I e Lts Speaking Book

IELTS Speaking
Index
Chapter 1 - All About Speaking Skill, 2
Chapter 2 - How is Speaking Task Scored?, 7
Chapter 3 - What Are the Types of Topics in Speaking Task?, 12
Chapter 4 - How To Utilize 1 Minute Effectively?, 18
Chapter 5 - How To Add Details?, 22
Chapter 6 - How To Use Less Fillers?, 26
Chapter 7 - 11 Things To Remember To Score Well, 30
Chapter 8 - How To Sound More Confident While Speaking?, 35
Chapter 9 - Vocabulary Building, 38
1) How To Expand Your Vocabulary

2) How To Paraphrase
3) Common Errors While Using Prepositions
4) Important Phrases To Know
5) Idioms
Chapter 10 - Recent Exam Questions, 91
1) Section 1
2) Section 2
3) Section 3
Chapter 11 - Complete Tests, 113
Chapter 1
All About Speaking Task
All About Speaking Task
IELTS Speaking test is nothing but a discussion between a certified examiner and the
candidate. This means you will have an interactive discussion with the examiner. The examiner
will try to have a conversation with you about a certain topic and you have to give appropriate
answers to those questions.
Types of Speaking Tasks:

The Speaking test lasts for 11-14 minutes. It is in three parts.
Part 1 5-6 This section focuses on questions about yourself and your
minutes family.
Part 2 2-3 You will be given a topic on which you have to speak about
minutes 1-2 minutes.
Part 3 5-6 This is in continuation of Part 2 as you will be required to

minutes have a longer discussion about the topic given in Part 2.
Important: There is no difference between the IELTS Speaking tests for IELTS Academic or
IELTS General Training tests.
IELTS Speaking Part 1

This section starts the minute the examiner starts speaking. The initial 5-6 minutes will be
utilized to have small talks with you where the examiner will ask you about your daily routine,
hobbies, details about your family, etc. This section is considered relatively easier as it is about
your personal life, wherein you will be questions about your past and present life and future
aspirations. Therefore it is advised not to give 'difficult' answers and try to avoid making
mistakes.
Here are four simple rules for Speaking Part 1:

1. Give short but complete answers and stop confidently.
2. Include some vocabulary in your answers from the examiner's question
3. Always give a reason for your answer.
4. Don't forget to say "yes" or "no" wherever required.
Here's an example to illustrate these points:
Do you like malls?

Yes, I like malls as they provide a good one-stop destination for everything. If you live in a city, a
mall can provide you with everything that you need under one roof.
Do you live in a house or an apartment?

I live in a one bedroom apartment in the suburb of Mumbai. I have recently shifted to Mumbai
due to work purposes.

Whichisyourfavouriteroominyourhome?Why?
I love each and every room in my home. However, my favorite room, I'd say, is the kitchen as I
love preparing meals for my family. We sit at the kitchen bay and have our dinner together.

Wouldyouchangeanythingaboutyourhome?Why/whynot?
Yes, I've been looking forward to redecorating it since I moved in last year. A garage is very
much needed to address the issue of parking, so that's what I'd change first.

Whereisyourhometown?
My hometown is in New Delhi, which is the capital of India. It has located in the north of the
country, which makes it a little closer to Himalayas. I love holidaying in Himalayas

For section 2 of the speaking task, you will be given a cue card that will have a prompt on it on
which you have to speak for one to two minutes. You will be given a minute to think and prepare
your notes. These topics are about describing different situations.
For instance,
Describing an event/game/sports
Describing an interesting conversation
Describing a person
Describing a place
The prompt is divided into four parts and you need to answer each question in no more than two
to three sentences. However, dont try to make complex sentences. It is advised to keep your
sentences simple.
Pay attention to the tense used in the question. This will help you construct your answer
accordingly.
Remember that this section is free speech section and you need to speak fluently; therefore,
pay attention to
- Pronunciation of each sound
- Word stress
- Sentence stress
- Intonation/voice articulation
- Tone
To improve your speech clarity, you can record your own voice and hear it. By observing your
own answer, You will soon realise the dos and donts of answering a question.
Sample Question
Describe your favourite season in your country. You should say

- when that season is
- what the weather is like at that time of year
- how that season is different from other seasons
- and why it is your favourite season.

Sample Answer
Im going to talk about winters in England. In England winters, like other parts of the
northern hemisphere, usually lasts for about 5 months between November and March. I
love these months because during this time the whole world seems to be covered in
pearly white, and it looks very serene and beautiful.
Most of the time, the temperature during winter is below zero. Sometimes, there is heavy
snowfall and the roads get blocked as there is snow on the roads. Schools also get
closed at the time of heavy snowfall. Children love to make snowman and throw
snowballs at one another. Young men and women go for skiing,
Winter is not very much different from other seasons. The only difference is that the
months are colder and the roads are empty as people tend to remain indoors. Thats
why an unusual kind of calm and peace prevail during these months.
I also like winters because I love the snow and the natural scenic beauty during winter
months. Luckily, I can experience this because I live in the countryside. Moreover, I like
winters for its festive spirit that brings about family gathering and celebrations on the
occasion of Christmas and New Year. In fact, I enjoy preparing for the festivities with the
onset of winter so much that I dont want winters to get over.

After the examiner has given you maximum of two minutes to speak on the prompt, she will start
asking you follow-up questions. IELTS speaking part 3 is a continued discussion on the topic
introduced in Part 2. Therefore, it becomes easier for you to answer the question.
The questions asked in this section will be abstract in nature. What does this mean? It means
that the questions would demand your opinion. You must practice giving your opinion in a polite
manner along with appropriate examples.
However, you need to give longer answers in part 3 of the speaking test. The best way to do it is
by thinking that you are writing a paragraph.
How To Structure the Answer?

Youcanstructuretheanswerbyfollowingthebelowmentioned.
xplain Example
Idea E
Start your answer to the question, by given a 'topic sentence' flow. Now, start adding details with
the help of various example to support the answer.
For instance,
How many seasons does your country have?

My country has four seasons. And each season has its own significance. We have a lot of
festivals that signifies each season change. For example, Holi, festival of colours, signifies
arrival of summer.
How does the weather affect your mood?

Weather affects my mood greatly. For instance if its raining, I feel very lazy. Whereas, a sunny
winter morning fills me with energy and enthusiasm. Hot weather, however, drains out all my
energy, thus I feel very lethargic.
How has global warming affected the winters in your country?

Global warming has certainly affected the weather patterns all across the globe. Lately, Ive
noticed that winters in India are longer and harsher. There were untimely rains also at some
regions. We saw snowfall in Shimla this year, which happened after several decades.
Has celebrating Holi changed since the time of your parents? Why?
It has changed a great deal. Lately, Ive noticed that now Holi is celebrated with less water and
more with organic colours. This is due to shortage of water in various parts of India. Nowadays,
youngsters prefer to go to Holi parties rather than celebrate it on the streets. We see less
people on the streets, celebrating Holi, than in our childhood.
Chapter 2
How is Speaking Task Scored?
Assessment Criteria.
What is expected from you?
Band predictors.
How is Speaking Task Scored?

Assessment Criteria
There are four assessment criteria:
1. Fluency and Coherence 25%
2. Lexical Resource 25%
3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy 25%
4. Pronunciation 25%
What is expected from you?

1. Understand the question
You are supposed to understand the question and answer it without going off topic. So, even if
you speak fluently and you talk about something other than the question, you will end up scoring
less.
For example: The question asked is, where do you live? In reply some would say I am from
Hyderabad.
The above answer is grammatically correct but does not directly answer the examiners
question. Instead, it answers the question, Where are you from?. You could be from
Hyderabad but you could be living in Australia.
You should say, I reside in Hyderabad.
Notice the change of words; live was changed to reside. This is yet another example of using
better vocabulary.
2. Use of Vocabulary
In non native English speaking countries, people are more likely to use simple English when
they communicate However, this has to be avoided when giving the IELTS speaking test. You
have to use better words to describe the question. Remember better vocabulary carries 25%
weightage.
For example: For I mean to say say I intend to say
Nonetheless, you should not overdo it. Using unnecessary fancy words and phrases will only
result in lower score band.
When the examiner asks you a question, you should also begin by paraphrasing the question.
3. Coherence (Common thread in the speech):
Your speech has to be linked via connectors that enable you to connect the thought to the other
keep the listener engaged and They also help the speaker predict the course of the
conversation.
Connectors like such as, but and h

owever helps in predicting that the opposite of what is being
said is coming, whereas connectors such as also, apart from this, etc help is introducing another
point.
You will learn more about this in the vocabulary section of this book.
4.Grammar
You should avoid grammatical errors at all costs. You must understand the difference between:
I slept at 6, I was sleeping at six and I went to sleep at 6.
C. Band Descriptors:
You can be awarded anywhere between 5 and a 9. Each band score tells something about the
fluency level of the student.

Speaking Band 5.0
The candidate hesitates a lot which gets in the way of his speaking. He uses short sentences
and linking words but they seem forced. Coherence of complex sentence is minimal. He uses
repetitive words and sentence structure. His pronunciation is not very good, which includes
incorrect stress on words.

Speaking Band 5.5

The candidate gives short answers, and is not willing to talk at length. He does not add details
and the responses are short. He hesitates a little and sometimes uses linking words incorrectly.
His vocabulary is simple but sufficient for him to send across the message. Simple sentences
are grammatically correct, however, there are a lot of error with complex sentences. There are
many mispronounced words.

Speaking Band 6
The candidate is willing to talk at length, but often steers away from the question. The speech is
mostly fluent with some hesitation and repetition. Usage of linking words (such as however, on
the one hand, then again, etc) is there, are not always used appropriately or accurately. He is
easy to understand as his vocabulary is large. However, there are some grammatical errors. He
uses both simple and complex sentence structures. Nonetheless, there are grammatical
mistakes while using complex sentences. The pronunciation is mostly correct with occasional
errors.

Speaking Band 6.5
The candidate can talk at length without much hesitation or repetition. The sentences are in
sequence, thus making it easier to follow. He uses linking words effortlessly. His vocabulary
includes not only simple but also sophisticated words on the subject, even if sometimes the
choice of a word is inappropriate, the meaning is perfectly clear. Even though the pronunciation
is correct, strong accent is very evident.

Speaking Band 7
The candidate speaks smoothly without much effort. The linking words are used naturally and in
the right places. The answers are to the point and well structured; he doesnt steer away from
the subject. His vocabulary is appropriate but not sophisticated and doesnt show variations, the
language is fluent but relatively simple. The vocabulary is large and uses some idioms;
sometimes inaccurately. The sentences are grammatically correct most of the times. His
pronunciation is good and the accent doesnt get in the way.

Speaking Band 7.5
The candidate speaks fluently and sticks to the questions without any effort. Occasionally
hesitation and self-correction is content related and not language related. Repetition is minimal.
He uses markers which results in relaxed delivery. His vocabulary is sufficient for him to engage
with a variety of topics and he demonstrates an ability to use idioms and collocations with some
sense of style and skill. However, he makes a number of inappropriate vocabulary choices
which restrict his rating on this criterion. He uses intonation effectively and puts correct stress on
words. His accent has only minimal effect on the understanding.
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Speaking Band 8
The candidate speaks fluently with only occasional repetition or self correction. He develops
topics coherently and appropriately. He uses a wide vocabulary resource flexibly to convey his
meaning. Uses less common and idiomatic vocabulary skilfully. Uses correctly paraphrased
sentences. He uses a wide range of pronunciation features. His accent has minimal effect on
intelligibility.
Speaking Band 8.5

The candidate speaks fluently for most of the time and develops topics coherently and
appropriately, with only slight content-related hesitations as he engages with the topics. His
vocabulary is precise and sophisticated throughout this part of the test. He uses a wide range of
grammatical structures naturally and accurately, with no noticeable error. He also uses a full
range of pronunciation features to convey precise and subtle meaning such as emphatic stress
and contrastive stress. He sustains this flexible use of features of connected speech throughout
and is effortless to understand. However, he hesitates a little which restricts him from getting
band 9.
Speaking Band 9
The candidate speaks fluently with only rare repetition or self correction; any hesitation is
content-related rather than to find words or grammar. He speaks coherently and develops topics
fully and appropriately. He uses vocabulary with full flexibility and precision in all topics. He uses
idiomatic language naturally and accurately. He uses a full range of structures naturally and
appropriately. He produces consistently accurate structures apart from slips characteristic of
native speaker speech.
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Chapter 3
Types of Topics Covered in the Speaking Task.
12

Types of Topics Covered in the Speaking Task

Practice makes a man perfect. While you practice, you should cover all types of speaking task
topics that can come. The question and the way it is asked can change, but the topics remain
more or less the same. Knowing the topics will help you focus on all four assessment criteria, i.e,
coherence, accuracy, grammar and vocabulary range.
There are only a handful of topics that you need to go through for preparing for IELTS speaking
task.
The list of the topics
In IELTS speaking task, various cues are created based on handful of IELTS speaking topics.
Lets take a look at the different topics on which questions are frequently asked in all the three
IELTS speaking tasks.
IELTS Speaking Task 1
The topics that are dealt with in this section are general in nature. You will be asked 12
questions on mainly three topics:
About you
Your life
Your country
Common topics:
Work
Study
Hometown
Home
Art
Borthdays
Computers
Clothes
Daily routine
Dictionaries
Family and friends
Flowers
Food
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Happiness
Hobbies
Childhood
Internet
Pets
Newspapers
Neighbours and neighbourhood
Transport
TV
Weather
Sports
Magazine & Newspapers
Sample Question and Model Answer
What is your name?
My name is Rohit Verma.
Are you studying or working?
I am currently studying in the final year of my graduation studies. Its a 3 years degree
programme in Bachelor of Arts and I am completing it in the prestigious Delhi University.
Which is your favourite subject?
I like Economics subject the most though all the subjects are quite interesting. It is because
economics is a subject which deals with studying about GDP, consumerism, finance, wealth,
banking, etc. It is about the study of how people, in their real life, utilize resources. Since it is
more practical and applicable in my life, I find this subject the most fascinating one.
Why do you like this subject?
As said earlier, I find this subject very much close to my real life. All the principles and concepts
that are taught in this subject are useful to deal with the real life financial problems as well. This
is the reason I think learning this subject would be really helpful for me.
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Why did you choose to study in your chosen discipline?
I chose to study Bachelor of Arts since I am quite concerned about learning arts subjects such
as History, Geography, Economics, etc., which, if I learn, would help me to clear Civil Services
exam which is my future career goal. Other than this, I think it is quite easy for me to learn
subjective courses which I like to study in my free time. When I study these subjects, I dont feel
my studies like a burden. Rather, I enjoy learning more and more about these subjects.
IELTS Speaking Task 2
The topic given in can be one of six most common types of topic. These IELTS speaking topics
are:
People: your favourite person, your role model etc

Places: your favourite restaurant, favourite city, etc
Experiences: favourite childhood memory, etc
Feelings: memorable experience, etc
habits and likes: hobbies and interests, etc
Objects: money, finances, favourite item, etc
IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card Question:
Talk about an interesting news that you read in the newspaper

What it was
In which newspaper you read it
When it happened
Explain why you think this news to be interesting
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Sample Answer
I would like to talk about the news I read in The Times of India a few days ago. It was
about a brave girl who fought with the kidnappers. The incident just happened 3 weeks
ago when an unknown stranger was trying to kidnap a small child in the street. The child
was 5 years old boy who was standing outside a shop and used to regularly play there
with his friends. The strange man first gave chocolate to that child, took the child in his
lap and was about to go. The innocent child found the chocolate to be tempting and his
naive mind could not even understand that the stranger could be a kidnapper.
But a girl named Sukanya who is 15 years old found the stranger to be suspicious. She
had never seen him before and she knew that child, being his neighbour. She
immediately reacted on the spot snatching the child from that strange man and
screamed aloud which led to all the people in the street to rush towards her. People
caught that strange man and brought him in front of the police inspector who
imprisoned him after interrogating him for hours. Everybody in the street as well as in the
town appreciated that girls brave spirit. I found this story extremely interesting since I
was filled with great level of admiration for the given and motivation to do something
good in the society. Apart from this, I believe this a good real story that would help others
to protect oneself if surrounded by such criminals.
IELTS Speaking Task 3:
There are seven common question types that appear in IELTS speaking part 3.
1. Opinion: Give your opinion on a certain topic. Remember to give examples.

