Have you ever been answering IELTS questions and you don’t know what to say? You run out of things to talk about, especially when doing part 2.
I am going to tell you about a very easy way to expand any IELTS speaking answer to make it better and higher score.
Additionally, you can find out about structuring an IELTS speaking part 2 answer here.
To show you how this easy technique works, I will answer the following question. Let us assume this is part of an IELTS speaking part 2 question and the example is the first part of my answer.
This video is about the same topic – extending your IELTS speaking answer.
Describe an activity that you did at the weekend.
I will tell you about a bike ride that I went on at the weekend. On Saturday it was hot, my wife and I set out on our bike ride over the cliffs of Sussex. We both were riding mountain bikes with gears, which made climbing the hills much easier. Nevertheless, we were tired when we reached the river. We sat down and had a picnic, right next the water…
What is this answer missing? Adjectives and adverbs.
Look how much better my answer is if I use adjectives and adverbs to describe my nouns.
I will tell you about a fantastic bike ride that I went on at the weekend. On Saturday it was hot and sunny, my wife and I set out on our epic bike ride over the white cliffs of Sussex. We both were riding fairly new mountain bikes with many gears, which made climbing the steep hills much easier. Nevertheless, we were exhausted and tired when we reached the river. Thankfully, we sat down and had a delicious picnic, right next the water…
I have highlighted the adjectives and adverbs so you can easily see them. I’m sure you know most of them but they are explained below.
Look how much more interesting and descriptive my story is now and all I did was describe the nouns with adjectives.
Fantastic (adj) – Great
Hot (adj) – Having much heat
Sunny (adj) – A lot of sun
Epic (adj) – Large in scale
White (adj) – Colour of milk
Fairly (adv) – To a quite high degree
New (adj) – Recently bought
Many (adj) – A lot
Steep (adj) – Slope with a big angle
Nevertheless (adv) – In spite of
Exhausted (adj) – Drained of energy
Thankfully (adv) – Being thankful
Delicious (adj) – A pleasant taste
For an easy way to plan an IELTS speaking part two answer click here.
The topic of beauty has come up in recent IELTS speaking tests with some very difficult questions. This post will tell you how you can talk about beauty and beautiful things to get a great score in the IELTS speaking test.
The following are the latest questions from the IELTS speaking test. I will give model answers for the highlighted questions and discuss some vocabulary you can use in your answer.
What does human beauty mean to you?
Do you think the idea of human beauty now differs from the past?
Do you think there are more beautiful things now than in the past? Why?
What beautiful scenery spots are there in your country?
Where do you think people usually come into contact with beautiful things?
Why do you think people create beautiful things?
The questions ask about beautyand beautiful things but I want to try to paraphrase these words to show the IELTS examiner how great my language is. Additionally, I am unlikely to score many marks for lexical resource, if I just repeat the same words that are used in the question.
See the video about beauty here.
Words for beautiful
Eye-catching (idiom) – That shirt you’re wearing is very eye-catching.
Stunning (adj) – What a stunning pair of shoes.
Attractive (adj) – James isn’t handsome but he is attractive.
Good looking (adj)- What a good-looking car you are driving.
Striking (adj) – The painting of the girl is incredibly striking.
Gorgeous (adj) – Isn’t that the most gorgeous sunset?
I will now give some model answers for the IELTS speaking part 3 questions about the topic of beauty. Make sure to look out for the vocabulary that I discussed above.
What does human beauty mean to you?
In my mind, it’s all to do with being the best human being you can be. We all come in a myriad of shapes and sizes but truly stunning people are true to themselves and kind to those around them.
If you see a really attractive person in a cafe, initially you may be attracted to them. But if they started racially abusing the waiter, they are likely to look rather ugly and unappealing.
Truly beautiful people treat all people with respect and kindness regardless of their occupationor social class.
