the IELTS Speaking Test lasts around 4 to 5 minutes. The examiner asks about
10 questions related to you, your daily life and your interests. Common topics are hobbies,
family, friends, food, music etc.

Part 1 questions are supposed to be easy, and the examiner must get through all of the questions
in 5 minutes or less. That's only about 30 seconds per question. If you try to give long answers,
the examiner will interrupt you. My advice is to keep Part 1 answers very simple:

Do you prefer home-cooked food or food from restaurants?

I prefer home-cooked food because I think it's healthier and you know exactly what you're eating.
I also enjoy cooking for family and friends.

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You don't need to say any more than this. Just answer the question with a full sentence, give a
reason, and maybe add one extra piece of information. Then stop speaking. Stop with confidence
and look at the examiner, ready for the next question.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: five simple rules

Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test is supposed to be easy. You don't need to give 'difficult'
answers, and you should try to avoid making mistakes.

Here are five simple rules for Speaking Part 1:

1. Keep your answers short, then stop with confidence.

2. Answer the questions using full sentences.

3. Use words from the examiner's question in your answer.

4. If possible, give a reason for your answer.

5. Don't forget to say "yes" or "no" when necessary.

Here's an example to illustrate these points:

Do you like parks?

Yes, I like parks because they are great places to relax. If you live in a city, a park is often the
only place where you can escape from the noise and the traffic.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: strange questions

In part 1 of the speaking test, the examiner will ask around 10 easy questions. However, students
have reported some strange questions, such as:

1. Do you like parks?

2. Do you think different colours can change our moods?

3. When do people give flowers in your country?

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Don't be shocked by these questions. Just give a simple answer with a reason. Don't worry about
using fantastic grammar or vocabulary; just try to answer without hesitating. For example:

1. Yes, I like parks because they are great places to relax. I think all cities need green areas.

2. Yes, I think bright colours, like red, can make you feel energetic. Some greens and blues
can be more relaxing.

3. People give flowers on special occasions like birthdays or on Valentine's Day. In my

country, giving flowers is seen as romantic.

IELTS Speaking: work or study

These are common questions at the start of the speaking test:

1. Do you work or are you a student?

2. Do you like your job / course? Why / why not?

Example answers:

1. Before I came to England I was working as an accountant, but at the moment I'm
studying English because I hope to do a Master's here.

2. Yes, I really like my job because it's interesting and I work with a great team of
people. OR: Yes, I enjoy studying English, but my real aim is to do a Master's and then
find a job in an international company.

Note:
Don't ask the examiner: "Do you mean in my country or here in England?" - it doesn't matter.
Don't worry if you have a job and study at the same time - you can mention both.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'walking' topic

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Remember to keep your part 1 answers short and 'to the point'. Here are my example answers for
some questions about walking:

1. Do you like walking?

I'm not one for going on really long walks in the countryside, but I don't mind walking when I'm
in a town or city, for example when I'm sightseeing in a new place.

2. Do you think walking is important?

Yes, I think it's important to be active, and walking is the most basic physical activity that we can
do.

3. Do you think walking in the countryside is better than walking in the city?

Personally, no. As I said before, I like walking in the city, especially if it's somewhere with a lot
of history like London or Paris.

4. What could be done to improve the experience of walking in cities?

I suppose the main issues are space and safety. Pavements need to be wide enough to
accommodate lots of pedestrians, and we need safe places to cross the street.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'study' answers

Here are my sample answers to the questions in last week's lesson.

1. Do you like studying? Why / why not?

Yes, I like studying because it's the best way to gain a deeper insight into any subject. I like
reading, learning from others, and trying to understand difficult concepts.

2. Do you prefer to study alone or with others? Why?

I prefer to study alone because I need to be able to concentrate fully. Other people are a
distraction.

3. Where do you prefer to go when you need to study? Why?

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I like to find a quiet corner in my local library; being in an old building and surrounded by books
seems to help me to focus on my work.

4. How do you feel if someone disturbs you when you are studying?

It frustrates me because it breaks my concentration. I prefer to avoid distractions by going

somewhere where nobody will interrupt me.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'cooking' topic

Here are some recent part 1 questions, with my example answers.

1. Do you like cooking? Why / why not?

Sometimes. I like preparing a special meal for family or friends who visit, but everyday cooking
is a bit boring; it's something that has to be done, but it's not really fun.

2. Who did the cooking in your family when you were a child?

My mother almost always did the cooking when I was young. I don't think she trusted my father
to make a nice meal.

3. Do you think that it's important to know how to cook well?

I'm not sure whether it's important to cook well, but I do think that everyone should know the
basics. It definitely isn't healthy to rely on pre-prepared meals or fast food.

4. Do you think that children should be taught cookery at school?

Yes, that's probably a good idea. If all children knew how to cook a few basic, healthy meals, that
would surely be a good thing.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'collecting' answers

Here are my sample answers to the questions from last week.

1) Have you ever collected anything as a hobby? (What?)

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Yes. When I was younger I used to collect keyrings. I remember that my favourite was a Lego
man keyring that someone bought me as a present.

2) What kinds of thing do people often like collecting?

Some people collect cheap items like stamps, keyrings or toys. Others collect expensive antiques,
watches, jewellery or even cars.

3) Why do you think people collect certain objects?

Maybe they like the constant search for a new item, or they want to remember past experiences.
Others might like the feeling of organising and presenting what they own.

4) Is there anything that you would like to collect in the future?

Yes. If I could afford it, I'd love to have a collection of guitars in different colours, shapes and
sizes!

IELTS Speaking: 'maps' answers

Here are my sample answers for last week's questions about maps. Remember that my answers
are short and simple because this is what the examiner requires in part 1 of the test.

1. Do you ever use maps?

Yes. Whenever I go somewhere new, I plan my journey with the help of a map.

2. When do people usually need to use a map?

I imagine that some people use a map every day if they travel to different places for work. Others
might only use a map when they're on holiday.

3. Do you prefer electronic or paper maps?

I still prefer paper maps for a long journey; I like being able to open the map out on a table and
see the full journey ahead.

4. Do you ever ask people for directions instead of using a map?

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Only if I'm really lost. Whenever I ask for directions, I find it difficult to remember what the
person said. So I prefer to find my own way.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'mathematics' topic

Here are some recent exam questions that somebody shared here on the blog. As usual, my part 1
sample answers are short, direct and simple.

1) At what age did you start studying mathematics?

I can't exactly remember, but it was probably in my first year at primary school when I was 5
years old. I probably learnt simple addition at that age.

2) Do you like mathematics? Why / why not?

I don't dislike maths, but I wouldn't say that I've ever really liked the subject either. I'm happy to
do simple calculations, but my brain can't cope with the complex stuff!

3) Is it necessary for everyone to learn mathematics?

Yes, I think it is. We all need a basic grounding in maths so that we can do daily tasks, like
managing our money, working out bills, and so on.

4) Do you prefer to use a calculator when doing mathematics?

It depends. I quite like exercising my brain with anything that's easy enough, but I use the
calculator on my phone for anything tricky.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'parks' answers

Here are my sample answers for last week's questions. Remember that part 1 answers are
supposed to be short and direct. You don't need to 'show off' in this part of the test!

1. Do you like parks? Why / why not?

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Yes, I like parks because they're great places to relax or go for a walk. I think every city needs
some green space where people can escape from the crowds.

2. How often do you visit parks?

There's a park very close to where I live, so I probably go there once or twice a week if the
weather's nice.

3. Why are parks an important part of many towns and cities?

Parks are like an oasis where people get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. They are
where people go to have lunch, to take some exercise, or to forget about work for a while.

4. What do you think could be done to make parks better?

The parks in big cities are already really good in my opinion. If I think about the famous parks in
London, Paris or New York, I can't imagine what I would do to improve them.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: negative answers

Here are my negative answers to the questions in last week's speaking lesson. Remember: I'm
imagining that I don't like (or know about) the topic.

1) Do you like music?

No, I don't really like music, and I don't listen to it. It's not something that I've ever been
interested in.

2) What kind of music did you listen to when you were young?

I can't remember listening to much music as a child either. I suppose I must have heard some
traditional music at festivals or parties, but I didn't take much notice of it.

3) When was the last time you went to a concert?

I've never been to a music concert. Maybe I should try going to one; perhaps it would be
interesting to see an orchestra playing classical music.

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4) Would you like to participate in a live music show?

No, definitely not. I don't play a musical instrument and I don't sing, so I can't imagine that I'd
ever find myself performing to an audience.

Note:
My aim here is to show you that you can answer questions about any topic - you don't need to like
it or know anything about it. (I do like music by the way!)

IELTS Speaking Part 1: House

Remember to keep your part 1 answers short and direct; the examiner will interrupt you if you
don't. Here are my sample answers to the 'house or apartment' questions from two weeks ago:

1. Do you live in a house or an apartment?

I live in a semi-detached house with three bedrooms in a suburb of Manchester. I've lived there
for just over a year.

2. Which is your favourite room in your home? Why?

I don't really have a favourite room. But if I had to choose, I'd say the living room because that's
where I go to sit and relax.

3. Would you change anything about your home? Why / why not?

Yes, I've been meaning to redecorate it since I moved in last year. It needs a new kitchen, so that's
what I'd change first.

4. Would you like to move to a different home in the future?

Yes, I'd definitely move again at some point if I could afford to. I'd like to live in the countryside,
or maybe in a different city or country.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: games

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Here are my sample answers to last week's questions:

1. What games are popular in your country?

Well, if we can consider sports as games, then football is definitely the most popular game in my
country, but we also love board games like chess.

2. Do you play any games?

Not regularly these days. I play the occasional game of tennis with my brother-in-law, and I
recently played a bowling game on the Nintendo Wii with my nephew. I wasn't very good at it.

3. How do people learn to play games in your country?

I think children teach each other to play games. I remember a friend at primary school teaching
me to play chess, for example.

4. Do you think it's important for people to play games?

Yes, it's really important, especially for children. I think research has shown that play can
improve brain development, intelligence, creativity, and the ability to cooperate with others.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'reading' topic

Here are some part 1 questions with example answers. Remember to keep your part 1 answers
short and simple.

1. Do you like reading?

Yes, I like reading a lot. I read all sorts of things, including novels, newspapers, magazines, and
online articles.

2. Do you usually read for leisure or for work purposes?

Well, I have to do a certain amount of reading as part of my job, but I probably read more for
enjoyment. I pick up a newspaper most days, and I usually have a book on the go.

3. What was your favourite book or story when you were a child?

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The first book that I remember really enjoying was '..........'. It only took me a few days to read
because I liked it so much that I couldn't put it down.

4. Do you think it's important that children read regularly?

Definitely. I think reading is possibly the most important skill that children learn. The ability to
read opens the door to all aspects of education.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: home town

Here are some part 1 questions and answers on the topic of 'home town'. Try changing the
answers to similar ones about your own town or city. Keep your answers short, simple and direct.

1. Where are you from?

I'm from Manchester, which is a city in the north west of England.

2. Do you like your home town? (Why?)

Yes, I like living in Manchester because it's where most of my friends live, and because there are
plenty of things to do there. The only thing I don't like is the weather.

3. Would you prefer to live somewhere else? (Why?)

For the moment I'm happy living here, but at some point I'd like to live in a country with a
warmer climate, and I'd like to live near a beach!

4. Do you think your home town is a good place for young people? (Why?)

Yes, Manchester has lots of things for young people, such as sports facilities, music and cinemas.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Sports

It's fine to give negative answers in part 1 of the speaking test. Here are some example negative
answers for people who don't like sport:

1. What sports or physical activities do you regularly do?

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Unfortunately I don't have time to do any sports or physical activities because of my work
commitments. I'd like to find more time for regular exercise.

2. Which sport or game would you like to be good at?

I'd like to be good at tennis. It must be great to be able to hit the ball as hard as you can and watch
it land exactly where you wanted it to.

3. Do you prefer watching or playing sports?

I don't watch much sport on TV and I'm not a big sports fan, so I think I would probably enjoy
doing sports more than watching them.

4. Do you think children should be encouraged to do more sport?

Yes, I think that sport is really important for children. Sports and games teach children to play
together and try their best.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'shopping' topic

Here are some questions and sample answers for the 'shopping' topic. Remember that part 1
answers need to be short, direct and simple.

1) Who does most of the shopping in your household?

There isn't one person who does most of the shopping. I'd say it's a shared responsibility because
we tend to go shopping together as a family.

2) What kind of shopping do you like doing?

I quite like shopping for presents for people's birthdays or for Christmas. My favourite type of
shop would have to be a bookshop.

3) Is shopping a popular activity in your country?

Yes, it's very popular. Saturday is the busiest shopping day, and lots of people treat shopping as a
kind of leisure activity, rather than something practical.

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4) What types of shops do teenagers like best in your country?

I'm not an expert on teenage behaviour, but I guess they like buying clothes, music, gadgets... that
kind of thing.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'toys' topic

I've already done lessons about 'toys' for part 2 and part 3 of the speaking test, so let's try some
part 1 questions about this topic. Notice that my part 1 answers are always short and direct.

1) Did you play with toys when you were a child?

Yes, of course. I loved playing with toys when I was a child; I think all children do.

2) What kinds of toys did you like?

As far as I remember, I mostly played with toy cars, planes and action figures from films or
cartoons. I also liked building things with Lego.

3) In your country, do boys and girls play with the same types of toys?

Not really. I think boys like the kinds of toys that I mentioned before, whereas girls play with
dolls. My niece, for example, doesn't like toy cars; she prefers dressing dolls in different outfits.

4) Do you think that toys help children to learn?

Yes, I do. All toys encourage children to use their imagination and creativity. Even with simple
toys, children imagine situations and invent games and rules.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'telephoning' topic

Here are some part 1 questions and sample answers from Cambridge IELTS book 9. Remember
to make your part 1 answers short and simple. Just give a direct answer, followed by a reason or
one extra piece of information.

1. How often do you make telephone calls?

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I probably make three or four phone calls every day, usually just to make arrangements with work
colleagues or to speak to family and friends.

2. Who do you spend most time talking to on the telephone?

I think it would be one of my closest work colleagues. We often call each other rather than
meeting face-to-face.

3. When do you think you'll next make a telephone call?

My family are expecting me to phone them as soon as I finish this exam. They'll want to know
how it went.

4. Do you sometimes prefer to send a text message instead of telephoning?

Yes. I prefer to send a text message when I'm arranging something simple, like a time to meet
someone. In those situations, a phone call isn't necessary.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'friends' topic

In part 1 of the IELTS speaking test, remember to keep your answers short and simple. Here are
some example questions and short answers:

1. Are your friends mostly your age or different ages?

Most of my friends are about the same age as me because we met at school or university. I've got
one or two friends who are older or younger that I met through work.

