Author: Simple IELTS Solutions

This post is talking about paraphrasing and if you need to paraphrase the question in the IELTS speaking test. Some things you read or videos that you see will tell you that you definitely have to paraphrase the question.

It is mentioned in the IELTS speaking Band Descriptors (under Lexical Resource) after all.

So you need to paraphrase every question right? Well, the answer to that is yes and no.

It doesn’t say in the Band Descriptors what you need to paraphrase, it just mentions that you show that you can do it.

Why do teachers ask you to paraphrase the question?

The reason that IELTS tutors and teachers ask you to paraphrase is that they want you to show that you can use other language and vocabulary.

Let us take a common IELTS speaking part 1 question.

Do you like to cook?

Often, students will answer this with a sentence like, ‘I like to cook but I am very bad at it.’

This answer is ok, but it could be much better. If the student showed more vocabulary rather than repeating the vocabulary from the question, it would be much better.

Maybe something like this: ‘I’m quite fond of cooking but to be honest, I am absolutely terrible at it.’

In this short sentence I have changed a lot of the vocabulary and added some adjectives and adverbs.

Instead of saying ‘I like,’ I used the phrasal verb ‘fond of.’

Also, to replace the verb ‘to cook,’ I have used the gerrund ‘cooking.’

I have also added some collocations, adjectives and adverbs.

By changing some of the vocabulary when giving the answer, we can give a much more interesting answer that will impress the examiner. This will allow them to give you a good score for lexical resource when awarding you a mark.

This is why teachers will often ask you to paraphrase the language in the question when giving your answer. Just to allow you to show the examiner how good and varied your language is.

So, next time you are answering IELTS speaking part one questions, make sure that you change at least some of the words from the question. That way you will keep the answer interesting and hopefully impress the examiner too.

In the next post I will talk more about how you can paraphrase in your answer. What language can you paraphrase easily and what it is more difficult to change.

For more information about the IELTS speaking test click here.

These are some of the latest IELTS speaking part 1 questions. The topic of computers comes up time and again. The following are some model answers that I have made for these questions but make sure to try answering these questions yourself. The topic of computers also seems to come up a lot in writing so by having some answers and vocabulary you will kill two birds with one stone (Solve 2 problems at once).

When was the first time you used a computer?

The first desktop PC that my family got was an Acorn Archimedes computer.  It wasn’t very powerful and the graphics and sounds were terrible, but we are talking more than 30 years ago now.

Vocabulary

Desktop PC  (n) – Personal computer

Graphics (n) – Display on the screen

Terrible (adj) – Very bad

We are talking…(collocation) – Introducing an idea

In what condition would you use a computer?

Computers are used in almost all aspects of our lives these days, from ATM’s to give us money, to having video conferences at work. I think you would have to try pretty hard to get away from computer technology in our society.

Vocabulary

Aspect (n) – Particular part

These days (Collocation) – At this time

ATM (n) – Auto teller machine (Cash point)

Video conference (n) – Communicating over video

Computer technology (n) – Computer related things

Society (n) – People living together in a country

What will your life be like without computers?

Unfortunately, I’m old enough that I can actually recall a time before the advent of computers unlike many of the younger generation.  I think life would be much slower paced without them because we would have to rely on the post or snail main rather than email.

Vocabulary

Recall (v) – Remember

Advent (n) – Beginning/Start

Generation (n) – People of similar age group

Snail Mail (idiom) – Postal service

In what condition would you not use a computer?

I think it would be frowned upon or probably prohibited to use a computer in a formal academic exam. If you were there taking a test in the examination hall, I’m sure the invigilators would not be keen on you firing up your laptop to look up the answers.

Grammar

If you were taking… (Conditional)

Vocabulary

Frowned upon (idiom) – Disapproved of

Prohibited (adj) – Forbidden/Not allowed

Exam (n) – Test

Invigilators (pl-n) – People who supervise the exam

Keen on (pv) – Like a lot

Firing up (pv) – Starting/Turning on

Those were my model answers, how did you get on? I hope you found this post useful. Good luck with your study and good luck with the IELTS test!

For more of the latest IELTS help click here.

This is a recent IELTS speaking part 3 model answer, ‘How do rivers and lakes benefit local people?’ Many of my students have recently struggled to answer questions on this topic recently. This post and video will give you an example of an answer and explain the vocabulary that you could use in the future. Read on or watch the video to find out more.

The question is: How can rivers/lakes benefit local people?

There are numerous ways that waterways and lakes can be beneficial to locals.

