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A good description of a 'place' helps to explain what makes it so different from other 'places' and
can give a good guide as to where it is located. A description can be divided into two parts: the
Physical features and the Human features.
Physical features are those things that occur naturally, such as mountains, rivers, soil, wildlife,
climate etc..
Human features are those that involve people, such as roads, houses, farm land, jobs or
occupations and industry. Note that much of the countryside of Britain has been changed by
people, ever since the Romans began cutting down the forests to farm the land about 2,000 years
ago.
When describing places, such as in the image below, it is not enough to simply say 'there are
houses'. Appropriate vocabulary should be used to give an indication of how many houses there
are, what the houses are built of, and whether many people live there, or just a few.
Some of this 'appropriate' vocabulary can be summarised as follows:
Physical Features
Human Features
Feature
Meaning
Feature
Relief
Landforms
Their density,
building material,
and if they are
detached, semidetached or terraced
Drainage
Soil
Land Use
Meaning
Climate
Transport and
communication
describe a place
In part 2 of the speaking test, you might have to describe a place. There are several possible
questions about places. For example:
1. Describe a place you have visited.
2. Describe a historic place.
3. Describe a holiday.
4. Describe a place you would like to visit.
5. Describe somewhere you have lived or would like to live.
My advice is to prepare a description of one place that you could use to answer all of these
questions. Then search the Internet for some good vocabulary.
For example, here are some ideas I found to describe London:
Adjectives: it's exciting, busy, hectic, cosmopolitan, multicultural, unique. It's historic
but modern at the same time, it's a thriving, prosperous city, it's fashionable, lively, fun...
Activities: London is famous for it's history, culture, art, museums. Tourists go there to
see Big Ben, The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square etc. You can
get a fantastic view of the city from the 'London Eye'. It's also famous for its theatres and
shows in the West End, its shops, restaurants and nightlife. There are endless things to see
and do.
Glossary
hols holiday (informal)
annual leave the amount of days in a year that youre entitled to take off work
holiday request a written document asking your employer to go on annual leave
sign off your boss approving your holiday request
jet off - fly
sabbatical a long period of time off, such as 6 months
off sick time off due to illness
pulling a sickie taking time off work but not really being sick
absence a period of being away from a place
maternity leave time off for women during and after pregnancy
paternity leave time off for men after the birth of a child
public/bank holidays weekdays when most people in the country are entitled to take the day
off
jury service attending a court of law to help decide if someone is guilty or not guilty
retire - finish working forever
You need to give a vivid portrayal of whatever you are describing.
If you are describing a person:
1. Tell HOW The person looks. List the persons physical features and describe them.
2. Describe the persons actions.
3. Provide dialogues. Let the person speak for herself.
4. Give an anecdote or incidents that helps illustrate that persons character.
5. Give a hint of what the narrator feels about the person.
VOCABULARY
Stereotype = Oversimplified generalization about a group of
people. When people say that all members of a specific
nationality, religion, race or gender are "cheap, "lazy, " criminal"
or " dumb, they are expressing stereotypes. All groups have both
cheap and generous individuals who commit crimes. To label an
entire group based on the actions of some is to engage in
stereotyping. Even when a stereotype is positive, such as when
people in one racial group are thought to be superior athletes, the
consequences of stereotypes are negative.
Prejudice = Attitudes or opinions about a person or group simply
because the person belongs to a specific religion, race, nationality,
or other group. Prejudice is prejudging a person. A person who
thinks "I don't want (blank) living in my neighborhood" is
expressing a prejudice.
Discrimination = When people act on the basis of their
prejudice or stereotypes they are discriminating. Discrimination
may mean putting other people down, not allowing them to
participate in activities, restricting their access to work or to live in
certain neighborhoods, or denying them something they are
entitled to be right and law.
Definitions provided by WWW.ADL.ORG (Anti-Defamation
Adjectives
punctual
tolerant
romantic
respectful
hard-working
emotional
outgoing
nationalistic
well-dressed
humorous
lazy
sophisticated
hospitable
talkative
sociable
serious
quiet
formal
aggressive
polite
rude
arrogant
ignorant
casual
notes
1. You should note the different prepositions that follow keen, interested, fascinated
and dream
2. Be careful with I like and Id like to. I like is to talk about a habit, whereas Id like is
to talk about a future wish
Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking Module consists of personal questions about you, your family,
your work, your education or other familiar topics. A categorized list of such topics and
questions is given below. You can use these sample questions to rehearse for this part of the oral
interview. Make sure you can speak correctly, clearly, and with ease and confidence in response
to each question. Remember to make your answer interesting by providing more than the most
basic information. Some of these sample questions are highly likely to appear on your exam,
so review them well.
YOU
Describe yourself.
FAMILY
o
If you could change your job or profession, what would you do?
WORK
EDUCATION
o
STUDIES
HOMETOWN
o
WEATHER
o
HOME
WEDDING
o
TRAVEL
COMPUTERS
o
INTERNET
o
FRIEND
o
Describe a friend.
PLACE
SMOKING
o
MARRIAGE
HOBBIES
FILMS
SHOPPING
o Do you enjoy shopping?
o How do you feel about shopping?
o Do you like shopping on the Internet?
o Do you have any favourite stores?
o What dont you like about shopping?
o Which is the most popular place to shop in your hometown?
SPORTS
o Do you like sports?
o Do you enjoy watching sports?
o Do you enjoy participating in any sports?
o Which sports are most popular in your country?
CLOTHES
o What type of clothes do you like to wear?
o What kind of clothes do people in your country usually wear?
o How important is fashion to you?
o What kind of clothes do you dislike?
o Do you think people behave differently in different kinds of clothes?
o What kind of clothes do people wear to work in your country?
o Are clothes expensive in your country?
GOING OUT
o Do you like going out or staying at home?
o What do you like to do when you go out?
o How often do you go out?
o Do people in your country go our a lot?
o How and where do people in your country usually socialize?
o What kind of entertainment is popular in your country?
GAMES
o Do you enjoy playing any games?
o What kind of games do you play?
o Do you think adults should play games?
o What do children learn from games?
o What kind of games did you play when you were a child?
o What games are popular in your country today?
o What kind of games were popular when you were young?
o Do you think mental games like chess are good for you?
COLOURS
o Do you have a favourite colour?
o What are your countrys colours?
o Do you think colours affect our moods?
o Can you learn anything about a person from the colours he / she likes?
o Do you like the same colours now as you did when you were a child?
MUSIC
o Do you like music?
o What kind of music do you like?
o When do you usually listen to music?
o What kind of music did you like when you were younger?
o What kind of music is popular in your country?
o Do you play any musical instruments?
o Do you wish you could play any musical instruments?
o Which is your favourite instrument?