2. Do you usually see your friends during the week or at weekends?

I tend to meet up with my friends at weekends because everyone's too busy during the week.

3. The last time you saw your friends, what did you do together?

It was one of my friends' birthday last weekend. Six of us went out for a meal to celebrate.

4. In what ways are your friends important to you?

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I think it's important to have friends that you can talk to and share experiences with. My friends
make me laugh, but I know I can also rely on them whenever I need help or support.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: musical instruments

For IELTS speaking part 1, remember to give short, simple answers. Answer the question with a
full sentence and give a reason for your answer. Here are some example questions and answers
about musical instruments (from Cambridge IELTS book 6):

1. Which musical instrument do you like listening to most? (Why?)

My favourite musical instrument to listen to is the guitar. I like the fact that there are different
types of guitar, like classical, acoustic and electric. I love the variety of sounds a guitar can make.

2. Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument?

I took some guitar lessons when I was younger and still have a guitar at home. I don't play it
much nowadays. I wish I had more time to practise.

3. Do you think children should learn to play an instrument at school?

Yes, I think it's a great skill and it's really enjoyable to be able to play a musical instrument. All
children should be given this opportunity.

4. How easy would it be to learn to play an instrument without a teacher?

It would probably be more difficult without a teacher. You need someone to show you what to do
and correct your mistakes. You need a lot of discipline to teach yourself.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: clothes

1. Are clothes and clothing fashions important to you? (Why/Why not?)

No, clothes and fashions are not really important to me. I tend to wear clothes that are
comfortable and practical rather than fashionable.

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2. What different clothes do you wear for different situations?

Well, I have to dress quite formally for work, so I wear a shirt and trousers. At home I prefer to
wear jeans and a T-shirt, and on special occasions I might wear a suit.

3. Do you wear different styles of clothes now compared to 10 years ago?

No, not really, because I don't follow fashion. I think I have dressed in a similar way for the last
10 years.

4. Do you think the clothes we wear say something about who we are?

Yes, they probably do. Some people are really careful about what they wear because they want to
be seen as stylish. Other people wear clothes that show wealth or status, such as clothes by
famous designers.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'communication' topic

Here are some more examples for IELTS speaking part 1. Remember to give short, easy, direct
answers.

1. How do you usually keep in touch with members of your family?

I mostly keep in touch with my family by phone, and I've started using the Internet to make video
calls. I also try to visit members of my family in person as often as I can.

2. Do you prefer to speak to people by phone or by writing emails?

It depends on the situation. I use email and text messages to communicate with friends, but my
parents prefer it if I phone them.

3. Do you ever write letters by hand? (Why / Why not?)

No, I don't write letters by hand because it's so much easier to send an email that will arrive
immediately.

4. Is there anything you dislike about mobile phones?

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Well, I don't like listening to other people's conversations in public places, and I don't like it when
someone's phone rings in the cinema or during a lesson.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: negative answers

How do you answer questions about a topic that you are not interested in? For example, many
people have no interest in dancing, so what should they say?

My advice: just tell the truth. It's fine to say you don't like something. Read my examples below:

1. Do you like dancing?

No, I don't like dancing. I'm not a big music fan, and dancing just makes me feel uncomfortable
and self-conscious.

2. Has anyone ever taught you to dance?

No, I've never been interested in learning to dance, so I've never taken any lessons or asked
anyone to show me how to do it.

3. Do you think that traditional dancing will be popular in the future?

I'm afraid I have no idea because I don't follow what's happening in the dancing world! I suppose
it will always be popular with some people.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'work' topic

Here are some example questions with short, direct answers. Remember that part 1 is like a
warm-up; you are not expected to give long, complex answers for this part.

1. Do you work or are you a student?

I‟m a qualified doctor, but at the moment I‟m studying English so that I can work in this country.

2. Do you enjoy your job?

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Yes, I really enjoy my job. Ever since I was a child I have always wanted to be a doctor; I‟ve
always wanted to be able to help people.

3. What's the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is that I can make a difference in people‟s lives. It‟s a great feeling to
see someone recover after an illness because my colleagues and I were able to help.

4. Do you prefer working alone or with others? Why?

In a hospital you have to work as part of a team. I‟ve got used to working with others, and I think
you can achieve a lot more as a team than you would alone.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'accommodation' topic

Here are some questions that I found on the official IELTS website, ielts.org. The answers below
are my examples. Remember to keep your part 1 answers short and simple. You don't need to
show off in part 1.

1. Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in.

I live in a house that has a living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a small garden.
It's not a very big house, but it's just right for me.

2. How long have you lived there?

I've lived there for about five years. It's the first house that I've owned; before that I was renting
an apartment.

3. What do you like about living there?

I like living there because I think the house reflects my personality: I decorated it myself, I chose
all the furniture, and everything is where I want it to be.

4. What sort of accommodation would you most like to live in?

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If I could, I'd buy a bigger house near a beach or in the mountains, preferably somewhere with a
warm climate.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: emails and handwriting

At work or in your studies, do you often write things?

Yes, I write a lot of emails as part of my job. I work for a company that has offices in several
countries, so we use email to communicate.

How often do you send e-mails?

I probably write between 5 and 10 work emails every day, and I send emails to friends or family a
few times a week.

Do you prefer to write by hand or on a computer?

It depends what I‟m doing. I prefer the computer for most things because it‟s faster and you can
save or copy things, but I still like making notes or writing ideas down by hand.

Do you think computers might one day replace handwriting?

No, I think we will always write by hand as well. I think it‟s an important skill, and schools will
continue to teach children to write by hand before they learn to type.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: laughing

The following questions are taken from Cambridge IELTS 7, page 55. The aim in part 1 is to
give short, simple answers. Don't worry about using 'difficult' grammar.

1. What kinds of thing make you laugh?

I laugh most when I'm with friends talking about funny things that have happened to us. I also
like watching comedians and comedy films.

2. Do you like making other people laugh?

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Yes, it's a nice feeling when you can make someone laugh because you can see that you've made
them happy. It's great to share a funny moment with someone.

3. Do you think it's important for people to laugh?

Yes, of course. It's important to see the funny side of things; humour helps us not to take life too
seriously. I think that laughter is good for our health.

4. Is laughing the same as feeling happy?

It's not exactly the same because you can be happy without laughing, and sometimes we laugh
when something bad has happened; a sense of humour can help us to cope with difficult
situations.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: travel habits

Remember that Part 1 questions are supposed to be easy. Just give a simple answer and a reason.

1. What form of transport do you prefer to use? Why?

I prefer to travel by car because it means that I have my own space. Also, the buses and trains in
my city are usually overcrowded; my car is much more comfortable.

2. How much time do you spend travelling on a normal day?

I probably spend about an hour and a half travelling to and from work. I travel during the rush
hours, so there is quite a lot of traffic.

3. What do you do while you are travelling?

I usually listen to the radio or a CD. In the morning I like to listen to the news to find out what is
happening in the world.

4. Do you ever have problems with transport?

Yes, as I said, I get stuck in traffic on my way to and from work. I used to get annoyed by traffic
jams, but now I'm used to them.

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A few important points:

 In the answer to question 4, can you see the difference between "I used to" and "I'm used
to"?

 Notice the good vocabulary: 'have my own space', 'overcrowded', 'to and from work',
'rush hour', 'find out what is happening in the world', 'get stuck in traffic'.

 If the examiner asks a question that you have already answered, just say "as I said" and
repeat your answer.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'numbers' topic

One of my students had these questions in her exam last week. I've put an example answer below
each one.

1) Do you have a favourite number or a number that is special to you?

Yes, my favourite number is... because it's the day I was born on, and it's my lucky number.

2) Do any numbers have special importance in your country?

Yes, certain ages are special. For example, your 18th birthday is important because it's when you
are considered to become an adult.

3) Are you good at remembering numbers? Why / why not?

No, I'm not very good at remembering numbers. I don't think it's necessary to learn them by heart;
I just save them on my phone.

4) What numbers do people often have to memorise?

The most important number to remember on a daily basis is the pin number for your bank card.
Without this you can't pay for anything or get cash out.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'neighbours' topic

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I've recently bought Cambridge IELTS book 8. Below are some questions and example answers
from the first speaking test in the book. Remember that part 1 is supposed to be easy, so you
should give short, direct answers.

1. How well do you know your next-door neighbours?

I know my neighbours quite well. They're really nice people, and I always stop to talk whenever I
see them. I think it's important to get on well with the people who live next door.

2. How often do you see them?

I see my neighbours at least a few times a week. We usually see each other when we're leaving
for work in the morning or coming home in the evening.

3. What problems do people sometimes have with their neighbours?

I think the most common problem is probably noise. It's difficult to live next to people who have
a dog that barks at night, or who play loud music or have too many parties.

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 IELTS SPEAKING PART 2
IELTS Speaking Part 2: essential preparation

It's impossible to prepare for every question that you might get in the speaking test, but what are
the essential things to prepare for?

Here's my list of essentials:

1. Favourites: Don't go into the test without knowing what your favourites are. Prepare to
talk about your favourite book, film, music, and website.

2. People: Be ready to talk about a famous person and a member of your family.

3. Activities: Have you prepared some ideas about a hobby? Can you describe a typical day
in your life? Try to remember some special moments in your life, such as birthdays,
festivals and weddings.

4. Places: You need to be able to talk about where you live. Also, think about the places you
have visited, what you did there, and why you liked or didn't like them.

5. Things: Can you talk about the things you use every day, something you would like to
buy, or a present that you received?

Remember that in part 2 you are always asked to "describe". Make sure you prepare some good
adjectives for each topic, make sure you can talk about your opinions and feelings, and think
about some examples or stories to make your descriptions more interesting.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: formula phrases

A student asked me whether the following formula is useful for speaking part 2:

 I guess I could begin by saying something about (point 1) and I think I would have to
choose...

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  Going on to my next point which is (point 2), I really need to emphasise that (explain
point 2).

 And now with reference to (point 3), the point I want to make here is that (explain point
3).

 And so finally, if I have time, in answer to the question of (point 4), really I should
mention that...

So, are these 'formula phrases' a good idea? My answer is no!

As an English speaker and ex-examiner, I find these phrases annoying. It's obvious that they are
memorised, and they do not address the question topic. Please don't expect the examiner to be
impressed by this kind of thing.

There are a couple of benefits to learning a formula: it gives your answer some structure, and it
might make you feel more confident during the test. However, the disadvantages are greater:

1. Your focus is on the phrases you have memorised, when it should be on answering the
question with relevant ideas.

2. The examiner thinks that you are using memorised phrases because you are unable to
produce good language spontaneously. In other words, your use of long formula phrases
suggests that your level of English is lower.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: three tips

Here are three quick tips for IELTS speaking part 2 (the short speech):

1. Use the 1 minute preparation time well

Think about how you would answer the question in your own language, then write down as many
ideas as possible in English.

2. Give real examples

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Say what you really think, talk about your real life, and give real examples. Examples are really
important; whenever you don't know what to say, give an example from your own experience.

3. Don't worry about grammar

You haven't got time to think about passives or conditionals. Focus on answering the question -
ideas and vocabulary.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: band 9 answer

When I wrote my funny situation description last week, I wasn't trying to use 'difficult' grammar
or vocabulary. Maybe you read it and thought that it was too 'easy' to get a band 9. If you thought
that, you would be wrong!

Here's why my description would get a band 9 (according to the IELTS criteria):

1. Fluency and coherence

The fact that I told a story made my answer really coherent (clear and logically organised). In
terms of fluency, my description was written rather than spoken, so of course there are no pauses
or hesitations.

2. Lexical resource (vocabulary)

The description might seem simple, but it isn't. A wide resource of vocabulary is
used naturally and accurately. There are definitely some 'less common' and idiomatic phrases (e.g.
engrossed, the time passed, I suddenly realised, get going, my leg was dead, tipped over, to my
surprise).

3. Grammatical range and accuracy

Unless you can find any mistakes, it would be difficult to give my description anything less than
9 for accuracy. The range of structures used is also easily good enough to impress the examiner.

4. Pronunciation

Hopefully this wouldn't be a problem as I'm a native speaker!

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IELTS Advice: storytelling

In Friday's speaking lesson I described a funny thing that happened to me. I found it really easy to
write my description because I told a true story. I wasn't worrying about grammar or vocabulary; I
just told my story in a natural way.

The key to a high speaking score isn't your use of 'complex' grammar structures, big words or
idiomatic phrases. The key is to speak as naturally as possible, and real examples or stories help
you to do this

IELTS Speaking Part 2: main topics

For part 2 of IELTS speaking, I encourage my students in Manchester to prepare ideas for 6 main
topic areas:

1. Describe an object (a gift, something you use etc.)

2. Describe a person (someone you admire, a family member etc.)

3. Describe an event (a festival, celebration etc.)

4. Describe an activity (e.g. a hobby)

5. Describe a place (somewhere you visited, a holiday etc.)

6. Describe your favourite (book/film/advertisement/website)

Most questions fit into one of these topics. For example, "Describe a river, lake or sea which you
like" is number 5 - you could describe a holiday by the sea, or a city with a river.

Don't take the test without preparing some ideas for these topics first!

IELTS Speaking Advice: how to practise part 2

Here's this week's video lesson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2hnWjme9eI

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IELTS Speaking Part 2: band 7-9 descriptions

Today I'm going to reuse a video lesson that I made 3 years ago. Watch the video, then try the
exercise below it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n6sRZKCI6w

IELTS Speaking Part 2: don't focus on linking

A student asked me whether it would be a good idea to use the phrases below to organise last
week's description of a market:

1. I would like to start with the first point which is where the market is.

2. Going on to my next point which is what the market sells, well...

3. With reference to the question of how big the market is, well...

4. As a final point, I would like to explain why I enjoy to visiting it.

Personally I do not recommend using phrases like these. While you won't lose marks for using
them, you won't gain marks either. But here's the problem: the time you spend saying these
linking phrases is time that you should be spending on the real content of your answer. Focus on
answering, not linking!

IELTS Speaking Part 2: which tense?

- Can you use the past tense when describing a person who is still alive?

- Which tense should you use when describing a person?

The answer to the first question is yes. You can say: "My father was always a good role model for
me when I was growing up." This doesn't mean that your father is no longer alive; it just means
that you are no longer growing up!

The answer to the second question is it depends. As we saw above, you can use the past tense, but
it would also be easy to add the present and/or future tense: "My father was always kind to me

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when I was a child, and he still helpsme whenever I need something. I'm sure he will always be
there for me."

