This is the IELTS Energy Podcast, Episode 1514.
Band 9 Idioms for IELTS Speaking Part 2.
Welcome to the IELTS Energy Podcast from All Ears English. downloaded more than 35 million times. with examiner-trained IELTS whiz Aubrey Carter and Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer.
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Do you have difficulty filling the full two minutes on the IELTS speaking part two section?
Today, you'll learn strategies for doing this in a high-scoring way along with two Band 9 sample answers.
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Hello, Aubrey. How's it going? I'm great, Lindsay.
How are you? Good. Yeah. Aubrey, how many idioms do you think exist in the English language?
Okay, this is funny because I looked it up for this episode.
So I want to ask you, I was kind of shocked.
What do you think? How many idioms do you think there are in English?
Oh my gosh, 2,000 maybe? I don't know. There's a lot.
There has to be a ton. It's probably about what I would have guessed.
Yeah. I thought maybe about 2000, I think.
25,000, Lindsay. Oh my gosh. That's shocking.
They're so... Many, which makes sense because sometimes for an episode, I'll search a word, to see kind of the most common idioms.
And there will be hundreds for every word, like idioms.
Yeah, I have these different words. Right.
So there are so many idioms. it's kind of difficult to know which you should learn for IELTS.
You know you need idiomatic language, How do you know which ones to use?
Well, it makes me think that Australian English probably has, I don't know.
50,000 because I know Australian English has even more kind of idiomatic language than we do.
So, wow. Okay. Well, I'm glad we're here talking about this.
I'm not sure if this was American English.
This could be for all English dialects.
Okay. If this is Australian English and British English and American English, That would make more sense.
There's 25,000 across all of them, but who knows?
It could be just American English. I don't even know.
Well, before we get into today's episode, doing some sample answers. answers, we're going to reveal our poll results from a previous episode, Aubrey.
Yeah. Yes, let's do it. This was a really interesting poll. asked, what would you score if you took the IELTS speaking exam today?
And so this is interesting to share the results here.
Nine, just one of our listeners thought they would score a nine if they took it today.
So 5%. That's interesting. No, but eights.
And what about band seven? Ten percent of you thought you would score band seven.
Very small percentage, isn't it? Yes, right.
And then six was 45%, so almost half of you.
And then what about five? Five, band five was 40%.
So- Many of us are living down in the five to six range, and that's why we're listening to the show, right?
We know that we need some kind of help. Yeah.
Yes. Most of you probably are aiming for a seven or higher.
For some of you, a six might suffice, but most of you need higher than that.
So this is really interesting to look at these results. to see because one of the things that will push you from a six or a five to a seven is using idiomatic language on IELTS Speaking.
So this is part three of a three-part series. where we've taught several idioms with the word moment that are more flexible. of those 25,000 you have to choose from, a lot of them will be too specific.
So that it's unlikely you'll be asked a question on IELTS that you could fit it into.
These are more flexible for a lot of different questions.
You could find a way to work these idioms into your answer.
I love it. And listeners, don't forget to hit the follow button before we go into these sample answers.
As we saw in the poll, we want to be focusing on our score here.
We publish two days a week, so make sure to hit follow.
All right. Yes. And if you missed part one and part two, these can definitely be listened to out of order.
So listen to today's part two answers. We'll, give feedback, we'll share how we use these very high scoring idioms.
And then at the end, we'll share so that you can go back and listen to part one and part two if you missed them.
All right, let's dive into a speaking part two sample answer.
I'll break. All right, I'm going to ask you a question, Lindsay.
And for those of you out here who are listening, especially if you're new to preparing for IELTS, Part two is where you're going to be describing something, but it could be anything. describing a person and experience an object and you need to take two minutes.
And one of the tricks IELTS tries to pull is the examiner will say, You have one to two minutes for this.
So don't worry if I stop you. I'll tell you when the time is up.
That can really throw students off if they hear that one to two minutes.
