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Daily Lessons with Simon, ex-IELTS examiner
When you have a theme, you can then search for good vocabulary related to that theme. Here are two resources that will
help you:
1. A thesaurus will give you synonyms and similar words. I use the thesaurus on my computer, but you'll easily find one
online if your computer doesn't have a built-in dictionary.
2. The Oxford Collocation Dictionary will show you words that are often used together with your chosen word; so you'll
be be able to use your words correctly in longer phrases.
Let's use the 'proud' topic in this lesson as an example.
From my thesaurus, here are some other words to describe being 'proud':
- pleased
- glad
- delighted
- overjoyed
- thrilled
And from the collocation dictionary, some phrases with the word 'achievement':
- a great / major / outstanding / remarkable / tremendous achievement
- my proudest achievement
- a feeling of achievement
- a sense of achievement
This is just the beginning of my 'theme preparation', but I'm already starting to gather some nice vocabulary for my
description. In next Friday's lesson, I'll show you how I include these ideas in a full answer.
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"It depends" is not a full answer. You need to say what it depends 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."
However, in part 2 you don't need to worry about eye contact at all. It's more important to look at the question and the
notes you made.
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.
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To be honest, I'm not sure how they chose it; I've never asked them. I suppose it was just a name that they both liked, and
maybe they thought it suited me.
2) Does your name have any special meaning?
It might do, but I don't know what that meaning is; I've never looked it up. Maybe I'll google it later today; you've made me
curious to find out!
3) Is your name common or unusual in your country?
Yes, it's quite a common name. I remember that there were two other people with the same name as me in my class at
school.
Remembering the advice that I gave last week, try answering these questions (aloud) without hesitating too much. It's fine
to give negative answers or to say that you don't know the answer, but you should still explain why.
One student asked: "But how can we get a band 7 with these answers?"
My answer is: you can't! Part 1 of the speaking test is supposed to be easy, and the best thing you can do in this part of the
test is demonstrate fluency by answering without hesitation.
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Describe a piece of clothing that you like wearing. You should say
- what the item of clothing is
- where and when you bought it
- when you wear it
- and explain why you like wearing it.
Here's my sample answer, using the vocabulary from last week's lesson:
Im going to describe a coat that I often wear at the moment. The coat is dark blue in colour, and its made out of a
lightweight, waterproof material, which makes it perfect for wearing at this time of year here in the UK. It also has a
detachable hood, which I used yesterday when it was raining, and various pockets on the outside and on the inside.
I bought the coat last year at the beginning of autumn when the weather started to get colder. It was easy to buy
because I had had the exact same coat before; my old coat was starting to look a bit worn out, so I decided to buy a new
version. As I knew which size I needed, I simply went online and found the best offer; I bought it through a shopping
website, and it was delivered to my house a few days later.
As I said, Im wearing this coat a lot at the moment. Its my everyday coat for going to work or for when I go out
shopping or for any other reason.
The reason why I like this coat is that its so practical and functional. Its waterproof and it keeps me warm, but it also
comes in handy for carrying things like my phone, wallet, loose change, a pen, and even a notebook; I tend to fill my
pockets with whatever I can. It even folds up small enough to fit in my bag when I dont need it.
Note: I missed out the words 'multipurpose' and 'hard-wearing material'. Can you suggest how we could add these words to
the description?
Describe a piece of clothing that you like wearing. You should say
- what the item of clothing is
- where and when you bought it
- when you wear it
- and explain why you like wearing it.
The first idea that came into my head was to describe my coat. And the first idea that I had about this coat was to say that it
is useful or practical. So my 'theme' is useful / practical, and I've brainstormed other words and phrases related to this
theme.
functional
multipurpose
hard-wearing material
lightweight material
various pockets
a detachable hood
waterproof
it keeps me warm
it comes in handy when
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Describe a piece of clothing that you like wearing. You should say
- what the item of clothing is
- where and when you bought it
- when you wear it
- and explain why you like wearing it.
Part 3
1) For which jobs are people required to wear a uniform in your country?
2) Do you think people are treated differently when they are in uniform?
3) What are the advantages of making children wear uniforms for school?
2) Do you prefer to spend your free time at home or outside the house?
During the day I prefer to be out of the house, so I like visiting family or meeting up with friends. But I do like relaxing at
home in the evenings.
3) What do you do when you have some free time and you're at home?
I usually sit and watch some TV or a film, or I listen to some music. I also like sitting outside if the weather is nice.
4) Would you like to have more spare time to spend at home in the future?
No, not really. I get bored if I'm at home for too long. In the future, I imagine I'll still prefer to go out and do things rather
than stay indoors.
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2) Do you prefer to spend your free time at home or outside the house?
3) What do you do when you have some free time and you're at home?
4) Would you like to have more spare time to spend at home in the future?
For example:
- I was filled with a sense of panic and fear
- I felt so embarrassed
- What I liked most about..... was...