IELTS Speaking Part 2: forget about eye contact

Many students worry that they need to maintain eye contact with the examiner. This is a good
idea in part 1 and part 3, but not necessarily in part 2.

In part 2 of the speaking test, you don't need to worry about eye contact. It's more important to
look at the question and the notes you made.

 Use the question to organise what you are saying. Answer the question point by point,
and make sure you cover all parts of the task.

 You should also look at your notes. Hopefully you wrote down some good ideas during
the preparation time.

Remember: the examiner will not reduce your score for lack of eye contact, but he/she will reduce
your score if you don't answer the question well.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: filling the 2 minutes

Many candidates struggle to speak for 2 minutes because they answer the first two or three points
on the task card too quickly. They only give a detailed answer for the final point.

Look again at my sample answer in last week's lesson. Notice how I answer each point on the
topic card in detail. Instead of answering the first point with just one sentence (e.g. "I'm going to
talk about chess"), I added three more sentences describing the game. I did the same for the
questions about 'where' and 'who'.

The last point on the task card usually asks for your opinion (why?), and it's easy to say more
about this. However, if you want to fill the 2 minutes, I suggest that you practise giving longer,
more detailed answers to the first three points on the task card.

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IELTS Speaking Part 2: 1-minute preparation

This week I've been thinking about different ways to use the 1-minute preparation time. Here's
what I've learnt:

1. One minute is a very short amount of time! I found it just as difficult as my students did.

2. A simple list is probably faster and easier than a diagram or mind map.

3. You need to decide on your topic as quickly as possible. Then spend most of your time
making notes.

4. Try to write at least one key idea for each part of the question.

5. Don't write sentences, and don't waste time erasing "mistakes".

6. Try to use a topic you have already prepared.

7. Forget about grammar. Focus on answering the question.

8. Finally, fast preparation is a skill that you can practise. Why not train yourself by making
notes for a few different questions every day?

The following photo shows a part 2 question with my notes below. As you can see, I couldn't
write much in 1 minute, but I followed the advice above.

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IELTS Speaking Part 2: vocabulary themes

If you didn't manage to watch the video lesson that I published yesterday, here's a quick summary
of the key ideas.

In the video, I look at the topic "Describe a person", which is one of the six main topics in part 2
of the speaking test. Here are some possible questions in this topic area:

 Describe a teacher

 Describe a famous person

 Describe a friend

 Describe a family member

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  Describe a child

 Describe someone who helps people

 Describe someone who does something well

I then suggest that we choose an easy 'theme' e.g. a hard-working and friendly person. We can
prepare lots of good vocabulary for this theme, and hopefully use it to describe any of the people
in the list above.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'local area' answer

Describe a change that you would like to see in your local area.

You should say

- what the change would be

- who would be involved in making the change

- how it would be done

- and why you would like to see the change happen.

Here's my band 9 sample answer:

 The change that I‟d like to see in my local neighbourhood is the pedestrianisation of the
main shopping street in the town centre. I‟d like to see traffic diverted around this area
in order to make it safer and more attractive for visitors and shoppers. Most of the
traffic that clogs up the main street is just passing through the town, but it‟s the local
people who have to put up with the congestion, noise and pollution.

 It‟s the job of the local council to make changes like the one I‟m suggesting. But before
the council does anything, there usually needs to be some pressure from local people to
bring a problem to light. So, perhaps we need a campaign by local residents who want
to see this change. Then the council might contract a town planner or an architect to
come up with some possible designs for a new road system.

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  I‟m not sure how exactly the process of creating a pedestrian street would work, but I
imagine that it would require detailed planning. Perhaps a bypass would need to be built
around the town centre first. This would give drivers a faster alternative to driving
through the town, and it would allow the main shopping street to be blocked off and
pedestrianised.

 I‟d like to see this change because it would really improve the quality of life of residents
in the town where I live. I can imagine the new pedestrian street having cafes and
restaurants with outdoor seating. It would be a safer and more pleasant place for
families to go shopping, and I‟m sure this would have a positive knock-on effect on
local shops and businesses.
IELTS Speaking Part 2: educational TV programme

Describe an educational television programme that you liked.

You should say

- what the programme was about

- when and where you saw it
- how you found out about this programme
- and why you liked it.

Here's my band 9 answer. Can you see any 'less common' vocabulary?

 I‟m going to talk about one of my favourite educational TV programmes, which is a

nature documentary called „Planet Earth‟. There were eleven episodes of this
programme, and each one featured a different habitat on Earth, such as mountains,
caves, deserts and jungles. The aim of the „Planet Earth‟ series was to take the viewer
into those habitats, using spectacular footage of interesting animals, plants and
landscapes.

 I first saw „Planet Earth‟ on television when it was broadcast by the BBC several years
ago. I think it was shown every Sunday evening, which was the perfect time to watch a

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 fascinating nature programme. Then, a few years a ago, somebody bought me the DVD
box set of the whole series as a Christmas present, and I watched the episodes again.

 I found out about this TV programme because it was advertised repeatedly in the weeks
before it was first aired. The TV trailers were really eye-catching because they showed
incredibly beautiful images of nature. I also recognised the voice of the narrator of the
programme, the well-known naturalist David Attenborough. It was these trailers that
persuaded me to watch the first episode.

 What I liked most about the „Planet Earth‟ series was its stunning photography and its
global scope. For example, in the “Fresh Water” episode, they showed us the giant
salamander in Japan, crocodiles in the river Nile, and river dolphins in the Amazon. I
was amazed at how they had managed to film such interesting creatures in so many
locations. I enjoyed learning about strange animal species, and the programme opened
my eyes to the hidden wonders of our planet.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'film' answer

Here's my sample answer:

 I‟m going to talk about a film that I‟d like to see when it comes out later this year. It‟s the
new James Bond film, and I saw in the news that it‟s going to be called „Spectre‟. I
think „Spectre‟ refers to the name of the imaginary criminal organisation that James
Bond has to defeat in the film.

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  As „Spectre‟ hasn‟t been released yet, I don‟t know exactly what it will be about. But I
can guess that the hero, Bond, is going to be on a mission to save the world from an
arch-criminal as usual. I‟m sure it will be similar to most of the previous Bond films,
with a plot line involving lots of twists and turns, and with Bond using his skills to
defeat his nemesis in the end.

 I first heard about this film when I was watching the news a couple of months ago, and
since then I‟ve seen the official trailer on TV. There have also been various articles in
newspapers discussing the actors who have been cast to play supporting roles in the
film. The James Bond films are always big news here in the UK, probably because
Bond himself is an English character.

 I‟d like to see „Spectre‟ at the cinema because I‟m sure it will be full of action scenes and
special effects, and I like the fact that Bond‟s missions always take place in spectacular
locations in different parts of the world. Of course Bond films are totally unrealistic,
you could even say ridiculous. But they're always fast, entertaining and fun, a bit like a
roller-coaster ride!

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'prize' answer

Here's a question that I mentioned in a lesson a few weeks ago:

Describe a prize that you would like to win. You should explain

- what the prize is for

- how you know about it

- what you would have to do to win it

- and why you would like to win this prize.

And here's my sample answer:

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  I‟m going to talk about a prize that I would like to win, which is the „employee of the
year‟ award at the company where I work. At the end of December each year, the
company directors give this award to a member of staff who has made an outstanding
contribution to the business over the previous twelve months.

 I first heard about this prize during my training and orientation period just after I got the
job three years ago. It was early December and some of my colleagues were discussing
who might be awarded „employee of the year‟ later that month. I was intrigued, and
asked them to tell me more about the award.

 As I said, the prize is given for „outstanding contribution to the business‟. We don‟t have
an exact definition of what this means, but we assume that you have to achieve certain
standards, such as 100% attendance, good punctuality, meeting targets and deadlines,
good teamwork, and so on. I think the winner also needs to have done something
especially creative. For example, last year‟s winner created a completely new service
for our clients.

 I‟d like to win „employee of the year‟ because it would mean that my work had been
recognised by the company directors, and this would definitely help me to progress in
my career. It would also give me a great sense of personal achievement.

IELTS Speaking: 'future aim' answer

Last month I forgot to write a sample answer for the question below.

Describe an aim or goal that you hope to achieve in the future.

You should say

- what the aim is

- when you hope to achieve it

- what you need to do to reach your goal

- and why this goal is important to you.

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Here's my answer. Can you find any 'less common vocabulary' in it?

 I‟m going to describe a future aim of mine, which is to write a book. I‟d like to write a
novel, so the story or plot would be fictional, but it would probably be influenced by
some of my own experiences, ideas and views.

 Unfortunately I have no idea where to start or what my novel would be about, so I can‟t
imagine achieving this aim until later in my life. Maybe it will be something that I do as
a hobby when I retire, or I might suddenly be inspired to start writing much sooner. It‟s
just a vague objective at the moment.

 I think it must be extremely difficult to find the motivation to write a novel, so more than
anything I would need time, commitment and the passion to keep working until I
finished. I would probably need to set a goal of writing for a certain amount of time
each day, and of course I‟d need a good idea for a story in the first place.

 This goal interests me because I‟ve always wondered how people manage to create a
work of fiction from nothing; I‟ve always wondered whether I could do the same, and
whether I‟d be capable of bringing a story to life. I‟ve always enjoyed reading, and I‟d
like to follow in the footsteps of my favourite authors.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a hobby

"Describe a hobby" seems like an easy topic. However, students often have difficulty speaking for
2 minutes when the topic is easy.

Here are 3 pieces of advice to help you to speak for 2 minutes. I'll use photography as the hobby
in my example answers.

1. Think about question words: What, when, where, why, who with:

 What: One of my hobbies is photography.

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  When and where: I take photos on my phone almost every day, and I have a proper
camera that I use on special occasions. If I see something interesting or I want to record
a particular memory, I take photos wherever I am.

 Why: I take photos so that I have a record of the things I‟ve seen or done.

 Who with: Most of my photos are of friends and family, but I also take pictures of
interesting things that I see.

2. Describe opinions and feelings:

I like photography because it‟s a creative hobby and it makes you notice the world around you. I
love capturing special moments or unusual or beautiful images, and it‟s a great feeling to be able
to look back through my pictures and relive different experiences. These memories usually cheer
me up.

3. Tell a story related to the topic:

The last time I took photos on a special occasion was at my friend‟s wedding a few weeks ago. I
got some great pictures of the bride and groom and their guests celebrating. After the wedding I
made an album of all the best pictures and sent it to my friend as a present.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'indoor game' answer

Describe an indoor game that you enjoyed as a child. You should say

- what the game was

- where you played it

- who played this game with you

- and why you liked it

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  As a child I enjoyed playing chess. I think chess is probably the best known board game
in the world. It‟s a game for two players, and the aim is to defeat the other player by
taking his or her pieces and eventually trapping his King. This final move is called
checkmate.

 I remember that it was a classmate of mine at primary school who first taught me to play
chess. He had a small, portable chess set, and once I knew how each piece moved, we
started playing at break and lunch times; we played in our classroom or outside on the
school playground. Later my parents bought me my own chess set as a birthday present
so that I could play at home.

 I taught my younger brother to play, and at some point I joined the school chess club.
There I had the chance to hone my skills against some of the older pupils, and in my
final year of primary school I made it onto the school team. There were five of us on the
team, and we competed against children from other primary schools in the same town.

 I liked playing chess because I enjoyed the challenge of thinking ahead and trying to
outwit my opponent. I was probably seven or eight years old when I started playing, and
it seemed like a very mysterious and intellectual game at that time. Also, although I
loved winning, chess taught me to learn from my losses and to congratulate the person
who had beaten me.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'school' topic

Describe a school that you went to when you were a child. You should say

- where the school was

- when you went there

- what the school and the teachers were like

- and explain whether you enjoyed your time there.

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Here's my sample (band 9) answer:

 I‟m going to talk about my primary school. The school was called ..... and it was in the
town of ..... . The location of the school was great because it was within walking
distance of our family home at the time. The route to school was all downhill, which
made it an easy walk in the morning, but a tiring journey on the way home in the
afternoon!

 I was a pupil at ..... school between the ages of 5 and 11 - the full 6 years of primary
education. From age 11 onwards, I went to a nearby secondary school.

 My primary school seemed like a big place at the time, but it was actually quite a small
school, with only six classes. I remember there being a large room called the assembly
hall, where the whole school gathered every morning to hear messages from the
headmaster. I also remember spending a lot of time on the playground and on the sports
field. I liked all of my teachers; they were caring but strict at the same time, and I think
they fostered a positive and fun atmosphere in the school.

 I have really fond memories of my primary school years, mainly because of the friends I
made and the fun I had. One of my most vivid memories is of performing in the school
play in my final year. I had to learn lines and play the part of a character in a traditional
children‟s story. It was a nerve-racking experience, but it felt like my first real
achievement.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: family celebration

Describe a family celebration that you remember. You should say

- what you were celebrating

- who was present

- what you and your family did to make the celebration special

- and why you enjoyed the occasion.

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Here's my sample answer:

 I‟m going to describe my sister‟s wedding day, which took place a few years ago in the
town where I grew up. For my sister it was the biggest and most important day of her
life.

 I think there were around 100 people at the marriage ceremony, which was held in a
church. Even more people came to the party, or the wedding reception as we call it,
after the ceremony. Of course, most members of my family were there, as well as the
groom‟s family and a collection of the bride and groom's friends and colleagues.

 To make the celebration special, we did what families normally do. My mother made
sure that the church and the reception venue were nicely decorated - there were flowers
everywhere! Obviously we all dressed for the occasion, and there were bridesmaids,
gifts, a huge wedding cake, and so on.

 I enjoyed the occasion because it was great to see my sister so happy on her big day. The
ceremony was perfect, and we all had a fantastic time at the reception. It‟s rare for me
to see all of my family and friends together in one place, so that‟s probably what made
the day so memorable for me.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'positive experience' answer

Describe a positive experience that you had as a teenager. You should say

- what the positive experience was

- where you were

- who you were with

- and explain why you found the experience positive.

Here's my sample answer, taking some of the ideas from this lesson.

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  I‟m going to describe the first time I visited England‟s capital city, London, on a school
trip when I was a teenager. I had never been to London before, and it was great to share
that experience with my school friends.

 The positive experience wasn‟t confined to one particular place in London. As far as I
remember, I enjoyed the whole trip, from the coach journey to the visits to various
tourist attractions. We got off the coach near the Houses of Parliament, and so one of
my first memories was seeing the famous „Big Ben‟ clock tower. We also visited the
Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

 As I said earlier, it was a school trip, and I think there were around thirty of us, including
two teachers. I was with a group of close friends, which made the experience more
enjoyable.