2. Evaluate: Evaluate opinion of someone else.
3. Future: Your opinion about what will happen in the future?
4. Past: How have times changed?
5. Cause and Effect: What is the cause of a reaction/action?
6. Hypothetical: Your take on imaginary situations
7. Compare and Contrast: Talk about the difference and/or similarities between two
things.
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How do the newspapers market themselves for increasing sales?
Newspapers use different strategies to boost up marketing. They publish advertisements on

television and display their banners on hoardings. Apart from this, they also advertise
themselves on websites. They have catchy slogans to attract mass number of people. Those
newspapers which are quite new in the market try to give discount offers to the public on
purchase of the newspaper packages, while those which are already established keep on
retaining their customers through various plans and offers.
What kind of marketing practices do these newspapers use?
One of the effective marketing practices is to visit the people in their homes. Sales team goes
door to door for selling and marketing their newspapers. This works great for a newly launched
newspaper. Many newspapers such as Amar Ujala and Dainik Bhaskar used these practices
when they started and now, they have become quite popular newspapers across the country.
Another successful strategy used by newspapers is to offer gifts along with monthly subscription
of their newspapers. They usually offer utensils, appliances etc. to attract more and more
people.
Do you think newspapers manipulate real stores for increasing their sales?
Yes, it is possible that some newspapers may be altering real stories to make them look
attractive and pleasing to the readers. Some local newspapers may be publishing fake stories
also. For example, it is seen many a times that some editors publish rumours about celebrities
or famous personalities just to boost up their sales. When celebrities are then asked about such
published stories, they completely deny them. Just for the sake of publicity of their papers, they
spread false news or rumours and this is quite prevalent these days.
Do the TV programs and radio channels talk about the same news?
Yes, TV news channels as well as radio channels broadcast the same news but difference lies
in the details of the news. On TV, people are able to get more in-depth information about the
news along with videos or visuals. Sometimes, the TV channel reporters broadcast news live,
being present in the place where incident is taking place. On the other hand, radio channels do
not go so much in deep while telling news.
17

Chapter 4
How to Utilize 1 Min Given Before Speaking Task 2 Using the Cue Card?
18

How to Utilize 1 Min Given Before Speaking Task 2

Using the Cue Card?
As discussed earlier, you get 1 minute to brainstorm the content based on your cue card. The
question now is how to utilize this time effectively. IELTS Speaking cue card is considered by
the students as the scariest part since they need to speak for long on a topic. The doubt that
students usually have in their mind is what to do in the 1 minute given for preparation.
Strategy
1. Keywords:
Write down relevant keywords that come in your mind. This is the opportunity where you can
think of the content you would like to speak. These keywords shouldnt be in any order. Just
think of all the points that come in your mind.
For example:
Describe a party you had attended and enjoyed

What party it was
Where it was held and who went to the party
What you did in the party
And why you enjoyed that party a lot
Now you can start writing keywords as follows without wasting the time:
Birthday party, youngest brother

Grand Hotel, New Delhi, last year
Family members, close relatives, friends, colleagues
Dancing, playing, singing, gossiping, eating delicious dishes
Fun, relief from stress, amazing, memorable
2. Possible connectors:
Now that all your points are on the paper, jot down at least 3 connectors you can use. As these
points and connectors will be in front of you, you will not forget to use it.
19

3. Prioritize the points:
In the last couple of seconds, put number in front of the keywords to prioritize them. You need
not use all the points you have written while talking. It is okay to omit the ones you think hold
less value.

Sample Answer
I have attended many parties in my life but the one I would like to talk about is the party
that was held last year. It was birthday party of my youngest brother and was held at
Grand Hotel, New Delhi. It was a grand party where we had invited our family members
and some other close relatives. Apart from that, some friends of my brother as well as
colleagues of my father were also invited.
The party started when everyone gathered in the main hall. People were greeting each
other and they were served with some cold drinks. Then around 11 am, everyone
grouped together around the cake stand and my youngest brother cut the cake. All
clapped and congratulated him by giving him best wishes for his future. They presented
some wonderful gifts to my brother. Everyone enjoyed eating snacks with tea while
gossiping with each other.
In the afternoon, lunch was organized and I could see a great variety of dishes including
fast foods such as pizza, burger and traditional food such as rice and curry. Other than
this, some mouth-watering sweets and ice-creams were also available which I loved the
most. After having lunch, some exciting games were organized especially for kids but
their parents enjoyed those activities a lot more.
In the end, Bollywood songs were being played and people were dancing on the beats
though some were just singing along and watching others dancing on the floor. It was
great fun and I enjoyed a lot because after a very long time, I had attended party which
provided me great relief from my hectic schedule and stressful life. On the whole, it was
an amazing party which made me feel extremely happy and hence, it was one of the
memorable parties I had attended in my life.
20

Some Important Tips for 1 Minute Preparation and Speaking
1. Understand the topic well. Sometimes students misunderstand the topic of the cue card
and speak irrelevantly though they speak a lot.
2. Examiner may be looking at your sheet at the time you are writing the keywords. Do not
feel nervous or conscious; just focus on the cue card.
3. Do not write full sentences to waste time. Write short words or phrases instead.
4. Make sure you keep on thinking for ideas and do not go blank when writing the
keywords.
5. Cue card topics are familiar topics about which you might had personal experience,
heard from others, watched in movies or read in some books. Always look for ideas on
the topic that you are familiar write as it would be easy to find content.
6. Write the keywords clearly so that can get imprinted in your mind well. But do not write
them very slowly.
7. Try covering basic points of all questions in the cue card.
8. Write keywords in bullet points rather than random words.
9. Always add details to your story.
10. You may write down some vocabulary that you can use while speaking.
11. When you are done writing keywords, give a glance at once and then speak when the
examiner asks.

Practice Question
1. Describe one of your favourite photos

What photo it is
Where and when it was taken
Who were there in that photo
And why it is your favourite photo
2. Talk about a time when you taught someone something

You should say:
When was it
What and how did you teach?
Whom did you teach it to
And whether the person understood what you taught
21

Chapter 5
How to Add Details While Speaking
22

How to Add Details While Speaking?

One of the main reasons of not scoring well in the speaking task is inability to add details while
speaking. In speaking task 2, adding details will help paint a picture in the examiners mind. In
task 3 of the speaking task, the examiner is looking to have a conversation with you. This
conversation can be made more interesting if you add details and examples while putting forth
your point.
Let us first understand the causes of the problem and then we will learn how to solve it.

Reasons for failure to add detail:
1. Nervousness
This is the most common reason for students not able to talk more than 2-3 sentences. Although
such short responses are not a problem in the first task of the speaking test, it might not give out
a good impression about fluency and coherence in task 2 and task 3.
2. Insufficient knowledge
It might happen that you would be questioned on something you have very little knowledge
about Which might cause nervousness or hesitation.
3. Not being able to identify when to add details
Another reason students fail to talk more is when they don't know whether the question that they
have been asked requires a detailed answer rather than just a single sentence.
Now that we have looked at the reasons, let's learn the tricks to resolve them.
How to add details

Usually you will be asked very basic questions in task 1 of the speaking test. However, giving
one word or one sentence response will not allow the examiner to assess your fluency or
coherence. So, try giving at least a two sentence response to questions like "Tell me about your
family" or "Describe your childhood". The examiner is trying to make you feel comfortable in this
task and the more you speak in this task itself, the better your chances of speaking fluently,
confidently and with details in task 2 and task 3.
It is majorly in the task 2 and task 3 that you will be asked questions to which you need to
answer in details. Therefore, be prepared to talk more and talk longer.
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Ways of Adding Details:
Answerwh-questions
What happened
When it happened
Why it happened
Where it happened
Was there someone else also involved
How it happened
Giveexamples
Giving relevant examples will help set the context.
Tellastory
Stories can be taken as a very effective tool. It is engaging and helps in making
the conversation more relevant and meaningful.
Givespecifics:
Location
Names
Time/year
Emotional state
Sample Question
Describe an advertisement that persuaded you to buy a product
What advertisement it was

Was it shown on TV, radio or newspaper
What was good about that advertisement
Explain why do you think that advertisement attracted you to buy the product
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Sample Answer
Last week, I was quite free since it was the weekend and was watching television for
enjoying my leisure time. I was switching channels to look for an interesting program
when suddenly my eyes got stuck on a TV channel that was advertising a hair product. It
was promoting a shampoo which colors hair as well. It was a newly launched product in
the market to assist the youngsters and adults who need to dye their hair. When I
watched that advertisement, I did not switch to any other channel and kept on watching
it carefully. The way it was being promoted with the attractive visuals and discount
offers, I liked that advertisement a lot.
The most important thing that attracted me towards that advertisement was the fact
that the advertised dye product colors hair differently. Usually, when we apply dye, we
have to keep it for around 15 minutes and then we wash our hair while we use shampoo
separately to wash hair. But this dye product was unique since it does two functions
together. It is in the form of shampoo which can be applied to your hair like any other
hair shampoo. You just need to keep it for 10 minutes and then you can wash your hair.
Moreover, there is no need to apply any other shampoo for washing your hair as it is a
one in all a shampoo, Since the offer so extremely attractive I immediately made an
order and bought it from the company.
25

Chapter 6
How to Remove Fillers While Speaking
26

Tips that Will Help Remove Fillers While Speaking

In IELTS speaking test, it is extremely essential to speak fluently and without hesitation.
Especially when hesitation is for finding words, you lose your marks and it gives an overall
negative impression of your speaking skills as hesitation distracts the listener from
understanding your talk. Thus, hesitation is a common problem people face in searching
speaking test.
There are many fillers used by speakers while they are hesitating or for word or content such as
ah, um, er, uh, etc, which add no value to your speaking. You should try to minimize filler words
as much as possible as they lead to an impression of lack of confidence,

Types of Speech Fillers:
Filler words are words that are used by people to bridge the gap in speaking. There are three
types of speech fillers:
Filler sounds: ah, um, uh, er, mm

Filler words: So, but, and, like, actually, basically, literally
Filler phrases: You know, I mean, What I am trying to say is

How to Remove Speech Fillers:
Think and take pause
Instead of hesitating, if you think at that time (but quickly), it would be better so that you are able
to continue speaking. The listener will understand that the quick pause was because you were
are going to say something important or good structured and informative sentence.
Embrace the pause with silence rather than adding fillers in your talk. Furthermore, concentrate
on your speaking at the time you speak and put conscious efforts to avoid the fillers. In this way,
the overall impact of your speaking would be good enough to get a good band score.
Replace fillers with transitional words
Rather than saying um or ah, you can instead say another point I would like to say is that,
moreover, I think that, another thing I want to mention is, One more than I would like to say
27

is that, in other words, we can say that, etc. These transitional words not only add flow to your
speaking but make it effective too.
Practice more saying these fillers more, especially at the time you are about to say um and it
would sound natural. But do make sure you are using them rightly otherwise it would give
negative impression. If you think you will make mistakes using transitional words, take pause
instead.
Prepare your mind
Before speaking if you have a sound strategy in your mind, you would perform better than
without a strategy. Moreover, you are likely to be more nervous without a strategy and this can
affect your speaking. Hence, it is important that you think before you speak and follow a strategy
in your mind on how you would go ahead answering the questions being asked by examiner one
after the other.
For example, you may use the strategy of speaking for long and answering all the questions if
you feel you often go blank and give long pauses. Another strategy can be to give a well-timed
pause which gives style and impact to your speaking. You should develop a strategy as it is
crucial.
Speak slowly, not rapidly
If you try speaking fast, you will end up with fillers after saying few sentences. Instead, it is better
to keep the pace normal and answer in the similar manner in the whole speaking test. It also
helps the listener understand your talk better. But do keep in mind that you should also not
speak too slowly as that will affect you fluency.
Record your voice
A very good strategy that works effectively in speaking is to record voice. You may record your
voice on phone or use an online tool for the same. Just take a cue card and keep on speaking
on that topic for 2-3 minutes.
If you use filler words excessively, you may like to do an exercise of counting fillers. When you
listen to your recorded voice, count the number of fillers. This will give you an idea how far you
need to work on avoiding fillers.
28

When recorded your voice, then play it to analyse how many times you have been using fillers,
hesitation while speaking, how it has affected your overall flow of speaking, and whether it was
necessary to use fillers, etc.
Exercise
Now that you have learnt some tips on removing fillers in speaking, try using these tips in the
following speaking cue card and record your voice to analyse your speaking skills:
Cue Card
Describe the day when you achieved something

What it was
When you achieved it
Where you achieved it
And why it was an achievement for you
29

Chapter 7
Top 11 Things to Remember While Attempting the Speaking Task
30

Top 11 Things to Remember While Attempting

Speaking Task
Two million people attempt IELTS exam every year. To score band 7 and above it is important
that you rise above the rest. Do you know how to stand out and be the best amongst many that
attempt the speaking task? What are you doing wrong that is making you land a 6 band? Why
are you not getting a better score in speaking test? If similar questions arise in your mind, read
the following important things to be kept in mind and find out if you are making one of the
following mistakes:
1. Avoid hesitating a lot
Speaking without hesitation is impressive and hence while speaking, especially in IELTS
Speaking Section 2 link your ideas whenever you are about to hesitate. For example, Rather
than having Another thing is that too much hesitation distracts the listener from
understanding your talk, more importantly at the time you are giving your opinion on a topic.
Useful Tip
Record your voice and analyse how many times you hesitate and add fillers in your talk. Practice
more at home Instead of having filler you can take little pauses rather than using fillers in
speaking.
2. Avoid long pauses or breaks as far as possible
The worst performance can be when a candidate does not respond at all to the question. Almost
all the time, he is keeping mum and does not respond. While this is the case for those who get
less than 5 Band, it can also happen to those getting 5 Band or above 5 Band when they take
breaks in between when they are speaking, which are noticeable pauses and affect their
speaking ability.
Useful Tip
Practice speaking for long by recording your voice and count your pauses. Then, try to remove
them the next time you speak.
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3. Do not memorise any cue card
The biggest mistake in speaking you can do is to memorise the cue card sample answer. Many
students try to act smart but this dosent work with the examiner because he will not only be
asking you to speak on a topic but to answer some questions for which you need to respond
spontaneously.
Useful Tip
You can actually prepare for speaking the way you would speak for long on an unseen topic.
When you feel you are able to speak on just any new question, you will gain confidence and this
is what IELTS speaking test is about.
4. Do not often self-correct and repeat what you said before
A very common characteristic found in Band 5 speakers is that they are not confident and
hence, they keep on correcting themselves when they speak. Since they feel these are lack of
ideas or content in order to speak for long, they repeat the sentences that they already said
before.
Useful Tip
Try saying something new or forming new sentences every time you speak. Paraphrasing the
questions would help you to initiate speaking so that you can take time to extend your talk.

