IELTS Speaking Tips: How long should my answer be?

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Should your answers be long or short in IELTS Speaking? Are the answers different lengths for different parts of the speaking test? How long should my answer be? This page offers advice on the best length of your answer for each part of the IELTS speaking test. Learn how many sentences to use for IELTS speaking part 1 or how to expand your talk for IELTS speaking part 2.  Learn how long your answer should be for IELTS speaking part 3.

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Length of Answers

Some people think that they must give only short answers in speaking part 1. Other people think you should expand all answers for all questions. Take a look at the answers below and then click on the advice tab to reveal advice about what is acceptable length.

Example Question Lengths – which answers are the right length?

  • Question 1: Do you like cooking?
  • Answer 1: Yes, I do.
  • Question 2: Do you often cook?
  • Answer 2: No, not really. I suppose I only cook about once a week.
  • Question 3: What is your favourite meal?
  • Answer 3: Well, it’s really hard to say. I actually enjoy all meals. I mean, breakfast is always great because it’s my first meal and I love eating loads of tropical fruit. But dinner has more elements to it including dessert. I’ve got such a sweet tooth. So, I really couldn’t choose.

Click below to learn which answer is a suitable length and get useful advice:

ADVICE & TIPS
  1. Don’t limit your answer to only a few words or just one sentence. You need to show the examiner that you are willing and keen to speak at length. This is not just my advice, it is actually part of the marking for Fluency, which is 25% of your marks.
  2. Speaking part 1 does have simple questions, so the answers won’t be long. But they should be a decent length.
  3. Answer 1 is too short. The examiner can’t provide a good score if your answers are so short. Here is an example of what Answer 1 should be:
    • Question 1: Do you like cooking?
    • Answer 1: Yes, I do. I can’t say I’m any good at it, but I do enjoy it when I try. I’m not sure anyone really enjoys the meals I prepare though.
  4. Answer 2 is also a bit short. See the example:
    • Question 2: Do you often cook?
    • Answer 2: No, not really. I suppose I only cook about once a week. To be honest, I wish I cooked more often but I just don’t have time. I’ll have to make time somehow because home cooking is so much healthier.
  5. The answer to question 3 was a good length.
  6. The examiner can’t give you a good score, if you don’t show your English enough.
  7. Be chatty. It’s an informal speaking test.
  8. Be more natural with your answer.
  9. Speaking part 1 is 4 to 5 minutes in length for 12 questions. This means there are a lot of questions in a limited time. So, your answers won’t be long, but they definitely shouldn’t be very short.
  10. If you have strong fluency then don’t limit your answers to only two sentences. To get a high score in fluency, you must show you are able to speak at length without much effort.
  11. Speaking until your are interrupted.
  12. See this page for Speaking Part 1 Topics

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IELTS Speaking Part 2 Answer Length

What happens if you don’t speak for 2 mins? Will you get a low score for fluency? See the advice below.

Typical IELTS Speaking Cue Card:


Describe a family celebration that you remember. You should say
– what you were celebrating
– who was present
– what happened
– and why you like that celebration

Length of your Talk

Take a look at the talk below to see the average length.

I’m going to describe my sister’s wedding day, which took place a few years ago in the town where I grew up. For my sister it was the biggest and most important day of her life.

I think there were around 100 people at the marriage ceremony, which was held in a church. Even more people came to the party, or the wedding reception as we call it, after the ceremony. Of course, most members of my family were there, as well as the groom’s family and a collection of the bride and groom’s friends and colleagues. The person I remember most was John because we hadn’t seen each other in over two years so that was a really pleasant surprise. 

It was a wonderful wedding and quite lavish if I remember rightly. The wedding dress was incredible with layers of silk and lace. The cake was magnificent with detailed icing and it had about four tiers to it. It tasted amazing too, which is always the way with beautiful cakes. It was such a fun day but I can’t say anything particular happened. I mean, it was good weather, great food and the people were full of joy.