Vocabulary
In my mind (idiom) – From my point of view
Stunning (adj) – Very beautiful
Attractive (adj) – A pleasing appearance
Attracted (adj) – Have a liking for something
Ugly (adj) – Repulsive or bad to look at
Unappealing (adj) – Physically unattractive
Kindness (n) – Being friendly and generous
Do you think the idea of human beauty now differs from the past?
(Compare and contrast question)
To stop confusing yourself and your audience, try talking about the past and then about the present. If you want, you could do a conclusion sentence at the end.
The model answer
Many centuries ago a fuller figure was celebrated, as it meant that you had enough to eat which indicated wealth. You can see this in the art of the time showing rotund nudes, which decorate many religious buildings of the time. Being slightly plump was incredibly attractive.
These days society, love handles and bingo wings as unsightly and unattractive. Skinny seems to be the epitome of beauty and unfortunately, many people get eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia trying to achieve it. If you aren’t a size zero, you are not attractive and are classed as fat.
Vocabulary
Love handles (idiom) – Extra fat on the hips
Bing wings (idiom) – Loose skin on the back of the arm
Unsightly (adv) – Unpleasant to look at
Celebrated (adj) – Admired
Skinny (adj) – A very thin person
Anorexia (n) – Illness where the person doesn’t want to eat to stay slim
Bulimia (n) – Illness where the person makes themself sick after eating
Epitome (n) – A perfect example
Where do you think people usually come into contact with beautiful things?
In my mind nature shows us the largest degree of beauty. Looking out at a stunning and picturesque landscape is one of the most breathtaking things that you can witness.
It could be rolling hills, fields, dramatic mountains or a gorgeous seascape. Our natural world is the epitome of beauty and is far more attractive than anything man-made.
Vocabulary
Largest degree (phrase) – The biggest amount
Stunning (adj) – Very beautiful
Picturesque (adj) – Pretty like a picture
Breathtaking (adj) – Astonishing
Gorgeous (adj) – Very beautiful
Seascape (n) – Picture of the sea
Attractive (adj) – Pleasing to look at
These were my model answers and I showed you some great vocabulary that you can use instead of beauty or beautiful.
Even if a question doesn’t ask about beauty, if you want to describe something beautiful, you can use some of this vocabulary to make sure you give a descriptive and detailed answer.
In IELTS writing, a discussion essay can be pretty difficult. Many of my students certainly struggle to get this type of essay correct and if they have trouble, maybe you do too.
I am going to write an IELTS writing task 2 discussion essay. You can follow along with me as I plan my essay and then see how I write the essay.
I want to avoid the 3 most common mistakes in writing a discussion essay:
Not giving my opinion
Not giving an argument for both sides of the argument
Not developing the argument/opinion
Watch the video about writing an IELTS task 2 discussion essay
How to structure a discussion essay
The structure that I will use for my discussion essay is detailed below. There are other ways to structure an answer but I find this one works well.
Introduction
Paraphrase the question
State up to two supporting reasons for each side
Give your opinion
Main body paragraph 1
Topic sentence – outline the view you don’t agree with
Explanation – explain why the view is held by some people
Example – give an example
Main body paragraph 2
Topic sentence – outline the view you do agree with
Explanation – explain why this view is held by some people (and you)
Example – give an example
Conclusion
Summarise the key points and state your opinion
In this structure, the second body paragraph will also be my opinion. This will be clearly stated throughout the essay and will mean that my essay only needs 4 paragraphs instead of 5.
Planning an answer
First, I am going to analyse the question. What topics or themes do I need to talk about and how many questions do I need to answer?
It is important to read the question carefully as some questions will ask you to talk about 2 different opinions whereas others ask you to discuss both sides and give an opinion (3 things).
I will answer the following question:
Some people think that getting a degree from a university is the best way to guarantee a good job, others believe that it would be better to go straight into work and get experience instead.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
This question asks me to do 3 things, talk about both sides and give my opinion. If I don’t make my opinion clear, I will risk getting a bad score for task response.