5. Give special focus on grammar
Speaking accurately is perhaps the most important criterion. Speaking correctly and free from
the errors of grammar or tense,etc., is comparatively important than speaking for long. If you
make frequent grammatical errors, your band score would get effected depending upon the
number of times you make errors.
Useful Tip
Learning grammar and practicing speaking to avoid grammar errors would be helpful. Start
taking grammar lessons and read as well as listen to stuff online that will give you a concrete
idea on how a sentence is to be formed correctly.
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6. Be cautious of your pronunciation
Pronouncing the words correctly is an important factor for assessing speaking skills. In case,
you feel that your speaking is more influenced by your mother tongue, you definitely need to
work on this. The right pronunciation can be learnt by listening to others and watching stuff
online. Refer to the right source online to understand the pronunciation of a particular word.
Useful Tip
Listen to audios online, For example, on YouTube and also practice speaking more. Try to
converse more in English with others to improve your pronunciation because while conversing,
you will learn a lot from others.
7. Do not use complex vocabulary or idioms incorrectly
While vocabulary is essential, some candidates misinterpret its importance. It is one of the
factors of assessment. Same thing is applicable on idioms also because if a person speaks
idiomatic language but makes mistakes in grammar, has lack of fluency or coherence, he would
lose marks.
Some people try to learn difficult words as well as idioms and they often use them incorrectly.
So, using the words or idioms correctly is more important even if those words are not complex.
Useful Tip
Do not try to forcefully use difficult words in speaking and writing, use them naturally and
correctly.
8. Do not overuse connectives
It is often taught to the students that they should use sentence connectors which can make their
speaking effective. But some students misunderstand the concept and try to use more and more
of them.
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Useful Tip
Use the sentence connectors whenever they are required. Never unnecessarily keep on using
them which may make your speaking quite unnatural.
9. Speak using complex sentence structures
The way you are forming the sentences to express your thoughts is definitely a very crucial
aspect of the speaking assessment. If you form simple sentences, the examiner considers it of 6
Band level while if you use complex sentences, it can come up to the level of 7 Band.
Remember, that you should use complex sentences correctly.
Useful Tip
Firstly, read the sample model answers and learn to make long sentences effortlessly. Practice
more till you gain familiarit.
10. Avoid saying something inappropriate or unnatural
Do not be too much technical when it comes to speaking. Don't try to use connectives, idioms
and advanced vocabulary While losing fluency and naturalness. Incorrect order of words in the
sentences and grammatical errors would add inappropriateness in your speaking. Do not try to
speak something in a new way you had not earlier attempted, It would surely affect your
speaking fluency as changes are that it would not look natural.
Useful Tip
You can always try to say what you are comfortable with and the confident about it so that it
comes out naturally. It takes time to learn new vocabulary and idioms, so you can practice till it
becomes perfectly alright for you to use it fluently while speaking.
11. Answer the follow-up questions relevantly
There is a difference between those 6 Band and those 7 Band. And this is about speaking to the
point. Avoiding speaking unnecessaily; it should be as per the as per the question. Those who
get 6 Band always have the habit of attempting all the questions and they dont bother whether
what they said was relevant with the question or they were just beating around the bush.
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Useful Tip
Focus on the quality of your answers rather than the length of your speaking. You would deliver
better if you concentrate on the question as well.
Speaking fluently will take a lot of practice, but it is not impossible. Keep all the points mentioned
above in your mind while practicing and it will soon become a part of your speech. You will not
only see a change in your speaking band score, but also the way you converse with others.
35

Chapter 8
How to Sound More Confident While Speaking
36

How to Sound More Confident While Speaking

IELTS speaking is the exam where you are assessed on different parameters such as fluency,
coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, pronunciation. Confidence is not
a factor here but you cannot imagine how drastically it can help you do well in all the above said
parameters, ultimately leading you to receive high band score. When nervousness is an obvious
emotional feeling inside, how you can sound more confident? Let us get deep into this fearful
situation and know how to crack the IELTS speaking exam with better score.
Preparation is the Key Behind Confidence
You cannot be confident if you are not prepared well. Without practice, you are very likely to look
unconfident during your IELTS speaking test. This happens because when you are not
prepared, you start focusing on your mistakes on the day of your exam. On the other hand,
when you practice a lot and have already worked on a number of your weak points, you would
deliver speaking as if you speak without any error.
Record your Voice while Practicing
The best practical solution of improving speaking is to record your voice and analyse it for the
areas of improvements. As you might have a smartphone, it would be easy for you to download
and install sound recorder app. Just do it and start practicing it. You can place a full IELTS
speaking test or only cue card part in front of you and start speaking. After you record, you can
play it and start analysing it for fluency, grammar, tense, vocabulary, idiom etc. Notice how long
you have spoken and whether you have used a lot of fillers. With this kind of practice, you will
gain confidence within yourself and this would be reflect while speaking.
Try to Speak More and More
During your IELTS speaking test, do not be afraid of the examiner and do not get too much
conscious about how he is going to judge you. You can just stay calm and try to speak more by
elaborating your answer. If you are in hurry, you are going to make mistakes and if you are
going too slow, you would not look confident. Secondly, do not doubt yourself. Just keep going.
37

Concentrate on Yourself
To be confident, concentrate more on yourself rather than your examiner, his gestures, body
language, reaction to your answers and things like that. In those 15 minutes, it is extremely
important that you give your best and you can do so if you concentrate on your performance. But
this does not mean that you should keep on putting stress on your errors when you speak. It just
means that you need to focus on the questions and how you can give inputs to make your
answer a better one.
Believe in Your Opinions
Do not be nervous on the way you are presenting your opinions. Its not the opinion that matters
but how you give your opinion that really makes the difference in IELTS speaking. Thus, give a
fully confident performance by completely believing in your views, opinions, likes and dislikes.
Giving opinions by stating reasons is the rest way to put forth your menes.
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Chapter 9
Vocabulary
1. How to Expand your vocabulary.

2. How to paraphrase
3. Common Errors while using preposition
4. Idioms - Animals
5. Idioms - Food
6. Idioms - success or failure
7. Idioms - knowledge
8. How to use connectors
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1.How to Expand Your Vocabulary

How to Expand Your Vocabulary?
Lexical resource is a very important marking criterion in IELTS writing and speaking which
implies using a wide range of vocabulary accurately. Apart from this, vocabulary knowledge will
also help you a lot in reading. Thus, it is one of the reasons why students worry a lot about
learning new words. Also, candidates who receive less than 5 band have limited vocabulary
while 7 band and above use a wide range of vocabulary,
Let us consider some of the tips for expanding the vocabulary bank.
Read Newspapers
Reading is the best habit to have you learn which new words helps you with IELTS reading
module as well.
You can subscribe a daily or weekly newspaper online or offline and have the habit of reading
articles on a daily basis.
While you read articles, do underline the words that you do not know or notice carefully if you
come in a different way.
Then, check the word meaning in your dictionary and write down in your notebook. Learn the
noted words and do revise them once or twice a week.
Keep a Dictionary
A very common method of learning vocabulary is to keep a small pocket-sized dictionary with
you. If you never devoted time to learn new words in this way, you can develop this habit now.
There are two ways you can use your dictionary to learn words. Firstly, you can refer it any time
you come across a new word and check its meaning in the dictionary. Secondly, you can start
learning the words in sequence from first to the last page of your dictionary. In this way, you can
at least become familiar to new words every day and depending upon how much time you
devote per day, you may be able to read all the words in your dictionary in several days or
months.
40

However, for effective learning, keep in mind to learn a word whole-heartedly. If you feel you
cannot understand a word, just skip it because learning a word incorrectly is even more harmful.
Learnvocabularyeffectivelyinthefollowingway:
1. Check the word meaning (in English and/or in your native language)
2. Learn its right pronunciation
3. Learn its synonyms
4. Use this word to form a sentence
5. Practice more and more while speaking and writing
Forexample,
Perception meaning Ability to see through perception
Synonyms Awareness, recognition
Example: Different people have different perception about beauty.

Listen to Audios & Watch Videos
The best way of learning the usage of a new word is when you listen to it being used by others.
So, you can watch TV programmes, news channels, movies, YouTube videos, group
discussions, talk shows etc. You can also listen to audios such as podcasts, songs, radio
channels etc.
You should watch or listen to the stuff that you find interesting so that you may not get bored
and stop your plan to learn vocabulary. The concept behind this method is that you are exposed
to new words and hence, you learn faster in this way.
When you watch videos or listen to some audios, pay more attention to the words and how they
are used. Watching video stuff online is also a good idea where you can pause or replay the
videos to learn at your own pace.
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You can start by listening to videos which have sub-titles. This will help you improve your
comprehension as well as listening skills. In case, you come across a new word, use the
dictionary to find the meaning and at least one synonym.
Learn with Fun
Nowadays, there are many games available on the websites and game applications can also be
installed in mobile phones which can be some of the most interesting and exciting ways to learn
vocabulary. This will definitely help those who find it boring to read books.
Learn Idioms & Connectives
Use of idiomatic language and sentence connectors while you speak on a topic would be
effective. In academic writing task 1, you should use connectives while idioms can be be
avoided as they are used for informal writing. And hence, students appearing in IELTS General
Training may use them while writing a letter. Make sure you use them when required and do not
unnecessarily try to include them excessively.
Practice is the key!
Practicing using the vocabulary is extremely important, otherwise you will forget a word even
after noting it down. Target number of words to be learnt daily and revise them every week by
practicing their use in writing and speaking. In this way, you are really going to improve your
knowledge of new words and getting familiar with them. The more you practice, the more you
can use them naturally as it is also essential that you dont hesitate while using the newly learnt
words.
Lastly, while you learn words, you can also further ensure that you know the correct use in terms
of spelling, punctuation, usage in a sentence and collocation (combination of words)
42

2. How to Paraphrase
What is paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing means rewriting a phrase (group of words) or sentence in your own words without
copying it and most importantly, keeping in mind that the meaning remains the same, and that
your rewritten sentence should not match with the original sentence word for word.
How paraphrasing is helpful to you in IELTS?
It is one of the essential skills required to achieve good band score in IELTS as you need to use
paraphrasing skill in almost all the four modules viz. Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
In listening, you find the question paraphrased but meaning would be same as per the audio
being played and hence, understanding paraphrasing is important.
Similarly, questions are paraphrased (e.g. using synonyms) in reading section as well and you
need to search the information given in the reading passage. However, in case of writing
module, you yourself have to paraphrase the question (e.g. essay introduction). In the same
way, it is good to paraphrase the question while answering follow-up questions in speaking.
How can you paraphrase?
There are different methods of paraphrasing sentences.
1. Use Synonyms
One of the effective ways of paraphrasing is to replace some words in the sentence with
synonyms.
For example,
Crime needs to be controlled as it affects development of a city.
It is necessary to control violence in the city as it h

ampers its growth.
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2. Change active to passive Voice
Changing the voice of a sentence from active to passive is another good method of
paraphrasing a sentence.
For example,
Government should implement the changes in policies as quickly as possible.
The changes in policies should be implemented by the government as soon as

possible.
3. Change order of words/phrases
The simplest way of paraphrasing is to change the order of words in a sentence.
For example,
The status of women in the society has changed a lot for the past few years.
In the society, there has been a drastic change in the status of women for the last few
years.

Practice Questions
1. Technology has benefitted the mankind in different ways.

2. Teams of engineers built battle-worthy robots which fought against each other.
3. There were two million computer misuse offences and 3.8 million fraud offences in the
12 months to the end of March suggesting fraud is the most common type of crime.
4. Last year Vocalink reported 182m revenue as it processed more than 11 billion
transactions. As well as the UK, its technology is also used in Sweden, Singapore,
Thailand and the US. The 18 banks that currently own Vocalink will retain a 7.6% share
for three years and could receive an extra 169m depending on future targets.
5. Telehouse North confirmed that its network had been affected by a tripped circuit
breaker but that engineers were now on site. BT said that connectivity returned to normal
by 13:45 BST, though some larger businesses may still have problems. There were
reports of other organisations experiencing connectivity trouble, including HMRC.
44

Answer Key
1. Technology has brought benefits to the humans in various ways.

2. Engineers teamed up to build combative robots which battled against each other.
3. Fraud was found to be the most common crime from the fact that there were 2 million
and 3.8 million cases of offences related to fraud and misuse of computer respectively
reported by the end of March, in the period of one year.
4. With the number of processed transactions reaching over 11 billion, Vocalink earned
182m last year. Its technology is also used by countries such as Singapore, Thailand,
Sweden and the US, apart from the UK. The 18 banks currently owning Vocalink will
possess 7.6% share for the period of three years and depending on the targets achieved
in the future, they can also earn 169m extra.
5. It was confirmed by Telehouse North that a tripped circuit breaker had affected its
network but engineers reached on site to resolve the fault. It was informed by BT that
connectivity issue was back to normal by 13:45 BST though some of the large
businesses may still experience some issues. Other organisations including HMRC were
also facing connectivity issues according to the reports.
6.
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3. Common Errors While Using Prepositions

In the speaking task of IELTS you may be asked what your favourite is or where you went to on
your last trip? Answering such questions without the use of prepositions is almost impossible. It
is not the usage of prepositions that brings down the band though. It is the incorrect usage of
prepositions which changes the meaning of your written as well as spoken sentences which
makes you lose out on the band you aim for.
How will it help in the IELTS?
One of the parts of English grammar is prepositions. In simple terms, prepositions are words that
help a person talk about the exact position of a thing or person. It also helps to talk about the
precise time.
Look at these sample prompts and the responses:
Sample prompt 1:
Describe your favourite restaurant.

