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 🙂

…………………………………

Free Subscribe to get New Lessons by Email

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

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

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

……………………………

Subscribe to get New Posts by Liz in your Inbox

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

…………………

Subscribe to get New Posts by Email

Pronunciation is part of the IELTS Speaking Test. The examiner who conducts your test will award you a score for Pronunciation as well as the other marking criteria. Together those scores are averaged to give you a final speaking band score.

This page explains about the marking of pronunciation and will help you understand what you can do to increase your score. You will also learn whether different accents are accepted in IELTS Speaking.

On this page, you will learn:

1. Is IELTS a British English Test?
2. Pronunciation Features & Marking
3. Pronunciation Band Scores
4. Accents in IELTS Speaking
5. Pronunciation Advice

1) Is IELTS a British English Language Test?

IELTS is owned by Cambridge English Language Assessment, the British Council and IDP. This means that two of the owners are British and one is Australian. But it is not a test of British English or of Australian English. It is an INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST = IELTS. This means that it tests international English, not just British or Australian English.

2) IELTS Speaking Pronunciation Marking Features

IELTS Speaking Marking Criteria: Pronunciation is one of four marking criteria for IELTS speaking:

• Fluency = 25%
• Vocabulary = 25%
• Grammar = 25%
• Pronunciation = 25%

Aspects of Pronunciation for Marking

There are a number of features of pronunciation that the speaking examiner will be assessing you on. Pronunciation features and how easy you are to understand are the two key aspects of IELTS Speaking Pronunciation. Below is a summary of some of the main features:

1. Individual sounds – similar sounds (p/b  m/n d/t)  consonant clusters (sht / cht etc), length of vowels (sheep/ship etc), schwa (the lazy vowel sound that is never stressed – example – there are two schwas in “dangerous), silent letters.
2. Strong and weak forms – example “and”  – this can be produced as “n” (fish and chips = fish “n” chips) or it can be pronounced at full length “and”. This depends on how and when you use this word.
3. Word Pronunciation
4. Word stress and syllables (sounds inside a word that carry the stress)
5. Sentence stress (this links to chunking)
6. Intonation (putting feeling and emphasis into your speaking which causes your tone to rise and fall)
7. Linking sounds and words
8. Chunking (putting parts of a sentence together into chunks to create stress and clarity within a sentence)
9. Contractions (it is = it’s / my name is = my name’s /  I did not = I didn’t / I have been = I’ve bin / I’m going to = I’m gonna / I want to = I wanna)

3) Pronunciation Band Scores

Below is a brief summarised description of the Pronunciation Band Scores for IELTS Speaking based on the descriptors published by IELTS.

• Band 5 = There are some miscommunications which might cause difficulty for the listener. The candidate attempts to control pronunciation features, but often does not succeed. The candidate may show some features of band 6.
• Band 6 = The candidate uses a range of pronunciation features but the control is not consistent throughout the test. There might be mispronunciation of words or sounds which reduces the clarity. However, the meaning of what is being said is generally clear throughout the test.
• Band 7 = shows all features of band 6 and only some of the positive features of band 8.
• Band 8 = uses a wide range of pronunciation features throughout most of the test. Is easy to understand and the mother tongue does not affect clarity.
• Band 9 = The candidate uses a full range of features with precision and subtlety. The candidate is effortless to understand.

Note: you can see in the band score descriptions above that using a range of features (linking sounds, contractions, intonation, word stress, chunking etc is key to a good score. Also how easy you are to understand is critical. 

To read the Official Speaking Band Score Descriptors click here: Official Speaking Descriptors 

4) Accents in IELTS Speaking

Does my accent need to be British English?

No, it doesn’t. IELTS is an international English test so you can have any accent you want. It does not need to be British. It is completely fine to have an American accent or Australian accent. Any accent is fine.

What if I have a mixed accent?

That is also fine. It is 100% normal for people these days to have a mixed accent. Even native speakers have mixed accents if they travel or have lived abroad. IELTS will accept a mixed accent for the speaking test. But you cannot mix your spelling for the writing test. See this page: Spelling in IELTS Writing

What about an accent from my own country?

It is normal for you to retain an accent from your own language. IELTS do not prohibit that or lower your band score for it. The question is “Does your accent cause difficulties for the listener? If your mother tongue accent is so heavy that your English pronunciation is difficult to understand, you will get a lower score. However, if your accent is very mild and English pronunciation is easy to understand, you can get a high band score. This means it depends on the effort that the listener has to make to understand you. The less effort is required to understand your pronunciation, the higher your score. However, always remember, you still need to demonstrate the features of pronunciation mentioned further up this page.

5) Pronunciation Advice

Pronunciation is something that takes time to change. This isn’t something you can fix with only a couple of weeks before your test. If you have time before your test, try listening to news channels, documentaries and soap operas. The English used in films can often be rushed or muffled by music so choose your films wisely.

