IELTS Speaking Part 1 Topic: Shoes

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“Shoes” is a commonly recycled topic in IELTS Speaking Part 1. Most people think only about the topic of Clothes, but the topic could be very focused on just Shoes. Below are some typical questions for this topic and model answers. You can also find great vocabulary to boost your score for this topic here: SHOES VOCAB LIST

IELTS Speaking Topic SHOES: Questions

  1. What kind of shoes do you usually wear?
  2. Do you have a favourite pair of shoes?
  3. How often do you buy shoes?
  4. Where do you usually buy your shoes?
  5. What do you look for in a pair of shoes?
  6. Would you ever spend a lot of money on a pair of shoes?
  7. Do you think men and women have the same attitude towards shoes?
  8. Are there any shoes in your country that shouldn’t be worn at work?
  9. Do people usually wear different types of shoes in different seasons in your country?
  10. Would you ever buy shoes online?
  11. Do you think the type of shoes someone wears reflects their character?

For IELTS Speaking Part 1, the examiner will only ask you about three or four questions per topic. So, even though the examiner has a long list of questions, you’ll only be asked a few of them.

IELTS Speaking Model Answers for SHOES Topic

  1. What kind of shoes do you normally wear?
    • Well, most days I like to wear comfy shoes that are easy to wear for the whole day, like sneakers or some other kind of flat shoes. I definitely wouldn’t choose to wear heels normally.
  2. What’s your favourite pair of shoes?
    • I love my Red high heeled shoes that match my red evening dress. But even thought they are my favourite, I rarely get a chance to wear them because they aren’t suitable for everyday events, just for fancy evenings.
  3. How often do you buy new shoes?
    • Probably not as often as I should. I guess I get a new pair about once every couple of years. I tend to stick to my favourites until they completely wear out.
  4. Do you think fashion is important to consider when buying shoes?
    • Yes and no. I mean, in some ways yes I think you do need to consider whether your shoes match the clothes you already have and if they are relatively modern. But at the same time, if I was just buying a pair of trainers I wouldn’t bother with fashion and I’d just go with comfort instead.
  5. Do you think men and women have the same attitude towards shoes?
    • Well, this is probably a gross overgeneralisation but I suppose that on the whole women are more conscious of shoes than men and tend to pay out more for their shoes. Certainly, that’s the case with most men and women I know. But I’m sure there are plenty of men and women out there to counter that.
  6. Would you buy shoes online?
    • As long as there’s an easy return policy, I don’t see buying shoes online a problem. In fact, it’s often easier to just order five pairs online and then you have time to think about whether you want to keep them before the deadline for the returns.
  7. Do you think the type of shoes someone wears reflects their character?
    • Yes, I do. People say that first impressions are important and I think that goes for shoes too. If you see a person wearing a worn out pair of shoes, it gives you the impression that they that are sloppy. On the other hand, if you see someone wearing brand name shoes that cost a fortune, you know that the person has plenty of money to splash around and doesn’t care about costs. So, shoes can tell you a lot about someone’s character.

Vocabulary Review

  • comfy = short form of comfortable (short forms are suitable for IELTS Speaking which is informal)
  • gross overgeneralisation = to assume something without really thinking deeply, for example all women do X and all men do Y
  • worn out = tatty, shabby, the worse for wear, tired
  • sloppy = not tidy, lazy, slovenly
  • cost a fortune = very expensive (cost a fortune is a much better idiom to use than cost an arm and a leg).
  • have money to splash around = have money to waste, to throw around

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Going Off Topic in IELTS Speaking Part 2

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Is it wrong to go off topic in IELTS speaking part 2? Will you get a lower band score if you go off topic? Do you get a higher band score if you stay with the topic and follow the prompts given in IELTS speaking part 2? See the tips below to learn how your IELTS speaking is marked.

Going Off Topics for Your IELTS Cue Card Talk in Speaking Part 2

Lets look at this closely because it is something that affects everyone in their IELTS speaking test. And especially in speaking part 2 when people want to expand their talk but they are scared to take the talk in a different direction.