You should say
where it is located
what kind of cuisine they serve
what does the place look like
And what was your favorite item.
Your response to this question could be something like
"My favourite restaurant is Shiv Sagar. It has many branches at various locations around the city
but I prefer the one located at Vile Parle. The Pav Bhaji served there is just out of the world."
46

Sample prompt 2
Describe a party or event you recently attended

You should say:
what the party was for

who was the host
what was the best part about it
and what was your relationship with the host
Your response could be
"The last party I attended was a colleague's felicitation party. It was held on the terrace of our
firm's building.The best part about it was the food and music. It was held in the hours after work
house last Friday."
The two sample responses makes use of the words like "at","around", "there" and "on" for talking
about the location, and the time of the restaurant and the party. Incorrect usage of these
prepositions will change the meaning of the sentences completely.
So what are the common errors that the students usually make?
Common errors made by students:
1. Prepositions
Prepositions are words that express locations in time and space. They indicate relationships
between nouns and other words.
For example:
Which school did you got to?
47

Instead of answering
"I went to school at....." you should answer "I did my schooling from......."
Note:
Try to avoid constructing sentences with redundant prepositions.
Let us look at a few more common mistakes made while using prepositions.
1. Prepositions and 'Ask'

We should use the verb 'ask' with the preposition 'for' to ask somebody to give something.
We should use ' the verb 'ask' without the preposition 'for' to ask somebody to say
something.
for example;
If asked a question like
Sample Prompt
When was the last time you asked someone for help?
you should say:
whom did you ask for help

why did you ask for help
what did you need help with
and did the person help you or not
The response
If you say
"I asked for some money from my friend" it is correct, but
"I asked some money from my friend" it is incorrect.
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B. Prepositions and 'Prevent'
The word 'prevent' cannot be followed by the preposition 'to'. It should be followed by the
preposition 'from' and a verb with '-ing' form.
For example:
Sample Prompt
Have you ever been in any accident?
You should say
what happened in the accident

who was with you
when did it happen
and how did you survive it?
The response
"I prevented the two vehicles to colliding but it was very late and the car was out of control by
then" is incorrect
whereas
"I prevented the two vehicles from colliding but it was very late and the car was out of control by
then" is correct
C. Prepositions and 'Meet'
A. The verb 'meet' normally means 'come face to face with somebody or something'. If it is used
in this way, it cannot be used with the preposition 'with'.
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For example:
Sample Prompt
Have you ever met a celebrity or a famous person?

You should say
who the person was

what is the person famous for
how did you happen to meet him/her
and what did you like the most about that person after meeting him/her?
The response is
"I met with Amitabh Bacchan once at a charity event organized by our firm. He is a larger than
life personality" it is incorrect.
Whereas,
" I met Amitabh Bacchan once at a charity event organized by our firm. He has a larger than life
personality" it is correct
B. The phrase 'meet with' - meaning 'to experience' can be correctly used as follows.
Sample Prompt
"Have you ever been in any accident?"
You should say
what happened in the accident

who was with you
when did it happen
and how did you survive it?
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The response
"I met with an accident while on the way to work one day" is correct.
Whereas
"I met an accident while on the way to work one day" is incorrect.
Vocabulary exercise:
A. Objective: learning to identify the errors in the use of prepositions
Directions: Choose the sentence with correctly used prepositions for each question
below:
1.
a. She asked my pen
b. She asked for my pen
2.
a. The walls prevented rain water from entering the house.
b. The walls prevented rain water to enter the house.
3.
a. I met an accident today.
b. I met with an accident today.
4.
a. We insisted on them staying.
b. We insisted to them staying.
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B. Objective: Learning to use the correct preposition.
Directions: Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with an appropriate preposition
from the box
to an at with from in by
1. I'm going...Edinburgh.......Tuesday......a friend. Would you like to come......us?
2. Are you going........train?
3. Are you....some sort of trouble?
4. How do you commute ______ your place to work?
5. She's really looking forward ________ meeting you.
Answer
A.
1. She asked for my pen
2.The walls prevented rain water from entering the house.
3. I met with an accident today.
4. We insisted on them staying.
B.
1, to, on, with, with
2. by
3. in
4. from
5. to
52

4. Idioms - Animals
How to Use Names of Animals in Idioms
Are you aiming for a 7 or higher band in the speaking and writing task of the IELTS? You know
your language knowledge and skills are good. But you just can't figure out where you are
lacking. It might just be the lack of knowledge about right idioms and phrases to use !
Idioms add value to your speaking. If you go through the band descriptors you will see that one
of the differences between band 5 and 7 is the use of idioms. This will polish your speaking and
writing skills and help you achieve your target band.
What are these idioms?
1. Have a cow
Meaning : get extremely upset (often over something minor)
Sample Prompt
When was the last time you got upset about something
You should say
what had happened

why did it upset you
what did you do
and how did you cheer yourself up after it?
How the idiom can be used?
"I had a cow when I came to know that over and above the rejection of my ideas I had also
been removed from the core team."
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2. Cat nap (also called a power nap)
Meaning: a short sleep
Sample Prompt
When was the last time you stayed up late

You should say:
why did you stay up

what were you doing
did you enjoy it
and whether there was someone to give you company?
"As I had taken a cat nap during the day I could stay up late to complete the assignment."
3. Chicken out
Meaning: to decide not to do something out of fear (usually just before)
Sample Prompt
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?

You should say:
when did you do it

what made you do it
whom did you do it with
and how was the experience?
"I would have chickened out if my friends and family hadn't been there to motivate me."
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4. Get the lion's share
Meaning: get the greatest percentage
Sample Prompt
Talk about the situation when you were late

You should say:
what the event was

why you were late
how did you feel about it
and explain how you handled the situation.
"I got the lion's share of the blame for the hold up as it was because of me that the meeeting
started late."
5. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: reveal a secret
Sample Prompt

You should say:

who was the host
55

"Even though Susan had let the cat out of the bag it did not, in any way make a difference to
the fun we had!"
6. Make a beeline
Meaning: go straight for something
Sample Prompt
Describe something that has become a fashion or status symbol

recently
You should say:
what the thing is

why people are using it
whether you have it or not
and explain what influence it has on people.
"It is so much in demand that everyone makes a beeline for it the minute they enter a store"

56

7. Rat race
Meaning: fierce, competitive struggle for power, position, etc
Sample Prompt
Talk about a job you think is helping make the world a better place.
You should say:
what the job is

how did you come to know about it
how do you think it is helping
and explain why you think it can make the world a better place.
"Its such a respite coming across someone who is doing something like this in this rat race!"
8. The elephant in the room
Meaning: a problem or controversial issue that is too big to ignore, but that everyone tries to
avoid talking about because it is embarrassing or will cause conflict
Sample Prompt
Talk about a thing you purchased and haven't used that much
You should say:
what the item is

where you purchased it from
why you purchased it
and explain why you haven't used it much
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"My mother had to finally address the elephant in the room to make me realize how I had
wasted so much money on the product."
9. Weasel out of something
Meaning: If a person weasels out of some responsibility, it means they abandon their
responsibility or commitment in a way that is sneaky or cowardly.
Sample Prompt
You should say:
what the job is

"It's a good thing not all of us weasel out of o

ur responsibility towards creating a better society.'
10. Let the sleeping dogs lie
Meaning: it means not to talk about things in the past that might cause problems if you mention
them today.
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Sample Prompt
Describe an interesting conversation you had with someone you did not
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.
"Her attitude of letting the sleeping dogs lie and look towards the brighter side of things, is
what made me admire her the most."
Now try using them on your own by attempting the following exercises.
Vocabulary Exercises:
A. Fill in the gaps in the following sentence with idioms from the box.
let sleeping dogs lie make a beeline elephant in the room

gets the lion's share chickened out
1. As soon as the concert is over, we should __________for the car

2. My mom ________ from riding on the roller coaster once she realized how high it went.
3. Eventually, they decided it would be best to ________________ and not discuss the
matter any further.
4. After his horrible behavior at the annual summit, his drinking problem is going to
be___________ at the Xmas party.
5. Technology ___________ of credit for most of the productivity
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B. Use an appropriate idiom for the following situations.
1. Your mother spent hours cleaning up every room in the house. Some guests came over
for dinner the same day and stayed over for the night. Once they left the next morning,
the house was not only in a mess but it was in a worse state than when it had been
before she cleaned up. What idiom can be used to describe your mothers feeling on
seeing this mess?
2. Susan was on her way to reaching home. Her husband Adam had made plans for
surprising her and taking her out for dinner once she came home. He knew she would
take another hour or so for reaching and he had everything ready. So he decided to take
a _______________.
3. Sam had planned a big surprise for his wife Roses birthday. Only a few people including
his friend Adam knew about his plans. He ran into Rose one day at the supermarket and
accidentally _____________.
4. You have observed that many new people have been joining in in the organization. But a
lot of them are quitting too. The competition has become tougher and more evident. It
has become a complete _______.
5. Sandy and Hannah are on a trip to Spain. They had long back decided that they would
go scuba diving there. They had been excited about it from the time they had started
planning the trip. But once Hannah saw and realized how deep the water was and
thanks to her water phobia she ____________ of it.
Answer Key:
A.
1. make a beeline
2.chickened out
3. let sleeping dogs lie
4. the elepehant in the room
5.get's the lion's share
B.
1.Have a cow
2. cat nap
3.let the cat out of the bag
4. rat race
5. chickened out
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5. Idioms - Food
Do you know what is an 'acquired taste? What does one mean when they say something is their
'bread and butter'? These sure are confusing and scary! Don't worry! though. In this article, we
will talk about all such idioms which either describe food or use a food item to convey
something.
We will give you ten such idioms along with sample prompts and tell you how the idiom can be
used.
1. Acquired taste:
Meaning: Something that you dislike the first few times after trying it out but grow to like it after
trying it several times.
Sample Prompt
Describe your favourite restaurant.
You should say:
where it is located
what kind of cuisine they serve
what does the place look like
And what was your favourite dish
And what was your favourite dish
Although the food there is not quite what people would call savoury, it becomes an acquired
taste after a few visits.
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2. Bitter pill to swallow
Meaning: an unpleasant fact that has to be accepted
Sample Prompt
Talk about a situation when you were late.
You should say:
what the event was

why you were late
My manager's attitude was a bitter pill to swallow but then it was my fault that I had reported to
work hour late.

3. Bread and butter
Meaning: a person's livelihood or main source of income
Sample Prompt
You should say:
what the job is

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I work as an accountant to earn bread and butter.
4. Butter up
Meaning: Flatter someone to get something
Sample Prompt
Talk about a situation when you were late.
You should say:
what the event was

why you were late
I had to butter up my boss the entire day to keep his anger towards me in check.
5. Cry over spilt milk

Meaning: Worry about something in the past
Sample Prompt
Talk about a thing you purchased and haven't used that much
You should say:
what the item is

where you purchased it from
why you purchased it
and explain why you haven't used it much
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I guess there is no crying over spilt milk now. I havent use my shaver for long time. I thought
buying one would save time.
6. Food for thought
Meaning: Something to think about
Sample Prompt
You should say:
what the job is

How your work can help the society and for the greater good is food for thought for all of us I
believe.
7. Hard nut to crack
Meaning: Difficult person
Sample Prompt
Describe an interesting conversation you had with someone you did not
know.
You should say:
who the person was
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where the conversation took place

what you talked about
and explain why you found the conversation interesting.
I knew he was a hard nut to crack but I never thought he would turn out to be so knowledgeable.

8. To be spoon fed
Meaning: It means to be treated in a way that discourages independent thought or action.
Sample Prompt
Describe something that has become a fashion or status symbol

recently
You should say:
what the thing is

why people are using it
whether you have it or not
and explain what influence it has on people.

This device has made things so easy and convenient that its like being spoon fed.

9. Binge drinking/eating
Meaning: Drinking or eating in excess in a short space of time.
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Sample Prompt

You should say

who was the host
The highlight of the event, for me at least, was the binge eating! There was just so much food
and I didn't want to miss out on trying different cuisines.

10.Finger licking
Meaning: very tasty; delicious.
Sample Prompt
Describe your favourite dish

You should say
what the dish is

why it is your favourite
when was the last time you had it
and how to make it
The Pav Bhaji served at Canon is absolutely finger licking!!
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Bitter pill to swallow Finger licking crying over spilt milk acquired taste binge drinking
1. Theres no point _______________ now that the car is already stolen.

2. It was Vegas! Of course there was ___________ involved!!
3. When Mike's mother told him he could not use the car, it was a ________________.
4. For some people desserts and anything sweet is an ____________________.
5. The restaurants _____________________ steaks attract customers to this restaurant.

His mother takes care of his every need, right from his food to his clothes and even completing
his homework. What would you call such a habit?
Being a singer by profession, the recent inflow of the new singers in the industry, has made the
work became slack and he had to look for alternatives for his ________________.
You have just attended a seminar on Online Advertising and Social Media Campaigning. Some
of the things they spoke about were very basic, but most were thought provoking What idiom
would you use to describe these ideas?
With the annual appraisal meeting coming up next week, all employees have started putting in
more effort and even started sweet talking to the HR and their managers/supervisors. What
idiom would you use to describe such behaviour?
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4. Idioms - Animals
In the IELTS speaking tasks you may be asked about your biggest achievement or your worst
failure. Even in the writing task 1 of the academic IELTS, you will be writing an essay describing
a table or a graph. These graphs, more often than not depict success and/or failure of a certain
product or service. They also show certain changes. That's when your knowledge of idioms will
come in handy. You will need certain phrases and idioms to help you achieve a higher and
desired band.
1. Alive and kicking
Meaning: (also be alive and well) to continue to be well, healthy or successful.
Sample Prompt
Talk about a time when you were extremely ill.

You should say:
when this had happened

what were the symptoms
how long did the illness last
and you should also say how it affected or changed your life
I was unwell for almost a month, but once I recovered I was alive and kicking in no time.
2. Back the wrong horse
Meaning: to support someone or something that later cannot be successful.
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Sample Prompt
Talk about a time when someone betrayed you

You should say
who was that person

what did that person do
what was your relationship with this person
and how did you handle it?
I had huge expectations from him but I guess I backed the wrong horse.

