10 IELTS speaking topics

CONTENTS TOPIC: EDUCATION Sample answers, useful vocabulary and resources for IELTS speaking exam WORD FORMATION Learn how to use wide variety of parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs

CONTENTS

TOPIC:

EDUCATION

Sample answers, useful

vocabulary and resources for

IELTS speaking exam

WORD FORMATION

Learn how to use wide variety of parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives

COLLOCATIONS

Find out groups of words that usually used together by native speakers

USEFUL RESOURCES

References to teaching and authentic materials related to this topic: IELTS blogs,

1 SAMPLE ANSWERS

PART 1

1 What kind of school did you go to as a child?

-I have studied in a public school from pre-school till

6th grade It used to be the most popular and the

best elementary school during my time

2 Did you go to a co-educational school?

-Yes, I did I had good memories in that school I

gained a lot of friends, both boys and girls

3 What was your favorite subject as a child?

-I liked Maths a lot when I was a kid Solving word

problems were very interesting for me I’d always

get high scores in exams

4 Who was your favorite teacher?

-My Maths teacher He made the lessons fun and

exciting by engaging us into different activities

related to our topics Me and my classmates

enjoyed the games

5 Where do you study / Where did you study?

I studied in (name of university) It is located in (name of the city)

6 What’s your university/college like?

It’s one of the best universities in my country It has

a huge campus with approximately 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students of different courses/major

7 What do you study/did you study in university?

I studied business administration This course is perfect for a business minded person like me

8 What is special about this subject?

Basically, it is about management of business operations It has relevance and social importance since it deals with technology, economy, global competitions and the emerging markets

PART 2

Describe a subject you enjoyed studying at

school You should say:

• When and where you started studying it

• What lessons were like

• What made the subject different from other

subjects

• and explain why you enjoyed the subject

The subject I’d like to describe is World History It was a subject taught in highschool About one hour is allotted everyday to learn about significant historical events For some of my classmates, it was a boring subject but I enjoyed it a lot

I remember that our teacher distributed a syllabus on our first meeting which served as a guide on the topics that will be discussed each week We were assigned to read several books and other reading materials We talked about famous people, from warriors to philosophers to artists We discussed the wars that happened in the past

We also talked about religion, traditions and customs of the people during the ancient time

As a subject, it required us to memorize a lot which was a disadvantage for me and my classmates at that time because it consumed much of our time Nevertheless, history really intrigues me I am always curious about how humans lived in the past I have always been interested to look into how history turned us into the present

generation It fascinates me

PART 3

1 How are education priorities today different from those in the past?

In a fast-changing world we are in today, education priorities have transformed as well

In our current society, education opens more opportunities for a wider skill set that were not offered in the past For example, colleges and universities have more specific major or courses as compared before Education has also involved the use of the modern technology such as computers and other gadgets that were not present in the past

2 Is a good education more important to a boy or a girl? Why?

Good education is important for both boys and girls Both should be given equal rights

to education In today’s society, women have proven that they can do tasks and get jobs that only men used to have Women have shown their competency in various fields such as politics, science, sports and etc Men on the other have also entered some industries that used to be considered as women’s job such as cooking,

housekeeping, fashion and etc I think both sexes must be given equal opportunities

3 How well do you think schools should prepare young people for working life?

Schools are considered our second home This is where we learn almost everything, starting from the basic such as reading and writing Before we turn into adults, this is the place where we get most of our training Therefore, schools should also be the avenue to prepare us to enter into another chapter – the working life Schools must extend its training by educating and guiding the young people to their future career

2 KEY VOCABULARY

a quality or accomplishment that makes someone suitable for a particular job or activity

These qualifications are just like a ticket for entry

into the corporate world

the completion of university degree course or your education and receiving of an academic degree or diploma

I went to England to work after my graduation

officially register as a member of

an institution or a student on a cours, school, university, etc

In many areas, it is possible to enrol for adult

education classes in archaeology

To apply the mind to learning and understanding a subject by

reading, going to school, university etc

She studied biology and botany

a series of lessons or lectures in

a particular subjesct, a learning program in a school, university,

He took a course in basket weaving

of study

He has no degree in education

a series of lessons that you are not intended to attend and instead can take at your home or another place

Many of these optional modules will be available

by distance learning

The training or instruction provided by a teacher or tutor especially in small groups

We want to support them by providing free tuition in

Some articles may not be appropriate for primary

I recently passed my exams to become a chartered

organize and carry out They conducted a survey of people 's attitudes to

local environmental issues

to get something Managers who have received no formal training will

find the course of particular benefit

to get or gain something There are regular classes where you can acquire

new expertise , or improve existing skills , with professional tuition

Both of my parents had left school at fourteen

something that is compulsory must be done because of a rule

academic achievement or aptitude (Wikipedia)