  1. Is it essential to follow the prompts on your cue card for speaking part 2?
    • No, it isn’t. The prompts on the cue card are guidelines and support to help you build your talk.
  2. Will you get a lower score if you don’t complete the cue card prompts?
    • No, you won’t. You can choose which prompts you want to use. You can ignore some and use others. You don’t get a lower score if you don’t complete the cue card prompts.
  3. Are there questions to answer on the cue card?
    • No. There are no questions on your cue card. There are only prompts which are suggestions that will help you give a full talk. It is your choice to use them or not.
  4. Can you add information in speaking part 2 that isn’t on the cue card?
    • Yes, you can. It is recommended that you add information to expend your talk. You will not get a lower score if you go off the topic by adding extra information that is not on your card.
  5. Is the examiner marking your ability to use the prompts on the cue card?
    • No. You are not marked on ideas at all. You are only marked on your use of English language.
  6. I heard that going off topic will reduce your score. Is that true?
    • Not for IELTS speaking. It is true for IELTS writing. In IELTS writing, you are marked on your response, ideas and being on topic. This is not the case for IELTS speaking. You can learn how band scores are marked on the links below.
  7. Should you follow the prompts on the card?
    • I recommend that you use the prompts and also add extra information. The prompts are useful and provide a structure to your talk which will help your score. Adding extra information is a useful way to showcase your English language for a higher score.

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Prepare ideas for Common IELTS Speaking Part 2 Topics

ALL MODEL ANSWERS, TIPS & TOPICS FOR IELTS SPEAKING

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Essay Ideas: Celebrations and Family

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Happy New Year to those of you who celebrate New Year on January 1st. Here is an IELTS essay question relating to festivals and celebrations.

Most traditional festivals and celebrations are losing their meaning as they become more commercial with the emphasis on buying presents and spending money on parties. Some people think that traditional festivals are a waste of time and money.

To what extent do you agree?

Always spend time thinking about the essay title and planning your answer. You should spend a minimum of 5 minutes thinking, analysing and planning before you start writing your essay. Here are some questions to help you consider the above essay.

Questions for Analysis

1. How do most people celebrate traditional festivals?

2. Do most people who spend money not recognise the meaning behind the festival?

3. Is it possible to spend lots of money on celebrations and still recognise their meaning?

4. Are people more interested in the traditional meaning of festivals or on having a good time  celebrating?

5. How important are traditional festivals in keeping a culture alive?

6. What would happen if we get rid of all traditional festivals?

7. Do you think the money spent on festivals could be better used?

Now plan how you will use your ideas to answer the question given in the IELTS essay question. After you have decided your plan, check the ideas below. Remember that there is no right or wrong in IELTS. These ideas offer one possible options for the content of body paragraphs.

Body Paragraph Content

Below is an example of body paragraph content for a partial agree essay ( a balanced view).

  • Body Paragraph A: Many traditional festivals are becoming more commercial as people use them as an opportunity to treat themselves or others to expensive luxury goods.
  • Body Paragraph B: This money could certainly be better used as it is not necessary to spend so much money to enjoy festivals and respect traditions.
  • Body Paragraph C: Regardless of the commercial aspect that is developing around many festivals, they are still vitally important in keeping traditions alive and teaching the younger generation about their own culture.

Happy 2018 🙂

Liz

 

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IELTS Essay Ideas: Is Art a Waste of Time?

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Art is a common topic to get in IELTS writing task 2. Below is a sample essay question with ideas.

While some people think that art if an important subject for children to study, others think it is a waste of time.

Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Ideas

Art is Useful

  • art is a means of expression
    • children need to learn to express their thoughts and feelings
    • it is often easier for young children to draw pictures than to express complex feelings in words
  • art is a creative form
    • creative thinking should be developed
    • creative thinking is beneficial later in life

Art is A Waste of Time

  • there are other more important subjects that would benefit children for their future life
    • the importance of technology, sciences and languages
  • studying art does not lead to a successful career
    • most artists struggle to make a living from selling their art

Opinion

  • art is a valuable subject but should not be a main focus on any curriculum or detract from other more important subjects
    • having a balance of subjects is the best way to help children develop a balanced character in life

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IELTS Listening Practice: Nadiya Hussain

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This IELTS listening practice exercise is about a woman called Nadiya Hussain. It contains both short answer questions and sentence completion questions.  You can find more useful links for listening and vocabulary at the bottom of the page.

Tips: As you will hear this only once, make notes. In the IELTS test, you can make notes all over your question paper. It might help you find an answer that you have missed.

You can find more IELTS tips for each part of the test at the bottom of the page.

ielts-listening-nadiya-hussain

Read the questions from 1 to 5 before listening to the audio. Play the audio only once. In IELTS, you will hear the recording only once so get used to practising. When you finish listening, make a note of common paraphrases.

IELTS Listening Practice: Mixed Question Types

Nadiya

Questions 1 – 2: Write no more than one word and/or number.

  1. How many children does Nadiya have?
  2. In what year did she enter The Great British Bake Off?

Questions 3 – 5: Write no more than two words and/or a number.