Firstly, they allow transportation and trade. Many large cities are situated on big rivers and have huge ports to facilitate trade with other nations.

Secondly, these bodies of water are often quite appealing and picturesque so will attract tourists and locals alike, who want to spend time hanging out on or around the water.

Finally, they are a vital lifeline for so many local people, who rely on them for everything in their life and livelihood. If they live on the river, they probably do everything in that water from washing to catching fish.

Rivers and lakes are critical to populations and I don’t think that will change any time soon.

Linking phrase/Discourse markers

Firstly, secondly – Signpost each point for the listener

Vocabulary

Waterway (n) – Rout travelled by water (River, lake or canal)

Beneficial (adj) – Advantageous or favorable 

Facilitating (v) – Making it easy

Body of water (idiom) – Large area of water

Lifeline (n) – Something that keeps you alive

Livelihood (n) – Way of getting things needed for survival

I hope that you found this post useful and that you will be able to answer questions on this topic if you get it in your IELTS speaking test.

To see another post about IELTS speaking part 3 answers follow this link.

Following is a compare and contrast question from IELTS speaking part 3. This is one of the most difficult question types to answer from the IELTS speaking test. Follow along with how I plan and see my model answer.

What are the differences between famous people today and those in the past? 

Compare & Contrast Question

Organize Your Answer (It’s vital to structure your answer otherwise it is confusing for you and the listner)

Talk about one thing then the other (Separate your 2 things into sections. Then talk about one and then the other).

See how I have done this in my answer:

Back in the day, celebrities were famous for their business exploits, like Henry Ford, or for their talent. For instance, Elvis was a well-known singer and Audrey Hepburn, was 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 than having a rich father and an ultra-glamorous lifestyle. 

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 

Next time you get one of these questions in the IELTS speaking test, organise your answer and talk about 1 thing and then the other. That way it will be easy for you to keep track of where you are in the answer and easy for the examiner to understand.

For my IELTS speaking part 3 answer, follow this link.

This post will talk about the types of questions that are often asked in IELTS speaking part 1. We don’t know what the topic will be but we can easily predict the types of questions that will be likely asked. If you practice answering these different question types, you will be well prepared to make a good impression when you sit the IELTS speaking test.

These questions are mainly about you and what you do, like, dislike… Because of this they should be relatively easy to answer and should not require too much thought.

These are the types of questions that are often asked.

Do you Verb? 

Do you run?

Do you play a musical instrument?

Are you good at Noun?

Are you good at swimming?

Are you good at painting?

Did you Verb as a child?

Did you learn to swim as a child?

Did you visit museums as a Child?

Do you prefer A or B?

Do you prefer texting or speaking on the phone?

Do you prefer writing with pens or pencils?

How long have you?

How long have you worked there?

How long have you played an instrument?

Is Noun/Verb-ing popular in your country?

Is reading popular in your country?

Is sport popular in your country?

Do you think Noun is important?

Do you think exercise is important?

Do you think cars are important?

Do you like Noun/Verb-ing?

Do you like your job?

Do you like to shop?

How often do you Verb?

How often do you read?

How often do you go shopping?

If you want to watch a video about the question types, please click below.

As you can see the questions in IELTS speaking part 1 are pretty simple and are about you. So if you practice answering them, you should have no trouble doing it on test day.

For the most common topics that come up in part 1, which are family, home, hometown, job and study, follow this link.

This post looks at an IELTS speaking part 3 question about friends and friendship. This is an opinion question. The answer that I give below has a huge amount of phrasal verbs and idioms, which could be very useful when talking about friends, friendships or relationships.

The question that I will be answering is as follows:

Is it important to have the same hobbies and interests when making friends?

The model answer

Well, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say it certainly makes it easier to get on with someone. If you are both mad about football and are into the same team, you will probably get along very well and become great friends.

That said, it is certainly possible to have a friendship and relationship with someone who is keen on different hobbies to you. For example, my friend Jonny is football mad but I couldn’t care less about who wins the soccer.

The vocabulary from the answer

If I were to hazard a guess (idiot) – If I were to guess

Get on/along (pv) – Have a friendly relationship 

Mad about…… (idiom) – Like something very much

Into (pv) – Interested in

That said (phrase) – However (stating the other point of view)

Keen on (pv) – Like something a lot

……… mad (idiom) – Dad about/crazy about 

Next time you are answering an IELTS question or relationships, make sure to use some of the phrasal verbs or idioms to make sure that you impress the examiner.

For another IELTS speaking part 2 answer about toys, follow this link.

For more information about the IELTS speaking test, click here.