3. Back to square one
Meaning: To say that someone is back to square one means that they have not succeeded in
what they were trying to do, so they have to start again.
Sample Prompt
Describe a time when you failed at something

You should say
what the task was

when did this happen
whom were you working with
and how many times did you try before giving up
"Even after following all instructions I kept coming back to square one. It was like the task was
jinxed."
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4.Bring the house down
Meaning: If you bring the house down, you give a very successful performance.
Sample Prompt
Have you ever attended a live performance?

You should say
what performance this was

when did you attend it
whom did you attend it with
And what was your favourite part.

"The artist brought the house down with his fabulous performance."
5. Dog-eat-dog
Meaning: Its a world where people do anything to be successful.
Sample Prompt
Describe a time when you participated in some competition

You should say
what the competition was about

how far did you reach into the competition
how many participants were there
and how the experience was for you.
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The competition had been set up as real world scenarios and even the obstacles they had
challenged us to overcome were nothing less than the actual dog eat dog corporate world.
6.Cut one's own throat
Meaning: If you cut your own throat, you do something that will be the cause of your own failure
or ruin your chances in the future.
Sample Prompt
Talk about a time when someone betrayed you

You should say
who was that person

what did that person do
what was your relationship with this person
and how did you handle it?
I guess he cut his own throat by behaving in that way.
7.Feather in one's cap
Meaning: To describe someone's achievement as a feather in their cap means that it is

something they can be proud of.
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Sample Prompt
Talk about a person whose work you really admire

You should say:
what does this person do

why do you like his/her work
how did you come to know about him/her
and how his/her inspired you
"When he started a school under a charitable trust it was just another feather in his cap."
8. Save the day
Meaning: If you find a solution to a serious problem, and ensure the success of something that
was expected to fail, you save the day.
Sample Prompt
Narrate an incident when you helped out in a serious situation

You should say
what was the incident

when did it happen
what did you do
and how your help/suggestion help overcome the problem?

"The manager was so happy with my recommendation that he told everyone proudly about how I
had saved the day."
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9. Get a foothold
Meaning: If you get a foothold somewhere, you secure a position for yourself in a business,
profession or organisation.
Sample Prompt
Recall and talk about a time when you had to struggle to complete or achieve
something
You should say
what was the task at hand

what kind of problems you faced and overcame
how long did it take to overcome the problems and complete the task
and what did you learn from the entire episode?
"I finally got a foothold on how to go about convincing people to accept your my suggestions
after I failed the first few times."

10. Hit pay dirt
Meaning: If you hit pay dirt, you are lucky and suddenly find yourself in a successful
money-making situation.
Sample Prompt
Talk about a time when you were low on cash

You should say
why you were low on cash

what did you do
how long did it last
and how did you learn to save after that?
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"After a month long struggle to make ends meet I hit pay dirt when I landed up with a well paid
job."
Now that you have how and when these idioms can be used, try using them on your own to
solve the below exercises.
alive and kicking hit pay dirt feather in her cap dog-and-eat saved the day
1. Sally tried a number of different jobs until she ______________.

2. We thought we had lost the deal when all our proposals were rejected. Fortunately,
Elena had an extra proposal up her sleeve and it _____________.
3. It's a _____________ situation in the television industry with new talent joining in
everyday.
4. After spending two months in the hospital and being completely recovered, she is now
___________.
5. Having a book published under her name was just another _______________.

1. One of your friends started his own food venture some years back. Initially, it didnt do
very well. In fact it got to a point where they were thinking of shutting it down. But, now it
has been ranked amongst the top 10 restaurants in the city. What idiom can you use to
indicate they have established their place in the food industry now?
2. The construction of the new flyover had almost reached the completion stage but with
the recent bout of rainfall, the work came to a standstill for almost a month. In fact the
work they had done in the last 15 days had to be redone. What would such a situation
be called?
3. A friend asked you for opinion on investing in some company. After some research,you
realized that they would probably not survive in the long run. What idiom would you use
to tell your friend about this?
4. Your father, being a risk taker, has recently started investing his money in shares of
companies which are doing not doing that well. His logic is that, these businesses have a
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potential of making it big in the near future. You are sure that he is _____________ (use
suitable idiom)
5. One of your friends is about to have his own music concert in a few days. You know his
potential and are sure that the show will be a huge hit. He, however, is nervous about it
and has come to a point where he is thinking of cancelling the show. Which idiom would
you use to wish him luck?
Answer key:
A.
1. hit pay dirt
2. saved the day.
3. dog-and-eat
4. alive and kicking
5. feather in her cap
B.
1. get a foothold
2. back to square one
3. back the wrong horse
4. cut one's own throat
5. bring the house down
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7. Idioms - Knowledge
How do you respond when someone asks about when you woke up? You might simply say 'I
woke up early' or tell them the time "I woke up at 6 am". This can be done in a different and
better way. But, how? By using idioms of course! It is the usage of idioms that will set you apart
from the other candidates and help you achieve that band you are aiming for.

What are the Idioms.
1. The crack of dawn.
Meaning: The very beginning of daylight (dawn).
Sample Prompt
Describe an outdoor activity that you enjoy doing
You should say:
what the activity is

where and when you do it
how you feel about it
and say if you would recommend this activity to your friends.
Earlier I used to wake up at the crack of dawn to go cycling. There would hardly be any people
and it would be so peaceful.

2. The early bird catches the worm.
Meaning: If you do something in a timely manner you will succeed.
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Sample Prompt
Narrate an incident when you completed a task successfully

You should say
what the task was

how much time it took
what problems you faced while doing it
and in how much time did you manage to complete it?
"I completely believe in the saying that the early bird catches the worm t herefore, I started
searching for flight tickets as soon as the task was assigned."

3. A stitch in time saves nine.
Meaning: If you fix a small problem right away, it will not become a bigger problem later.
Sample Prompt
Talk about a job that helps making the world a better place.
You should say:
what job is it
how you learned about it
why do you think it helps so much
and explain why do you think it can make the world a better place.
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With the changing times and the rate at which technology is developing, it is better to follow the
proverb a stitch in time saves nines otherwise you will be left behind and your competitors will
easily beat you.

4. To buy time.
Meaning: To postpone an event hoping that the situation will improve.
Sample Prompt
Recall and talk about a time when you had to struggle to complete or
achieve something
You should say
what was the task at hand

what kind of problems you faced and overcame
how long did it take to overcome the problems and complete the task
and what did you learn from the entire episode?
I tried to buy time in order to complete the task, but even that wasnt be possible as we were
already behind the schedule.

5.Kill time
Meaning: Do something that is not very interesting to pass time.
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Sample Prompt
Describe a radio or video jockey
You should say:
who is s/he
what show s/he host
how he presents the show
and talk about why you like / dislike him/ her.
Initially, I started watching the show only to kill time. Now, I am so hooked to the show and the
jockey that I keep myself free during that hour, not miss out on the show.

6.Callitaday
Meaning: To say that a day's work has been completed
Sample Prompt
Talk about a day at work/school/university which was stressful.

You should say:
how the day began

what and how things started going wrong
who were the people involved
and explain why the day was stressful
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We finally decided to call it a day and start afresh the next morning when we failed to complete
it even after the fifth attempt.
7.Againsttheclock
Meaning: Doing something against the clock means you are rushed and have very little time to
do it.
Sample Prompt
When did you last work within a deadline

You should say
what the task was

how much time it took
how did you complete it
and whether you managed to complete the task in a successful manner
"By the end of the last day I felt like I was working against the clock as there were so many
things yet to be completed and checked."

8. Better late than never
Meaning: This suggests that it is better to do something late than not do it at all.
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Sample Prompt
Talk about a book that had a major influence on you.
You should say:
which book it was

what is the the story
and how it has impacted your life
When i finally did start reading the book and told my friend about it he was happy and said
"Better late than never.

9.Eleventh hour
Meaning: When something happens at the very last minute.
Sample Prompt
Talk about a speech that you heard somebody deliver
You should say:
who the speech was given by

what did the speech talk about
if you were impressed or not by the speech
and state the reasons as to why you liked/disliked the speech
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I had other plans but they got cancelled at the eleventh hour. So my colleagues forced me to
accompany them to the speech which forever changed my perspective towards life.
10. In the blink of an eye
Meaning: If something happens in the blink of an eye, it happens nearly instantaneously, with
hardly enough time to notice it
Sample Prompt
Talk about a family member from whom you learned something useful
You Should Say:
what did you learn

how was it useful to you
whether you taught this to someone else
and explain why it was important for you.
It was amazing how she disappeared and appeared at another place in the blink of an eye."
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crack of dawn eleventh hour against the clock
1. Adam said he now was working ________________ as the deadline had already passed
2 days back.
2. At the ______________________ youll only see the newspaper vendors and a few
milkman on the streets of the city.
3. We had to book our tickets at the ____________ because our schedules werent fixed.
1. Your friend had been standing and chatting with you. You get a phone call and excuse
yourself from the conversation. Because you couldnt hear properly you move away to
speak on the phone, It was hardly a one minute call, but when you return to the spot
where you had been standing and talking to your friend, your friend was not no longer
there. What idiom will you use to describe your friends quick and sudden
disappearance?
2. Your friend doesnt know how to drive a car. This creates a lot of hassles and problems
for you and everyone else, every time an outing is planned. You ask her to learn driving.
What idiom will you use to prompt her?
3. You and your friends had planned a trip long time back.You got your tickets booked as
soon as things were finalized and hence had got them easily and at a cheaper rate. The
rest of them were struggling to find flights and trains and some of them even had to pay
triple the amount of what you had paid. You poke fun at them, saying you were smart
enough to book the tickets early on hence _________ (insert appropriate idiom)
4. You and some of your friends are waiting for a train at the railway station. The
announcer declares that the train is running an hour late. You and your friends decide to
explore the area around the railway station to __________.
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5. Your boss had called for a meeting right before everyone left. It had been a long one and
everyone was tired by the end of it. He knew that it wont be possible for everyone to
start working on the decided plan of action right away so he says, Lets __________
and start implementing these from tomorrow.
AnswerKey:
A.
1. against the clock
2. crack of dawn
3. eleventh hour
B.
1. In the blink of an eye
2. Better late than never
3. the early bird catches the worm
4. kill the time
5. call it a day
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How to Use Connectors?

Connectors help in improving the quality of sentence structure while creating complex
sentences. It helps connect one thought to the other. Thus, giving the conversation a logical
sequence.
Useful vocabulary for expressing your opinion
a. For stating a direct opinion

In my opinion ...
From my point of view ...
As far as I'm concerned...
I believe that...
For Example,
1. Is science a popular subject at your university?
Answer. Very Popular, I believe that there are about 400 students studying science at Kings
and many parents want that their children studying science as it is very uncreative lucrative
yoursey.
2. Do you enjoy studying it?
Answer. Science is vast. In my opinion, it is interesting because you can relate it with you and
your daily life. Biology interests me the most.
b. Vocabulary for expressing agreement:

I quite agree that...
I could not agree more...
I am in agreement...
I completely agree that...
I strongly agree that...
I totally agree with the given idea that...
I am quite inclined to the opinion that...
I agree with the opinion that...
I concur with the group who believe that...
I accept that...
I accept the fact that...
I consent that...
I approve the idea of...
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For Example:
1. Do many people visit your hometown?
Answer. Some tourists visit to see some of the old monuments but not much. The main reason
behind this is the lack of development and very less number of people know about the place. I
quite agree that its not one of the famous places but still worth visiting as it is part of history.
2. How has your hometown changed over the years?
Answer. Since I was a child the town has almost doubled in population sizebut I accept that the
peoples attitude towards life has not changed which has lead to the lack of improvement in the
city.
c. Vocabulary for expressing disagreement:
I strongly disagree that...

I disagree with the opinion that...
I completely disagree with...
I disagree with the statement of...
I totally disagree with the given idea that...
I disagree with the group of people who believe that...
I quite oppose the opinion of...
My own opinion contradicts with...
However, my opinion is different from...
I disapprove that...
I totally do not accept the fact that...
For example:
1. Have you ever bought clothes online?
Answer. No, because I dont trust these websites and I quite oppose the opinion of the society
that online shopping can replace the traditional way of purchasing.
2. Do people from your country think fashion is important?
Answer. Yes and even more so now. I have noticed that people follow trends blindly and dont
even care whether a particular outfit is looking good on them or not. But I strong disagree that
fashion is more important than comfort.
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d. Vocabulary for expressing partial agreement:
To some extent...
More or less
In a way
So to speak
Up to a point I agree
I agree to the given statement to some extent
For example:
1. How important is internet to you?
Answer. Not much important as I am not working in a job where I need to stay connected
virtually. In a way, I use it to do some search for my childrens homework.
2. Do you use apps?
Answer. Yes, I do helps save a lot of my time. So to speak, I use it sometimes for booking a
taxi or ordering grocery.
e. Vocabulary for presenting time or sequence:
Last/ Lastly
First/ Firstly
Second/ Secondly
Third/ Thirdly
At the same time
Meanwhile
Then
Since
As soon as
After this / that
When
Before
After
Afterwards
During
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While
Following this
Simultaneously
For example:
1. Do you like watching television?
Answer. Yes, I love watching movies on television and during breaks I try to finish my home
chores.
2. What was your favourite show when you were a child?
Answer. Since I was a child, I was attracted to cartoons and loved watching Tom and Jerry.
Useful vocabulary for each part
a. For introduction
Certainly
Definitely
Doubtlessly
Undoubtedly
Without any doubt
No doubt
Of course
For example:
1. Do you like playing sports?
Answer. Of course, I love playing cricket.
2. Do you have a healthy diet?
Answer. Yes, I am very conscious of what am I eating. Without any doubt, I follow my diet plan
made by my dietician.
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b. For body paragraphs when adding more information to support your opinion
And
However...
Moreover
Furthermore
In addition
Also
Similarly
In a similar fashion
Likewise
Though...
Although..
As long as...
Even
Too
Besides
As well as
Whats more
Again
For example:
1. How many hours do you spend reading?
Answer. I usually read before sleeping in the night. Besides this, I like reading while travelling.
2. Do you think its important to be punctual?
Answer. Yes, its very important to be on time in life as it is one of the basic manners.
Moreover, I dont like to keep people waiting.
c. For conclusion
All in all
Last/ Lastly
In the end
To sum up
To conclude
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In conclusion
To summarize
In summary
Summarizing it
We can end it by
We can conclude by
For example:
1. Is there anything you would like to change about your flat?
Answer. I would love to have a big balcony firstly will put I can put some chairs and sit in the
evening while having tea. Secondly, I will get a suring set. Lastly, I would like to decorate it
with plants.
2. Is it important for children to play sports?
Answer. Definitely, sports not only keep them healthy but also inculcate discipline. It makes their
mind constructive and gives them a routine to follow In the end, I would also say that sports
builds up confidence and make them hard working.

