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.

• 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
Here is some 'less common' vocabulary from yesterday's lesson:
• defeat the other player
• trapping his King... checkmate
• portable chess set
• the chance to hone my skills
• I made it onto the school team
• the challenge of thinking ahead
• trying to outwit my opponent
• a very mysterious and intellectual game
• taught me to learn from my losses
• to congratulate the person who had beaten me
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 3: "it depends"

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?

"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."
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, 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: if you don't know the answer

How do you answer a question when you don't know anything about the
topic?
Example question:
How has technology affected the kinds of music that young people listen to?
My answer, using both tips above:
(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 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.
 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.
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 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 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 2: foreign culture
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
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.
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.