You have to speak for that full two minutes. in order to score seven or higher.
So you want to speak until the examiner interrupts you.
So Lindsay, I'm going to time you. I'm going to give you that full two minutes.
And then I'll say thank you, just like the examiner would.
And just like Lindsay is going to, when you are doing your part two and answer.
Everyone out there listening, don't stop.
Don't summarize. Just keep talking. So we talk here on the podcast a lot, strategies to fill that two minutes, tell a story. go off on a tangent, right?
As long as you answer the question, you can say anything related, right, Lindsay?
Absolutely. Yes, I'm ready. Let's do it.
So you want to plan on that. Fill that full two minutes.
I'm going to get my timer ready. I'll stop you when the time is up.
So don't worry about concluding or ending your answer.
Or summarizing, right? Yes. Yes. All right.
Describe a time when you suddenly realized something important.
Yeah, this is a great question and it really brings me back to a very specific moment in my life. where so many things kind of came together so it was It was 2008.
It was September of 2008. So we all know what that month was like.
That was the global recession that we had.
When the banks came crashing down, I was living in the center of it in New York City.
I was teaching at a English school for Korean students.
And I had been working there for about a year and things were good.
My students were happy, my classes were lively.
It was right there in Herald Square. I love the local It was four hours a day in the morning.
It was perfect for me at that time. And then all of a sudden, one day I showed up to work and I was told that I was fired.
You're fired. And it just didn't make any sense to me.
What I had seen in my students' eyes and what I had seen in the classroom and how things were going didn't match up to what they were saying, that my students weren't happy with my class.
And so eventually I realized that the reason I was fired was the fact that Something about the administration, it was a state-funded school and it was requiring certain qualifications, which...
I had not been trained under the New York State TESOL regulations.
And so they had to take me off the staff quickly.
And so this gave me the realization that I needed to start my own company because I didn't think my career should be kind of decided in that kind of moment based on someone's mistake hiring me.
So they initially shouldn't have hired me.
And that's where I made the decision that I was never going to work for anyone else ever again.
So I remember sitting on the steps talking to a friend from my apartment building and and saying i'm going to start my own business i'm going to do whatever it takes so this situation doesn't happen again.
And the seeds had already been sown because I had lived in a home where my dad had had his own business for years.
And he had been telling me, be your own boss, be your own boss, you know, that common refrain.
Thank you. Wow. I'm like jotting down all of the great vocabulary I want to point out.
Well done, right? To fill two minutes can feel like a long time, but you can see the strategies Lindsay used.
You first were saying it brings me back to a specific moment.
And instead of diving right into answering the time when you realize something important, you set the scene.
Yes. It was September of 2008. We all know what happening there and you shared details about what was going on in the world at the time this is such a smart thing to do right even with telling a story if you dive in At the moment where you're answering the question, it might be hard to fill two minutes.
But where you went back and gave all that historical context, it probably felt pretty easy to speak for two minutes, right?
It did. Although, as I got through the answer, I was worried that I had set too much context and I wasn't getting to fully answering the question correctly. quickly enough because I hadn't really answered the question of what was the realization. that i made i just set the scene talking about being fired and then i had to so i panicked a little bit in the middle Exactly.
But I think it's a really interesting point, too, because that we can risk that, right?
If we're telling a story. And maybe we go off on a tangent and then we forget to come back.
That could hurt our score if we give too much context.
And never actually answer the question, right?
It is vital that you directly answer that question.
So it was... very important for your score that you did describe a time when you suddenly realized something important. but that's perfect where you realized even if it were you know even if you had 15 seconds left If you then immediately and directly answer that question, that would still be a very high scoring answer.
Okay, excellent. Love it. All right. So another vocab I wanted to point out here.
This was all really, really good. then your transition phrases as well.
Because when you tell a story, you want to make sure it's not disjointed.
