Archives for July 2020

Rounding Off Questions in IELTS Speaking Part 2

Rounding off questions often surprise people in IELTS Speaking Part 2 because they aren’t prepared for them. These are questions which are asked at the end of your part 2 talk and before the part 3 discussion begins.

IELTS Speaking Part 2 is the talk or sometimes called “the long turn”. You will be given a topic on a cue card which also contains prompts. You will have 1 minute to prepare and you should speak for 2 minutes. After your talk, you will be asked rounding off questions. Following that, part 3 will begin.

What are rounding off questions?

They are basic, simple questions that the examiner will ask you when you finish your part 2 talk.

Why are there rounding off questions?

Rounding off questions serve to help you relax and get back into the question/answer mode after you have been talking for 2 minutes continuously. It serves as a way to help you get ready for part 3 questions.

Are rounding off questions difficult?

No. Rounding off questions in IELTS Speaking Part 2 are mostly simple questions directly related to your talk. They are much easier than part 3 questions and are usually just an extension of the part 2 topic.

Are there always two rounding off questions?

Yes, two is the usual number. However, in some circumstances, the examiner might only ask one if the examiner feels the other rounding off question isn’t appropriate.

Are the rounding off questions written on the cue card?

No, they are not. The IELTS speaking examiner has the questions on a separate paper which you will not see.

Cue Card & Rounding Off Questions

Below is an IELTS Speaking Part 2 cue card with possible rounding off questions.

Describe a recent holiday. You should say:

  • when it was
  • where you went
  • what you did there
  • and why you enjoyed it.

Rounding Off Questions:

  1. Would you ever go there again?
  2. Would you recommend other people to go on a similar holiday?

As you can see, the rounding off questions are not difficult and directly relate to your cue card topic.

More Examples of Cue Cards and Rounding Off Questions

Cue card and rounding off questions:

Describe a public building. You should say:

  • what building it is
  • where it is
  • what it’s like
  • and why you like it

Rounding off questions

  1. When was the first time you saw the building?
  2. Do you often visit that building?

Cue card and rounding off questions:

Describe a uniform you wore at school or work. You should say:

  • when you wore it
  • who bought it for you
  •  what it was like
  • and how you feel about it.

Rounding off questions

  1. Are uniforms expensive to buy?
  2. What would you change about the uniform you wore?

Cue Card and rounding off questions:

Describe someone in your family who is similar to you. You should say:

  • who the person is
  • what the person is like
  • how you are similar to each other
  • and how you feel about the person

Rounding off questions:

  1. Do you like spending time with that person?
  2. What do you usually do together?

Cue card and rounding off questions

Describe a time when you were disappointed. You should say:

  • when it was
  • where you were
  • what happened to make you disappointed
  • and what you would do differently if it happened again.

Rounding off questions

  1. Does this type of situation often happen to you?
  2. What do you do to feel better after you’ve been disappointed?

I hope you’ve found this page useful. Rounding off questions are not difficult, but it is good to know about them and be prepared. It is important that you enter the test room with a full understanding of what will happen. There should be no surprises in the test format or how the examiner behaves.

Free IELTS Speaking Lessons & Tips

To see more free lessons and tips for IELTS speaking exam preparation, click here: Free Speaking Lessons & Tips

All the best

Liz 🙂

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Website with Reading Exercises

Hi guys,

I want to let you know about a new website which contains a lot of reading exercises that will be useful for your preparation.

The website is aimed at articles which cover common topics in English language as well as IELTS. There are questions which you can complete and also vocabulary highlighted. The website is called Ideas in English and is written by a teacher called Nick.

This page – click here Article about Sleep – will help you not only with your reading but also with your IELTS Speaking because it is a topic that can appear in part 1. I definitely recommend it 🙂

All the best

Liz

Answers to Coronavirus Vocab Practice

Below you will find the answers to the lesson based on coroanvirus vocabulary.

If you haven’t completed this lesson, please do so before looking at the answers below. Click here: Coronavirus Vocab Lesson

Vocab Options:

without signs         symptom            asymptomatic            signs

symptoms          a front line            the front line           immunisation     

immunity             lockdown              lock down                 trail   

trial            trails              trials           head           nose             hands     

cheeks            chin         eyes        quarantine        quarantining

death numbers           death toll         death       fatalities      kindness

altruistic      care     thoughtfulness

Answers:

The answers are the words highlighted in bold below:

  1. Some people with Covid-19 are asymptomatic. They do not have any symptoms at all.
    1. asymptomatic = without symptoms showing.
    2. the word “symptoms” should be plural. It’s a countable following the word “any”.
  2. People working on the front line should have adequate PPE.
    1. This expression uses “the”.
  3. Whether people develop long term immunity after having had the virus is still debatable.
    1. the word “immunisation” is about inoculations and isn’t suitable for this sentence.
  4. In some countries lockdown measures are being eased gradually.
    1. This is one word = “lockdown”
  5. The first human trials for a vaccine are underway.
  6. At times like this, you really need to keep your chin up.
    1. “to keep your chin up” is an idiomatic expression about keeping positive.
  7. Some countries are deciding on quarantine rules for people entering the country from abroad.
  8. While some countries are seeing fatalities go down, other countries are seeing an increase.
    1. This was a tricky one. You can’t have “death numbers” because in English the correct expression is “number of deaths”. You can’t have “death toll” because you would need the article “the” in the sentence (“the death toll”). You can’t have “death” because you would need the plural form “deaths”. So the only possible option which is grammatically correct is “fatalities”.
  9. This pandemic is revealing people’s altruistic traits.
    1. None of the other words are grammatically suitable for this sentence.

I hope you found this lesson useful 🙂

All the best

Liz

Coronavirus Vocabulary Practice

This is useful practice lesson for vocabulary relating to Coronvirus. This vocabulary will be useful for your everyday life and in your Speaking Test for the topic of Health.

Questions 1-6:

Fill in the sentences with the correct words given in the box below. Tip: Pay attention to grammar – it will help you choose the correct word. Note: PPE = Personal Protective Equipment.

  1. Some people with Covid-19 are …………….. . They do not have any ………… at all.
  2. People working on ………………………….. should have adequate PPE.
  3. Whether people develop long term …………. after having had the virus is still debatable.
  4. In some countries ………………. measures are being eased gradually.
  5. The first human ………. for a vaccine are underway.
  6. At times like this, you really need to keep your ………… up.
  7. Some countries are deciding on …………… rules for people entering the country from abroad.
  8. While some countries are seeing ………………. go down, other countries are seeing an increase.
  9. This pandemic is revealing people’s ………………. traits.

Select words below to complete the sentences above.

without signs         symptom            asymptomatic            signs

symptoms          a front line            the front line           immunisation     

immunity             lockdown              lock down                 trail   

trial            trails              trials           head           nose             hands     

cheeks            chin         eyes        quarantine        quarantining

death numbers           death toll         death       fatalities      kindness

altruistic      care     thoughtfulness

Answers

The answers are available below:

CLICK HERE: ANSWERS TO THIS LESSON

All the best

Liz

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Model IELTS Essay June 2020

Below is a model IELTS essay for Writing Task 2 this year. It is estimated at band 9.

IELTS Essay Question June 2020

This essay question appeared in IELTS Writing Task 2 a couple of weeks ago. It is a challenging topic if you have not prepared for it. Although topics in Writing Task 2 are not repeated as often as in the Speaking Test, it is advisable to prepare for this topic by learning some of the ideas given below.

The advances in air travel are focused only in first class and this seems to have left others with no benefits at all. Do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Essay Answer June 2020

The essay below will help you understand flexibility linking and see how to explain main ideas. Notice how the thesis statement reflects the body paragraphs,.You can also learn some great vocabulary for the topic of air travel which you can use in your Speaking Test.

Model Answer:

Some people think that the only positive developments in air travel have been in first class leaving others with no advantages. In my opinion, while first class passengers certainly enjoy a premium service, most advances benefit all passengers.

It is true that developments in air travel can easily be seen in first class in terms of premium, private facilities and services. People travelling first class are now able to enjoy pull out beds and a private area where they can work with power outlets and wifi connections. Some airlines even offer first class passengers a suite including a personal in flight chef and private shower. Other companies offer lounges where premium passengers can mingle and network during the flight.

However, it cannot be said that the budget traveller has not benefited from the developments in commercial air travel. Although the seating area may still be cramped causing passengers discomfort, particularly on long haul flights, the developments have allowed them to also enjoy technological luxuries such as individual inflight entertainment options. Furthermore, the food offered to budget commercial travellers has vastly improved, although admittedly this is only available on long haul flights.

Finally, regardless of class, all people travelling by plane can now enjoy better security and safety on board the plane due to advanced technology in flying. For example, the number of fatal air crashes over the last couple of decades has fallen dramatically. Another benefit that can be appreciated by all is the speed at which modern jet planes are now able to reach their destinations making distant travel more frequent and faster.

In conclusion, even though first class enjoy some extra perks, the technological advances in air travel can be shared by everyone regardless of the price of their ticket.

Word 292

Note: I have put the word count for your benefit so you can see how long an essay ought to be. You do not need to write the word count in the real test.

Free IELTS Writing Task 2 Lessons & Tips

Click here: Free Writing Task 2

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