 What really struck me about London was that it was historic but modern and thriving at
the same time. It seemed to me to be a lively, fashionable and cosmopolitan place.
Coming from a relatively small town, the experience made me keen to visit more capital
cities in the future.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: sample answer

Here's the question we've been looking at in recent weeks:

Describe a subject that you think should be removed from school education programmes. You
should say

- what the subject is

- why you think it is unnecessary for children to study it

- and explain what you would replace it with.

Here's my sample answer with band 7-9 vocabulary underlined:

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  I‟m going to suggest that art could be taken out of the school curriculum. In my
experience, art lessons at school tend to include drawing, painting, and the making of
collages using paper, fabric and other household materials.

 There are a few reasons why I think that school art lessons are unnecessary. Firstly, I
don‟t believe that drawing and painting areessential skills that children will need when
they leave school. Children might find these activities enjoyable, but it‟s unlikely
that they will need them in the working world. Secondly, children can draw, paint and
make collages in their own time at home; parents can encourage this, and they can even
join in. Finally, remembering my own art lessons at school, I don‟t think we learnt any
real art skills; the teachers left us to draw or create things, but they didn‟t provide much
technical instruction.

 Instead of art lessons, children could do more work on core subjectslike maths, science or
language. These subjects are more likely tohelp children in later life when they enter the
job market, and I think both children and their teachers would benefit if more time were
devoted to them.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a conversation

Describe an interesting conversation you had with someone you didn't know. You should say

- who the person was

- where the conversation took place

- what you talked about

- and explain why you found the conversation interesting.

Here's my sample (band 9) answer:

 I‟m going to talk about an interesting conversation that I had a couple of weeks ago in a
music shop. I was walking along one of the main shopping streets in the city centre,

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 when a large window displaying all sorts of musical instruments caught my eye. Out of
curiosity, I decided to go in and have a look around.

 The person I ended up speaking to was a shop assistant on the second floor, in the area of
the shop dedicated to acoustic guitars. I hadn‟t intended to speak to anyone, but the
assistant approached me in a friendly way and asked whether I had any questions.

 I explained to the assistant that I hadn‟t played the guitar for years, but that I wondered
what the differences were between the various acoustic guitars on show. He talked to
me about the different makes and models, whether they were factory or hand made, the
woods and varnishes used, the variation in sound quality, and of course the price range.

 I found the conversation fascinating because the shop assistant was so knowledgeable. It
was obvious that he had a passion for the guitar, and he didn‟t mind talking to me even
though I had made it clear that I didn‟t intend to buy anything. He even picked up and
played three or four of the instruments to demonstrate the differences in their sound.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'future plans' answer

Here's my answer to the future plans question:

 I‟m going to talk about a future plan that I have, which is to buy a good camera and to
become a better photographer. At the moment I‟m just using the camera on my mobile
phone, but I‟ve realised that it has its limitations.

 I thought of this plan when I was at a friend‟s wedding a few weeks ago. I got some great
pictures of the bride and groom and their guests celebrating, but I did notice that with
my phone camera I wasn‟t able to capture longer range photos, or photos in darker
conditions; the phone‟s zoom and flash aren‟t very good. Next time I‟d like to be able to
capture a special occasion in higher quality images.

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  Obviously this plan depends on whether I can save enough money to buy the camera I‟d
like. Also, before making a decision about which camera to get, I‟ll probably talk to a
friend who knows more about photography than I do.

 In terms of buying a camera, I‟ll achieve this plan if I can save some money! In terms of
becoming a better photographer, I think I‟ll achieve that goal by experimenting with my
new camera and by learning as I go along.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: favourite season

Describe your favourite season in your country. You should say

- when that season is

- what the weather is like at that time of year

- how that season is different from other seasons

- and why it is your favourite season.

Here's my sample answer:

 My favourite season in England is winter. A typical English winter would last around 4
or 5 months between November and March, but when I say that I like the winter, I‟m
really thinking about the coldest month or two each year.

 During those really wintry months, the temperature drops below zero and it often snows.
Over the last few years we‟ve had periods of quite heavy snowfall, to the extent that
roads have been blocked and schools have had to close. Last winter I remember looking
out of the window one morning and seeing everything covered in a layer of white.

 Obviously the snow is what differentiates winter from the other seasons, but when it
doesn‟t snow there isn‟t much difference between winter, autumn and spring; winter is
just a bit colder.

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  The reason I‟ve chosen winter as my favourite season is because I like the snow. I live
near the countryside, and the landscape looks beautiful when everything is covered in
white. We also celebrate Christmas and New Year in the winter, and these are my
favourite festivals.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a market

Describe an open-air or street market which you enjoyed visiting. You should say:

- where the market is

- what the market sells

- how big the market is

- and explain why you enjoyed visiting it.

Here's my description. It includes several examples of 'band 7-9' vocabulary that I took from the
websites I listed in last week's lesson.

 I‟m going to describe a street market that I‟ve enjoyed visiting many times in
Manchester. It‟s the Manchester Christmas Market, and it comes to the city for about a
month from the end of November every year. The market stalls are spread across
several sites in the city centre, but the centrepiece is the large European market in
Albert Square next to the Town Hall.

 The Christmas Market stalls sell an array of Christmas gifts and mouth-watering food and
drink from all over Europe. It‟s a great place to find handmade crafts such as jewellery,
ornaments, wooden toys and other souvenirs, but it‟s the food and drink that seem to be
most popular. Probably the biggest seller is the „Gluhwein‟, a hot, sweet wine which is
sold in a souvenir mug.

 The market was originally quite small, occupying just one of the central squares in
Manchester, but it‟s grown quickly in recent years, spilling over into maybe five other

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 pedestrian streets and a few other squares. Apparently there are over 200 stalls now, so
it‟s become a really big event attracting thousands of visitors.

 The main reason I‟ve always enjoyed visiting the Christmas Market is the fantastic
atmosphere. When I went there last December, it didn‟t matter how cold or wet the
weather was, Manchester seemed to come alive when the market opened; the streets
were bustling with people and there was a real festive feel to the city.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: funny situation

Describe a funny situation that made you laugh. You should say

- when this situation took place

- what happened

- how you reacted and why you found the situation funny.

Here's my example answer. It's a true story!

 I'm going to talk about a funny thing that happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I think
it was a Saturday morning, and I was sitting having a coffee in a café near where I live.

 I was on my own so I decided to read the newspaper while drinking my coffee. I must
have been quite engrossed in what I was reading because the time passed quickly, and I
suddenly realised that I needed to get going. What I didn't realise was that I had been
sitting with my legs crossed, and one of my legs had completely gone to sleep. As I
stood up to leave the café, I quickly became aware that my left leg was 'dead', but it was
too late; I started to fall. I thought I could catch myself on the table, but the table tipped
over and I fell to the floor in front of everyone in the café!

 I can remember being on my knees in the middle of the café, looking up at the staff and
customers around me. I felt really embarrassed and I expected the other people to find it
funny, but to my surprise nobody was laughing. They were all worried that something

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 really bad had happened to me! As I got up from the floor, I had to explain to the whole
café that I was fine. I was embarrassed at the time, but I laughed about it later!

IELTS Speaking Part 2: team project

Describe a team project that you worked on. You should say:

 what it was

 
what you did

 
and how you felt about it.

Example answer (band 9):

I‟d like to talk about a team project that I was involved in during my final term at business school.
There were four of us on the team, and our task was to work with a local company to research a
new market, in a European country, for one of their products or services. Our objective was to
produce a report and give a presentation.

The first thing we did was split into two groups of two. We had been assigned a company that
produced a range of bicycle accessories, so two of us spent some time getting to know the
company while the other two researched the market and the competitors in the target country,
which was Germany. In the end, I think it was a successful project because we managed to
identify a possible gap in the market in Germany for one of the company‟s products. Our group
presentation also went really well.

Until that point, the course had been all about business theory, so it was quite a learning
experience to work with a real company. I felt a real sense of accomplishment when we handed in
our report and delivered our presentation, and I think all of us were proud of what we had done.

IELTS Speaking: describe a piece of furniture

Here are some ideas for last week's question:

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Describe a piece of furniture that you own. You should say

- what it is

- where you bought it

- how you use it

- and explain why you like it.

 I'm going to talk about my favourite chair. It's a big, leather armchair that sits in my
living room at home, just under my living room window.

 I didn't actually buy the armchair. One of my friends was moving house and was going to
buy some new furniture. I had always liked his leather armchair, so he said I could have
it if I managed to move it. The chair wouldn't fit in my car, and it was tricky to get it out
of my friend's apartment. I had to hire a small van to take the armchair home.

 Obviously I use the armchair for sitting! It's my favourite place in the house to relax, read
a book, watch TV or even do some work; the chair's arms are quite wide and flat, so my
laptop fits nicely on either of them. Last night I fell asleep in my armchair while I was
watching a film.

 The main reasons why I like this piece of furniture are that it's comfortable and it's in the
perfect position in my living room. The only drawback might be that I enjoy sitting in
the armchair too much, and sometimes I think it makes me lazy!

Remember to highlight any useful words or phrases that you found in my description. Also, did
you notice some of the strategies that I used to make the answer more interesting?

IELTS Speaking Part 2: old building description

Describe an old building that you like. You should say:

 where it is

 what it is used for

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  and why you like it.

The answer below is adapted from the modern building description I wrote last year. Can you
spot some of the vocabulary that I've recycled?

1. I'm going to describe a very famous building in New York: the Empire State Building.
People might not think of it as an old building, but the Empire State Building was built
in 1931, so I don't think it can be classed as new. It's located on Manhattan island and
it's probably the most distinctive and recognisable building when you look at New
York's skyline.

2. As far as I know, the Empire State Building is an office building, but visitors can go up to
an observation deck on the top floor, which is the 102nd floor. There's also a 360-
degree observation area on the 86th floor. Apparently, the building makes more money
from the sale of tickets to the observation floors than it does from office rentals.

3. I think the Empire State Building is still one of the most impressive skyscrapers in the
world. It's such an iconic structure, and it's amazing to think that it was built around 80
years ago. The best thing about the building is the viewing deck on the top floor, which
offers spectacular views of the city; it's definitely the best vantage point in New York.
I'd recommend anyone who visits the city to go there and experience the view.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: 'difficult' questions

Students tend to worry about 'difficult questions', but questions are often much easier than they
seem. For example:

Describe a law in your country.

Many students think they don't know anything about laws. However, there are some easy
examples that they could choose:

1. In many countries it is now illegal to use a mobile phone while driving. You could start
by talking about the popularity and benefits of mobile phones, and explain that people

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 want to be able to answer calls wherever they are. Then you could explain the dangers
of being distracted while driving; this law could reduce the number of road accidents,
and therefore save lives.

2. If you feel confident talking about the 'education' topic, you could choose the
'compulsory education' law. This is the legal requirement that children up to a certain
age must attend school. In the UK, for example, children are required by law to
continue in education until they are 16 years old. This is a good topic because you can
talk about the benefits of education.

Of course, you could choose a more obvious law (it is illegal to steal, carry a gun etc.) but you
might have more ideas and good vocabulary if you choose a typical IELTS topic like number 2
above.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: TV channel

Last week we looked at this question:

Describe a TV programme or channel that you enjoy watching regularly.


 What it is called
 and what is it about?

 When do you usually watch it
?

 Why do you prefer it to other programmes or channels?

Here's a sample description with the best vocabulary underlined:

 I rarely watch traditional television channels nowadays; I much prefersearching for

interesting programmes or videos online. So, although it‟s not a normal TV channel or
programme, I‟d like to talk about a website which I think is kind of a modern version of
a TV channel. It‟s called TED, which stands for „Technology, Entertainment, Design‟,
and it‟s a great place to watch short talks and presentations about all sorts of interesting
topics.

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  The good thing about the videos on TED is that I can watch them whenever I want. I
have ted.com saved as one of my favourites on my laptop, and I tend to visit the website
every few days to check whether there is anything new. I often watch TED videos on
my phone while I‟m travelling to work on the train.

 The reason I like watching online videos on TED is that I learn something new every
time I watch one. The tagline for the TED website is „ideas worth spreading‟, and this
really sums up the appealof the site for me. Instead of watching meaningless soap
operas and talk shows on TV, I‟d much rather spend 10 minutes watching someone talk
about a breakthrough in technology, science or healthcare.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a vehicle

Describe a vehicle you would like to buy in the future. You should say

 what kind of vehicle it is

 what you would use it for

 and why you would like to buy it.

Here's my sample answer:

 If I had the money, I‟d like to buy my own helicopter. I recently saw a TV programme
about someone who flew around in his own helicopter, and I remember thinking that it
would be great to have one. The helicopter on the programme was a small, blue, two-
seater and it seemed quite easy to fly - that's the kind of thing I'd like to buy.

 Ideally, I‟d use my helicopter instead of a car. First, I‟d need to learn to fly it, but then I‟d
use it to go on short trips or holidays. It would be fantastic to be able to avoid traffic
jams, and get everywhere in a fraction of the time it normally takes. I‟d take friends and
family sightseeing, over cities or mountain tops, and maybe I could even use it to do the
shopping!

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  The reason I‟d like to buy a helicopter is that you can park one almost anywhere. You
don‟t need to find a runway or an airport like you would for a plane. So I‟d be able to
park my helicopter in my garden - if I had a bigger garden. Also, I‟ve always been
intrigued by those helipads on the tops of tall buildings - I think it would be fun to land
on top of a building. A helicopter probably isn‟t a realistic choice of vehicle, but you
never know - I might win the lottery!

PS. You should also have a look at Martin's sample answers in the comments area below this
lesson.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: foreign culture

Describe a foreign culture that you like. You should say

 what culture it is and how you know about it

 what differences there are between that culture and your own

 and why you like that foreign cultur

Here are some ideas for last week's question.

1. Which culture and how I know about it

I'm going to talk about France and French culture. I know France quite well because it was the
first foreign country that I visited as a child. I've been on several family holidays there, and I lived
and worked in Paris for a while after finishing university.

2. Cultural differences

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about France is the bread! I love the fact that
French people buy fresh baguettes every morning, usually from small local bakeries or
'patisseries'; it makes a change from the loaves of sliced bread that most of us buy from the

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supermarket here in the UK. One slightly negative difference I noticed in Paris is that Parisians
don't seem to make friends with their work colleagues to the same extent as we do here.

3. What I like about it

I really like the café culture in France. You can always find somewhere interesting to sit and have
a coffee and chat to friends or just watch the world go by. I actually put on a bit of weight when I
lived in France because I got into a habit of having a croissant or a cake in every nice café that I
found. Another thing I could mention is that the last time I went to France on holiday, I played a
game called „boules‟ every day. The game consists in throwing metal balls as close to a target ball
as possible. It‟s the perfect game for a relaxing afternoon when the weather‟s hot.