Speaking sample part 2
Describe a holiday you enjoyed. You should say
When and where you went

Who you went with
What you did on the holiday
And explain why you found this particularly holiday enjoyable.
During the month of April 2014, I visited Phuket in Thailand with my family. It was a planned
holiday so everything was pre booked and I was very excited about the trip. The flight duration
was around 5 hours. I was full of enthusiasm. My son enjoyed a lot as it was his first flight.
Moreover, Thailand was always one of my dream destinations. The capital city of Thailand is
Bangkok and it is located in the centre of the country. We took another flight from Bangkok and
finally reached Phuket. Phuket is the biggest island of Thailand. It is full of beaches that are
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extremely beautiful. The sand is white and the water is clear. Next day we went to Phi Phi island
where we took a motorboat on rent and after reaching in the middle of the sea, we did
snorkelling. It was a memorable experience and it is difficult for me to put it into words. It
seemed like there is another world that exits under water. I would love to go again and enjoy the
waves of the sea. In my opinion, Thailand is undoubtedly a destination worth visiting again.
Speaking sample part 3

1. Why do people go on holidays?
Answer. I believe that people go on holidays to energize themselves.
2. How important is it for families to go on a holiday together?
Answer. In my opinion, it is very significant as it strengthens the bond.
3. Is it better to take a holiday in your own country or in a foreign country? Why?
Answer. Firstly, I would say that enjoying a trip is more important than the location. Although, I
would also say that location preference may differ according to the group of people you are
going with. Like if you are going with your friends then you may want to explore the place to the
fullest so a foreign country may be better but if you are going with your family then having fun is
the ultimate motive of your vacation. All in all, location hardly matters.
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Chapter 10
Recent Exam Questions
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A.Section 1
What is your name?
My name is Raksha Chanda.
Are you currently working or studying?
I am currently working as a software engineer in an MNC based in Gurgaon. It has been around
10 years in this organization and I enjoy doing my job a lot. My job role is to develop programs in
Java which is a popular programming language.
Tell me something about your work schedule and job duties
I work in day shift from 9 am to 7 pm in a multinational company and my job duties involve
working in teams for developing projects in the Java programming language. I design codes also
and the developed software programs are then tested for quality issues which are then sold to
clients having requirement of such software programs.
Are you thinking of changing your job in the future?
As said earlier, I enjoy doing my job and I have been working in the same company for around
10 years. I want to work in this organization on a permanent basis as it has become quite a
stable job for me now. I have other responsibilities at my home on personal level and hence
cant afford to leave my present job. Furthermore, I am being paid incentives and yearly
bonuses for remaining in the present job. Hence, theres no reason to join another company.
How do you Like to Spend Time with your Family?
I definitely like to spend a lot of time with my family especially during the weekend. We plan to
go for a picnic at the holiday resort. We often go for evening walks together. Apart from this,
watching a movie in the multiplex cinema as quite routine since we enjoy being entertained in
the theatre along with our kids. Moreover, whenever we get free time, me and my husband like
to play indoor games such as chess or carom board.
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Whom Among your Family Member are you Most Similar to?
I have six members in my family. Though, I have the same characteristics as them, but I am
most similar to my elder sister. In appearance, her complexion and height are almost to same as
that of mine. As far as characteristics are concerned, I am very fond of listening music. She has
the same test in music as me.
Who is the Most Closest to you in your Family?
Among all, I am very close to my mother. I share everything with her, whether good or bad. She
guides me very well and supports me whenever there is a need. Rather, I can say, she is my
backbone. If I have become something in my family, its all because of my mother. She is very
good at knowing if something bothering me. Many a times, I have observed that if I need to ask
for something, she comes to know before I ask and then tries to bring it for me.
Where do you live, in a house or an apartment?
I live in a house which is quite big enough to accommodate a joint family. It has 3 floors where
all of my family members live including my uncle and aunt. We also have car parking space and
a beautiful garden as well inside our home.
What do you like about your house?
What I like the most about my house is the garden. As I said earlier, we have an amazing
garden inside our house. At the entrance of our home itself, immediately after we open the main
gate, there is a beautiful garden which is full of flowers of different colours viz. red, yellow and
purple. In the morning time and sometimes in the evening, I prefer walking bare footed over the
green grass in the garden which gives me extreme level of mental peace, and this is what I like
the most about my garden.
What would you like to change in your house?
Though I love my house a lot the way it is but if I have to say about something to be altered, I
would like to change the backyard of my house which is filled with all the rubbish waste material
thrown over the past few years. If the grass area gets cleared well, it could be turned into a
beautiful place where one can place few benches for sitting purpose.
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What is your favourite room in your house?
As I am a very creative person since my childhood, my favourite room is the room where I have
kept all my drawings and paintings. Whenever I get free time, I go there and start painting on the
canvas. Sometimes, I just come in this room to look at all those paintings drawn by me to recall
the past days. It just rejuvenates me and refreshes my mind a lot for the upcoming days of
routine work.
Do you think children should share toys?
Yes, definitely. If children share their toys, they would learn the habit of sharing things among
each other. It is nothing but learning with fun and would help them to learn good lessons of life.
They would grow up to be gentle persons and the thought of sharing things would inculcate in
them the sense of responsibility which is required to be good citizens in the society. Hence, it is
good if kids share their toys with each other.
What do you think is the impact of sharing toys between children?
As I said earlier also, it is a good practice to let the children share their toys. The biggest impact
it can have on the kids is that they would be learn on how to work in group and exchange things
with others. It would keep them away from the habit of being highly possessive about things they
own. They would also learn the lesson of humanity; good humans help each other by sharing
things.
What can you tell about the difference between the toys before and toys nowadays?
Toys have really got changed a lot due to the latest technology used for manufacturing these
toys. Now, toys are clear and exact illustrations of the cartoon characters rather than rough
images that were available earlier in the market. Secondly, children are now made to play with
educational toys such as mini-piano, mini-computer and other such high-tech gadgets so that
they can learn with fun.
How would toys help in the development of children?
Playing with toys helps a child to develop various skills such as creativity, art, imagination and
so on. Different types of toys can be meant for different purposes. For example, a small piano
device can help the child learn music and be familiar with different types of rhythms in music. In
this way, they can even learn with fun activities.
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Did you learn riding a bicycle when you were a child?
Yes, I learnt how to ride a bicycle when I was 10 years old. One of my close friends trained me;
otherwise I had no idea about riding a bicycle. It took me a week to learn it properly and then I
was able to ride it well.
Is it easy for you to ride a bicycle in your country?
Yeah, riding a bicycle is actually considered as the easiest way to travel from one place to the
other. Bicycles are the only vehicles that even the kids are able to ride. It hardly takes few days
to learn it thoroughly and then, I think, nobody can ever forget how to ride a bicycle.
What do you think are the benefits of riding a bicycle for a child?
I think there are numerous benefits to be counted. Firstly, it is the safest vehicle for a child who
can ride it with less effort and without much supervision. Secondly, it would be fun for him to go
on a ride along with friends. Kids really enjoy a lot when it comes to riding a bicycle.
Is it safe to ride bicycles on the roads?
Definitely, it is quite safe to ride bicycles on the roads as compared to other vehicles such as
car. Its easy that one can keep on travelling from one area to the other by merely following
basic traffic rule of aligning oneself to the left side of road and that it is not to be ridden in the
middle of the road or at the right side where big vehicles are driven.
How well do you know the people who live next door to you?
Well, theres one neighbour. His house is just in front of my house. His name is Dilip Patel. And I
used to know him from the year 2008 when I have moved to my home. I know him very well
because we often call him for special occasions at our home. We even meant for a get together
at his farmhouse. Socially, we know him very well.
How often do you see them?
Actually, he is lives just in front of my house, so we see him every day. We see him thought
more socially, Most of the times he travels for the work proposes, therefore, we only see him at
get-togethers and birthday parties.
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What kinds of problems do people sometimes have with their neighbours?
Sometimes people can have problems with their neighbours on various issues, such as water
issues. Sometimes, the issues of using the things which belongs to the other can create a
problem. Sometimes the parking issues as well as playing loud music can create issues.
How do you think neighbours can help each other?
Neighbours can help each other in day-to-day life in many ways. For example, my neighbour
whose name is Dilip Patel he has helped us many times. He has helped my family during
occasion of my sister's marriage. He has helped us at the time financial as well as medical cris,
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B.Section 2
Cue Card Question 1

Describe an advertisement that persuaded you to buy a product
What advertisement it was
Was it shown on TV, radio or newspaper
What was good about that advertisement
Explain why do you think that advertisement attracted you to buy the product
Following is a sample response to the above cue card question of IELTS speaking.
Sample Answer
Last week, I was quite free since it was the weekend and was watching television.
I was about the switch channels to look for an interesting program when suddenly
my eyes got stuck on a TV channel that was running an advertisement for a hair
product. It was promoting a shampoo which colors hair as well. It was a newly
launched product in the market. Its target audience were both Youngsters and
adults who needed to dye their hair regularly. When I watched that advertisement, I
did not switch to any other channel and kept on watching it carefully. The way it was
being promoted with the attractive visuals and discount offers, I liked that it a lot.
The most important thing that attracted me towards that advertisement was the
fact that the advertised dye product colors hair in a different manner. Usually, when
we apply dye, we have to keep it for around 15 minutes, then wash our hair. We have
to use different shampoo to wash hair. But this dye product was unique since a
single product does two things together. It is in the form of a shampoo which can be
applied to your hair like any other hair shampoo. You just need to keep it for 10
minutes and then you can wash your hair. Moreover, there is no need to apply any
other shampoo separately for washing hair as it is used for that purpose also. Since
it brought so much to the take, I immediately made a purchase.
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Cue Card Question 2
Talk about a childhood song that you liked the most. Please say
What song was it?

Why did you like it?
Do you still like to sing that song?
Explain why you like this song
Sample Answer
Since childhood, I had been very fond of listening to Bollywood songs. I would like to talk
about the title song of the movie Chakde India starring Shahrukh Khan as the Indian
hockey team coach. It is an inspirational song full of patriotic emotions.
I like this song since it inspires me a lot to achieve my future goals. I play this song quite
often and stay motivated. The rhythm and music of the song resonates with me and
awakens the courageous spirit that is required to become a winner.
I heard this song a few years back and I still listen to it a lot on my phone. Also, whenever
the movie is aired on the radio or television, I make it a point to watch it. The reason is
that though the song has become old, the passion behind that song is still the same.
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Cue Card Question 3
Talk about your best friend.
Who is he/she?
When did you both meet for the first time?
What do you usually do together?
Explain why you consider her as your best friend
Sample Answer
I want to talk about Rima Shetty who has been my best friend since school days. She is
currently working as a software developer for an IT company based in Panipat. It was in
2002 when I met with her in class 11. She had just enrolled in the school in the
non-medical stream and used to sit along with me in the class. It just so happened that
on her first day in the school, she couldnt get an empty seat while I was sitting alone
since my friend was absent on that day. I asked her to sit along with me and introduced
myself. From then onward, we became friends and our friendship is still strong as an
iron.
Whenever we get some free time, we meet each other in a coffee shop and sit over
there for hours, gossiping about our day-to-day life. On the weekend, we often plan to
watch movies together in the nearby Multiplex cinema.
I call her my best friend since she helps me a lot in my difficult times. Whenever I needed
support, she was always there and boosted my confedence. She is extremely honest
and a trustworthy person as well. This is the reason why I consider her as my best friend.
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Cue Card Question 4
Describe a short journey you often make
Where do you go?

How often do you do it?
Why do you like it?
and how can you make your journey better.
Sample Answer
Every Sunday, I like to go to Golden Temple which is located in the district of Amritsar.
Whenever I get free time during the weekend, I like to visit there because this is one of
the sacred holy places of worshiping the almighty.
The tour to Golden Temple always gives me peace of mind and refreshes my thoughts
like anything. I always visit this historical place along with my family and sometimes with
my close friends. By looking at the whitish temple in the centre of the pond with golden
plating at the top is a mesmerising experience for me. Apart from this, sitting inside the
temple and listening to sacred hymns relieves me from all the stresses and worries in of
my life, while the food served at the community hall inside the temple brings satisfaction
to my mind.
I like to visit this place of historical importance as it provides me immense inner

happiness spiritually and psychologically that strengthens me from inside to face the
hardships of life. I would like to do it more often and for longer duration of time.
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Cue Card Question 5
Talk about a course that you would like to take if it was available in your country.
Why would you like to learn about this?