The following are my ideas of what I will discuss for both sides of the argument in main body paragraphs 1 and 2. There will be 3 areas to plan for each paragraph. Look back at the structure to check what these will be.
Reason for university (body paragraph 1)
Lets students gain knowledge before work
The students can pursue academic studies uninterrupted
Example – If someone wants to become a lawyer it is vital they understand the law before starting work.
Reason for not going to university (body paragraph 2)
Learning on the job – This lets workers gain practical knowledge and experience
Meaning they can earn money, support themself while learning
Example – Someone wants to become a plumber
Paraphrase the question
Next, I want to paraphrase the question. The keywords that I will paraphrase are underlined with synonyms listed below.
Some people think that getting a degree from a university is the best way to guarantee a good job, others believe that it would be better to go straight into work and get experience instead.
Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Some people – Many people
Think – Believe
Job – Career
Work – Employment
Better – Beneficial
Opinion – Viewpoint
Now it is time to write my introduction paragraph. If you look at the structure above and read what the question asks, my introduction needs to do 3 things:
Paraphrase the question
State up to two supporting reasons for each side
Give your opinion
My introduction paragraph is now finished and you can read it below:
Many people believe that obtaining a degree and being a university graduate is a great way to secure a good job because it guarantees that you have the appropriate knowledge to start a career. Others are of the opinion that obtaining employment and learning on the job is more beneficial because it lets you learn as you go, picking up practical skills and experience along the way. Although this essay discusses both viewpoints, I feel that learning as you work is a much better option for most individuals.
Look at the last sentence, this clearly shows that I agree with the 2nd opinion. By making this clear at the beginning the examiner can see that I have started to answer all 3 parts of the question.
Writing the essay
Now that I have finished the introduction and planned my 2 main body paragraphs, writing the rest of the essay should be fairly easy. All I need to do is refer to my plan and the structure stated above.
If you look carefully, I state my opinion 3 times in the essay (in the introduction, 2nd body paragraph and the conclusion). Therefore, the examiner is very sure what my opinion is.
My finished discussion essay
Many people believe that obtaining a degree and being a university graduate is a great way to secure a good job because it guarantees that you have the appropriate knowledge to start a career. Others are of the opinion that obtaining employment and learning on the job is more beneficial because it lets you learn as you go, picking up practical skills and experience along the way. Although this essay discusses both viewpoints, I feel that learning as you work is a much better option for most individuals.
It is a traditionally held belief that graduating with a university degree will ensure that someone is ready for the jobs market and will guarantee obtaining a great job. Furthermore, this period of uninterrupted learning allows that student to concentrate on academic studies before having to worry about earning a living. For instance, if a person wants to become a lawyer, it is vital that they understand the law and legal process before they begin to give actual legal advice. For this reason, at least 4 years of higher education are necessary.
On the other hand, I believe that gaining practical knowledge and experience as you work is a much more suitable choice for most people. It will allow them to earn money, to see the practical applications of what they learn, all while learning the ropes. On top of that, they will be able to stimulate both their bank balance and their brain. If someone wanted to learn a practical trade like plumbing, it would be much better for them to gain hands-on experience learning through doing rather than spending years in a classroom studying theory. This is why apprenticeships have always been popular for manual and trade jobs.
In conclusion, many people think that a university graduate is better positioned to secure a good job and will be ready for a career because of their academic studies. Conversely, I’m of the opinion that learning while pursuing a vocation is a more suitable choice for most people because it allows the gradual acquiring of knowledge alongside an income.
Now that you have read my essay, have I fully answered the questions? Does my address the 3 most common errors that we discussed earlier?
Not giving your opinion
Not giving an argument for both sides of the argument
Not developing the argument/opinion
I hope you have found this useful. Answering discussion essays can be difficult but if you have a good structure and plan the essay well, this will make it much easier to write.
This post talks about an IELTS speaking part 2 question and model answer about someone who likes to grow plants. This is a difficult question but you will see that I can answer it quite easily using the PPF method.