Your fluency and coherence score depends on you flowing smoothly from one idea to the next.
And one of the really good phrases you used was, and then all of a sudden one day you So you've given this context, you've given the background, and now you're moving to what happened one day that made you have this realization, have this light bulb moment and and this is a great transition into that then all of a sudden one day and it also gives you a great way to have interesting intonation, right?
All of a sudden, one day, it's easy to hit that harder.
Yeah. That's why it really helps when we're telling a true story, a story that is very visceral for us.
Because as I was saying, all of a sudden one day, I pictured myself walking into the office and getting this news.
And I still remember the moment, right? We remember moments when we get fired from jobs, we remember it.
And so it's so useful for intonation. Yes.
And just to share all of the details, everything you remember, you said, I remember sitting on the steps and talking to a friend.
This is perfect, right? When you're Bringing the listener, whether it's the examiner, if you're having a conversation with someone else. putting yourself back in that moment and sharing what you remember just You could even describe the sounds, the smells, everything that's happening, right?
But just to put yourself there, say what you remember. you know, the details that stand out to you.
And then I also want to point out a really good idiom you used besides this being this light bulb moment for you. to say the seeds had already been sown by your father, right?
The example that had been set. This is another idiom that could come up.
We talk literally about seeds. being sown, right, sowing seeds when we're planting seeds in a garden or in a field.
And we use it idiomatically as well to talk about an idea being planted or an example that's set that also sows a seed love it so good so much good stuff for our listeners to write down today and to try to bring into their own exam if they can, these special idioms.
Should we take a quick break, Aubrey, and then we'll come back and hear your sample answer?
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Okay, Aubrey, we're back from break and I'm going to set up my timer here.
And let's see. So we've got two minutes for the speaking part two.
Let me set it. Are you ready? Yes, I am.
All right. Here we go. So please describe a trip or an outing you went on with friends or family.
Luckily, just recently, I took a very fun trip that I am excited to tell you all about.
We did what's called the Route of the Hiawatha, which is a bike trail in Northern Montana. that used to be train tracks.
The train has been removed, the tracks have been removed, and now it's a bike trail.
It goes through several tunnels, one of which is a mile long.
So you have to have lights, headlamps to light the tunnel.
I couldn't believe it was shocking how cold it got in the tunnel.
We had to have hoodies. But then as soon as you get out of the tunnel, the sun was still quite warm.
And then you're on these elevated bridges up in the treetops.
So it was quite magical. to be so high and to look down hundreds of feet.
A little traumatic for anyone who has a fear of heights. which some of our group did.
I was with my entire extended family, all of my siblings, my parents, all of their kids.
It's a very family-friendly bike trail. because you're just coasting downhill most of the time.
And then at the bottom, a shuttle takes you back up to your car.
So it's like 15 miles, but pretty chill.
You're just, you know, leisurely making your way.
You stop. for lunch. And it was absolutely lovely, really beautiful views, super scenic.
And it was also fun to meet people from all over the world.
Because this is the bucket list item for a lot of people who've heard about it or have seen pictures of this very cool bike ride.
And so I was asking people along the trail, I met someone from the Middle East, several people from Asia, Europe.
It was really fun to chat with some of the other tourists, but also made me realize, Why haven't I done this before?
Growing up, it was about a six-hour drive from where I lived my entire life, and this was the first time I had gone.
So kind of embarrassing, really, that I hadn't taken this opportunity.
Thank you. Excellent. Oh my gosh, you're making me want to go on this trail now.
You should. It's so fun. We loved it. I love this.
So some things that I loved for your answer, you started off with luckily, I've just taken this amazing trip, right?
So that's another interesting way to start your answer. you know, kind of tuning into what your emotion is, how you feel about that trip.
But the fact that you have that answer is an interesting way to get get started.
And you want to avoid just saying, today I will talk about or I am going to describe.
You don't want to repeat the question, right?