I’ve been to a number of weddings and celebrations in the past. This wedding isn’t my favourite in terms of events, but it was the most memorable because it was my sister who was getting married. To be honest, I prefer normal family get-togethers which are much more relaxed and a bit smaller so you get the chance to talk to people for longer. Next year, my cousin is getting married so I can’t wait for that.

Click below to see advice and tips about length of answer for part 2.

Advice and Tips
  1. There are no questions on the topic card. There are prompts on the card. Prompts are there to guide you – nothing more.
  2. To give a full talk, you must add much more information to your talk rather than only follow the prompts.
  3. This is your main chance in the test to show your fluency. Use this opportunity and give lots of description and information.
  4. If the prompt asks “who was present”, you can add why they were there, how close you were to those people, how they travelled to the wedding,  if there were any people you wished hadn’t gone, describe a person you clearly remember … You choose what extra information to add.
  5. Part of your preparation at home will be getting cue cards and practicing speaking for 2 mins. Always use your recording device (your phone) to record yourself so that you can play it back and work on improvement.
  6. See this page for Speaking Part 2 Topics

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IELTS Speaking Part 3: How long should my answer be?

Is the answer below the right length?

Q. Is it better to get advice from a friend or from a family member?
A. I think it depends on the kind of advice that you need. Parents and grandparents probably have more life experience than a friend, and so you might get a wiser or more sensible answer from them. But they might not think on your level or understand your life as well as a friend. Also, friends are less likely to become too worried if you go to them with a problem. For example, I probably wouldn’t want to burden my parents with a financial worry but I’m pretty sure my friends won’t mind if I go to them with a problem like that. It’s easier to talk to friends and they don’t get so stressed out about things.

Click below:

Advice
  1. The answer above a good length. It’s natural – typical of spoken English.
  2. When you prepare and practice answers for your speaking test, don’t write them down. Speak your practice answers into your phone to record them. We don’t write and speak in the same way so always speak your answers at home.
  3. It’s always good in speaking part 3 to give examples.
  4. Give more examples of when you would seek advice from grandparents – what kinds of problems would prompt you to ask for their help?
  5. It is always better in speaking to give more than you need to give, than to give less.

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How long should my answers be in IELTS speaking?

If you have a lower level of English with many hesitations, your answers will be shorter. If you are a fluent talker, your answer should be longer – in fact it would be a shame to have fluent English and only give short answers.

Here is a link to an IELTS speaking practice test video. There is also a link in that lesson to a model speaking test. You will be able to see clearly how long my answers are: Practice Speaking Test Video

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IELTS Writing Maps: Model Answer, Tips & Vocabulary

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Below is an IELTS Writing Task 1 Map Model Answer with Great Tips and also Vocabulary. The IELTS Map Model Answer is Band Score 9 and helps you see the structure, key features and language. The IELTS Map question is a comparison of three maps in different time periods for the academic writing task 1. 

TIPS FOR IELTS MAPS: WRITING Task 1

Below are useful tips and techniques for writing a high band score writing task 1 map.

Types of IELTS Maps

There are a variety of maps that you can get in IELTS Writing Task 1 test:

  1. Changes in Towns

These types of maps focus on the expansion and layout of towns with features such as roads, buildings, land and other features of a town or city. It is most common to be given two maps, but occasionally (like in the model below) you could get three maps.

2. Changes in a Resort

This is about a holiday area which usually has different features than a town. There might be facilities such as swimming pools, nature hikes, hotels, beaches and water features. These types of tasks often compare current resorts with a future resort. However, future maps could appear as any type of map. 

3. Places with Multiple Buildings and Features

Typical examples of this type of map is a school, university or hospital.

This type of map covers an area of ground containing different buildings that serve different functions. The layout is different to a town and the facilities relate only to the function of the company/institution.

4. Floor Plans 

You could be given a floor plan which means it is the layout of a building on the inside showing all the rooms. Floor plans often show a past layout with a future plan to expand and alter rooms. Unlike the above maps, this one is about rooms and the functions of rooms. For example a room might have been a study in the past but there are plans to expand it and use it as a kitchen/diner. 