If you don’t know what the PPF method is, follow the link and make answering IELTS speaking part 2 questions about people or things much easier.
This is a question that my students have been finding very difficult to answer:
Describe a person you know who loves to grow plants (e.g., vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc.)
You should say: who this person is what he/she grows where he/she grows them and explain why he/she enjoys growing plants.
To see how I answered this difficult question about someone who likes to grow things.
The following is my model answer with the vocabulary explained at the end.
I’ve decided to talk about my mum. She is an avid gardener and is incredibly keen on gardening and cultivating all kinds of plants. Although her garden is relatively small, it has a huge assortment of gorgeous flowers, herbs and vegetables. She seems to be very gifted at looking after plants and you could even say that she has green fingers. Her garden is a beautiful little sanctuary with sunny places and shady spots that are perfect for an English summers day.
She has always been fairly into gardening but I think her passion really took off when she retired 8 years ago. I guess she had more time on her hands after she became a pensioner.
I really hope that she is able to garden for many years to come and will enjoy the fruits of her labors in the future.
Grammar I’ve decided to talk about (present perfect)
Vocabulary Avid (adj) – Having a keen interest Keen on (pv) – Likes a lot Cultivating (v) – Growing a plant Assortment (n) – Collection of many things Gifted (adj) – Good at doing something Look after (pv) – Care for Green fingers (idiom) – Great at gardening Took off (idiom) – Started Pensioner (n) – Someone who gets paid a pension Fruits of (her) labors (idiom) – Outcome of hard work
Maybe you should try and make an answer to this question using some of the phrases and vocabulary from my answer.
Did you spot the idiom that I used about time? Tell me in the comments below. What does this mean?
Thanks for reading and good luck with your IELTS test. Make sure to check out simple IELTS solutions for more helpful tips to help you to prepare for your test.
This is a very recent IELTS speaking part 2 question. Many of my students have tried talking about a person who loves to grow plants and found it very difficult.
This post will show you a band 9 model answer with some higher-level vocabulary to give you some ideas of how you could answer this. I use the PPF method in my answer, which is explained in the link. This way of planning your IELTS speaking part 2 answer can really help you to make a great answer when talking about a thing (noun) or a person.
I think this question is challenging because it asks about a topic that my students may be unfamiliar with, but remember it asks about the person as well not just the topic.
The question:
Describe a person you know who loves to grow plants (e.g., vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc.)
You should say:
who this person is
what he/she grows
where he/she grows them
and explain why he/she enjoys growing plants.
The following is my answer, I will explain the vocabulary at the end. I have answered using the PPF method:
I’ve decided to talk about my mum. She is an avid gardener and is incredibly keen on gardening and cultivating all kinds of plants. Although her garden is relatively small, it has a huge assortment of gorgeous flowers, herbs and vegetables. She seems to be very gifted at looking after plants and you could even say that she has green fingers. Her garden is a beautiful little sanctuary with sunny places and shady spots that are perfect for an English summer’s day.
She has always been fairly into gardening but I think her passion really took off when she retired 8 years ago. I guess she had more time on her hands after she became a pensioner.
I really hope that she is able to garden for many years to come and will enjoy the fruits of her labours in the future.
Grammar
I’ve decided to talk about (present perfect)
Vocabulary
Avid (adj) – Having a keen interest
Keen on (pv) – Likes a lot
Cultivating (v) – Growing a plant
Assortment (n) – Collection of many things
Gifted (adj) – Good at doing something
Look after (pv) – Care fore
Green fingers (idiom) – Great at gardening
Took off (idiom) – Started
Pensioner (n) – Someone who gets paid a pension
Fruits of (her) labours (idiom) – Outcome of hard work
That is my model answer which I used the PPF method to plan along with some higher-level vocabulary. I have a question for you about my answer.
Which idiom about time do I use and what does it mean? Can you tell me in the comments below?