Do you think other people should take this course too?
What can be done to make it available?
Explain why it matters to you.
Sample Answer
I want to talk about the degree course in technical writing which I think I would enrol for if
it was available in India. The reason is that the profession of technical writing is in huge
demand nowadays. In almost all the fields, whether it is computer science, biology,
mathematics, pharmacy or any industry, there is always a requirement of a content
writer who can develop content in the form of brochures, emails, blogs, websites, social
media posts, technical manuals, newsletters,etc.
I do believe that a number of people should enrol in this course as this career is not
restricted to a particular industry. Also its demand lies in the international job market as
well. By enrolling in this degree course, people can find employment opportunities right
after they complete their graduation.
Though there are short term courses available in writing, there is perhaps no degree
programme. So, government should take initiative where they instruct the Education
Minister for implementing a degree course in the content writing. The directors of
colleges should take this forward while common people can put their concerns towards
the respective authorities.
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Cue Card Question 6
Discuss a sports activity you watched or joined
What sport was it

Where it happened
What exactly happened
Explain the reason why it was memorable.
Sample Answer
Few years ago in 2001, I got a chance to see live cricket match between India and New
Zealand in the Punjab Cricket Association stadium, Mohali.
I went to the stadium along with my family members. When we just entered the stadium,
we saw huge crowd of people sitting over there to watch the live match. We took our
seats and were quite excited to see the match. Though I am a fan of all the Indian
cricketers but I was especially looking to see Sachin Tendulkar and Virendra Sehwag.
There was a loud noise made by the audience when the Indian team made an entry into
the stadium.
India won the toss and started to bat first. Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were
the openers who played well till the score reached around 200. It was very thrilling to see
Sachin make his century and it was a dream come true looking at him performing live.
India won the match and we were all filled with immense happiness.
This sports event was the most memorable part of my life since it was the first time I was
watched a cricket match live and also, it was a privilege watching the master blaster
Sachin Tendulkar making his century.
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Cue Card Question 7
Describe a person who you met recently and would like to know more about him
Who this person is

When and where you met him
What you would like to know more about him
Explain the reason why it is important for you to know that person
Sample Answer
I would like to talk about a person whom I recently met in the nearby garden. I had gone
for an evening walk with my son since it is a part of my routine. While I was walking, I saw
an old man with his grandson. The talk actually began when his grandson started
playing with my son. We talked about recent times; how it has changed and what it
would be like in the future. We also shared with each other many stories about our
experiences from personal and professional life. He started his business at the age of 1
and turned in into the profitable one by the age of 17. He had a very unique perspective
about things which was very intriguing. I really would like to know more about him, his
family and more importantly, his past work life. As I do not have any elder person in my
house, being a small family, I would love to talk to him in the future as well and would like
our friendly relationship to prosper.
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Cue Card Question 8
Discuss a sports activity you watched or joined, you should say
Where it happened
Why it was memorable

Sample Answer
Few years ago in 2001, I got a chance to see live cricket match between India and New
Zealand in the Punjab Cricket Association stadium, Mohali.
I went to the stadium with my family members. When we just entered the stadium, we
saw huge crowd of thousands of people anxiously waiting to watch the live match. We
took our seats and were quite excited to watch the match. Though I am a fan of all
Indian cricketers, but I was especially looking forward to see Sachin Tendulkar and
Virendra Sehwag. The crowd cheered loudly when the Indian team made an entry into
the stadium.
India won the toss and started to bat first. Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were
the openers who played well till the score reached around 200. It was thrilling to see
Sachin make his century. It was a dream come true looking at him performing live. India
won the match and we all were filled with immense happiness.
This sports event was the most memorable part of my life since it was the first time I was
watched a cricket match live where the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar made his
century.
9. Band 6.5
Describe a time when you had to give an opinion

What opinion you gave
When did you give this opinion
Why you were to give this opinion
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Explain how others reacted on your opinion
Task Response:
In the year 2010, I had planned a get together with friends and family. The discussion about girls
education started. We were discussing whether the girls should be educated as equally as the
boys or not. The girls must be educated because if girls are educated, they can provide better
education to the kids and have a better progressing life for themselves gender equality start at
home and educated families can help make a change faster. All of my friends and family agreed
with me.They give me a lot of examples of how educating a girl brought happiness and
prosperity to the entire family.
10. Band 6
Describe an idea you had to improve something at work/college
What idea it was

When and where you had this idea
Whom you told about this idea?
What improvement it made at work/college?
Task Response:
Ideas are very important because it is a true saying that an idea can change your life starts.
Whatever you are enjoying in the modern times, like laptop, mobile phone, its all about with an
idea. After completing my post graduation last year, I joined rehabilitation centre for the civil
persons. Here, I was in-charge of that centre and the number of patients were very less. So, it
the responsibility to increase the number of in changes were given to me. So, I thought a lot
about how to improve the quality of services. Finally, I got an idea that I would approach it in
different way. I thought that I will use the social media like Facebook and Whatsapp to connect
with other professionals. My boss loved my idea and we planned the execution to the T so that
more and more patients can come to our centre. My idea improved the number of patients in my
centre as more and more people become aware of our services.
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C. Section 3

Recent Exam Question in IELTS Speaking Part 3
1. Newspaper
How do the newspapers market themselves for increasing sales?
Newspapers use different strategies to boost up marketing. They publish advertisements on

television and display their banners on hoardings. Apart from this, they also advertise
themselves on websites. They have catchy slogans to attract mass number of people. Those
newspapers which are quite new in the market try to give discount offers to the public on
purchase of the newspaper packages, while those which are already established focus on
retaining their customers through various plans and offers.
What kind of marketing practices do these newspapers use?
One of the effective marketing practices is to visit people in their homes. Sales team goes door
to door for selling and marketing their newspapers. This works great for a newly launched
newspaper. Many newspapers such as Amar Ujala and Dainik Bhaskar used these practices
when they started and now, they have become quite a popular newspapers across the country.
Another successful strategy used by newspaper is to offer gifts along with monthly subscription
of their newspapers. They usually offer utensils, appliances, etc. to attract more and more
people.
Do you think newspapers manipulate real stores for increasing their sales?
Yes, it is possible that some newspapers may be altering real stories to make them look
attractive and pleasing to the readers. Some local newspapers may be publishing fake stories
also. For example, it is seen many a times that some editors publish rumours about celebrities
or famous personalities just to boost up their sales. When celebrities are then asked about such
published stories, they completely deny them. Just for the sake of publicity of their papers, they
spread false news or rumours and this is quite prevalent these days.
Do the TV programs and radio channels talk about the same news?
Yes, TV news channels as well as radio channels broadcast the same news however, difference
lies in the details of the news. On TV, people are able to get more in-depth information about the
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news along with videos or visuals. Sometimes, the TV channel reporters broadcast news live,
being present in the place where incident is taking place. On the other hand, radio channels do
not go so much deep while telling news.
Do you think people will use the internet to read news online?
Absolutely, people would prefer to use the internet for reading news online especially through
their mobile applications. They are already using the internet to a much larger extent that they
check for weather updates, news updates and watch talk shows online on their computers or
mobiles. In the future also, this trend is likely to get widen.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet?
Internet has a number of advantages in the way it can be used for obtaining information about
just anything. The biggest thing that benefits the people is that people are able to connect to
each other very easily. News can be accessed sitting anywhere and anytime. Other than this,
one can shop online without visiting the store and students can study from the comfort of their
homes. Nonetheless, there are disadvantages of the internet as well since a number of internet
hackers are being involved in fraudulent activities. They are found to commit cyber crimes which
are difficult to track.
2.Workplace
What are the advantages of working under pressure?
One advantage of making an employee to work under pressure is that he can complete his
targets and all the work in a disciplined environment within the specified deadlines. Another
advantage is that employee becomes more efficient and productive as he works comparatively
fast so as to lie able to deliver his tasks well on time.
Does it have any disadvantages also?
Yes, it can be disadvantageous as well if an employee who is working under excessive work
pressure can lose his temper may have an outburst by expressing or have no willingness to do
the work at all. Every employee has his own way of dealing with pressure and the extent to
which he can deal with it. For example, if a short tempered employee is pressurised a lot, he
may lose his temperament easily as compared to the one who has a lot of patience. Thus, it
depends upon the individual but it is also true that theres limit to pressurise an individual.
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What is the importance of having days off?
It is extremely essential to have days off since an individual can perform better if he takes
enough rest for which he needs a weekend off. It would be a mind relaxing time for an employee
who is spending time with family by watching TV, playing games or doing other recreational
activities. From Monday to Friday, employees are already working for 8 to 12 hours. They do not
get time for their family members and other activities at home. Hence, 1-2 days off on Saturday
and Sunday rejuvenates them enough to get ready to perform the daily tasks in the coming
week.
what is the best way through which an employee can be compensated for working extra
hours or days?
I think the best way an employer can compensate the employees for working some extra time is
only with money. Such employees should be paid incentives or extra wages for spending extra
hours. This would help them to stay motivated for working more. Other than this, these
employees can be appreciated by their bosses in the office for doing the extra work. If they are
recognized for the kind of work they do, they would love to keep on doing the same in the future
also.
Do you think that technology reduces work pressures nowadays?
Yes, I agree that technology has drastically improved the way man used to work earlier. With
advanced technological devices such as computer, printer, etc., it was tedious to perform
calculations and storing files manually. But now, with the availability of the internet and
electronic devices, all the work gets done easily. These devices are more efficient than humans
hence, this has reduced workload.
3.Toys
How do the media attract the children towards toys?
There are many media channels such as TV, newspaper, magazine and social media platform
that advertise some toy products to attract the young children. The videos or pictures telecasted
or posted on these channels allure them to buy these toys. So, they insist their parents to buy
them from the market.
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Do you think children learn something from toys?
I think it depends upon what type of toy it is. For example, if a small girl is playing with her
Barbie doll by cleaning its hair, washing its clothes and dressing it up with new clothes, it shows
that she is learning good habits on how to live a good lifestyle. On the other hand, if she has
other kinds of playthings such as guns, knives or pistols and she plays games where it is about
killing the other player, in this case, it would not be good as she would be learning to be
destructive.

Do the parents spend too much on buying toys for their children?
Yes, sometimes but not always. When the parents feel that their child needs a toy to play, which
can help eliminate loneliness in his life, they do let their child purchase a toy even if it is very
expensive in order to let him smile. However, when the child is insisting unnecessary and
demanding too many toys, they refrain from any further purchase since they know that it would
rather make him pampered.
What should be the preferable toys for the children?
Nowadays, toys should include mini-laptop, musical instrument and other such things using
which the child can also gain some good knowledge and skill while only having fun.
4.Workplace
Do you think childhood friendship can last for long?
Yes, I truly believe that childhood friendship can last forever since in childhood, we make friends
without any condition or selfishness. Being a child, one is innocent and thus, one is able to find
friends according to ones liking and disliking. However, in adulthood, there are a number of
factors that are responsible to choose someone as friend, for example, appearance, status,
wealth, etc.
Is it important that people should have good friendship while at work?
Definitely, it is essential for people to have friendship at the workplace because if you are being
treated as a good friend, you can work better being surrounded by a positive work environment.
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It is even important for those employees who work in teams as they are able to achieve their
targets and goals if they know each other well.
Do you think companies should let the employees gather together for socializing in order
to be successful?
Yes, I think that companies should allow the employees to socialize with each other because in
this way, they are able to understand each other well and they would be able to work in
stress-free environment as well as able to effectively achieve their targets set on their jobs. For
example, employees of some companies discuss about projects during their lunch hours and
since they mix up well, they are able to deliver their best at work.
Did you ever see a celebrity in your life?
Yes, I happened to see a celebrity recently in a music show. I got the chance to see the famous
singer Arijit during his music performance at a big hotel in Mumbai. Since I am his big fan, I
bought tickets for his show and was able to see him performing live. It was such a mesmerising
performance that I would never be able to forget this moment in my life.
Do you remember the friends you had made in childhood?
Yes, I very well remember my childhood friends. They are actually in touch with me though
social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. A number of times we meet
during in family functions and festivals. The kind of friendship we had since childhood, we
cannot forget at all and we would continue this in the future as well.
Is it easy to make friends now as compared to the past?
I think it is comparatively easy to make friends now as compared to the ancient times when
there never used to be so much technology available and the mode of communication was
limited. But now, you have social media websites where you can make new friends within
seconds. For example, Facebook is the website where people send requests to each other and
become friends in no time.
What are the important qualities of a good friend?
A good friend should, first of all, be trustworthy and honest. If you cannot trust someone, he can
never be your true friend. Apart from these qualities, a friend should be understanding and
helpful so that he can help you when you face any difficulty or troublesome situation in your life.
Lets say, if you need money, a good friend would help you with money.
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5.Tourism
What do you think is the impact of tourism in your country?
I believe tourism has a huge impact in contributing towards the GDP of our country. When
foreign tourists visit India, they bring foreign currency with them that adds value in the economy.
Also, local residents of the tourist place get employment opportunities such as working as tourist
guides or become sellers.
Do you think there are also negative impacts of tourism?
Yes, of course. There are various negative consequences of tourism that can negatively affect
the local people staying in that place. If the foreign tourists do not take care of the historical
places well, it would cause damage to these historical buildings and thereby, the loss of culture
and heritage. Secondly, huge crowd of tourists can also affect the city, causing inconvenience to
a number of local residents.
What kinds of tourists are likely to visit your country in the future?
I think it depends upon the way marketing strategies of our historical places are implemented.
But considering the likelihood, youngsters from foreign countries such as the UK, the USA and
other such countries are likely to visit India for educational opportunities order people for
medical assistance.
6.Shopping
Do you like to go for shopping?
Yes, I love shopping a lot because it gives me immense happiness from inside whenever I try to
choose one or the other product of my choice out of so many products available in the market.
Moreover, when I buy a gift for someone, it is great fun to know that it. Will bring happiness to
me. So, I really like shopping for myself and for others.
What are the different ways to shop nowadays?
Nowadays, shopping has become digital since people are buying everything online through
various shopping websites such as Amazon, Flipkart etc. However, people also like to physically
visit big shopping malls such as Big Bazaar, Vishal Mega Mart etc.
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Why do you think people like to visit shopping centers?
I think it brings a lot of benefits for the people when they visit a shopping center because in the
big shopping malls, different types of products are available at one place itself. You can find
almost all types of brands in the same place and thus, it becomes very easy for you to choose
the right one. Apart from this, you get to touch and inspect the cloth material. So, these are
some of the reasons why people visit shopping centers.

Describe a person you know who is shopaholic.
One of my friends studying with me in my college is too shopaholic. At the time, she returns to
her home from college during the weekend, she always buys clothes or accessories. And during
the way back from home to the college hostel, she is again found at local market, buy
something. This is the reason why I call her a shopaholic person.
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Chapter 11
Complete Tests
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Complete test 1
Task 1
How are you feeling right now?

Do you like shopping?
Have you bought anything interesting recently?
How important is money to you?
Do you think you will have lots of money in future?
Task 2
Describe something you want to buy but cant afford.

You should say:
What you would like to buy
How much it costs
Why you cant afford it
And explain if there is any other way you could acquire it.
Task 3
Give your opinion on various issues connected to money Support your opinion with
relevant examples and make comparisons where possible.
How much money is enough?

What things can money not buy?
Do people care too much about money?
Money problems
What problems does money cause in your society?
Do children need better financial education?
Could human beings live without money?
115

Complete test 2
Task 1
How early do you leave for work?

Do you usually reach on time?
Does punctuality matter in work and otherwise?
How important is punctuality at job?
Task 2
Talk about an event you were late to

You should say:
What was the event
Where was it
Why were you late
And how did you feel about it?
Task 3
How do you deal with people who are frequently late?

What do you do when waiting for something or someone?
Do you get angry or deal patiently in such a situation?
How do the government sectors in your country function?
Are they quick with their work or they keep on postponing it unnecessarily?
Do you think a nation is responsible for such kind of attitude in its citizens? Why?
116

Complete test 3
Task 1
Do you like animals?

Which is your favourite animal?
Have you ever had a pet?
Which animal would you like having as a pet? why?
Task 2
Talk about an animal/bird you or someone you know had as a pet

You should say:
what animal/ bird it was and its breed
what kind of care does it require
Whether you liked/disliked this pet and why
And why and when did you/your friend had to give it up
Task 3
Have you been to a zoo?

Do you think zoos are a good place to keep animals?
Does your country take care of its natural resources?
Which is the largest National Reserve in your nation?
Have you visited it?
Is the government responsible for the wellbeing of it animals and natural
resources?
How can the citizens of a country contribute towards this?
117

Complete Test 4
Task 1
Do you believe in following rules?