Grammar Tenses for Map Writing

Always check the date on the maps.:

  1. if the map is dated in the past, you must use past tense. For example, “The hospital was located to the north side of the town”
  2. if the map shows a future plan, you must use future forms, such as “it will be extended and will no longer be used as an office, but instead used as a reception room.”. 
  3. if the map is dated as “Present” or “Now”, you would use the present tense.
  4. If there is a comparison of dates, you must be flexible with the tenses in your sentences: “the office was located on the ground floor but in the future it will be moved to the first floor.”
  5. You will also notice that the passive voice is sometimes used for map reports for writing task 1.

Map KEYS and Compass Points

Sometimes your map will have a key. This is a a box of information in the map that tells you what things are called. You should pay attention to it and use that language.

Always check if the map shows north. For towns and other areas, you can always presume that north is directly up. It is important to know: north, south, east and west. Watch the video below for map vocabulary.

Structure & Paragraphing for IELTS Map Writing

Structure of Report

  1. Introduction – paraphrasing the description given and adding more required information
  2. Overview – collecting all key features into one paragraph
  3. Body Paragraph 1 – details of the maps
  4. Body Paragraph 2 – details of the maps
  5. Body Paragraph 3 – details of the maps (optional)

Overview: Key Features

All overviews in writing task 1 are critical to your score and are the most important paragraph. They must contain all key features. So, you need to pay attention to what changes and what stays the same. This what you highlight in your overview paragraph. The biggest mistake people make is writing only one sentence for their overview because they think it isn’t important.

Body Paragraphs

Your division of information for body paragraphs will depend on what your maps show. You might divide the information into paragraphs based in different time periods. But if you do that, you won’t be comparing. Or you could divide information based on what changes and what doesn’t. Body paragraph organisation must be logical whatever your choice.

IELTS MAP WRITING TASK 1: Model Answer 

The maps below show the changes that have taken place in Meadowside village and Fonton, a neighbouring town, since 1962.

IELTS Map Comparison for Writing Task 1

Source: Map above not produced by IELTS Liz.

IELTS Map Comparison Model Answer

The three maps illustrate how Meadowside village and Fonton, which is a nearby town, have developed from 1962 to the present.

Overall, both Fonton and Meadowside village increased in size over the years until they eventually merged together, at which point Meadowside became a suburb. Furthermore, there have been significant changes to infrastructure, housing and facilities over the period given.

In 1962, both Meadowside and Fonton were completely separate with no roads or rail connecting them. While Fonton had a railway line running to the north, Meadowside, located to the west of Fonton, only had a small road from the west.

By 1985, Meadowside had expanded and the small road had become a main road. A further main road had been built to connect the village to Fonton. Within Meadowside, a superstore, leisure complex and housing estate had been developed. By this time, Fonton had also grown in size. 

Currently, Meadowside is known as Meadowside Suburbs after joining with Fonton. Between both places, a hotel, station and business park have been built on either side of the railway line.

COMMENTS about MODEL ANSWER:

  1. It isn’t often that you will have three body paragraphs for your IELTS Writing Task 1 report. But this maps has three time periods so it makes sense to have these body paragraphs.
  2. It could be possible to divide the information of body paragraphs into:
    • Body Paragraph 1 – roads and railway
    • Body Paragraph 2 – land and buildings
    • There is no right or wrong way to organise information into body paragraphs. You are being marked on being logical in how you organise information. If it lacks logic, you get a lower score. Your organisation also needs to help highlight key features which means deciding key features during your planning state is important because it will influence your paragraphing.
  3. The length of all writing task 1 should be between 170 and 190 words. A longer report will be marked down for not selecting features and getting lost in detail. A shorter report will be marked for not having enough information. To learn about the marking criteria that the examiner will assess you on, click here: Writing Task 1 Band Scores Explained

Vocabulary for Maps Video

The map shown in this lesson was designed for teaching vocabulary – it not an IELTS map task.