You can only improve your pronunciation by practising to speak out loud. Get used to doing this on your own and record your speaking. Then listen back and check.

Online Dictionaries provide pronunciation of individual words with either UK or US accents. Use them to check your word pronunciation.

Free IELTS Speaking Lessons & Tips

To get free speaking lessons, topics, tips and model answers, click here: IELTS Speaking

…………………………

Free Subscribe to get New Posts by Email

Below you will find the answers to the reading lesson about Carnivorous Plants which focused on matching paragraph information questions.

If you have not completed this lesson, please do so before you look at the answers. To complete the lesson, click here: Reading Practice Lesson.

Answers

1. D
   1. Question Statement: The plant preys on animals that live in water.
   2. Passage: “the waterwheel plant, is a fascinating rootless, carnivorous, aquatic plant. It generally feeds on small aquatic vertebrates,”.
2. C
   1. Question Statement: The plant is able to tell the difference between prey and inedible items.
   2. Passage: “The plant is so advanced that it can tell the difference between live stimulus and non-living stimulus.”
   3. Remember, this isn’t about only matching word for word. This is about matching meaning. This whole passage is about how plants trap their prey (food). This means that “non-living stimulus” refers to something inedible.
3. B
   1. Question Statement: Prey is known to die through submersion in liquid.
   2. Passage: “The trap contains fluid, produced by the plant, which is used to drown and digest the insects.”
4. A
   1. Question Statement: Prey is drawn to the plant by its appearance.
   2. Passage: “Insects are attracted by colour, smell and a nectar-like secretion”
5. D
   1. Question Statement: The plant is known for its speed in trapping prey.
   2. Passage: “The trap closes in only 10 milliseconds, making it one of the fastest examples of plant movement in the animal kingdom.”
6. A
   1. Question Statement: The soporific effect of the nectar can cause prey to tumble into the plant’s trap.
   2. Passage: Slippery footings, aided in at least one species, by a narcotic drug lacing the nectar, causes insects to fall inside where they die and are digested.
7. B
   1. Question Statement: The plant is capable of trapping creatures large than an average insect.
   2. Passage: “….some larger species, such as Nepenthes Rafflesiana and Nepenthes Rajah, have been documented to catch small mammals like rats.”

More Reading Practice Lessons

For tips and more reading lessons, click here: IELTS Reading Tips & Lessons

I hope you found this lesson useful.

All the best, Liz 🙂

………………….

Free Subscribe to get New Posts by Email

Hi guys,

This is my personal story. I am sharing it with you to show how keeping positive, using time effectively and staying determined can change your life regardless of how difficult your situation might be right now. I hope my story will inspire you to be proactive and keep strong during the Coronavirus situation. Make a cup of tea, sit back and read about success through adversity 🙂

In 2013, my health collapsed. I became very seriously sick. I lost my job. I lost most of my money. I lost my friends. I lost my apartment. I lost my independence. I was too sick to go outside. I was locked in. I struggled to walk around the house and all basic actions (even washing my hair) were very difficult. At times, just sitting in a chair was incredibly painful and I had to return to my bed to lie in isolation, darkness and silence. I couldn’t get food for myself. I struggled to speak easily. I was sick and seriously disabled.

The doctors told me there was nothing they could do to help me. They said I would probably be sick for quite a long time, but they couldn’t say how long or even if I would ever recover. My situation was similar to the uncertain situation many of you face today with Coronavirus. Feeling you have no control over your lives or your future. Watching all your dreams and plans disappearing and there’s nothing you can do. Feeling worried and alone. The feeling of isolation from the world became normal for me when I was sick. But I wasn’t facing a few weeks or months without work, without income, without health, without friends, without freedom – I was facing years.

It took about a year of suffering for my health to improve enough for me to be able to sit on a sofa and use a laptop for 30 mins or 1 hour a day. I started making plans for a website to give people free lessons for IELTS. But I was still so sick. It was all very difficult. Even typing was hard because I struggled to use my arms. After 6 months, I was well enough to make video lessons in a spare bedroom. All my videos were made by myself while I was sick. My website and videos started to become popular in 2015.

I believe that each situation we face is a challenge. And many challenges have to be fought psychologically. Each day I woke up and decided – what single thing can I do today? I had little strength. But I did have determination, a strategic approach and a positive mindset to improve my life in small ways. My tips are:

1. Never wake up and compare your life today to what you had before or what you don’t have anymore or what other people have.
2. Try. Just because your dream seems distant or impossible right now, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Trying is what it is all about. The more you try, the more doors open. You might just discover you have incredible hidden gifts that you didn’t know about 🙂
3. Always find the positive in what you choose to do or what you must do. Your perspective matters. Smile and enjoy – it makes everything easier.
4. Don’t listen to negative voices in your head or from others. If you are surrounded by negativity, drown it out by filling your mind and life with positive thoughts. It isn’t easy. It’s a challenge, but you can do it. 
5. If things get hard for you, reach out to someone or find a solution. The very strongest and most success people are often those who have known what it feels like to struggle or suffer. Making wise choices at tough times is what it is all about. 
6. Don’t delay. None of us know what is round the corner. Use the uncertainty you find yourself in to remind yourself that time matters.
7. Life is a gift. Appreciate it. Like many gifts, there may be incredible surprises inside if you learn to use it well 🙂 Don’t presume life is just a box to open, it is an opportunity and you are responsible to make the most of it.