If you would like to learn more and get help preparing for your IELTS test then follow this link to the Simple IELTS Solution Academy.
Thanks for reading and good luck with your IELTS test.
It can be challenging to plan an IELTS speaking part 2 answer. Especially if the question asks you to describe someone or something that you don’t know much about.
This post will show you how you can plan this type of answer using the PPF method. It is actually quite easy when you have a good structure.
The subject of the question that we will cover is rather hard; many of my students have recently found it extremely difficult. The question asks you to talk about someone who is fashionable.
This is challenging for 2 reasons:
Who will you talk about?
How can you talk about fashion?
Many of my students get stuck halfway through their talk because they are trying to think of more vocabulary that they can use to talk about fashion and fashionable.
What they really need is a way to plan their answer. This is why I suggest using this structure to make an answer when talking about any person or thing (this could also be used to talk about a place).
The method that we will use to plan this answer is as follows:
Present – Talk in the present tense
Past – Talk about the past
Future – Talk about the future
If we look at the question and my answer, it will be easy to see how this works.
See me use the PPF method to talk about a person
The IELTS speaking part 2 question that we will answer is:
Describe a fashionable person
You should say:
who he/she is
what he/she does
what kind of clothes he/she wears
and explain why you think this person is fashionable.
Planning The Answer
If we try and talk about fashion for the whole 2 minutes, we will probably run out of things to say by the end. Remember we are talking about a person as well as fashion. Let us plan the answer using the; present, past and future method.
Present Tense
Who is he/she? (Old friend James)
What he/she does? (fashion model, trendy)
What kind of clothes they wear? (The latest styles)
Why is he/she fashionable? (Always knows the latest styles)
Past Tense
When did we meet? (At uni)
What did we do? (Were good friends – Thick as thieves)
Future
What we will do together in the future (Should catch up and hang out)
Now I have planned, let’s see it all together in the answer.
I’ve decided to talk about my friend James. He is an old friend and he’s incredibly trendy. Whatever the occasion, he is always wearing something suitable and stylish but this isn’t surprising as he works as a fashion model. This is why he knows the latest fashions and can get hold of the most up-to-date styles.
As I mentioned, James and I go way back. We were school chums originally and we ended up attending the same uni, albeit on different courses. You could say we were as thick as thieves. Even back then he was always dressed to impress and well turned out in the latest clothes. On top of that, he was a bit of a ladies man and often had a pretty girlfriend.
That reminds me, I really should get in touch with him as I haven’t seen him in ages. It will be great to catch up and see what he has been up to.
Vocabulary
An old friend (colocation) – Friend for a long time
Trendy (adj) – Wears the latest fashions
Stylish (adj) – Fashionable
Get hold of (pv) – Aquire or own
Styles (n) – Type of stylish clothing
Chums (n) – Friends
As thick as thieves (idiom) – Great friends
Dressed to impress (colocation) – Wore fashionable clothes
Ladies man (n) – A man who has a lot of female attention
Get in touch (idiom) – Contact somebody
That is my method for talking about a person or a thing (Present, Past & Future). I hope you found it useful! Make sure to try this out next time you’re practising your IELTS speaking.
Try answering this question yourself:
Describe a person you admire. You should say:
who the person is
what he or she is like
What they do well
and why you admire him or her
I have one last question for you:
Which linking phrase is used to add more information?
(Let me know in the comments below)
Thanks for reading, good luck with the IELTS tests!
This post will talk about IELTS speaking part 2 and the topic of online shopping. This topic has been asked recently.
Follow along with me and learn some great vocabulary that you can use in your answer. Then see the model answer that I have written for this topic.
This is the vocabulary that I use in my answer. It will give you some good ideas for how you can impress the IELTS examiner.