I'm going to describe a trip. poor outing i took you need an interesting way to start your question we have lots of episodes with those interesting ways.
And this is another good one, right? Share that you're excited to talk about this.
There's no better way to put the examiner to sleep, Aubrey, than saying today I will talk about my trip.
No, I'm already bored, right? Avoid that. low scoring low scoring vocabulary you're probably repeating vocabulary from the topic so yes you got it Yeah.
I also like how you said we did what's called the route of the Hiawatha.
So That's creative grammar. It's a little bit different.
I know we cover this grammar point in our B1 fluency course.
But it's a little bit more creative in terms of the way you're phrasing that.
I liked that. I thought that was unique and different.
Yes, very native and natural, right? I could say we did the route of the Hiawatha, but when I'm saying it to someone who's not familiar with that trail, we often will do that instead, right?
We did what's called or saying like we did this thing that is called the route of the Hiawatha.
Yeah, I love that. I also loved how you used a little intonation when you talked about the temperature. i couldn't believe how cold it got so you know the way you use that phrase and also i felt the energy And I could almost feel how cold it was when you phrased it that way.
So pronunciation score probably getting better there.
Absolutely. Yes. The more you vary your intonation.
If I told this story. And if I'm sharing how surprising the cold was in a monotone, that would be very strange and unnatural and very low scoring.
If you're talking about something that was exciting or fun or interesting, You should sound interested about it.
So punch those adjectives and adverbs harder. slow down so you can emphasize words so that you can be more expressive.
Yes, I love it. And you also used native phrases like quite magical.
It was quite magical. I like that. I liked the phrase family friendly.
And then he used a slang, pretty chill. It was pretty chill or we were pretty chill.
I don't remember the exact context, but it sounded native and natural to me.
So. Nice work Aubrey. Yes, these were really fun sample answers.
I'm realizing I wanted to work into that it was a spur of the moment decision.
It was unplanned and we weren't sure we'd be able to go, but I'm not sure I ended up talking about that.
I think as you're practicing answering questions, Definitely record yourself, listen back, evaluate yourself just like we were.
If you didn't end up using those idioms, think about it.
Work backwards. How could I work that in?
What could I change to work it? Or is there another idiom that I could add to that answer?
You want to be very proactive. and intentional about adding idioms to your answer because it's not easy.
When we're speaking, We don't always have the perfect idiom to add.
This must be practiced. Even if you, it sounds like you had been planning that trip for a while, so it wasn't a spur of the moment decision, but that's okay.
We can create a story by mixing truth with lie on IELTS.
No one's going to know the difference, right?
The examiner doesn't know. So you could set the stage in the beginning and say, you know, we were sitting on the couch in Idaho and all of a sudden, boom, spur of the moment decision, we decided to do the Hiawatha.
And then you tell the true story. No one will know the difference.
You'll have that vocabulary in there. that you wanted to use.
Absolutely. Good point, right? The examiner doesn't know what's true.
So if you think of an idiom, and you could adjust your story a little bit so that you're able to use it, absolutely do it.
I love it. Any final takeaway for today, Aubrey?
These have been two great examples. Yes, I love this series.
Definitely go back and listen to part one.
If you missed it, it was IELTS Energy 1512.
Take a moment to boost IELTS Vocabulary School. and then 1514 was part two band nine idioms for IELTS speaking part two or this was in No, that's not right.
15, 14. 15, 13. Have a light bulb moment with IELTS. speaking part one answer.
So that's the entire series. It's a really important that you not only learn idioms, don't just add them to a vocabulary list.
If you can hear sample answers like this, practice your own sample answers, that's when you'll really be ready for testing.
Love it. So good. And thanks for the sample answer today, Aubrey.
You have a good day. I'll see you very soon.
Awesome. See you next time. Bye bye. Thanks for listening to IELTS Energy.
Hit subscribe now and don't forget to find your estimated band score at allearsenglish.com myscore.
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