To continue with my story, in 2015 it looked like my life was going to get better at last. A successful website and improved health. It felt exciting. But on December 25th, 2015, my health collapsed again for a second time. This was the hardest time for me. I had already been fighting for 2.5 years and now I had to face more years in sickness and pain. I felt deep despair at this time. The support from my family started to fail. I ended up living completely alone while still being sick, disabled and unable to walk outside.

I have been living in considerable isolation since 2016. For these years, I have talked with a human being for only about 1 hour a week. There have been times when I have struggled, both physically and emotionally. Of course with the Coronavirus lockdown, I now do not see anyone at all. Worse still, during these years, I have rarely received any loving messages from my family to keep me strong and give me comfort.

When you face such situations on your own, I believe you must find strength, love and positivity within yourself. If other people don’t give you love, give it to yourself. If others are not a source of strength for you, find that strength within yourself or by reading about inspirational people. If you feel alone, connect to something within yourself that connects us all together and nourishes us. Surround yourself and give yourself what you need to survive and conquer. Never let fear, doubt or complacency stand in your way. Never let any situation or any person stop you from moving forward with your life. Achieving success is within us all.

The concept of “seize the day” is well known, but how many of us actually live this way? While I was sick, I wasn’t able to “seize the day” because I was unwell most of the day. But I did seize 15 mins, 30 mins, one hour or two hours when possible. With such little strength and such little time, I achieved great success. Small steps are not less valuable than large steps. They all lead somewhere. They can lead you to success. But many of us delay too long or give up too soon because we don’t get what we want quickly enough or because it was harder than we imagined. Be patient. Persevere. Trust in your future. Keep taking those small steps with a focused, clear mind. Don’t just take those small steps to achieve success, take those small steps because you love life and you love what you do. Your perspective will change everything.

I became successful by taking very small steps. I never gave up. I stayed determined, focused and positive no matter what life threw at me. My Youtube channel has now reached just over 2 million subscribers. My website is one of the biggest worldwide for IELTS preparation. I have just over 1,000 high band score results shared by successful IELTS candidates (Results Page) which keep me encouraged to continue my work. Knowing that I help people reach their future goals is a wonderful way to live. By working from a sofa whilst being sick at home, I have achieved all this.

I hope my story and my perspectives of how I created a bright future while in isolation, uncertainty and sickness will help you at this difficult time. I hope you will all find happiness and strength even though your lives are not as you wish them to be right now. There are so many positive things you can do even if they do not seem to have a direct impact on your future plans – they will help indirectly in ways you can’t imagine right now.

Your life is not at a stand still because you are in lockdown. If you continue developing and being proactive each day, your life will be moving forward regardless of your geography.

Keep Positive! Stay Focused! Be Proactive! Continue taking those Small Steps 🙂

I am thinking of you all at this time.

All the best

Liz

Please feel free to share your own positive stories or thoughts in the comments box below 🙂

Thank you message from Liz: I would like to thank you all for your kind responses to my story. I apologise for not being able to answer each of your comments individually. However, I read each one carefully and was touched by them all. Your instinctive insight really affected me.

I have always had deep respect for anyone striving to change their lives for the better. It takes a certain type of person to do this. IELTS is a steppingstone to a new and hopefully better future for you all. While you have been striving to push past frustrations or disappointments, I have been in a similar situation but for a different reason. Maybe that is why this website has such positive vibes. We understand one another, respect one another and appreciate one another 😊

There are some of you out there who are struggling right now with extremely difficult situations, some much worse than mine. Take strength in my story and take those small steps whenever you are able. Changing your situation at this moment in time might not be possible, but you can still allow positive energy to come into your life regardless of your situation. From actively learning something new, developing a new skill or helping others to just simply appreciating the beauty of a flower, all these tiny positive thoughts and actions will help to gradually change life as you know it. For those of you who have survived past suffering, I hope you will also share your story one day. By sharing our stories, we remind ourselves and each other of what life is really about.

Behind a smile may be a painful past. Behind tears and weakness may be a hero. Never be too quick to judge.

Thank you all for your kindness and support. Good luck to you all !! 😊 All the best, Liz

FREE IELTS Lessons: This website contains hundreds of pages of free lessons, tips, model answers, topics etc. Go to the HOME page to access them.

…………………………………

Subscribe for Free to get New Posts by Email