Vocabulary
I’ve decided to talk about (present perfect)
Cyber (adj) – About the internet
Purchase (n) – Something I bought
Look(ed) around (pv) – To look in many places for something
Turn up (pv) – Arrive
Keen on (pv) – Like a lot
Made up with (pv) – Very happy with
Shell out (idiom) – Pay
Due to the fact (collocation) – Because
Imperative (adj) – Vital/important
Comfy (adj) – Comfortable
I’ve decided to talk about an online purchase that I made quite recently, that was when I bought this chair, the one I’m sitting on right now. I am very keen on cyber shopping because it is amazingly easy to browse and compare products on different web pages. So I looked around before I made my decision. I ended up going for a computer-type swivel chair with an adjustable seat, which took about a week to turn up at my doorstep.
I am made up with my chair, I got a great deal and didn’t have to shell out too much money. Due to the fact that I spend much of my day sitting down as I‘m writing lessons and speaking to my students, it is imperative that I have a comfy chair to sit on. Prior to buying this chair, I was using an old wooden chair from the dining room, which was terribly uncomfortable. I was getting a sore back, aching legs and a sore rear end.
Buying things online is just so easy and convenient, it’s something that I regularly do and I think it saves me both time and money.
I hope you found this useful. Make sure that you practice using the vocabulary so that you can easily use it in your answer.
One of the latest IELTS speaking part 3 topics asks you to speak about customer service and online shopping. This can be pretty tricky.
When answering questions like this I always try to think of a time that I have experienced what the question is asking about. That way making an answer should be much easier than making something up.
This post talks about 2 IELTS speaking part 3 questions, I will discuss vocabulary and give you 2 model answers to see how the vocabulary can be used.
You can watch the video about this vocabulary and giving these 2 model answers here.
The first question is:
What kind of service do you think is good? (Opinion)
This is an opinion essay, say what you think, and why. Then maybe give an example. The following is the vocabulary that I will use in the answer.
Vocabulary
Incredible (adj) – Very good
Expectation (n) – What is expected to happen
Exceed (v) – Get more than expected
If the stylist… (conditional)
Stylist (n) – Hairdresser/barber
Excellent (adj) – Very good
My model answer is as follows:
Incredible customer service is all about meeting expectations. If the customer’s expectations (what the customer expects) are met or exceeded, then this is great service. For instance, let us say someone goes for a haircut. If the stylist just cuts half of the hair, this would be poor service. However, if the hairdresser gives them a great haircut, a head massage and a glass of champagne, then maybe this would be excellent customer service.
Notice I’m using an example to illustrate my idea, this is a great idea for answering an IELTS speaking part 3 opinion question.
The second question I will answer is as follows:
What are the differences between shopping online and in stores? (compare)
I will use the following vocabulary in my model answer:
Vocabulary
In my mind (idiom) – I think
Convenient (adj) – Easy to do
Retailers (n) – Shops/sellers
At the touch of a button (idiom) – With 1 click
Try (sth) on (pv) – Wear something to see how it fits/looks
Drawback (n) – Disadvantage
Web-based/Cyber shopping (n) – Internet shopping/online shopping
This is how I used this vocabulary in my answer.
In my mind, internet shopping is a fantastic option for purchasing most things. Not only is it often cheaper and more convenient, but it also allows you to compare many different prices and retailersat the touch of a button. A major drawback to web-based shopping is the fact you can’t try things on, which is especially important when buying clothes or shoes. However, on the whole, cyber shopping is pretty wonderful.
There are 2 idioms in this answer and instead of saying ‘buy’ I used the word ‘purchase.’ I hope this post has helped you to feel more confident to answer IELTS questions about customer service or online shopping.
The latest posts from Simple IELTS Solutions can be found here.
To see the latest IELTS speaking question click here.
What are the differences between famous people today and those in the past?
Compare & Contrast Question
This is what we call a compare and contrast question’. This is one of the most difficult types of questions to answer in IELTS speaking part 3. It invites you to talk about 2 different things. It could be the past and present, different people or different areas.
How can you answer these questions?
Answering is actually very simple but many students get confused and end up talking themselves in circles. To avoid this follow my advice.
