One suggestion to prepare for the long turn speaking is to use a picture in your head to help you with ideas and vocabulary. This sounds an unusual idea and so in this lesson I want to show you how it can in practice. I believe it is one of those “tricks” that can make a real difference.
Using a picture – how it works
This is, I suspect, a new idea to many people so I will try and explain how you can make it work for you.
- you need a picture in your head that is personal to you. You are trying to use your visual memory to help you speak
- do close your eyes. You will see the picture better
- look at the details. What do you see exactly? Look at the background of the picture too, that can be important. These details will give you precise vocabulary
- try and “feel” the picture. What else does it make you think of? Sometimes a picture can help you remember things and in IELTS that means you have more ideas.
An example
The task
Look at this sample cue card. You are being asked to talk about a house or apartment you would like to live in.
A house or apartment
Talk about a house or an apartment you would like to live in.
You should say
- what it would look like
- how big it would be
- where it would be located
And explain why you would like to live there
The pictures
This is the sort of task where you can use a picture in your head to help you. Look at this picture of my mother’s house – this is what I see when I close my eyes and think. If I look at it, I get lots of ideas about things I can say and from there I get useful vocab I may not have thought of without seeing a picture:
- cottage (I remember from looking at it that it used to be two cottages)
- chimneys (I see that it’s got 4 chimneys)
- angles (the house is an odd shape)
- lawns, flowerbeds, shrubs (the picture shows the garden – which is really part of the house)
- bedroom window ( I can see my bedroom window and I think of what I can see out from it)
Listen
Listen to me speak. I make some mistakes, that’s fine. I repeat some words too, that’s also fine – this is not a writing exam. I do well because I am fluent and coherent and I use enough precise vocabulary.
house-part2
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My sample answer
notes
I have put in bold the topic vocabulary that works. This is the form of vocabulary you need in part 2. You don’t need long/complex academic words.
I have put in red linking type words and phrases. These are small things but they help make me fluent and coherent.
“Where would want I like to live? Well, I suppose the first thing of all I would like or I’d prefer to live in a house rather than an apartment and in many ways my ideal house would be the house where my mother lives. It’s quite a large house, it’s a 4 bedroom house but in another sense it’s actually quite a small house in that all the rooms inside are quite small and quite intimate erm and in fact it’s two cottages which have been converted into one larger house. So when you look at it, it looks quite strange, you see 4 chimneys from the outside and erm lots of very strange angles and another part about that house which I love is erm it’s in the countryside and it’s got a great garden with lawns and flowerbeds and shrubs. Everything. My mother’s a professional gardener. Erm living in the countryside but not the middle of nowhere erm is perfect for me because erm I like to get up in the morning, look out of the window, see the horses in the field, the little pony and its mother erm it just makes me feel good. But as I say I wouldn’t want it to be the middle of the countryside because I would like to commute to the city because I like being around people and it’s just easier or more convenient to work in a city. So there would need to be located somewhere which was erm close enough to a city and as I say that’s the reason why I would choose to live in my mother’s house.
Practice
You can’t use my pictures: you need to see what’s in your head. Describing a picture in your head also takes a bit of practice. So why not start with a real picture? Here’s my suggestion
- take a picture of your house/apartment on your phone
- look at the picture
- close your eyes
- what do you see?
- what memories do you have?
- try and think of 3/4 details in the picture
- look at the picture again and try describing when you are looking at it
Voxopop
This is a site where you can record yourself speaking and listen to other people doing the same thing. I have my own talk group Dominic Cole’s IELTS Speaking Practice. Sign up (for free), go to my group, listen to me and record yourself.
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Dear Dominic, thanks as always. Great
You are peculiar person. This is a great help for me.Thank you.
A great assistance for your time spent researches.Thank you very much.
Hi dear Dominic, you have made me to sit up for my practice. It’s quite a challenge.
No doubt you’re blessed.
Dominic dear, I am greatful of your sacrificial help.
Dear sir,
Thanks for your nice post.
again tnx