Tip:
Notice that I included personal examples or experiences in my answers. It's easy to talk for 2
minutes if you can tell a story or two.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a website

In Part 2 of IELTS Speaking, you might be asked to describe a website that you use:

Describe a website that you often use. You should say:

 what type of website it is

 how you found out about it

 what it allows you to do, and why you find it useful.

Here are some ideas, with some of the band 7-9 vocabulary underlined:

1. Facebook is a social networking website. It's a free website that allows you to keep in
contact with friends or find people you've lost touch with. It's one of the most popular
websites in the world, with millions of users in different countries.

2. All of my friends use Facebook. One of my friends sent me an email inviting me to join. I
signed up and I've been using it ever since.

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 3. Facebook allows you to keep up to date with what friends are doing. You have a profile
page with information and status updates so that you can tell everyone what you're
doing. You can post messages toother people's pages. You can upload photos and
videos. I find Facebook most useful for organising my life, keeping in touch with
friends and storing photos. I think social networking websites have become part of
everyday life.

IELTS Speaking: another garden description

Last week I described a famous garden. Martin, an IELTS teacher who often contributes to the
comments on this site, sent me a description of his own garden. You might find it more useful
than my famous garden description!

Martin's description:

Today I'd like to describe my home garden, which I think is a beautiful one and which I like very
much. The garden is part of my home's backyard, and my house is located in the suburbs, about a
1-hour drive from the city of San Francisco. There is a big tree right in the middle of my garden,
which is surrounded by a hot tub, a small water fountain, several bushes, a section for vegetables,
and different kinds of flowers.

This garden was actually one of the reasons why my wife and I chose to buy our house because it
had been beautifully maintained by the previous owner‟s gardener and landscaper. It‟s been only
1 year since we bought the house and now we are taking care of the garden ourselves. Even
though we are not experts in gardening, we still try our best to plant things that we like, such as
roses and tulips, and we even grow our own tomatoes.

Whenever family and friends come to visit us, we invite them to have a relaxing time in our hot
tub, and enjoy the view. So in other words, our garden has also become a kind of resort! It
definitely requires lots of hard work to properly maintain the garden, but it gives us a great sense
of accomplishment to “decorate” it the way we like.

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All in all, the garden is one of the best features of my home and it is a place where I can relax
after a long day of work or during the weekends.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a hobby

"Describe a hobby" seems like an easy topic. However, students often have difficulty speaking for
2 minutes when the topic is easy.

Here are 3 pieces of advice to help you to speak for 2 minutes:

1. Think about question words: What, when, where, why, who with:

One of my hobbies is photography. I‟ve got two digital cameras: one small pocket-sized camera
that I carry around with me, and one bigger, more expensive camera that I use on special
occasions. I take photos so that I have a record of the things I‟ve seen or done. Most of my photos
are of friends and family, but I also take pictures of interesting things that I see.

2. Describe opinions and feelings:

I like photography because it‟s a creative hobby and it makes you notice the world around you. I
love capturing special moments or unusual or beautiful images, and it‟s a great feeling to be able
to look back through my pictures and relive different experiences.

3. Tell a story related to the topic:

The last time I took photos on a special occasion was at my friend‟s wedding a few weeks ago. I
got some great pictures of the bride and groom and their guests celebrating. After the wedding I
made an album of all the best pictures and sent it to my friend as a present.

Note:
You don't need to tell the truth (I exaggerated my interest in photography) but it's usually easier to
tell a story if it's real.
IELTS Speaking Part 2: expanded answers

Last week we looked at the first half of a question:

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Describe a long walk that you enjoyed.

You should say

- when you went on this walk

- where it took place

I explained that it would be easy to give a very short answer to these two points:

"Last summer I walked along a beach during my holiday in..."

But we need to expand this answer to include more information about "when" and "where". For
example:

When
I‟m going to describe a walk that I enjoyed last summer while I was on holiday on the south coast
of England. It was the first week of August, and we set off on the walk on the first morning of the
holiday just after breakfast, at around 9 o‟clock. The walk took us the whole morning and finished
at lunchtime.

Where
As I mentioned, the walk took place on the south coast of England. I was on holiday with my
family in a place called Dorset, and we were staying in a rented house. Our aim was to walk from
the house to a place called Durdle Door beach. First we had to find the coast path, and then
we followed this path for several miles until we reached Durdle Door and finally descended the
steep steps that led to the beach.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: something that made you angry

Describe a situation that made you angry. You should say

- when it happened

- what happened

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- how you felt

Here are some ideas. Notice that I answer by telling a story, and that my ideas are not 'academic'
or 'formal' because it isn't an academic topic. Study my answer carefully - it's full of good words
and phrases.

Band 9 answer:

A recent situation that made me angry was getting stuck in a traffic jam on the way to meet some
friends. It was last Sunday lunchtime, and I didn‟t expect there to be much traffic; people don‟t
work on Sundays, so the roads aren‟t usually very busy.

Everything was going well until suddenly I saw a queue of cars on the road in front of me. I had
no choice but to join the queue and wait to get past whatever was causing the delay. It turned out
that it was caused by some roadworks, and it took me an extra 30 minutes to get past them.

Getting stuck in traffic congestion doesn‟t usually make me angry, but this time it did, mainly
because I wasn‟t expecting it and I knew that my friends were waiting to meet me for lunch. I felt
frustrated and powerless because there was nothing I could do to change the situation, and I had
no idea how long I would be sitting there waiting. When I finally saw the reason for the
congestion, I was relieved that I was close to getting past the roadworks, but I still felt a bit
stressed knowing that I was half an hour late.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: artist or entertainer

The following question is a variation on the "describe a person" topic.

Describe an artist or entertainer you admire

You should say

 who they are and what they do

 how they became successful

 how you found out about them

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  and why you admire them

I've tried to write a general example description that might help you with some ideas. In your
description you must give the name of the person.

 I‟m going to talk about a musician that I admire, called... He‟s a singer who also plays the
guitar and writes his own songs. I think he recorded his first album about 10 years ago,
and he‟s released several other CDs since then.

 He became successful after many years of writing songs andperforming live in small
venues all over the country. Gradually he built a following of people who liked his
music. I think the key to his success was one of his songs that was used on a TV
advertisement. This meant that more people became aware of his music.

 I found out about... because one of my friends got tickets to see him in concert. I hadn‟t
heard any of his music before, but I went along to the gig and really enjoyed it. After
that I bought the first CD, and now I‟ve got all of them.

 The reason I admire... is that he has worked hard for his success: it takes years of
practice to become a good singer and guitarist, and he spent several years playing to
very small audiences before he became successful. I also like the fact that he writes his
own music. I admirepeople who have worked hard to get where they are.

Note: I've underlined the best vocabulary. 'Gig' is an informal word for concert or performance,
but it's fine to use it in this context.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a lesson

Speak for 2 minutes about the following topic.

Describe an interesting lesson that you attended.

You should say

 where you attended this lesson

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  what it was about

 and why you found it interesting

Here are some ideas for a description of a science lesson:

1. I'm going to talk about an interesting science lesson that I attended at secondary school
when I was 14 or 15 years old.

2. It was quite a long time ago, so I can't remember every detail, but the lesson was about
respiration. We learnt about how the lungs work, how we breathe, and how oxygen
passes into the blood. The science teacher also talked to us about the effects of smoking
on the lungs.

3. I found this lesson interesting because my science teacher, Dr. Smith, always introduced
new topics by showing us a video. We watched a short film about how respiration
works, and I found this much easier to understand than a science textbook. The film
showed diagrams of the lungs to explain the breathing process. Later in the lesson we
saw real photos of healthy lungs and lungs that had been damaged as a result of
smoking; they had turned black. I think the image of a smoker's lungs is the reason why
I remember this lesson.

I could also give more information about the teacher, his personality and why I liked him. The
key is to tell a story and add details until the time runs out.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a building

Describe a modern building. You should say:

 where it is

 what it is used for

 and why you like/dislike it.

Here's my example description of a building in Manchester:

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 1. I'm going to describe a modern building in Manchester. It's called the Beetham Tower,
and it's the tallest building in the city, with about 50 floors.

2. Although it's called the Beetham Tower, most people know this building as the Hilton
Hotel. In fact, the bottom half of the tower is the hotel and the top half is apartments.
The apartments are expensive because the location and views make them very desirable.

3. I'm not sure if I like the design of the building, it's just a huge glass tower, but it
definitely stands out. It has become a famous landmark in the city. You can see it as you
approach Manchester, and it's an easy place to meet people because it's so distinctive
and easy to find. The most interesting thing about the Beetham Tower is that there is a
bar/restaurant on the 23rd floor which has spectacular views of the city; it's definitely
the best vantage point in Manchester because there are no walls, only huge windows, so
you can look out over the city in any direction. I'd recommend anyone who visits
Manchester to go there and experience the view.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a skill

Describe a practical skill that you have learnt (e.g. cooking, driving).

You should say

 what the skill is

 how you learnt it

 why you learnt it

 and how this skill has helped you.

Advice:
You need to make a quick decision, so I'd choose one of the given examples (cooking or driving).
Then try to expand on each point.

1. I'm going to talk about driving, which is a practical skill that I use almost every day.

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 2. I learnt to drive a car by taking lessons when I was 17. My parents paid for me to have
lessons with a professional driving instructor. I learnt by practising: first I had to get
used to steering, changing gears and using the mirrors, then we practised things like
reversing and parking. I also had to learn the highway code.

3. As a 17-year-old, I wanted to have the experience of driving a car, and I was fed up with
having to walk or take the bus or train whenever I wanted to go somewhere. I also knew
that driving would be an extremely useful skill.

4. Being able to drive has helped me in so many ways. The public transport where I live
isn't very good, so I travel to work by car most days. Having a car makes my life much
easier when it comes to things like shopping or visiting family and friends. (Last week,
for example,...)

Note:
If you need to keep speaking, give examples for point 4.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe an event

Describe a recent event that made you happy.

You should say:

 when and where it was

 who was involved

 what happened

 and explain why it made you happy.

The following description contains the kind of phrases that native speakers (like me) really use.
I've underlined the best vocabulary.

1. When and where: my friend's birthday party, last Saturday evening, we went for a meal in
an Italian restaurant.

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 2. Who: there were about 10 of us, he invited some close friends and work colleagues, most
of them were people I've known sinceuniversity.

3. What happened: we met at the restaurant, I gave my friend a present and a birthday card,
we ordered some food, while we ate dinnereveryone chatted, after the main course the
waiter brought out a cake and we sang 'Happy Birthday', everyone went home quite
late.

4. Why it made me happy: it was great to get together with old friends, I had some
interesting conversations, it was a good opportunity to catch up with what my
friends had been up to, it was a nice way to wind down after a hard week at work, the
food was delicious, I went homefeeling full after a fantastic meal.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a person

Describe a person you admire.

You should say:

 who the person is

 what he or she is like

 and why you admire him or her.

Here are some ideas. I've underlined the best vocabulary.

 I'm going to talk about my father because he has been a major influence in my life.

 My father was always a good role model for me as I was growing up. He's hard-working,
patient and understanding; he's also got a goodsense of humour and seems to get on
well with everybody. Hopefully I've inherited some of these traits.

 I admire my father because I think he brought me and my brothers/sisters up well; he was

quite strict but always fair, and he has always been someone I can turn to for advice. I
think my father set a good example by working hard and having a positive outlook on

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 life. I remember that he used to leave for work early and come home quite late, but he
always made time for me and my brothers/sisters.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe a festival

A common topic for the short presentation (IELTS Speaking Part 2) is "describe an important
festival in your country".

My advice is to look for a description of your festival on Wikipedia. Copy the best parts of the
description and make small changes if necessary. As an example, I've copied a short description
of Christmas from Wikipedia.

Describe a festival: Christmas

Christmas is an annual holiday that, in Christianity, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.

Popular customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church
celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees,
lights, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, Father Christmas (known as Santa Claus in some
areas) is a popular figure in many countries, associated with the bringing of gifts for children.

Over the Christmas period, people decorate their homes and exchange gifts. In some countries,
children perform plays re-telling the events of the Nativity, or sing carols that reference the event.
Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church attendance.

A special Christmas family meal is an important part of the celebration for many, and what is
served varies greatly from country to country. In England and countries influenced by its
traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes turkey, potatoes, vegetables, sausages and gravy,
followed by Christmas pudding, mince pies and fruit cake.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe an advertisement

Describe an interesting advertisement that you have seen. You should say:

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  where you saw it

 what it was about

 why you think it was an interesting advertisement.

Choose something simple. Here's an example with the "band 7" vocabulary underlined:

1. I'm going to talk about an advertisement for Coca-Cola, which is one of the biggest
brands in the world. I've seen Coke advertised everywhere, on posters and TV
commercials.

2. The advert shows a picture of Santa Claus smiling and holding a bottle of Coke. I
think the aim is to target children and associate (link/connect) the brand with Christmas
time.

3. The advert is interesting because the company is deliberately trying to influence and
attract children. The marketers are trying to capture young customers. They are
presenting the drink as something special, a gift for Christmas. However, Coca-Cola is
not necessarily a healthy drink for children; it contains a lot of sugar. Maybe this kind
of advertise

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe an object

In IELTS speaking part 2, you might be asked to describe an object. For example:

 Describe something you bought recently.

 Describe a gift you gave or received.

 Describe something you own which is important to you.

Choose something easy, like a mobile phone:

I'm going to describe my mobile phone. I bought it online / in a mobile phone shop / it was a
present from...

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I use the phone to keep in touch with friends and family, for communication by voice, text and
email. It has various features like video, MP3 player, wireless Internet, digital camera and games.
It's easy to share photos and music. I use it for almost everything, it even has a calendar that
reminds me about appointments.

My phone is an essential part of my life. It holds my contacts, my photos, my music collection.

I've got instant access to my favourite websites. It's like having my whole life in my pocket. I
couldn't live without it.

Note:
I've underlined the best phrases for IELTS band 7 or higher.

IELTS Speaking: describe a toy

Below, you can read an example description of a toy (for IELTS speaking part 2). See yesterday's
lesson for the full question.

Lego Car Description:

One special toy that I remember getting was a Lego car. It was a birthday present from my
parents. I can't remember exactly how old I was, but I was probably about 10 or 11.

The special thing about this car was that I had to build it myself out of hundreds of pieces of
Lego. The pieces came in a box with a picture of the finished car on the front, and I had to follow
step-by-step instructions to put all the pieces together in the correct way. This wasn't an easy task
because the car even had an engine, movable seats and gears. It took me a day or two to make,
and required a lot of concentration.