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Model Essay for TV & Weight Problems with Tips

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This page contains a model essay and a long list of useful tips to help you develop your IELTS writing task 2 skills.

Essay Question

Some people think that watching TV causes weight problems in children. Do you agree with this view? What solutions can you suggest to tackle children’s weight problems?

Model Essay

It is thought by some people that weight problems in children are caused by watching TV. While I agree that excessive hours in front of the TV can contribute to this problem, diet also plays a role. Furthermore, weight problems can only be dealt with by tackling the issues behind them.

Firstly, I think that although watching TV in itself does not actually cause children to gain weight, spending too much time each day sitting in front of the TV without doing exercise can result in weight problems. In other words, inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle are directly linked to problems with obesity. Secondly, however, weight problems are also compounded by poor diet consisting of a lack of healthy meals and too much processed foods containing high levels of fats and sugars. This comes from both children and parents making poor dietary choices which lack fresh wholefoods. Both lack of exercise and poor diet directly contribute to weight problems in children.

There are two obvious solutions to dealing with childhood obesity. One answer is to reduce the amount of inactivity in a child’s life by cutting out hours spent either watching TV or on electronic devices, and use that time to participate in physical activities. By doing this, children will burn off excess calories which will drastically reduce their weight. Altering a child’s diet is another measure that can be taken to tackle this issue. Parents should be more proactive in producing healthier meals and reducing the amount of junk food available in the house. It might also be sensible to encourage children to take part in the cooking process which ought to ensure they grow up being able to produce their own balanced meals.

In conclusion, by introducing children to sports and other physical activities as well as providing them with a better diet, these measures can counteract the causes of childhood obesity.

Useful Tips

I have written these tips to help you with your essay. 

The tips have two aims:

  • To help you understand my model essay above.
  • To help you understand some of the problems with your own essay. I have read the essays you posted and I have put advice which will relate to many of you below.

Tips for IELTS Essays

  1. There are two tasks in this essay question.
    1. You must give your opinion as to whether watching TV causes weight problems. 
    2. You must present solutions to the problem of childhood obesity.
    3. Both of these tasks carry equal weight.
  2. Your introduction should not be long. Your conclusion should not be long. The high scores for writing task 2 are in the body paragraphs. See my essay above to assess the length and balance of the essay.
  3. Because you have two tasks, you will use one body paragraph for your opinion and one body paragraph for the solutions. This is logical organisation and logical paragraphing.
  4. Your opinion about TV causing weight problems should be given in the introduction and explained in body paragraph 1.
    1. A complete agreement with the statement would mean you agree that watching TV causes weight problems for children.
    2. A partial agreement would be that it does to some extent but there are other possible reasons or reason.
    3. It is always wise to address the fact that watching TV is not a problem in itself – it is the amount of time doing so that is the problem. This is an important aspect of the essay question that needs to be addressed if you are aiming for a high score. High band scores will require you to intelligently assess the issue or issues in the question.
    4. Your opinion which is about causes is body paragraph 1. You do not have a separate body paragraph with your opinion.
  5. Expressing your Opinion
    1. The words “This essay will …” or “This essay agrees …” does NOT express your own personal opinion. If you have done that, you will have failed to follow the instructions which require a direct personal opinion from you. This will lower your score.
    2. To express your own personal opinion, you MUST use “I” or “My”.
  6. If you have two causes and two solutions of childhood weight problems, you should make sure both causes and both solutions are easy to identify in the body paragraph. This means using linking words or signposts. Check my essay above and see how I do this. If you didn’t do this, you should consider more about your use of linking. This will be assessed by the IELTS examiner.
  7. The solutions to the problem given will appear in the second body paragraph. 
  8. You cannot have more than 3 body paragraphs in an IELTS essay. Each body paragraph should be of equal length (roughly). This is because each main point must be equally developed for a high score.
  9.  Vocabulary
    1. You need to avoid inappropriate and informal language, such as the word “kids” which is informal. That word can be used in IELTS speaking, not in IELTS writing.
    2.  The words “children” and “child” will be repeated. It is 100% fine to repeat some words in the English language. Paraphrasing is not about changing all words, all the time. It is about choosing which words to change and which words NOT to change.
    3. Don’t use expression such as “I want to say that..”. This is too informal for an IELTS essay.
  10. Choose the information you present in your essay carefully.
    1. If you want to write about meal times. Do not give a list of times (for example breakfast 7-9am). Instead, write that meal times should be at a scheduled time each day to provide routine. Think about what your point really is.
    2. Don’t write a list of junk food. If you use the word junk food, you do not need to give examples of it. The examiner knows the meaning of junk food. Examples are used to illustrate a point to make it clearer. The words “junk food” do not need explaining.
    3. Don’t give examples of video games or online gaming. The examiner does not need that information to understand your point.
    4. You do not have to start your examples with “A recent survey..”. The examiner does not care where your ideas or information come from.
  11.  Conclusion
    1. If you miss the conclusion, you will automatically get a reduced score for Task Response which is 25% of your marks.
    2. Always start your conclusion with a useful linking device. It helps the examiner locate your vital conclusion.
  12. Make sure you essay is below 300 words and between 260 and 290 words. My model above is 302 which is slightly over, but as I am a native speaker and highly experienced with IELTS I will not penalise myself for this 🙂