  • 3. She was launched into her career by winning a UK ………………………….
  • 4. The BCC documentary followed her around Bangladesh on a ……….. tour.
  •  5. She also writes as a ……………… for the Times magazine.

Recording:

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Answers and Transcript

Click below to open the answers and see the transcript.

Answers
  1. 3 (three)
  2. 2015
  3. baking competition
    1. Did you remember to read the instructions? The instructions change each time the question type changes. If you thought you could only write one word, go back and look at the instructions for Questions 3-5.
  4. culinary
  5. columnist
Transcript

Nadiya Hussain was born into a British Bangladeshi family in the south of England. Both a wife and mother of three, she entered The Great British Bake Off in 2015. Her ability to produce amazingly creative, tasty bakes earned her the title of Champion in the biggest baking competition in the UK. This launched her career. Later, she was asked to bake a cake for Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. And then she went on to film the Chronicles of Nadiya, a BBC documentary of her culinary journey around Bangladesh. She is also a columnist for the Times magazine presenting mouth watering recipes for baking.

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IELTS Writing Task 1 Sample Answer Bar Chart & Pie Charts

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Below is model answer for an IELTS bar chart and pie chart together for Writing Task 1. The sample answer is estimated at about band score 8.  The sample answer contains some grammar errors – can you find them? Answers below. This is a typical multiple chart task that continues to appear in the test every year (updated 2024).

IELTS Writing Task 1: Multiple Charts

ielts multiple charts bar chart pie charts

Sample Answer

Estimated at band score 8. It contains a few mistakes which is why it isn’t band 9.

Can you find the mistakes?

The bar chart and pie charts illustrate the percentage of people in Glasgow having three levels of education (university, school and those with no qualifications) in 2010. Information is divided into five age groups in the bar chart and by gender in the pie charts.

Overall, the majority of people with university education were in younger age groups, while in the oldest age group most people did not have any qualifications. The proportions of men and women were similar and showed little different between the levels of education.

The percentage of people with university education was up to 76% in the younger three age groups compared to only 50% in those ages 50 to 75 and just 25% in those over 75. This trend was reversed in those with no qualifications (9% in younger people rising to 72% in the oldest age group). The figure for those with school education was relatively constant at around 20% but was as low as 3% in the over 75’s.

The proportion of men and women in each level of education was around one third with only a slightly difference of 3% in university graduates as well as those who didn’t have educational qualifications.

Words = 198

There are a few grammar mistakes in this writing. Can you find them? Answers provided below

Answers

Answers to Grammar Mistakes in the above sample answer – click below to open:

ANSWERS TO SPOT THE MISTAKES ABOVE

Paragraph 2: in younger age groups = in the younger age groups

Paragraph 2: little different = little difference

Paragraph 3: in those ages 50 to 75 = in those aged 50 to 75

Paragraph 4: a slightly difference = a slight difference

Paragraph 4: didn’t = did not

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Writing Task 1 Reported Dec 2016

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The IELTS writing task 1 was reported this month (December 2016) in the IELTS test in Azerbaijan and also in the UK. This task is a vertical bar chart and two pie charts. The task was kindly reported and created by a student called Ruzigar in Baku, Azerbaijan and also reported by Mary, in the UK.

You can download a free copy of this task below.

IELTS Writing Task 1 for December 2016

ielts-writing-task-1-reported-dec-2016

Download: ielts-writing-task-1-december-2016

You can find practice charts for IELTS on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-sample-chart-for-writing-task-1/

You can find tips, model answers and practice for IELTS Writing Task 1 on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-lessons-and-tips/

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Is Cursive Writing Recommended for IELTS?

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Many students have been asking me about cursive handwriting and the best style of handwriting to use in the IELTS test. So, I want to explain to you what the examiner is looking for in your essay and how your handwriting will affect your score.

Can you use cursive script in IELTS writing?

Yes, you can use any style of handwriting you want. It is completely your choice.

Is it better to use cursive writing?

It is neither better nor worse. It makes no difference to your score.

HOWEVER, if your writing is difficult to read, you might lose points. If the examiner can’t read it, he or she won’t be able to give you a high score. Your writing MUST be clear and easy to read at all times!!

More Hand Writing Tips:

See the following link for Tips on Using Pen or Pencil. If you want to learn about practicing your hand writing on the answer sheet for IELTS writing, see this link: Official IELTS Writing Task 2 Paper & Tips. 

Should you indent your paragraphs? See this page to learn about indenting or leaving an empty line between paragraphs:

You can find more tips and model essays for writing task 2 on the Main Writing Task 2 Page.

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