When the car was finished it looked great, and I felt a sense of accomplishment. I seem to
remember that I didn't play with the car very much; the fun part had been the process of building
it.

Don't just read this description once. Spend some time analysing it:

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  Is the description well-organised and easy to follow?

 Can you find any good 'band 7' words or phrases?

 Could you write a similar description for a different toy?

IELTS Speaking Part 2: describe an animal

Several students have asked me about this question:

Describe a wild animal from your country.

You should say

 what the animal is and what it looks like

 where it lives

 and explain how people in your country (or you) feel about this animal.

You might not be able to copy my example because I've described an animal that is common in
the UK. However, hopefully my description will give you some ideas.

1. I'm going to describe the 'robin' which is a wild bird that is common in the UK. The robin
is a small bird with brown and white feathers and an area of bright red colour on it's
face and on the front of its body. The area of red colour makes robins very easy to
distinguish from other birds.

2. Robins are common garden birds. Many houses in the UK have a garden, and you can
often see this bird sitting in a tree. They make their nests in trees and go looking for
food. You might also see a robin if you go for a walk in the countryside or in a park.

3. Robins have a special place in British culture. They are considered to be christmas birds,
and are often used on christmas cards. Many people leave food in their gardens for
robins and other small birds to eat.

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 IELTS SPEAKING PART 3
IELTS Speaking Part 3: common question types

Here are 3 common question types that the examiner could ask you:

1. Compare and contrast.

2. Give an opinion.

3. Imagine.

If the topic is 'cities', the examiner could ask:

1. How is life different in cities compared to rural areas?

2. How do you think life in big cities could be made easier?

3. What do you think cities will be like in 50 years time?

In my answers below I've underlined a few 'markers' that show comparisons, opinions and future
predictions.

1. Firstly, the cost of living in cities is much higher. Housing is muchmore expensive in
cities compared to rural areas; everything costs more. I think life in cities is more
difficult. There are more people, so there's more competition for jobs. Life is a
lot slower in rural areas, everyone knows each other and there's a sense of community. I
don't think rural areas experience the social problems that you find in cities, like crime
and homelessness.

2. In my opinion cities need to be well-planned. Good public transport can definitely make
life easier because there are so many people and it can be really stressful just to move
around. Public areas like parks are also important because people need space to relax,
and I think cities should be made into healthier places to live and work.

3. I imagine cities will be less polluted because we'll have electric cars and better public
transport. More people might work from home so maybe cities won't be so busy. But I

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 think there will probably still be problems because more and more people are migrating
to cities. SoI'm not so optimistic about issues like crime, homelessness and
unemployment.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: add more detail

In this lesson I mentioned 3 techniques to help you give longer answers: ask yourself why,
explain the alternatives, give an example.

Most students have no problem with the first step (explaining why), but they aren't so good at
giving alternatives or examples. Take the following question from last week's lesson for example.

Question:
In your opinion, are newspapers important?

Example student answer:

Yes, in my opinion newspapers are very important (why?) because they give us information about
what is happening around the world. (why?) They are a vital source of knowledge about
education, technology, medicine and many other fields.

This is a good start, but let's try to raise the answer to band 9 level.

Example answer with 'alternative' and 'example':

Yes, in my opinion newspapers are very important (why?) because they give us information about
what is happening around the world. (why?) They are a vital source of knowledge about
education, technology, medicine and many other fields. (alternative?) If newspapers didn‟t exist,
I think the quality of news coverage would suffer because there would be fewer professional
journalists.(example?) We would have to rely, for example, on unpaid bloggers who do not have
the budgets to carry out detailed research before they write an article.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: verb tenses

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In part 3, the examiner often asks a question about the past and a question about the future. For
example:

1. Did people have more free time when your grandparents were young?

2. Do you think the hobbies people have will be different in the future?

In the first answer, the examiner wants to hear some past tense verbs. In the second answer, you
will need to use a future tense:

1. When my grandparents were young, I think they had less leisure time. They didn't have
the gadgets we use nowadays, so they probablyspent more time doing simple things.
For example, nowadays we can cook meals in a microwave in less than 5 minutes,
whereas in the past people had to cook everything themselves.

2. No, I don't think hobbies will change much in the future. I'm sure people will still
play games and sports. On the other hand, maybe the Internet is changing the way we
spend our free time. In the future, more and more people might have online hobbies.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: verb tenses

In part 3 of the IELTS speaking test, you will probably get some questions about the past and the
future. The examiner will be listening carefully to make sure you use the correct tense.

 If the examiner mentions “50 years ago”, “when your parents were young” or “when you
were a child”, you should answer using the past simple.

 If the question asks you to predict, or if it mentions “in 50 years” or “in the future”, use a
future tense (will + infinitive).

Do you think people had easier lives 50 years ago?

Yes, maybe life was simpler and less stressful 50 years ago. The mobile phonedidn‟t exist, so I
suppose it was easier to forget about work at the end of the day because people couldn't contact
you so easily.

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Do you think life will be more stressful in the future?

Yes, it probably will be more stressful. As the world gets smaller, employees willprobably have
to travel to different countries more often and stay in touch with colleagues and clients all over
the world. There will also be more competition for jobs and the cost of living will keep going up.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: "it depends"

Many students answer questions in IELTS speaking part 3 by saying "it depends".

"It depends" is not a full answer. What does it depend on, and why?

Example question:

Do you think it's important to find a job that you love, or is it more important to earn a good
salary?

Don't say:

"It depends. Some people prefer to find a job they love, but other people want to earn a good
salary." (This answer just repeats the question)

Do say:

"Personally, I'd prefer to do a job that I really enjoy; as long as I earn enough to live comfortably,
the salary is less important. However, I can see the benefits of doing a job that you don't like if it
pays well. With a good salary, you can probably do more enjoyable things in your free time.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: longer answers

Do you remember my advice about how to give longer answers in part 3?

 Answer the question directly

 Ask yourself why or how (and explain in detail)

 Give an example

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  Mention an alternative or opposite answer

Example question

Do you think the seasons still influence people's behaviour?

Example answer

Yes, I do think the seasons affect how we behave. (how?) We still wear different clothes
depending on the weather, and clothes shops change what they sell according to the season. We
also adapt our habits and daily routines according to the time of year. (example) For example,
people in my country like to eat outside in their gardens in the summer, but we can't do that
during the other seasons. (opposite) On the other hand, I don't think we notice the change in
seasons when it comes to food; the big supermarkets import food from around the world, so most
people don't buy seasonal fruit and vegetables any more.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: finish strongly!

When I was an examiner, I remember that not many candidates performed well towards the end
of the speaking test. After trying really hard in parts 1 and 2, many people seemed to run out of
energy when they got to part 3.

So, how can you make sure that you finish strongly and do well in part 3?

I think the secret is to answer according to a simple 3-step formula: answer the question directly,
then explain in detail, then give an example (e.g. a personal experience). I've included a fourth
step in this lesson, but the first 3 steps are the easiest to use.

Note: You need to practise consciously going through the 3 steps as you give an answer (maybe
you could count the steps on your fingers). Otherwise, you'll go back to your old technique of
saying whatever comes into your head!

IELTS Speaking Part 3: long answer technique

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Here's the technique that I recommend for giving long answers in part 3:

1. Answer the question directly

2. Explain why

3. Give an example

4. Explain the alternative / opposite

Here's an example using a question from last week's lesson:

Do you think that it's better to have clear aims for the future, or is it best to take each day as it
comes?

(Answer) I think it‟s best to have a good idea of what you want to do with your life, especially in
terms of studies and career. (Why) Having aims allows you to plan what you need to do today and
tomorrow in order to achieve longer-term objectives. (Example) For example, if you want to
become a doctor, you need to choose the right subjects at school, get the right exam results, and
work hard at university. (Opposite) Without a clear aim, it would be impossible to take the
necessary steps towards a career in medicine, or any other profession.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: follow on from part 2

Questions in part 3 of the speaking test are supposed to follow on from the topic of part 2. So, if
the part 2 topic is a future aim, you might expect some part 3 questions like these:

1. Do you think it's better to have clear aims for the future, or is it best to take each day as it
comes?

2. People often say that goal setting is necessary for success. Do you agree with this?

Try preparing detailed answers to these questions using the 'longer answers' techniques in this
lesson.

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IELTS Speaking Part 3: for example...

In part 3 of the speaking test, you should try to give longer, more detailed answers. A great way
to do this is by giving an example.

However, I've noticed that students often forget to give an example, even when I've just told them
to answer using the three steps: 1) direct answer 2) explain 3) give an example.

Here's the solution to this problem: when answering in part 3, force yourself to say the words "for
example". When I force my students to say these words, they always manage to find an example,
and the result is that they always give better answers. Try it: just force yourself to say the words
"for example", and see what happens.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: answer structure

Did you notice how I structured my answers in last week's lesson?

Answer 1

1. Answer the question - "it depends"

2. Explain one side

3. Explain the other side

4. Give an example

Answer 2

1. Firstly - first characteristic of a good listener

2. Secondly - second characteristic

3. Finally - third characteristic

Answer 3

1. Answer the question - "it's a mixture of both things"

2. Explain one side

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 3. Explain the other side

Basically, I'm using Idea, Explain, (Example) or Firstly, Secondly, Finally, just as I do when I'm
writing main paragraphs for writing task 2. The more you practise using these two patterns, the
easier it becomes to give longer, more coherent answers.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: think 'paragraph'

In part 3 of the speaking test, you should try to give longer, detailed answers. A good way to do
this is to imagine that you are making a paragraph.

Remember the 'paragraph building' techniques that we use in writing task 2:

Idea, explain, example

Start with a direct answer to the question, like the 'topic sentence' in a written paragraph. Then
explain your answer in more detail, and support your explanation with an example.
Try answering this question: Do you think that it's important for people to go on holiday?

Firstly, secondly, finally

Start with the direct answer, then explain it by giving two or three reasons, and maybe an example
too.
Try answering this question: Why do you think some people prefer not to go abroad on holiday?

IELTS Speaking Part 3: make it personal

In part 3 of IELTS speaking, it really helps if you give personal examples:

1. Do you think it's important for people to have hobbies? Why?

Yes, I think people need to have hobbies because we all need to do things we enjoy in our spare
time. In my case, I find that playing football once a week with some friends helps me to relax,
keep fit and forget about work. I think it's the same for everyone.

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2. Can hobbies have any negative effects?

Yes, if you spend too much time on your hobby, it can affect other parts of your life. I remember
that one of my friends spent most of his time at university playing computer games instead of
studying. In the end, he failed most of his exams.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: more long answers

Here are two more answers using the techniques I explained last week:

What do you think are the most important qualities for friends to have?

Maybe the most important things are that friends need to share common interests and be honest
with each other. (why?) Friends are people we spend a lot of time with, so it definitely helps if
they enjoy doing the same activities or talking about the same topics as we do, and of course we
need to be able to trust our friends, so honesty is vital for a good friendship. (alternatives /
example?) I think I would struggle to become friends with someone who didn‟t have anything in
common with me, or who wasn‟t reliable or trustworthy.

How important do you think it is for a person to spend some time alone?

I‟d say that it‟s essential to spend a bit of time alone, even if it‟s just a few minutes a
day. (why?) When you have a few minutes to yourself, it‟s a chance to take stock and reflect on
things. (why?) Most of us live such busy lives that our brains need time to catch up every now
and then. (example / alternatives?)Personally, I try to have a bit of “me time” every day; I‟ll go
for a coffee or find a quiet place to sit and read the newspaper. If I never had any time alone, I
think I‟d go mad!

IELTS Speaking Part 3: longer answers

Here are 3 techniques to help you give longer, more detailed answers:

1. Keep asking yourself "why?"

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 2. Explain the alternatives

3. Give an example

Question:
Do you think that school children should be encouraged to have their own ideas, or is it more
important for them to learn what their teachers give them?

Answer:
I think that we should definitely allow children to be creative and have their own
ideas. (why?) Children need to develop the ability to think for themselves and solve
problems (why?) because as adults they will not always have somebody to guide them or tell
them what to do. (alternatives?) If we don't allow children to have their own ideas, they will be
less successful in the adult world; they will be too reliant on others. (example?) A doctor, for
example, might encounter a situation that he or she hasn't been trained for, but will still be
expected to make a decision that could save someone's life.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: films

When answering the two questions below, you should be aware that the examiner is expecting to
hear some different verb tenses.

1. Do you think films have changed since you were a child?

No, I don‟t think films have changed much since I was a child. When I wasyounger
I enjoyed watching action films, and the Hollywood formula for this type of film seems to be the
same today. For example, I liked the original „Superman‟ films, and superheroes are still a
popular subject for film-makers.

2. As the technology for home viewing improves, do you think people willstop going to the cinema
in future?

No, I don‟t think that people will stop going to the cinema. People can already buy fantastic home
viewing equipment, but it still feels more special to share the experience of watching a new film

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with a theatre full of people. I don't think that technology will be able to replicate that cinema
atmosphere.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'community' answers

Here are my sample answers for the part 3 'community' topic:

1) What are some of the ways people can help others in the community? Which is the most
important?

I think there are many ways to help others in our local communities. For example, where I live,
some people volunteer to run activity clubs for children, or they help out in residential homes for
elderly people. Others give money, food or clothes to organisations that support people living
below the poverty line. In my opinion, there isn‟t a scale of importance when it comes to helping
others; all forms of help are positive.

2) Why do you think some people like to help other people?

Most people get a good feeling when they help others, and they understand that we can all
experience difficult times in our lives when we might need support. For example, we all grow old,
and we all run the risk of losing our jobs or having a health problem that affects our ability to
look after ourselves. So, I think people help others because they empathise with them.

3) Some people say that people help others in the community more now than they did in the past.
Do you agree or disagree? Why?

I disagree with that kind of opinion. It‟s impossible to generalise about how much people help in
their communities from one generation to the next, so I don‟t think we should try to judge or
compare how altruistic people are now or were in the past. There have always been those who
help others and those who don‟t.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'advice' answers

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Here are my sample answers for the 'advice' questions from this lesson:

1. Is it better to get advice from a friend or from a family member?

I think it depends on the kind of advice that you need. Parents and grandparents probably have
more life experience than a friend, and so you might get a wiser or more sensible answer from
them. On the other hand, friends are less likely to become too worried if you go to them with a
problem. For example, I probably wouldn‟t want to burden my parents with a financial problem.

2. What would you say are the characteristics of a good adviser?

Well, firstly, a good adviser should be a good listener, someone who takes the time to understand
the situation before offering advice. Secondly, an adviser should try to be objective, and avoid
judging the person who is seeking help. Finally, I think the best advisers have the ability to ask
the right questions and encourage others to find their own answers.