I hope you found this exercise useful. I hope the tips will help you develop your writing skills for IELTS.

Thank you for posting your essays. Some of the sentences and paragraphs you have written may be used in the new Grammar E-book I am compiling. Without your name or details mentioned of course.

All the best

Liz

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IELTS Reading True False Not Given: Essential Tips

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IELTS True False Not Given Tips for Reading. These are the most challenging types of questions that appear in IELTS reading. You can find them in both the Academic and GT IELTS Reading tests. The more you understand about these questions, the easier they will be. Use the strategies and techniques below to help you boost your score for reading. 

Understanding IELTS Reading True False Not Given Questions

You will be given statements containing information. You must decide if the information in the statement is True, False or Not Given according to the information in the reading passage.

  1. True: You can find this information in the passage and it agrees with the statement.
  2. False: The passage and statement have different information. The passage shows that the statement is wrong – it contains a mistake which you know because the passage shows us what it should be.
  3. Not Given: This means you can’t find all the information in the passage or that the passage does not contain enough information to know if it is true or false.

Are these types of questions the same as Yes, No, Not Given Questions? They are essentially the same, but IELTS have created the two kinds of questions because of the different content of the reading passage. To learn more, click here: IELTS Yes No Not Given Reading

Difficulties with True False & Not Given

  1. Paraphrasing. You must be prepared for the words in the statement to be paraphrased in the passage. This means you really need to know your vocabulary.
  2. You are looking for meaning. Many students just try to match words but you actually need to match meaning and check the content of the information given. Some times the same words are used but the meaning is not the same – this is one common difficulty with choosing the right answer.
  3. Not Given OR False 
    1. Not Given means the entire statement is not given in the passage.  Maybe part of the statement is given but not the whole statement. Watch out for that!! Try to find the whole meaning in the passage.
    2. False means the passage contradicts the statement. This means the passages shows the statement is wrong. Don’t forget you are not just looking for an opposite meaning, you are also looking for contradicting information.

Summary of IELTS Reading True False Not Given Tips

Below is a list of the main Tips for IELTS True False Not Given Reading Questions. However, you should watch the video to understand them clearly for maximum benefit.

  1. Spend time analysing the statement in the question before you try to find the answer
  2. Many words will be paraphrased so watch out for that (for example, work = employment / changing = altering)
  3. Don’t match just key words, you are aiming to match meaning. Some of the key words might be the same in the passage but it doesn’t mean the answer is true or yes.
  4. The meaning of false or no is that the statement contradicts the claims or information in the passage. This means the statement gives one meaning but the passage gives another meaning – therefore the statement is FALSE.
  5. Not Given means that the whole meaning of the statement is not in the passage. Some key words might be found but not the full meaning of the statement.
  6. You can write T instead of True on your answer sheet but make sure your handwriting is clear.
  7. The answers follow the order of information in the passage for these questions. Other types of reading questions might not have answers that come in order.
  8. Learn common challenges or problems that you have in reading. Make a list of paraphrases you have struggled with.
  9. You can write T instead of True, but you can’t write T instead of Yes. You also can’t write True instead of Yes. So, don’t mix up TFNG answers and YNNG answer.