The comprehensive high school provides students

with a holistic education that allows them to become well-rounded adults

private

education

classess you have to pay for In fact the percentage of secondary school pupils in

England in private education has dropped since

comprehensives were introduced

someone who makes progress moves forward, improves, becomes closer to goals

Why do some people make progress and others

don't?

a student who fails to complete a course of study and leaves university etc with no qualifications

Years ago the official label for `` dropout '' was

changed to `` premature school leaver ''

work done during a course of study, especially that contributing

While the research reveals many overlaps and

similarities, there are also some interesting differences

Area of knowledge taught in an educational institution

Maybe you want to study a subject you particularly

enjoy

hard-working Industrious students will look for opportunities on

their own to have work in their portfolios

3 WORD FORMATION

noun Colonel Spratt highlighted the importance of the

qualification for people planning a career in marketing

verb Like student nurses, there are no jobs for them when

they qualify

adjective The English Department employs well qualified and

experienced tutors and as a result has always enjoyed a high success rate in examination results

verb Sadly, a number of high school students are inarticulate

when they graduate and cannot properly word a sentence

verb Failure to enroll for a full academic load does not alter the

residency requirement noun today women make up 70 percent of professional school

enrollment

noun Another study showed that 26 %of schools in the country

fail to comply with state regulations for PE verb This course is designed for complete beginners who are

eager to study the language, and provides an excellent

opportunity to understand and to feel the language

adjective He stops what he's doing and stares in my direction with

a studied indifference leaning on his broom

noun Poland 's education system failed during the 1990s to train

enough skilled workers,including engineers and craftsmen

adjective Well-educated Catholics, ie those with university

education, did not appear to suffer any disadvantage in occupational achievement compared with their Protestant peers

adjective The larger issue, though, is whether such schools can

providebetter educational benefits

noun In recent years the value of innovation has been

demonstrated in many sectors

verb Advertisers and web sites are looking to innovate to

engage users through marketing campaigns that align across multiple media

adjective Magazines and the Internetopen a huge range of

innovative designer options

noun Laforgue 's life in Germany at the court of the Empress

Augusta was steeped inmusic: it involved regular

attendance at concerts and operas

verb On Saturday, talent scouts will attend thegraduate show of

the fashion college Central Saint Martins, alma mater toMcQueen, Chalayan and numerous other stars

ability

noun figure of 119.4 indicates that GDP per head in the South

East was 19.4 per cent above the average in 1988

verb For the past year, Leno has averaged 5.71 million viewers

eachnight to Letterman 's 4.16, according to Nielsen Media Research

adjective Most students , by definition , will be of average ability ,

with a smaller number below average phrase On average , American children watch over three hours of

television each day

verb Once you've mastered the basics of Photoshop Elements,

this is the book to further develop your skills to get professional results!

mediocrity noun Mediocrity is more often a matter of choices than inherited

noun Importantly , the lectern is never operated by the speaker

who needs full concentration on the speech and

5 USEFUL RESOURCES

THIS TOPIC ON IELTS BLOGS

§ IELTS topic vocabulary for speaking test: Travel [] [ielts-simon.com]

§ IELTS Speaking Part 2: educational TV programme [ielts-simon.com]

§ IELTS SPEAKING part 1, 2 and 3 sample questions [ipassielts.com]

§ IELTS Education vocabulary [ieltsspeaking.co.uk]

PODCASTS

• Podcast 50 – Universities in Australia [slowenglish.info]

• Sugata Mitra: How Much Can Children Teach Themselves? [npr.org]

• Can Schools Exist In The Cloud? [npr.org]

ARTICLES

§ Which countries have the best education system and why? [quora.com]

§ Schools: How should schools prepare for the future? [quora.com]

VIDEOS

§ Ken Robinson: How to escape education's death valley [TED TALKS]

§ Shuka Bose: Teaching one chold at a time [TED TALKS]

Sample answers, useful

vocabulary and resources for

IELTS speaking exam

KEY VOCABULARY

Words and terms frequently used when talking about envifonment

WORD FORMATION

Learn how to use wide variety of parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives

COLLOCATIONS

Find out groups of words that usually used together by native speakers

USEFUL RESOURCES

References to teaching and authentic materials related to this topic: IELTS blogs,

podcasts, videos and articles

1 SAMPLE ANSWERS

PART 1

1 Which country are you from?

- I am from the Philippines, an archipelagic country that

is comprised by many islands The country has 7,107

islands and that is why people who live there have a

diverse set of culture and languages

2 Where is this country located?

- The Philippines is located in Southeast Asia situated

in the Western Pacific Ocean

3 Which part of the country do most people live in?

-I The bulk of the country’s population is in Metro

Manila, a region which houses the primary business

centers and the seat of government

4 What are the main industries in your country?

- The Philippines is traditionally an agricultural

country, but the economy has been transitioning into industries that emphasizes on services and

manufacturing

5 What kind of weather do you dislike?

-I do not like the extreme heat of summer, but do you know what I disliked more? A humid weather; at least in the summer you could sweat off the heat, but in a humid environment, the effectiveness of sweating in cooling the body is reduced by reducing the rate of evaporation of moisture from the skin

6 Would you prefer to live in a hot or cold country?

-I was born in a tropical country, my body had adapted to

it Well, at least in a hot country, I could enjoy eating ice cream

-In my opinion, the best weather to travel is in a slight rainy season Why? Because it is the off season, less traffic jam, lower prices for tickets and food and you don’t have to compete with other tourists in terms of time by falling in line on order to enjoy a tourist site

The worst weather to travel in is of course the typhoon season Because it is safe to stay indoors and to avoid flooded areas, establishments are closed and flights get cancelled

PART 2

Describe an environmental problem that has

occurred in your country You should say:

§ The cause of the problem

§ What effect it has had on your country

§ The steps, if any, that have been taken to solve

The pollution of the rivers was the effect of prolonged abuse and neglect The rivers were considered

biologically dead, which means no fish left to catch and less food to eat Boats could not travel because of the density of the debris of floating plastic wastes; the rivers emit a foul stench and the waters are toxic which house a number of bacteria that could cause different diseases

In the 90’s, the government started to create a rehabilitation program for the rivers and waterways, unfortunately they failed to displace the main polluters- the illegal settlers near the river, simply because they have their “human rights”

The problem is important to solve simply because water is life It is the circulatory system of the world, water enabled life forms to survive and we need other life forms in order to survive

PART 3

Of course not! I think it is everyone’s responsibility to protect the environment Sure, the government has the power

to enact laws and craft policies but how good is the law if nobody respects it

We simply could not go on with our lives throwing our wastes irresponsibly and expect the government to just clean

it up There is nothing left to clean up in the first place if only we dispose things properly, it wastes both time and resources

2 What measures can individuals take to protect the environment?

There are a lot of ways on how individuals can do to protect the environment some of them are:

o Turn off appliances when you are not using them

o Recycle and segregate your biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste or better yet avoid creating trash by avoiding disposable products

o Minimize your water and electricity consumption

o Use a fuel-efficient car or if you are traveling in short distances, take a walk or ride a bicycle

These are just small things we can do to change our lifestyles, imagine millions of other people doing the same thing It can gradually make a difference

How?

Development is good; sometimes it is a necessity to survive in today’s world Businesses need profit, but they should not do so at the expense of the environment Sustainable development is the key, the needs of the present has to be met without compromising the ability of future generations to sustain life in this planet

2 KEY VOCABULARY

to use objects or matrerials again after processing by converting waste into reusable material

It is possible to recycle cardboard into lower grade

materials, such as paper

to make something poisonous as

a result of adding waste or chemical

The incentives strongly encourage oil companies to

not contaminate the water supply

put (someone or something) at risk or in danger

It is a criminal offence to endanger the lives of the

public by allowing the introduction of a contaminate into the mains supply

bad air quality that usually caused

be harmful gases

According to a recent study, air pollution in Russia

causes the death of approximately 4000 citizens per day or 1.6 million people per year

the presence of toxic chemicals

or man made waste in soil

Plastics do contribute to soil pollution

is the presence of harmful materials in water, such as dissolved metals, waste from farms

Water pollution causes marine life to die

to recycle

to contaminate

to endanger air pollution soil pollution water pollution

keep safe from harm or injury For more than 15 years, the nonprofit volunteer-run

center has worked to educate the community to protect wildlife and their habitats

The protection of a natural resource, usually by planned management, to prevent its depletion or destruction

I've decided to dedicate the rest of my life to

environmental conservation

waste products that are hazardous to the environment, people, animals

All of the military activity has left it a toxic waste

hazard

a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by trapping heat above the Earth

Here is a list of habits each one of us can form to

help reduce greenhouse gase missions

a person whose lifestyle, political etc choices are designed to minimise human impact on the natural environment

Environmentalists often encourage us to buy our

foods from local sources They say it is good for the environment.

