IELTS Speaking Part 3: What makes a good painting?

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Question

What makes a good painting?

Ideas and Vocab

  • the composition of all the parts
  • the painter has a good eye (to know when something is good)
  • perspective and symmetry (sizing and balance of all parts)
  • using a particular style or an unusual technique (skill)
  • the subject (person / landscape / animal etc)
  • the balance of colours and contrasts
  • to bring about an emotional response – it touches people
  • to evoke a memory or idea
  • impact – something you can’t take your eyes off
  • historical background or relevance

Model Answer

From my perspective, I suppose a good painting is one you can’t take your eyes off. For me, it’s either due to the colours and images or because of the emotional reaction I might have to the painting. But I know that for other people, they think a good painting is usually because of the skill involved in painting it or because of the unique creativity of the artist. I guess that a good painting means something different to everybody.

Video Watch

This video shows an art dealer talking about what makes a good painting. It is not a video made for language learners so the English is advanced but hopefully you can still learn a lot from it.

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IELTS Video: Listening practice with numbers

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It is common in IELTS to be asked to listen for a number. The most common numbers that IELTS use are the numbers 15 / 50. Many students have a problem with hearing the difference between these numbers.

Watch this lesson to test yourself on listening for these difficult numbers and also review the pronunciation.

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IELTS Listening: List Selection

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IELTS listening practice for list selection which is a type of multiple choice.

A Museum Visit

Questions 1-3: Choose three letters, A-G.

What three things are not allowed to be brought into the museum?

A. camera
B. bags
C. food and drink
D. phone
E. pens
F. notebooks
G. coats

 

Answers

Click below to reveal answers:

Answers

A, C, D (any order). You must have all 3 correct for one point.

  1. A = ‘… won’t be able to take your camera into the museum…’
    2. D = ‘…that goes for phones too’. This means that the same rule for cameras also applies to phones, both are forbidden.
    3. C = ‘If you’re in need of refreshments, you’ll have to make your way to our cafe as you can’t bring your own inside’. Refreshments = food and drink (paraphrase)

The answer can’t be B because you are able to choose if you want to leave your bag in the locker room or not. This means it is not forbidden.

Transcript
There are a few things which you will need to know before you come to the museum. You won’t be able to take your camera into the museum as photos are forbidden which means that that goes for phones too. If you want pictures of the exhibitions can you’ll have to buy the museum guide book which has information as well as pictures of most of our famous exhibits. If you have a bag and you don’t want to carry it round with you, then you can store it in the locker room on the ground floor near the entrance. You’re welcome to walk around with your notebooks to sketch or make notes on our displays. If you’re in need of refreshments, you’ll have to make your way to our cafe as you can’t bring your own inside. Well, that’s the list of does and don’ts. Hope you enjoy your visit.

 

IELTS Multiple Choice Tips

This video offers more listening practice and tips for this type of listening in IELTS.

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Model

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In some parts of the world it is becoming popular to research the history of one’s own family. Why might people want to do this? Is it a positive or negative development?

Exploring one’s family background and history is becoming increasingly popular in numerous countries around the world. In my opinion, through research and knowing more about one’s family, people can see common trends passed through generations and useful information which can only be seen as beneficial for people’s future.

Firstly, some people look into their family history in order to discover any common trends with family members of a previous generation. This can be especially so with people who have particular skills, gifts or interests in uncommon fields. In other words, as some gifts and skills are hereditary, it can be interesting for people to learn how many others in their family shared these talents from previous generations.

Another reason for the popularity of finding out about one’s family history is often due to general curiosity of one’s geographical origins. That is to say, some families moved abroad, away from their own country, generations ago which resulted in them losing their original culture and adopting the culture of the country they moved to. Therefore, through research, people can learn more about their country of origin and understand more about the culture that their family originally came from.

Finally, the trend of researching family history is certainly beneficial and can help people find their place in the world. Some people feel a lack of direction in life or are dislocated from others but by learning more about their past family history, it can help them relate to the world and feel more comfortable about who they are. Take, for example, a person who feels nervous about making a certain choice in life, they may feel comforted by knowing that others in their family made the same choice many generations ago.

In conclusion, it can be advantageous for people to learn more about the family’s background and origins. It would be useful for children to learn about their own family history, if this was incorporated into the school curriculum.

Comments

There are two questions to this essay. Make sure you answer each question clearly and explain your ideas sufficiently if you want to get band score 6 or above.

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Video Lesson: Only 5 mins left – Help!