3. Should people make their own work and career decisions, or is it a good idea to ask for advice
about this?

I‟d say that it‟s a mixture of both things. Most of us talk to family, friends, teachers or colleagues
before we make career choices. However, I believe that the final decision should rest with the
individual; we all need to take ultimate responsibility for the big life choices that we make.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'TV programme' answers

Here are my sample answers to the questions that I shared with you last week. Notice that I use
the 3 or 4 steps that I recommended, and remember to note down any good words or phrases that
you find.

1. Do you think most people watch TV for education or for entertainment?

I think people watch TV primarily for entertainment. There are far more entertainment
programmes than educational ones, and in my experience most people treat television as a form of
relaxation in the evening. If I think about the most popular TV programmes in the UK, such as
talent shows like 'X Factor' or soap operas like 'Eastenders', the focus is definitely on
entertainment rather than education.

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2. Should TV play a role in educating children? How?

Yes, it definitely should play a role in my opinion. Good children's TV programmes should tell
stories that contain some kind of lesson about how to behave or what is morally right and wrong.
Many of the traditional fairy tales, such as 'Cinderella', have been made into TV programmes, and
there is always a postive message in those stories.

3. How do you think TV viewing habits change as people get older?

TV viewing habits obviously change a lot as we get older. While toddlers might watch
programmes about talking animals, teenagers prefer action and adventure or sports, and as adults
we start taking an interest in news and politics. My own preferences, for example, have changed
over the years - I would never have watched news programmes when I was younger. I think it
would be very strange if our viewing habits didn't mature!

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'paragraph' answers

Here are my answers to the questions in last week's lesson.

1) Do you think that it's important for people to go on holiday?

Answer using 'idea, explain, example'

Yes, I think we all need to go on holiday at least once or twice a year. It isn‟t healthy to work all
year round without some time off to relax; we all need to take a break and recharge our batteries
from time to time. Last summer, for example, I went on holiday to France for a couple of weeks,
and it was great to leave all of my usual responsibilities behind me. I came home feeling really
refreshed and reinvigorated.

2) Why do you think some people prefer not to go abroad on holiday?

Answer using 'firstly, secondly, finally'

I suppose there are different reasons why some people choose not to go abroad on holidays.
Firstly, it‟s usually more expensive to travel abroad than it is to stay at home. A second reason

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could be that some people find it stressful to spend time in a foreign country where they don‟t
speak the language, or where they feel that they can‟t easily integrate with the locals. Finally,
many people just love where they live, and don‟t feel the need to travel abroad.

IELTS Speaking: 'hospitality' topic

1. In your country, how do people treat visitors from abroad?

I think we treat visitors well. People in the UK are very open-minded and welcoming, and we
enjoy the mix of cultures that immigration and tourism bring. Most UK cities, for example, are
really cosmopolitan, and you can meet visitors from every part of the world.

2. Do you think hospitality towards visitors is less important than it was in the past?

In my city, maybe it‟s true that hospitality is less important nowadays, but that‟s only because we
are so used to seeing visitors from different countries, so we treat it as a normal part of life and
nothing too special.

3. What are the advantages of staying with a friend compared to staying in a hotel when visiting a
foreign country?

If you stay with a friend, you benefit from someone with local knowledge of the best places to
visit. You can also get to know the character and customs of the local people, and for me, this is
one of the most interesting aspects of a visit to another country. On the other hand, if you stay in a
hotel, you are forced to discover the new place on your own, so it‟s more of an adventure.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: transport

In part 3 of the speaking test, it's common to get questions about the past and future, as well as
questions about 'now'. The examiner will be listening to your use of verb tenses:

What types of transport are there in your town?

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In Manchester I think you can find every form of transport apart from an underground system.
You can drive around the city by car or get on a bus; thereare even free buses that take people
between the train stations. Manchester alsohas a tram system, and of course there are taxis too.

How has transport changed since your grandparents were young?

Well, they had cars, trains and planes back then, and London already had the underground
system, but I suppose the difference is that technology has movedon. Having said that, the
transport system is not necessarily better nowadays; people travel a lot more, and I'm sure
we spend more time stuck in traffic.

What types of transport do you think we will use in the future?

I'm not sure, but hopefully we'll have cars that drive themselves and never crash. I
think we'll probably fly more, and it might become normal to have your own plane. On the other
hand, many cities are building more bicycle lanes, so maybe we will use cars less for getting
around towns and cities.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: questions about the future

When the examiner asks a question like the one below, you know that you are being tested on
your ability to express ideas in the future tense.

How do you think the design of homes will change in the future?

Example answer:

I don't think there will be much change in terms of what houses look like from the outside. In this
country, people still like traditional brick or stone houses. Having said that, the design of
apartment blocks will probably continue to develop, with more and more experimental or
futuristic buildings made of glass and metal. Iimagine that it will be the insides of homes that
change the most; houses will no doubt be full of technological devices to make our lives
easier. Maybe we'll havethings like voice-controlled doors, lights and appliances.

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IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'history' topic

Questions in part 3 of the speaking test follow on from the topic you were given in part 2. So,
after last week's historic event question, you might be asked some further questions about history
and events. For example:

1. What do you think we can learn by studying events of the past?

I think we can learn a lot by studying history. Just as individual people learn from their mistakes,
societies can learn from the mistakes made by previous governments or leaders. For example,
from what I've read in the newspapers, many economists are looking back to the time of the Great
Depression, around 80 years ago, in order to understand the financial crisis that is currently
affecting many countries around the world. Even if we don't always learn from mistakes, I think
it's fascinating to study history because it gives us an insight into who we are and where we come
from.

2. What important events do you think might take place in the future?

It's really difficult to predict what will happen in the future; most of the big, historic events of the
past would have been impossible to foresee. For example, I don't think that anyone living 100
years ago could have imagined that people would one day walk on the moon! If I had to guess
what might happen in the future, I'd like to think that scientists will invent cures for diseases like
cancer, and we'll all live longer.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'politeness' topic

Two weeks ago I showed you a part 2 question about a situation in which you were polite. Let's
have a look at some related questions for part 3 of the test:

In your country’s culture, how do you show that you are being polite?

We really value politeness and good manners in the UK, and there are many types of polite
behaviour. One of the first things we learn as children is to say "please" and "thank you". As
adults, I think we are careful not to be too direct in the language we use. For example, we would

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never say "Bring me the bill" in a restaurant because this kind of direct instruction would sound
rude. It would be much more polite to say "Could we have the bill, please?".

Are we less polite with members of our families than with people we don’t know?

I suppose it's normal to be a bit more relaxed about politeness with family members. Most people
tend to speak in a more informal way at home; in the UK, we still say "please" and "thanks", but
it's fine to use colloquial language and things like nicknames that you would never use with
someone you didn't know.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: comparing past and present

In part 3 of IELTS speaking, you might be asked to compare the past with the present. The
examiner will be listening to your use tenses. For example:

Are there any differences between the types of people who were seen as celebrities in the past and
those who are celebrities nowadays?

Yes, I think there have been some big changes in the types of people whobecome famous. In the
past, before the invention of television, I suppose therewere very few national or international
celebrities; maybe kings and queens, military, political and religious leaders were the only
household names. With the advent of TV and radio, performers such as actors and
musicians became more well-known. However, we now seem to have a completely new breed of
celebrity as a result of 'reality' television programmes; these are people who don't really have any
special skills as performers, but who are famous for just being themselves.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: explain, alternative, example

In part 3 of the speaking test, you need to give longer, detailed answers. A good way to do this is
by organising your answers according to the following steps:

1. Idea: answer the question directly.

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 2. Explain: give a reason or explain your answer in more detail.

3. Alternative: explain an alternative (e.g. the opposite) to your answer.

4. Example: give an example to support your answer.

5. Another idea: sometimes you think of another idea while you are speaking. Just add it on
the end of your answer.

You can give a really good answer without including all five steps, but you might find it useful to
practise including all five, as I've done here:

Why do you think some people prefer to buy products from their own countries rather than
imported items?

(idea) I suppose it‟s because those people want to support the economy of the country they live
in. (explain) If they buy something that was made in their own country, they know that they are
contributing to the salaries of workers within the same country, (alternative) whereas if they buy
imported items, a foreign company and its employees will benefit. (example) For example, if I
buy some meat that originates from a local farm rather than a farm in another country, I‟m
helping one of my fellow citizens to carry on in business. (another idea) Also, I think that trust is
an issue; people might feel that they can trust domestically produced items more than imported
ones.

IELTS Speaking part 3: rivers, lakes, sea

1. What do you think are the functions of rivers nowadays?

Rivers have various functions. In the UK, they were probably more important in the past because
they were used for the transportation of goods, but I suppose this is still the case in many parts of
the world. Rivers can be used as a source of renewable energy in the production of hydro-electric
power, and they are also a source of fresh water for drinking and irrigation. Leisure activities are
another function: fishing, canoeing, swimming, bathing... I'm sure there are many other things I
haven't thought of.

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2. What do you think of boats and ships as forms of transportation?

I'm not really a fan of boats and ships. If I'm going abroad, I like to get to my destination quickly,
so I prefer travelling by plane. Of course, ships are vital for the transportation of oil and other
heavy cargo.

3. Why do some people like to live near rivers, lakes or the sea?

Well, the view is probably a major factor; most people like to look out to sea, or across a river or
lake. I'd much prefer to look out of my window onto a natural landscape than an apartment
building in a city. Then there's the lifestyle: if you live by the sea, for example, you can lie on the
beach, go for a swim, or do water sports like surfing or waterskiing. I definitely wouldn't mind
living near a beach at some point in my life!

Note:
These answers are less formal than the essays I write for the writing test, and I say things like
"probably" or "I suppose" when I'm not sure about the facts.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: competitions

The following questions come from Cambridge IELTS 7. I've underlined some of the good words
and phrases in my answers.

1. Why do you think some school teachers use competitions as class activities?

I think teachers use competitions to motivate the children in their classes. I'm sure that teachers
try all kinds of activities to engage their pupils, and competitions might be one of the best ways
to keep children interested or get them excited. Children love winning things.

2. Is it a good thing to give prizes to children who do well at school? Why?

It might be a good idea to encourage children to do well in games or sports, but I don't think we
should give children prizes for their academic work. Children need to learn that the reason for

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studying is to learn useful things that will help them in their lives. I don't like the idea of children
thinking that they will only work hard if there is a prize.

3. Would you say that schools for young children have become more or less competitive since you
were that age? Why?

I'd say that they have become more competitive since I was young. Children now have to take
exams from a much younger age, so I think there is more of a focus on doing well in tests. Parents
also seem to be getting more competitive; I think that many parents push their children to do extra
homework rather than letting them play with friends.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'emotions' topic

The following questions follow on from this topic.

Do you think it’s good to show your emotions when you’re angry?

I think it depends on the situation and how you show your emotions. I find that if I‟m angry with
a friend or someone in my family, it‟s best to tell them what the problem is and try to express how
I feel. However, I don‟t think it helps to argue with people when you‟re angry; it‟s better to
control the anger and explain what‟s wrong.

In your opinion, do women show their emotions more than men?

The stereotypical view is that women are more emotional, and in my experience there is some
truth in this; my mother, for example, tends to show her feelings much more readily than my
father. However, I‟m sure that there are exceptions to the stereotype.

Why do you think men tend to show their emotions less than women?

Maybe it‟s because of the way we are brought up. I think that boys are often taught from an early
age not to cry. Also, boys are aware that their friends might see it as a sign of weakness if they
show their feelings. Perhaps girls are brought up to be more sensitive to their friends' feelings.

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IELTS Speaking Part 3: leisure activities

Here are some questions that a student sent me, with example answers below.

1. What is the relationship between leisure and the economy?

Well, people spend a lot of money on all sorts of leisure activities nowadays, so I think leisure is a
very important part of the economy of most countries. Leisure could be anything that people do in
their free time, such as eating out, going to the cinema, watching a football match, or staying in a
hotel. Millions of people are employed in these areas.

2. How does the economy benefit from people's leisure activities?

The leisure industry makes a huge contribution to the economy. As I said before, it keeps millions
of people in employment, and all of these employees pay their taxes and have money to spend on
other goods and services. At the same time, most people spend some of their earnings on leisure
activities, and this money therefore goes back into the economy.

3. Do men and women enjoy the same type of leisure activities?

Yes and no. I think both men and women enjoy things like eating in restaurants or going to the
cinema, but I'm sure there are other activities that are more popular with one gender. For example,
I think more men than women go to football matches.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'parties' topic

In part 2 of the speaking test you might be asked to describe a party. Here are some part 3
questions that could follow that topic:

1. What types of party do people have, and why are parties important?

People have parties to celebrate special occasions like birthdays, weddings, or the beginning of a
new year. I think it's important to celebrate these things because they are landmarks in our lives.
Parties are a good way to bring people together, and they're an opportunity to let off some steam.

2. Why do you think some people like parties but others hate them?

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Most people like parties because they have a good time at them - eating a nice meal, chatting to
friends, or having a dance. People who don't like them mightfind social situations
difficult because they are shy, or maybe they don't enjoy having to make small talk with people
they don't know.

3. Do you think parties will become more popular in the future?

No, I don't think anything will change. People have always had parties, and I'm sure they always
will in the future. Humans need to socialise and enjoy themselves, and parties are one of the best
ways to do that.

PS. I've underlined the band 7-9 phrases.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'wildlife' topic

Here are some Part 3 questions and band 9 answers for this topic. I've underlined the 'band 7-9'
vocabulary.

What effects do you think humans have on wild animals?

Humans have a huge impact on wild animals. We have destroyed a lot of natural habitats, and
many animals are in danger of extinction. Tigers and rhinos, for example, are endangered
species because of humans. The pollution and waste that we produce also have an effect on
animals. In some places there are no fish in the rivers.

What measures could we take to protect wildlife?

I think we need stricter rules to protect natural areas and the wild animals that live there. For
example, we should stop cutting down trees in the rain forest. National parks are a good idea
because they attract tourists while protecting wildlife.

Is it the responsibility of schools to teach children about protecting wildlife?

Yes, schools can play a big part in educating children about this issue. Children should learn how
to look after the natural environment. I think schools already teach children about endangered

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species and the destruction of rain forests, so hopefully future generations will do a better job of
protecting wildlife.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: sports

In the example answers below, I've underlined some of the phrases that examiners would like.
They might seem easy to understand, but they are the kind of natural phrases that native speakers
use. My answers are at band 9 level.