- I was amazed at how...
- I enjoyed learning...
These verbs look easy, but they are good examples of the kind of natural, idiomatic language that native speakers use. The
tricky thing about phrasal verbs is that you have to learn what each one means; you can't understand them by translating
the individual words.
For example, I used "pick up" to mean "collect" (I was waiting for my colleague to collect me), but "pick up" can also mean
improve, learn quickly, or receive. Have a look at this page on a grammar website. Can you see why phrasal verbs might
impress the examiner if you use them correctly?
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If you can remember a real example of a time when you were in a rush recently, use that. Alternatively, you could try to
adapt a topic that you have already prepared (e.g. attending an event or celebration - you could say that you were late).
Feel free to share your ideas in the 'comments' area below. I'll continue with this topic next week.
The examiner just wants to hear a good answer. If the question is general rather than personal, like the example above, it
makes sense to answer in a general way. It seems strange to go straight into a personal example about your own primary
school.
However, there is nothing wrong with including a personal example after giving a general answer. I tell my students to
follow three steps when answering part 3 speaking questions: first answer the question (in a general way), then explain
your answer, then support your answer with an example (which could be a personal example).
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Student's answer:
Logically people from different generation will have taste variation. Depending upon the maturity, music stars of their own
age, impact of globalisation as well as technological development in music industry will divide younger and older
generation.
My simplified answer:
Of course, people from different generations have different tastes in music. Popular music changes all the time, and most
of us are influenced by whatever style of music is popular when we are growing up.
Student's answer:
Yes, I am fond of music. It is simply the medicine for my mind. When I am stressed, music remove stress. When I am
happy, music inspires me to be more. It always in the centre of all my parties with friends. When I am sad, music takes me
out glue and move forward.
My simplified answer:
Yes, I love music, mainly because it helps to put me in a better mood. When I'm stressed or sad, music picks me up and
puts me in a positive frame of mind.
1) Should we use synonyms instead of words that the examiner used in the question? For example, if the
question is "Do you think your weekends are long enough?", should I use synonyms for 'weekend' and
'long'?
You probably won't have time to think of synonyms or paraphrasing in the speaking test. Also, if you try to paraphrase
words like 'weekend' and 'long enough', you are in danger of giving a very strange answer (don't say "My Saturdays and
Sundays are sufficiently lengthy"!!). Just answer the question in a natural way e.g. No, my weekends are too short. I wish
they were longer.
2) Do we need to cover every point on the cue card in speaking part 2?
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No, you won't lose marks for missing one or two of the points. However, the points are there to help you structure your
answer, so I recommend that you try to use them.
3) Is it possible that the examiner will only ask six questions in part 1?
No. In part 1 the examiner must ask all of the questions on his/her question sheet, and there will be around 10 to 12
questions in total.
Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking, Questions/Advice | Permalink | Comments (5)
My favourite room is the kitchen because it looks out onto the back garden, and it's on the side of the house that catches
the afternoon sun.
3) Is there anything about your house that you would like to change?
Well, it would be nice if it were a detached house so that we could have windows on the wall that we currently share with
our neighbours.
The previous owners converted the loft into an extra bedroom; that's the quietest room in the house, and the best place to
go to do some work.
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too... for my liking (e.g. the weather is too hot for my liking)
Personally, I'm not a fan of...
I'd much rather do A (than B)
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The answer is no. You won't lose any marks for missing some of the bullet points on the task card. There's nothing in the
examiner's marking scheme about covering every point.
However, I do still advise people to try to cover each point. Here's why:
The points on the task card help you to structure your description.
They help you to move forward, rather than getting stuck on one idea.
The points are 'prompts' that remind you what to say next.
The final point is often a 'why' question, which will allow you to express your feelings, opinions and reasons using
some good descriptive language. It would be a shame to miss this point.
I was asked to describe my living room in IELTS speaking part 1. What style of answer should I give for this question?
Let's see what people think. How would you answer this part 1 question?
Advice: Choose a typical IELTS topic like "guns". Explain why people in your country can/can't own a gun, and talk about
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the pros and cons of this law. There is a chapter on this topic in my ebook.
Part 3: What new law would you introduce to improve life in your country?
Advice: Choose an easy topic like "environment". Explain that the government could introduce new laws to reduce
pollution from factories, cars etc. Explain how this would improve people's lives.
Posted by Simon in IELTS Speaking | Permalink | Comments (9)
Well, I don't usually take photos to be honest. I prefer to enjoy whatever I'm doing, rather than stop to take a photograph.
2) What do you do with photos you take?
I rarely take photos, but if I occasionally use my mobile phone to take a picture of something, I just leave the photo there; I
don't do anything special with it.
3) When you visit other places, do you take photos or buy postcards?
I don't really do either. I leave it to my friends or other family members to take photographs; I'm usually with someone
who likes taking photos and can share them with me later.
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