True False Not Given Reading Video

 

 

See below video for homework answer.

Homework Answer from TFNG Video Lesson

Is the following question statement True, False or Not Given according to the information in the passage?

  • Passage: By the second half of the 17th century coffee had found its way to Europe.
  • Question: Coffee arrived in Europe after the 17th century.

Answer 

Click below:

ANSWER

The answer is FALSE.

The passage states by the second half of the 17th century. What does this mean? Well, the first half is at the beginning of the 17th century to the middle of the 17th century. The second half is from the middle of the 17th century to the end of the 17th century. So, the second half of the 17th century is still inside the 17th century.

However, the question statement says after the 17th century which means the 18th century. So, this is wrong. If we know the statement is incorrect / opposite / contradicting, the answer is FALSE.

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IELTS Model Bar Chart Band Score 9

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The model answer below is for an IELTS bar chart in writing task 1 of the academic paper. This model answer comes from the video tutorial I made, see the following link: Free Video Tutorial:  How to Describe an IELTS bar chart

IELTS Bar Chart

Bar Chart Model

Source: Bar chart above from unknown source.

IELTS Bar Chart Sample Answer

The chart illustrates the amount of money spent on five consumer goods (cars, computers, books, perfume and cameras) in France and the UK in 2010. Units are measured in pounds sterling.

Overall, the UK spent more money on consumer goods than France in the period given. Both the British and the French spent most of their money on cars whereas the least amount of money was spent on perfume in the UK compared to cameras in France. Furthermore, the most significant difference in expenditure between the two countries was on cameras.

In terms of cars, people in the UK spent about £450,000 on this as opposed to the French at £400,000. Similarly, the British expenditure was higher on books than the French (around £400,000 and £300,000 respectively). In the UK, expenditure on cameras (just over £350,000) was over double that of France, which was only £150,000.

On the other hand, the amount of money paid out on the remaining goods was higher in France. Above £350,000 was spent by the French on computers which was slightly more than the British who spent exactly £350,000. Neither of the countries spent much on perfume which accounted for £200,000 of expenditure in France but under £150,000 in the UK.

EXAMINER COMMENTS: The report has been organised into logical paragraphs with flexible use of linking. The overview is very clear with key features well highlighted. Accurate data is used to support sentences in the body paragraphs. There is a range of complex structures and vocabulary which are all flexibly used. This is an estimated band score 9 writing task 1 report for the academic paper. As you can see, the structure and information are presented in a way that is easy to understand, while the language offers complexity. 

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU FOR WRITING TASK 1:

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Practice Essay for Sample Materials

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I am currently working on an e-book for IELTS writing task 2 grammar. I need sample writing from people preparing for IELTS for my book.

I would like you to write a model essay for the question below. Sentences from your essay might be used in my e-book. Obviously, your name will not be used, just some sentences. If you post your essay, you are giving me your consent to use sentences in your essay in my e-book.

Essay Question

Some people think that watching TV causes weight problems in children. Do you agree with this view? What solutions can you suggest to tackle children’s weight problems?

Model Essay

I have written a full model essay for this question and also a long list of tips which relate directly to many of the essays posted below.

To view the model essay and tips, click below:

Model Essay & Tips

 

All the best

Liz

Comments

The points below will help you when you type your essay into the comments box.

  1. Please note this is a multi-task essay. The first question asks for your opinion on the issue. The second asks for your solutions. Both questions carry equal weight.
  2. You should aim for between 270 and 290 words. It is not recommended to go over 300.
  3. You should use a range of linking devices.
  4. Do not use learned phrases. Each sentence should be uniquely created by yourself.
  5. Always divide the body into paragraphs. Choose a logical organisation of ideas.
  6. Don’t aim to impress. Always aim for accuracy.