1. Why do you think sport is important?

I think sport is important for different reasons. For me, doing a sport is about having fun. When I
play football, for example, I forget about everything else and just enjoy myself. Also, doing a
sport helps you to keep fit and healthy, and it's a good way to socialise and make friends.

2. Do you think famous sportspeople are good role models for children?

I think that sportspeople should be good role models. Children look up to their favourite football
players, like David Beckham for example, so I think that these people have an enormous
responsibility. They should try to be a good influence, and behave in the right way.

3. Do you agree that sports stars earn too much money?

In my opinion, it's fair that the best sportspeople earn a lot of money. Being a top sportsperson
requires hours of practice, and there are millions of sports fans who are willing to pay to see them
play. If we don't want sportspeople to earn so much money, we shouldn't go to watch them.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: 'lessons' topic

The following answers are at 'band 9' level. Which words and phrases help my answers to get
such a high score?

1. What do you think makes a good lesson?

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I think a good lesson is one that is interesting and engaging. By 'engaging' I mean that the
students should feel involved in the lesson; they should feel that they are learning something new
that is relevant to them. In my opinion, a lot depends on how the teacher delivers the content of
the lesson in a way that students like. My favourite teacher at university used to involve the
students by making us teach some of the lessons ourselves.

2. Do you think it's better to have a teacher or to teach yourself?

Well, there's no substitute for a good teacher. I think you can teach yourself, but you can learn a
lot more quickly with the guidance of a teacher. For example, when learning a language, you
really need someone to correct your mistakes; you can get the grammar and vocabulary from
books, but books can't tell you where you're going wrong.

3. Do you think the traditional classroom will disappear in the future?

I don't think it will disappear, but it might become less common. I think more people will study
independently, using different technologies rather than sitting in a classroom. Maybe students will
attend a lesson just once a week, and spend the rest of their time following online courses or
watching video lessons.

IELTS Speaking: 'questionnaires' topic

IELTS speaking part 2:

Describe a time when you were asked to give your opinion in a questionnaire.

Advice: Say that your were given a questionnaire at the end of one of your school or university
courses. Say that the questions asked for your opinions about the teaching, materials, facilities,
level of difficult, how much you enjoyed the course etc.

IELTS speaking part 3:

What kinds of organisation regularly conduct questionnaires?

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All kinds of organisations and companies use questionnaires to find out what people think about
them. For example, university lecturers often ask their students to answer questions about their
courses. Someone from a Starbucks cafe stopped me in the street yesterday to ask me about my
coffee drinking habits.

Do you think schools should ask children for their opinions about lessons?

On the one hand, it might be useful for teachers to get feedback from children about how much
they learnt and how enjoyable they found the lessons. However, children don't necessarily know
what's best for them, and it might do more harm than good to allow them to give opinions about
their teachers.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: technology at work

1. What technology or equipment is used in most workplaces nowadays?

2. Does technology help workers, or does it make their lives more difficult?

3. What effect does new technology have on employment?

1. Advice: give a list of different technologies, then talk about one in detail:

In most workplaces people use equipment such as computers, phones, printers, fax machines and
photocopiers. I think the computer is probably the most essential piece of equipment because we
rely on it for almost everything: communicating by email, writing reports, organising data, and
finding information on the Internet.

2. Advice: talk about the positives AND the negatives:

Technology definitely helps workers because it makes many tasks so much easier. For example,
email is such a useful tool for communication between employees in different offices, or even in
different countries. On the other hand, technology can make life more difficult, especially when it
goes wrong. It causes a lot of stress when the Internet is down or a computer crashes.

3. Advice: give the good effects AND the bad effects:

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I think technology is often responsible for people losing their jobs. Machines have replaced
people in areas like manufacturing and agriculture, and whenever a new technology is introduced,
there are redundancies. At the same time, jobs might be created thanks to a new technology; there
would be no computer programmers if the computer hadn't been invented.

IELTS Speaking Part 3: How will the Internet affect our lives?

The "perspectives technique" for generating ideas (see 6th October) can also be useful in the
IELTS speaking test. Here's an example:

How do you think the Internet will affect our lives in the future?

Personal perspective:

I think the Internet will have a huge impact on our lives. More and more people are using social
websites to keep in touch with friends. I think the Internet will probably replace TV because most
channels are already available online.

Economic perspective:

Also, I think we'll do more online shopping. Web-based companies like Amazon are already
really successful. In the future, there will probably be more companies that only sell via the
Internet, and I expect we'll spend more money online than in traditional shops.

Educational perspective:

Schools and universities might also use the Internet to provide courses, so online learning will
probably become a normal part of life.
IELTS Speaking Part 3: idea, explain, personal example

Let's look at a sample answer using the "idea, explain, example" structure. This time I'm using
a personal example in the last sentence.

What disagreements do teenagers often have with their parents? Why?

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(Idea / basic answer) Teenagers disagree with their parents about all sorts of things, like the
clothes they want to wear, whether they can go out with their friends, doing homework, and how
much help they give their parents around the house. (Explain why) I think the teenage years are
when we develop a sense of identity, and we want to make our own decisions rather than follow
other people's instructions. (Personal example) I remember having disagreements with my own
parents, usually about simple things like getting up early in the morning, tidying my room, or
doing the washing up!

IELTS Speaking Part 3: status symbols

In part 3 of the IELTS speaking test you should try to give longer answers with opinions, reasons,
comparisons and examples. Here are some example questions and answers related to last week's
part 2 topic:

In your country, what possessions show a higher status or position in society?

In my country, people who are wealthy tend to buy big houses and cars. Certain makes of car
such as Mercedes or Ferrari are status symbols. They let other people know that you are important
or powerful. People who want to give this impression often wear expensive designer clothes, or
watches by brands like Rolex.

Do you think we place too much importance on possessions?

Probably, yes. Some people are obsessed with showing off their new mobile phone or wearing the
latest fashions. I think it's a problem for teenagers because there's a lot of peer pressure to follow
fashion or buy the latest gadget that their friends have got.

Do you think things were different 50 years ago?

Yes, maybe people were less materialistic. I think they bought things that lasted longer; my
grandparents talk about how they repaired things rather than throwing them away. Maybe brands
and advertising weren't as powerful as they are now.

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IELTS Speaking Part 3: children's toys

Here are some questions related to last week's part 2 topic:

1. Do you think it's important for boys to play with "boys' toys" and for girls to only play with
"girls' toys"?

I think boys naturally seem to prefer playing with "boys' toys" and girls with "girls' toys". When I
was young I had toy cars, trucks, guns and things like that, whereas my sister always wanted to
play with dolls. I don't suppose it really matters if a boy plays with a doll or a girl plays with a toy
car, but children learn quickly what toys are supposed to be for boys and for girls.

2. Do you think it's good if parents only buy "educational" toys for their children?

No, I don't agree with only giving children educational toys. In my opinion, children learn by
playing with whatever interests them. Children invent their own games, even if they don't have
any toys at all. It's important for children just to have fun; there will be plenty of time for parents
to worry about education when their children get older.

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 VOCABULARY
IELTS Vocabulary: band 7-9 phrases

Let's review the vocabulary that I used in yesterday's speaking lesson. Here are the phrases that I
think would impress an examiner:

 volunteer to run activity clubs

 help out (phrasal verb)

 residential homes for elderly people

 support people living below the poverty line

 there isn‟t a scale of importance when it comes to helping others

 all forms of help are positive

 experience difficult times

 run the risk of losing our jobs

 people help others because they empathise with them

 It‟s impossible to generalise about...

 from one generation to the next

 judge or compare how altruistic people are

IELTS Vocabulary: less common alternatives

Let's look at some of the vocabulary from Friday's speaking lesson, and some interesting
alternatives. The alternatives on the right are a bit less common, and might impress the examiner
if you used them.

1. with three bedrooms = a three-bedroomed house

2. in a suburb of Manchester = on the outskirts of Manchester

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 3. relax = unwind, put my feet up, wind down

4. it needs a new kitchen = it could do with a new kitchen

Note:
"could do with" is an informal way of saying "need" e.g. I could do with a drink, I could do with
some help, I could do with another few days to finish this project.

IELTS Advice: topic research

If you're preparing for a writing or speaking topic, I recommend doing an Internet search for ideas
first.

To find ideas for yesterday's speaking questions, I typed the phrase "what makes a good adviser"
into Google, and found this webpage. Look at some of the great language that we can steal from
it:

 turning to an adviser

 a wise choice

 make decisions with more confidence

 the decision requires expertise

 use knowledge and experience

 make an informed decision

 some qualities are characteristic of good advisers

 trustworthy, someone you can trust

 possesses a strong base of knowledge

Remember: the key to high speaking and writing scores is good vocabulary, so topic research is a
vital part of your IELTS preparation.

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IELTS Vocabulary: nice bits of language!

There were a few nice bits of language that you might have noticed in yesterday's speaking
lesson:

 all sorts of things

 a certain amount of

 I pick up a newspaper most days

 I usually have a book on the go

 I couldn't put it down

 opens the door to all aspects of education

These phrases made my answers sound very natural and "native-speaker-like". Try using them in
your own sentences.

IELTS Vocabulary: for your notebook

Did you write the good vocabulary from yesterday's lesson in your notebook? Here are the words
and phrases that I think you should have noted down:

 took place a few years ago

 where I grew up

 the marriage ceremony was held in a church

 the wedding reception

 members of my family

 the bride and groom

 my mother made sure that...

 we all dressed for the occasion

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  and so on (instead of "etc.")

 her big day

 we had a fantastic time

 it's rare for me to see

 what made the day so memorable

IELTS Vocabulary: band 7-9 phrases

There was some good vocabulary in yesterday's speaking lesson. Here's a list of the phrases that I
think would impress an examiner:

 it was great to share that experience

 The positive experience wasn‟t confined to one particular place

 As far as I remember

 visits to various tourist attractions

 one of my first memories was

 a group of close friends

 which made the experience more enjoyable

 What really struck me about London was

 historic but modern and thriving at the same time

 a lively, fashionable and cosmopolitan place

 Coming from a relatively small town

 the experience made me keen to visit more capital cities

IELTS Speaking: if you don't understand

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What should you do if you don't understand a question in the speaking test? Here are my tips:

Part 1

In part 1, the examiner is not allowed to help you, but he/she can repeat the question. Just say:
"Sorry, can you repeat the question please?" If you still don't understand the second time, try to
say something related to the topic or any of the words that you heard. Try your best, then focus on
the next question.

Part 2

You are given a task card with the question written on it, so you shouldn't have any problems in
this part. If there is a word that you don't understand on the task card, don't ask the examiner -
he/she is not allowed to help.

Part 3

In this part of the test, the examiner is allowed to rephrase the question. If you don't understand,
just say something like: "Sorry, can you explain that question in a different way please?"

IELTS Vocabulary: band 7-9 descriptions

Here are some suggestions for ways to improve the sentences in yesterday'sexercise:

1. The clock is very old.

= The clock is an antique; it's probably a collector's item.

2. It is big and made of wood.

= It is housed in a large wooden cabinet that stands nearly two metres tall.

3. It has been in my family for a long time.

= It has been in my family for several generations.

4. Everyone in my family likes the clock.

= We've all become quite attached to the clock; it's like part of the family.

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 5. I hope my parents will give it to me one day.

= The clock is a real family heirloom, so hopefully I'll inherit it one day

IELTS Vocabulary: good phrases

Looking back at yesterday's lesson, I'm surprised to see how many good phrases I used. Try
making your own sentences with the phrases below. Check to see how I used them before you
write anything.

- caught my eye

- out of curiosity

- I ended up (+ing)

- dedicated to

- I hadn't intended to.....

- approached me

- I wondered what..... were

- the various..... on show

- I found..... fascinating

- he had a passion for.....

- he didn't mind (+ing)

- I had made it clear that.....

IELTS Speaking Part 2: noticing good language

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A few weeks ago I wrote an example answer about a future plan. Maybe you read it and
understood it, but did you really notice the good language that I used? Did you note down the
good vocabulary and try to use it yourself?

Good vocabulary:

 it has its limitations

 the bride and groom and their guests celebrating

 capture longer range photos

 photos in darker conditions

 capture a special occasion

 higher quality images

 depends on whether

 I‟ll achieve that goal by experimenting

 learning as I go along

Grammar and coherence:

 Variety of tenses and verb forms: I'm going to talk about, I'm using, I've realised, I
thought, I'll talk, I did notice, I'd like to, before making, I'll achieve... if I can...
(conditional)

 Linking and organising: which, at the moment, but, a few weeks ago, next time,
obviously, this plan (referring back to a previous idea), also, in terms of

 No mistakes!

Read my description again and highlight the words and phrases above. Hopefully you'll see why
an examiner would give it a band 9.

IELTS Vocabulary

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Here are some band 7-9 phrases from Friday's lesson:

- a typical winter would last...

- when I say..., I'm really thinking about...

- wintry months

- the temperature drops below zero

- we‟ve had periods of quite heavy snowfall

- to the extent that...

- roads have been blocked and schools have had to close

- everything covered in a layer of white

- the snow is what differentiates winter from the other seasons

- the landscape looks beautiful

IELTS Speaking: useful expressions

In this lesson I want to draw your attention to a few useful expressions that I used in last week's
answers. Maybe you could try using them in your own answers.

1. An alternative way to say "and":

- Just as individuals can learn from their mistakes, societies can (also)...
- Just as we need to exercise the body, we also need to exercise the mind.

2. A nice way to introduce a personal example or opinion:

- From what I've read in the newspapers,...

- From what I've heard / seen / experienced,...

3. Giving an opinion when you're not sure:

- If I had to guess what might happen in the future, I'd like to think that...

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- If I had to give my opinion, I'd say...

IELTS Speaking: verb tenses and vocabulary

In yesterday's lesson I asked you to find examples of verb tenses and good vocabulary in
my sample answer about a film that I would like to see.

Here are examples of different verb tenses that I used:

 Future with 'going to': it‟s going to be called Spectre

 Future with 'will': I don‟t know exactly what it will be about

 Present simple for the future: when it comes out later this year

 Present simple: I think Spectre refers to...

 Present perfect (active): I've seen the official trailer

 Present perfect (passive): hasn't been released yet

 Past simple: I saw in the news

 Past continuous: when I was watching the news

Here are some examples of 'band 7-9' vocabulary:

 when it comes out (meaning: when it is released)

 refers to the name of

 the imaginary criminal organisation

 hasn‟t been released yet

 on a mission to save the world

 an arch-criminal

 a plot line involving lots of twists and turns

 to defeat his nemesis

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 the official trailer

 cast to play supporting roles

 James Bond films are always big news

 action scenes and special effects

 take place in spectacular locations

 unrealistic, you could even say ridiculous

 like a roller-coaster ride

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