reduction in the number or quantity of something

Ground water depletion is a real and serious problem in many regions

Ozone depletion is associated with the destruction of ozone molecules within the air

The complete disappearance of a species of plant or animal from the planet

Indeed the most dramatic example of mass extinction known to biology has been caused

by the introduction of an alien species

to protect conservation

Toxic waste greenhouse gas environmentalists

depletion

extinction

a natural fuel such as coal or oil, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms

Fossil fuels are at zero risk of running out in any timescale we care about

gas produced by cars and factories that burn carbon and cause air pollution

The highest per capita carbon emission country is Qatar

have a strong effect on someone

The ozone layer is continuously created by solar radiation impacting O2 in the upper atmosphere

to kill in large numbers, to destroy something completely

The business eventually collapsed due to the myxomatosis which virtually wiped out the rabbit population

a person who works for social or political change in order to protect animals and make people treat animals well

The only real requirement for an animal rights activist is being vegan

mate and produce off spring Other seabirds also breed there in moderate

numbers

fossil fuels carbon emission

to impact ozone layer

wipe out animal rights activist

to breed

A living organism such as an animal, fish, or insect (not a plant)

The dormouse is one of our most secretive wild creatures

to do something that produces an effect or change

The same events can affect people very differently

relatining to the sea Mackerel belong to the large family of marine fishes

known as the Scombridae

weak and defenceless; easily hurt Trada is the only Zoo in New Zealand breeding this

vulnerable animal to help safeguard them against extinction

to take in liquid, gas For plants to photosynthesise and produce sugars in

their leaf cells , they need to absorb large amounts

of carbon dioxide

creature

to affect marine vulnerable absorb

3 WORD FORMATION

depletion, and environmental degradation will cause

great economic losses

resulting in decreasing agricultural yields

contaminate the water supply

contaminated adjective He is ill as a result of eating contaminated food

species can be profitable

by allowing the introduction of a contaminate into the mains supply

verb It is possible to recycle cardboard into lower grade

materials, such as paper

creates so many jobs across many levels

residual waste

be better for the atmosphere and climate

and agricultural degradation become ever more

widespread

severely degraded

that litter the soil

to recycle recycling recyclable

emission

to degrade

degradable degradation

verb Intensive use of pesticides and fertilisers

seriously pollutes water, soil and air

detrimental effects of living in heavily polluted areas

and conserve natural resources

recycle it

disposable adjective Disposable razor blades get dull from water corrosion

necessity

sustainability noun Environmental sustainability is not an option - it is a

or rural areas

sustainable

4 COLLOCATIONS

ozone layer toxic waste endangered species genetically modified breeding in captivity organic farming fossil fuels solar power natural resources wildlife conservation global warming conservation program

to get serious about climate change

genetic engineering rain forests

observe natural behaviour keep animals in captivity animal rights activists environmentally friendly sustainable energy sources one way to tackle the problem fossil fuels

carbon emissions land degradation

easily completely potentially

air environmental marine

water industrial nuclear nitrate

noise vehicle soil cause avoid prevent combat control fight tackle cut limit minimize reduce monitor level control prevention reduction standards

a risk of pollution

a source of pollution preserve

protect safeguard save damage

harm pollute policy protection issues conservation of the environment protection of the environment damage to the environment harmful to the environment pollution of the environment have an impact on environment dangerous

harmful hazardous poisonous toxic

non-toxic recyclable industrial domestic household nuclear produce dispose of dump get rid of

bury process recycle reprocess deal with handle

manage cut down on reduce disposal processing recycling reprocessing treatment management minimization reduction

5 USEFUL RESOURCES

THIS TOPIC ON IELTS BLOGS

§ IELTSSpeakingPart2:environmentproblem

[ielts-simon.com]

§ IELTSSPEAKINGpart1,2and3sample

questions[ipasiselts.com]

§ IELTSEnvironmentvocabulary

[ieltsspeaking.co.uk]

PODCASTS

§ StarTalkRadio-ProtectingOurEnvironment,with

GinaMcCarthy[Soundcloud]

§ YaleUniversity–OnTheEnvironment

CONTENTS

TOPIC:

WORK

Sample answers, useful

vocabulary and resources

for IELTS speaking exam

WORD FORMATION

Learn how to use wide variety of parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives

COLLOCATIONS

Find out groups of words that usually used together by native speakers

USEFUL RESOURCES

References to teaching and authentic materials related to this topic: IELTS blogs,

podcasts, videos and articles

1 SAMPLE ANSWERS

PART 1

Describe the company or organization you work for

I work for the Energy Development Corporation (EDC); it is

a company that focuses on the development of renewable

energy

What is your position?