Organize Your Answer
2. Talk about one thing then the other
It is as simple as that. By keeping the 2 things separate, you can easily think and talk about each thing at a time.
This is my answer to the above question:
Back in the day, celebrities were famous for their business exploits, like Henry Ford, or for their talent. For instance, Elvis was a well-know singer or Audrey Hepburn, a famous actress.
These days the same is true to some extent but many people are simply famous for being famous. Take the Kardasians for instance, their incredible popularity isn’t based on any particular talent but rather having a rich father and an ultra-glamorous lifestyle.
This is the video that I have made answering questions on the topic of famous people.
Linking phrase/Discours marker
Back in the day (phrase) – Introduce something in the past
Take the….for instance (phrase) – Way to introduce something
Vocabulary
Business exploits (collocation) – Business achievements
Talent (n) – Something someone is good at
Incredible (adj) – Amazing (very good)
Popularity (n) – Being liked and admired by many people
Ultra-glamorous (adj) – Very appealing and luxury
Now it is your turn to answer a question. Answer the following question using the technique above
What are the differences between the homes people live in nowadays and to where they lived in the past?
Paraphrasing the question when giving your answer in IELTS speaking is a good idea. It lets you show that you have a varied range of vocabulary.
This is the reason that so many tutors will ask you to paraphrase the question. Just to encourage you to use some different vocabulary than what is used in the question.
This post will give you some hints and tips about how you can paraphrase in your answer. But remember, not all answers will require you to paraphrase the question and you can often just answer the question directly.
If we take the following question:
‘Will more people live in the countryside in future?’
We could answer this directly without any paraphrasing by saying, ‘Certainly not, in my mind urbanization is increasing rapidly so more and more people will be living in urban hubs.’
With IELTS speaking parts 2 and 3, paraphrasing is often less of a problem because it is easy for students to get straight into answering the question directly like in the above example.
How to paraphrase an IELTS speaking question
It is certainly not about repeating the question back to the examiner in different words. This would be time-consuming and wouldn’t answer the question.
It is about changing some or all of the key vocabulary in your answer to make sure you are not just repeating what the question has asked you.
Remember that your answer needs to be fluent, so only change what you can easily change without pausing or hesitating.
Let us take a common IELTS speaking part 1 question.
Do you like to sing?
With this question, there are two obvious things we can change, both of the verbs (like and sing).
Do you like to sing?
Like, could be changed to; love, keen on, fond of or a big fan of.
To sing could be changed from the verb to singing, which is a gerund.
Our answer to this could start as follows:
I am fond of singing…..
I love singing, I do it every day…
Some questions will ask about nouns. It is a good idea to paraphrase the noun using a synonym instead. But don’t take too long to think of this word as fluency is also important.
The question may ask:
Do you like to go to the cinema with your friends?
We have two nouns in this question, cinema and friends.
Do you like to go to the cinema with your friends?
All you need to do here is think of synonyms for these two nouns.
Instead of cinema, we could say movies, movie theatre, pictures or watch a film.
To replace friends, we may say chums, amigos, best friends or buddies.
So our new answer may be something like this:
I really like going to the movies with my chums, especially at the weekend.
What if I can’t think of any synonyms?
If you really can’t paraphrase the question, and with some vocabulary it can be very difficult, try changing the word order instead.
Let us imagine we are answering the following question:
Do you think it is helpful to plan your time?
Instead of answering something like, ‘I think it is helpful to plan my time…’
We could change the word order in the reply. Making it something like this:
I think planning my time is very helpful because…
When we are thinking of paraphrasing, using synonyms and changing word order, we are just doing this to show the examiner how great our vocabulary is.
Therefore, you will probably use a combination of all of these techniques when answering the questions.
But make sure that you don’t take too long to try to search out new vocabulary as fluency is also very important.
I wish you luck in your IELTS speaking test and hope you can show the IELTS examiner how good and varied your vocabulary is.