Talk about a rule/law you might have broken
What kind of family do you come from? A law abiding one or a law bender?
Is bribing a bad thing? why?
Task 2
Talk about a law that helped/hindered you recently

You should say
What was the law
What had happened
How did it help/hinder you
Task 3
What kind of legal system does your country have?

Would you say your country is corrupted?
What makes you say this?
Who do you think is responsible for corruption in a country? The government or the
people? Why?
What do you think can be done to improve this?
118

Complete test 5
Task 1
Are you attached to objects?

What would you say is the object you are close to? Why?
How do you take care of your things?
Have you ever lost something important? How?
Does your family carry the same values?
Task 2
Talk about a family heirloom which has been in the family since long
You should say:
what the object is
where it came from
how long it has been in your family
and explain why your family has kept it
Task 3
Should things be given more importance than people? Why?

How important do you think emotions are?
What kind of people does your country have? Are they more workaholic or more
social?
How would you describe your countrys working culture?
119

Complete test 6
Task 1
What or who inspires you?

Have you ever failed at something?
Whom do you seek advice from?
Talk about your parents
Do they work?
Are you still in touch with your teachers?
Task 2
Describe something useful you learned from a friend/colleague

You Should Say:
what you learned.
how this became useful later in your life
have you taught it to someone
and explain why it was important for you.
Task 3
Does being helpful make one happy?

Would you help a stranger?
Who was your favourite teacher in school? Why?
Are you close to your father or mother? Why?
How often do you talk to them?
Do you rely on friends or family more? Why?
120

Complete Test 7

Task 1
Are you a spiritual person?

Do you pray often?
Where do you usually pray?
What are famous holy places in your city?
Does your family have a culture?
What kind of culture do you follow?
Describe your culture in a few lines.
Task 2
Describe a foreign culture that you like

What culture is it?
How do you know about it?
What are the differences between that culture and your own?
Task 3
What is the work culture like in your country?

Do people work hard or they are generally lazy?
What motivates you to give your best?
Do you finish your tasks on time?
How do you deal with people who are laid back?
121

Complete test 8

Task 1
Do you think you are fit?

Have you ever been seriously ill?
Have you been in an accident?
Does your family have a history of health issues?
If yes, what is it?
Do you have it too?
If yes, how long have you had it?
Task 2
Talk about a routine you follow for keeping yourself fit

You should say:
When you started doing it
How often do you do it
Did someone tell you about it?
Task 3
How important do you think it is to stay fit and healthy?

Do you eat junk food?
How do you think junk food affects the body?
Should children be allowed to consume junk food?
What kind of food do you usually consume?
122

Complete test 9

Task 1
What inspires and motivates you?

Who is your role model? (not a family member or friend)
Have you ever met this person?
What is it about this person that inspires you the most?
How and when did you come to know about this person?
What in your opinion is this persons biggest achievement?
Task 2
Talk about a famous speech you have heard

You should say
Who gave this speech
Where did you hear it
How did you come to know about it
And whether you liked the speech or not? If yes, what did you like about it?
Task 3
How is the political scenario in your country?

Are the politicians in your country young or old?
Have you ever been part of a political party or campaign?
How do you think the youth of a country can contribute to its progress?
123

Complete test 10
Task 1
Do you know how to drive?

How do you usually travel?
How far is your office/college from your place?
What do you do in this travel time?
Task 2
Talk about a time when you got stuck in a traffic

You should say
How long were you there
What did you do
What had caused the jam
And with whom were you stuck?
Task 3
Do you think minors should be allowed to drive?

Is the government responsible for the issue of increasing traffic and pollution?
Is it a good habit to have a vehicle for each person of the family?
Who do you think is to be blamed most for the traffic problems?
How do you think an individual can help in this matter?
124

Complete test 11

Task 1
What kind of food do you like?

How often do you eat out?
Which is your favourite dish?
Where do you think the best of this is served?
Do you know how to make this dish?
Task 2
Talk about a dish you recently made/tried out

You should say
How did you come to know about it
When did you make/try it
Who helped you with the recipe/who recommended you to try it
And whether or not it tasted good
Task 3
How important do you think is food in a persons life

Do you consider yourself a foodie?
When you learn to cook?
What is your favourite dessert?
Who serves the best desserts in your city?
125

Complete test 12
Task 1
Do you like adventure?

What kind of adventure(s) you like the most?
Do you like traveling?
How often do you take a break from normal routine?
What do you do in these breaks?
Do you have many friends?
How many people are there in your family?
Task 2
Describe an excursion you had

When it was?
How you reached there?
When you went?
Task 3
How often do you meet your friends?

Do you live alone or with family?
Does living alone make you a better person?
Do you think the children should be responsible for taking care of their parents?
126

Complete test 13

Task 1
What is your source of entertainment?

Do you read?
Which book did you recently read?
Are you interested in movies?
How often do you go for movies?
Task 2
Talk about a character (movie/book) that influenced you a lot

You should say
What movie/book does the character feature in?
Why do you like this character
What quality of the character inspires you
And whether the character is a major one in the movie/book?
Task 3
What kind of movies are made in your country?

Are they reality inspired or more of fiction based?
Who is the highest paid actor in your country?
Who according to you is the best actor and why?
Is movie dependent on the director or the actor?
127

Complete test 14
Task 1

What kind of shopping do you enjoy?
Do you buy only branded products? Why?
Are branded products better than others?
Task 2
Describe a shop you visit often

You should say
What the shop sells
How long have you been visiting it
Detailed information about the shop, its services and products
And explain why you visit the store so often.
Task 3
Do you shop on the online portals?

Which one do you prefer? Why?
You think online shopping has changed the face of retail market? How?
What about books? Do you prefer buying them online or from a store? Why?
Have you ever read an ebook? How was the experience?
Would you replace hard copy reading with ebook reading? Why?
128

Complete test 15
Task 1
What is your full name?

Tell me about your town.
What do you like about your town?
Task 2
Cue card
Discuss a sports activity you watched or joined, you should say

Where it happened
Why it was memorable
Task 3
Discussion
What do you think is the most popular sports nowadays?

What do you think about the benefits of swimming?
Do you think swimming is a good sport?
What sports activities were you engaged in at school?
If you were given a chance to go back to school, what sports would you engage in?
Should children be encouraged to do more sports?
What kind of sports are better for the kids, team or from individual sports?
129

Complete test 16

Task 1
What do you do in your free time?

Do you like reading?
How many books do you read in a year?
Which book has been your favourite so far?
Do you watch movies?
What kind of movies do you like? Why?
Task 2
Talk about a movie which was a good adaptation of a book

You should say
Which book it was based on
Why and how did it justify the book
How different was it from the movie
And why did you think it was equal to or better than the book
Task 3
Do you think books should be adapted into movies?

Do movies hamper a readers imagination about how the characters and story
should be?
Do you think it is possible to make a movie which satisfies all readers?
What can a director do to justify a book and its characters?
If a character has not read the book, do you think he can do a good job with just
the reading of the script?
130

Complete test 17

Task 1
How often do you take up cleaning?

Do you like to keep things organized?
Are you a leader or follower when it comes to execution of plans?
How do you take care of your belongings?
Task 2
Talk about something you lost recently

You should say:
What was it
How and where did you lose it
Did you use it everyday
And whether you replaced it or not? How and why?
Task 3
Do you lose things frequently?

What was the most expensive thing you lost?
How can a person become more responsible about taking care of things?
Can being forgetful be related to stress?
Do you think more people are becoming forgetful because of the increased stress
levels? how?
131

Complete test 18
Task 1
How are you feeling right now?

Do you shop a lot?
Which is your favourite thing that you bought recently?
How important is money to you?
Task 2
Describe something you desire to have

You should say:
What you would like to buy
How much it costs
Why you dont have it already
And explain your plan to acquire it.
Task 3
How much money truly makes a man rich?

What would you do if you receive large sums of money?
Do millennial children need financial education?
What problems does money cause in your society?
132

Complete test 19
Task 1
In this task Im going to ask you some questions about yourself

Where are you planning to immigrate to?
Why do you wish to move out of your country?
What kind of work/study are you planning to do there?
Lets talk about your family

How many people are there in your family?
What do/does your sibling do, if any?
Are you close to your family?
Who are you closest to in your family?
Ill now move in to ask some questions about your likes and dislikes
Do you ever get upset?
What upsets you the most?
Whom do you seek help from during such times?
Task 2
Tell me about a time when you were really upset

You should say
What had happened
Why did it upset you?
How did you overcome it?
And who helped you during this time?
133

Task 3
We've been talking about likes and dislikes so Ill ask you a few more questions about
the same:
What quality do you admire in people the most?

Which habit in a person annoys you?
What is the one habit of yours which you think people find irritating?
What is the one habit of yours which people appreciate the most?
134

Complete test 20

Task 1
Tell me about your family

Are you an independent person?
How often do you talk to your friends/family?
Who would you say is your closest friend? Why?
What kind of equation do you share with your parents?
Task 2
Talk about the last time you cried

You should say:
What had happened
When did it happen
Who was there with you
And how did you get back to normal?
Task 3
What upsets you the most?

Whom do you talk to when you are upset?
Do you share your private life easily?
Whom are you more close to, family or friends? Why?
Do you think friends are as important as family? Why?
135

Complete test 21
Task 1
Do you read?
What kind of reading do you enjoy the most?
Are you a regular reader of the newspaper?
What was the last piece of news you read?
Whom do you usually discuss recent events with? Why?
Task 2
Describe an important letter you wrote to someone

When you wrote it
Whom you wrote it to
What was it about
Task 3
Who is your favorite writer/columnist/news anchor? Why?

Which news channel do you switch to for news updates? Why?
Do you think communication on paper and reading books in hardcopy is better
than e-communication and e books?
Which one do you prefer? Why?
136

Complete Test 21
Part 1: Introduction
1. Good morning. My name is _____. Could I have your name please?

2. And what is your candidature number?
3. Tell me something about yourself.
4. Where do you live?
5. Tell me something special about the place where you live.
6. Is it a tourist destination?
7. Is there a particular time when one should visit?
Part 2: Cue Card
Topic: Describe about a comedian on television who you like.

You should say
Who is the comedian

Why did you chose this person
Explain why do you think he is good
Part 3: Details discussion
1. Do you think comedy shows should be given importance on television?

2. How is having fun important in your life?
3. Do you think people are more engrossed in their work these days and have less time for
humor? What do you think has changed?
4. What else do you watch on television? What is the importance of that?
137

Complete test 22
Task 1
Talk about your childhood

Do you have any siblings?
How was it growing up with them? How was it growing up as an only child?
Do you think it makes a difference in your personality development?
What changes do you think it made in you?
Task 2
Talk about a video game you love/loved

You should say:
What the game is
How many players does it require
How did you first come to know about it
And whether you still play it/ if yes how often do you play it?
Task 3
Did you share your toys/games with anyone while growing up?
Do you share your things as a grown up?
Do you believe in sharing is caring?
Are the people in your country/city helpful?
How do you usually react when someone asks for your help?
138

Complete test 23
Task 1
Do you like to plan things?

Have you ever done anything impulsive?
Would you say you are mischievous?
Have you got into trouble because of any mischief?
Talk about a prank you played
Task 2
An accident you saw

Where the accident occurred?
Where you were then?
How the accident affected you?
Task 3
Have you yourself ever been in an accident?

What had happened?
How old were you then?
When was the last time you got a severe injury?
139

Complete test 24
Task 1
How were your school days?

Did you like studying?
What was better for you? School or college/university?
What kind of a student were you?
Did you help your classmates with their doubts and homework?
Task 2
Talk about a time when you taught someone something

You should say:
When was it
What and how did you teach?
Whom did you teach it to
And whether the person understood what you taught
Task 3
How important is team work?

Should children be taught teamwork? Why?
Do you like to work alone or in a team?
Do you think world peace is a burning issue?
How can the principles of teamwork be applied for world peace?
Would you say your country is peaceful? Why ?
140

Complete test 25
Task 1
Are you attached to objects?

What would you say is the object you are close to? Why?
How do you take care of your things?
Have you ever lost something important? How?
Does your family carry the same values?
Task 2
Talk about a family heirloom which has been in the family since long
You should say:
what the object is
where it came from
how long it has been in your family
and explain why your family has kept it
Task 3
Should things be given more importance than people? Why?

How important do you think emotions are?
What kind of people does your country have? Are they more workaholic or more
social?
How would you describe your countrys working culture?
141

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IELTS Speaking

Chapter 1 - All About Speaking Skill, 2

Chapter 2 - How is Speaking Task Scored?, 7

Chapter 3 - What Are the Types of Topics in Speaking Task?, 12

Chapter 4 - How To Utilize 1 Minute Effectively?, 18

Chapter 5 - How To Add Details?, 22

Chapter 6 - How To Use Less Fillers?, 26

Chapter 7 - 11 Things To Remember To Score Well, 30

Chapter 8 - How To Sound More Confident While Speaking?, 35

Chapter 9 - Vocabulary Building, 38

1) How To Expand Your Vocabulary

Chapter 10 - Recent Exam Questions, 91

Chapter 11 - Complete Tests, 113

All About Speaking Task

Types of Speaking Tasks:

Part 3 5-6 This is in continuation of Part 2 as you will be required to

IELTS Speaking Part 1

Here are four simple rules for Speaking Part 1:

Here's an example to illustrate these points:

Do you like malls?

Do you live in a house or an apartment?

Describe your favourite season in your country. You should say

IELTS Speaking Part 3

How To Structure the Answer?

How many seasons does your country have?

How does the weather affect your mood?

How has global warming affected the winters in your country?

What is expected from you?

How is Speaking Task Scored?

There are four assessment criteria:

1. Fluency and Coherence 25%

2. Lexical Resource 25%

3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy 25%

What is expected from you?

You should say, I reside in Hyderabad.

For example: For I mean to say say I intend to say

3. Coherence (Common thread in the speech):

Connectors like such as, but and h

Speaking Band 5.5

Speaking Band 8.5

Types of Topics Covered in the Speaking Task

The list of the topics

IELTS Speaking Task 1

Sample Question and Model Answer

What is your name?

My name is Rohit Verma.

Are you studying or working?

Which is your favourite subject?

Why do you like this subject?

Why did you choose to study in your chosen discipline?

IELTS Speaking Task 2

People: your favourite person, your role model etc

Sample Question and Model Answer

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card Question:

Talk about an interesting news that you read in the newspaper

IELTS Speaking Task 3:

1. Opinion: Give your opinion on a certain topic. Remember to give examples.

Sample Question and Model Answer

How do the newspapers market themselves for increasing sales?

Newspapers use different strategies to boost up marketing. They publish advertisements on

What kind of marketing practices do these newspapers use?

How to Utilize 1 Min Given Before Speaking Task 2

Describe a party you had attended and enjoyed