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Reading Answers Death of High Street

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Below are answers for yesterday’s reading passage: Death of the High Street Lesson

If you haven’t done the lesson, please complete it before looking at the answers. Click here: Reading Lesson Death of the High Street.

Answers

  1. A = 3
  2. B = 5
  3. C = 1
  4. D = 2
  5. E = 4
  6. triggered = spurred
  7. combine = couple that
  8. expendable = disposable
  9. soar = shoot up
  10. discouraging = deterring
  11. imminent = looming
  12. boost = injection

I hope you found this lesson useful 🙂

All the best

Liz

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IELTS Reading Lesson: Death of the High Street

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A 2019 IELTS lesson 🙂 A reading exercise for matching headings practice about the “Death of the High Street”. This is an easy lesson to help you develop confidence. There are two exercises in this lesson.

  1. Exercise 1 = Matching Headings
  2. Exercise 2 = Synonyms (Vocabulary practice)

Death of the High Street: Reading for IELTS

Exercise 1: Matching Headings

Questions 1-5. Match the heading with the relevant paragraph below. Write a letter for each answer.

  1.  Changing Tastes
  2.  Rising Overheads
  3. Squeezed Incomes
  4. Too Much Debt
  5. E-commerce

A) A big factor has been a fall in discretionary spending, spurred by rising shop prices and weak wage growth. A near 15% fall in the pound since the Brexit vote has pushed inflation over 3% – way above the Bank of England’s 2% target. This has made imported goods more expensive, with those costs passed on to consumers. Couple that with the fact that wages have been rising at a slower pace than inflation – and shoppers have less disposable income to spend in stores and restaurants.

B) Online giants such as Amazon have had a huge impact on the high street as more consumers see online shopping as cheaper and easier than going to the shops. And while overall retail sales growth is weak, online sales continue to shoot up. If shops fail to do either “value, convenience, or experience” well, they will struggle, Mr Martin says.

C) Toy store “Toys R Us” fell short in all three areas, according to Simon Thomas of Moorfields Advisory, the toy chain’s administrators. He says it was “unlikely” the retailer can be saved because its business model “isn’t what consumers really want now”. “We’ve got very large stores which are fairly impersonal. People are looking now to have a better shopping experience, and we were unable to deliver that.”

D) Inflation is not the only cost pressure retailers face. The National Minimum Wage and new National Living Wage for over-25s go up each year, pushing up payroll costs. “Business rates are deterring investment in local communities, causing shop closures and job losses in hard-pressed communities and preventing retailers from delivering what their customers want in an efficient and cost-effective way.”

E) As a consequence of over expansion, many retailers are shouldering “high debt burdens”, says KPMG’s Mr Martin. Just before its collapse, Toys R Us UK faced a looming VAT debt payment deadline of £15m. It would have been unable to pay it without a cash injection from an outside investor.

Source: Passage from BBC News Photo sourced online.

Exercise 2: Synonyms Practice

Questions 6-12. Find the following synonyms in the passage above. The answers will come in order in the passage. No more than two words for each answer. This question type does not come in the test. I have created it to give you essential practice with synonyms.

  • 6. triggered
  • 7. combine
  • 8. expendable
  • 9. soar
  • 10. discouraging
  • 11. imminent
  • 12. boost

Answers

Click below for Answers:

Answers

Please remember that in the real IELTS test, if you are asked to write a letter, you must write the letter and not the word. Always following instructions very carefully.

  1. A = 3
  2. B = 5
  3. C = 1
  4. D = 2
  5. E = 4
  6. triggered = spurred
  7. combine = couple that
  8. expendable = disposable
  9. soar = shoot up
  10. discouraging = deterring
  11. imminent = looming
  12. boost = injection

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Hope you find the lesson useful 🙂

All the best

Liz

Filed Under: IELTS Reading
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