I am part of the geophysical survey team, I am a geologist

What are your responsibilities?

Our team is tasked to identify if a significant resource

is present, as well as to collect and analyze samples

within the area

What do you like about your job?

The best thing about my job is that I could travel and

discover places in which I otherwise wouldn’t

What do you dislike about your job?

-Conducting projects in far-flung areas means being away from my family for several days This time, I couldn’t spend time with my wife and kids I miss them so much

How many hours do you work each day?

-When I am in a field work; we spend several hours traveling

to the area, the survey usually last for a couple of days sometimes in a weeks’ time When there is no field work, I work the usual 8am to 5pm office work

What would be your ideal job?

-My ideal job would be something that always brings something new, not a repetitive monotonous work I get to

do what I have to do and be good at it, but nevertheless provide adequate returns to my personal life

PART 2

Describe the job you would most like to have

You should say:

• what this job would be

• where you would work

• which qualifications you would need and

• explain why you would like to have this job

most

I actually realized this passion, a little late in life I wanted to become a chef in a professional kitchen Eating food is great, but the process of food

preparation and the skill it requires to do that is what I find more intriguing

I could probably enjoy working and being trained in

fine dining restaurants or some cruise ships that offer a

variety of international dishes I would like to get to know different cultures all over the world through food

I think it is one of the aspects that distinguish countries

To be able to be a chef, I need to have an educational background in culinary arts or professional cookery I

also need to go undergo training in various restaurants to be able to apply the knowledge and

information I gathered from the school A chef is also creative because he is also the one who arranges and presents food that is served

The kitchen is the only place I have ever felt like I really belong I love the heat and the pressure

PART 3

1 Which jobs would you say are most respected in your country?

If I were asked what the most respected jobs in the country are, I would have to say it would be professional careers such as the fields of law, medicine and engineering It is the “mainstream choice” and common understanding of parents what they would likely have as a career for their children, simply because of its high projected income and career growth

2 Some people say it's better to work for yourself than be employed by a company What's your view?

I would have to say that I agree with the Chinese billionaire Jack Ma For young people, it is wise to go to a small company because in a big company you are working as part of a system and you are doing specialized repetitive tasks But when you go to a small company, you’ll learn the passion, the dreams and you’ll learn to do a lot of things

at one time

As you grow, focus on learning and in gathering and developing your skills When you think you have learned

enough, that is the time when you have to think clearly – if you want to be an entrepreneur and to work for yourself

3 What changes in employment have there been in recent years in your country?

There has been a rejuvenation of the “entrepreneurial spirit” in our country; more and more people are involved in starting their own businesses The “start-up” community is now more alive than ever, even college students launch their start-up businesses while in a university Even though there is a high failing rate of start-up businesses; still, people are starting to take risk and put their ideas into creation

money available for a client to borrow

a large amount of valuable things

or money

You no longer need to worry for future charges from

Audible and your membership was completely cancelled now

If you're looking for a loan, approach our local banks

Redland Bank will not normally give credit to

applicants under 18 years of age

Wealth is not the same thing as money

the money that you have saved I don't have a strong view as to how you should

diversify your savings

a financial gain, especially the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent in buying, operating, or producing something

the money that an organization or person has

Indeed up until recently the average English

farmer earned £ 77 per week

Typically the higher the profit margin, the more the

value

He refused to answer questions about his personal

finances

loan charge

credit wealth savings

profit

finances

an amount that has to be paid or spent to buy or obtain something

a reduction of the selling price of something or of the total cost of

an invoice

a repayment of a sum of money, typically to a dissatisfied

customer the amount of money a person or company has for something or a plan describing expenditure

an amount of money that someone is ready to pay for something

a sum of money that you pay immediately to prove that you will buy something

to use your money to pay for something

used to describe that something has value especially in money money received for goods or services or coming from other sources as for instance, investments

Since 2004 the building has been boarded up so that

the cost of refurbishing it hasincreased hugely

I frequently ask for discounts

I have issued a refund in the amount of $14.95 back

to your credit card

Robert Rodriguez first film, El Mariachi, was famously

produced for a budget of $7,000

The creditors declined the offer, preferring to realize

the estate themselves

No deposit is necessary and no payments need be

made during the first year of the agreement

Managers are often wary about spending money on

flat-screen monitors

She received a year's membership worth £ 200 at

Lifestyle Fitness Suite at Riversdale

There are many ways to make a second income

cost

offer

refund budget

income

deposit

to spend discount