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Learn what to do with the last 5 minutes if you haven’t finished your essay.

The last 5 minutes are essential to use well. It could be the difference between a band score 5 and a band score 6 or 7.  Watch this lesson to learn how to use your last 5 minutes effectively.

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Transcript

hello what should you do

if you only have a few minutes left

in your IELTS writing test but

you haven’t finished writing your essay
well

there is a very clear answer for that and I will
explain

now the time management is yours

you decide how long to spend writing

each part of your essay and you should continue
to check the clock

to make sure you don’t run out of time
but

if you only have a few minutes left and
you haven’t

finished then please go and write your
conclusion

now the examiner is going to test you

on 4 different criteria

of the IELTS writing and that is your
answers

that’s task response this one here

your organization and linkers vocabulary
and grammar

each of those is quarter of your marks

25% now for task response

for your ideas the examiner is looking

for a conclusion and if

your essay has no conclusion you

will get band score 5 for

this criteria of your writing so 25%
of your marks

will only be band score 5 so

your conclusion is essential the
examiner

is looking for it you must give it if
you want to get

band score 6 or 7 or

above so in the last few minutes

quickly start a new paragraph and write

in conclusion at the beginning and then

right 1 or 2 sentences that contain

the main points of your essay and

that is enough to have a conclusion

and get more than band score 5

for task response now if you want some
more

IELTS tips I post them regularly on my
facebook

so please come and find me on Facebook
I’ll think you

and another IELTS lesson

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Answers for Sentence Completion

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Answers to yesterday’s reading lessons. Here’s some vocabulary to develop your academic reading:

  • resemble = look like, similar to
  • distinct = clear, well-defined
  • belly (bellies) = stomach
  • hide = conceal
  • predators = killers (in this reading passage it refers to sharks and seals etc
  • tapering = narrowing

Answers

1. flightless
‘flightless’ is the only adjective that can possibly fit into the sentence from the first paragraph
2. distinct colouring

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Video: Essay Length

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How many words should you write for your essay in IELTS writing task 2? There is a lower limit of 250 words but there is no upper word limit. Watch this video to learn how long your IELTS essay should be and if the number of words you write is important to get a good band score. Transcript

hello in this lesson I want to look at a
very important question

that many students ask me about IELTS

writing task 2 here’s the question do I
get

a higher band score if I have

a longer essay now this is a very
important question

how long should you essay be there are a
number of points I want to explain to

you

about the length of your essay so

the first point is of course you must
write

over 250 words that

is the task given to you those are your
instructions

and if you write under that

there could be problems and yes the
examiner will check

how many words you’ve written number two
and here is a direct answer

to the question you do not get

more marks for a longer essay now

I know that for many of you at
University

if you write a longer essay you get
better marks

but this does not apply to IELTS

the examiner is not looking for

a long essay the examiner is looking for
relevant

ideas number three the other point

is you only have about 35 minutes to
write

you essay now they recommend

that you have forty minutes but at least

5 minutes should be spent planning your essay

you need to look at the statement given
to you

need to analyze it and you need to plan

relevant ideas for your answer

it’s very important to have

five minutes for planning your ideas and
you answer

are worth 25% if your marks so
that means

you only have about 35 minutes to

actually write your essay so

aiming for longer essay will not give
you more marks

and will be very difficult in

the time you’ve got the next point

is a lot of students when

they try to extend their writing to
write

over 300 words they put

lots of extra information in that essay

and this information is often a little
bit

relevant or it’s off the topic

now in IELTS you will lose

marks if you write irrelevant
information

or if you go off the topic in your essay

so is a very bad idea to try to write

300 words if the information you are

adding will go off topic so

the recommendation I recommend you aim

for between 260 and 280

that is enough words to extend

and develop each main idea

in order to get a higher band score
well

if you found this lesson useful please
share it with your friends

and don’t forget follow me on Facebook
if you want to get

the regular lessons or check my blog and
you can find

all my free IELTS lessons see you next time

[su_youtube url=”http://youtu.be/TcQKUwmOMFo”]

Recommended Lessons
To learn more about the recommended length for your writing task 1 and task 2 essays, check the sample writing below.

Opinion Essay Sample Writing for task 2, click here
Line Graph Model for task 1, click here

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IELTS Writing Task 1: Bar Chart

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A free video lesson on an IELTS writing task 1 bar chart.

Describing a Bar Chart Step by Step

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/E3U1Y1jgGls”]

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