Ielts Speaking Part 3: verb tenses

In IELTS speaking part 3 the examiner often asks a question about the past and a question about the future. Be careful: the examiner is listening to your grammar! You need to show that you can use past, present and future tenses correctly. Here are some example questions:

Did people have more free time when your grandparents were young?

Do you think the hobbies people have will be different in the future?

In the first answer, the examiner wants to hear some past tense verbs. In the second answer, you will need to use a future tense. Here are some example answers:

When my grandparents were young, I think they had less leisure time. They didn't have the gadgets we use nowadays, so they probably spent more time doing simple things. For example, nowadays we can cook meals in a microwave in less than 5 minutes, whereas in the past people had to cook everything themselves.

No, I don't think hobbies will change much in the future. I'm sure people will still play games and sports. On the other hand, maybe the Internet is changing the way we spend our free time. In the future, more and more people might have online hobbies.

Ielts Speaking Part 1: friends

1. Are your friends mostly your age or different ages?

Most of my friends are about the same age as me because we met at school or university. I've got one or two friends who are older or younger that I met through work.

2. Do you usually see your friends during the week or at weekends?

I tend to meet up with my friends at weekends because everyone's too busy during the week.

3. The last time you saw your friends, what did you do together?

It was one of my friends' birthday last weekend. Six of us went out for a meal to celebrate.

4. In what ways are your friends important to you?

I think it's important to have friends that you can talk to and share experiences with. My friends make me laugh, but I know I can also rely on them whenever I need help or support.

Ielts Speaking Part 2: describe an advertisement

Describe an interesting advertisement that you have seen. You should say:

where you saw it

what it was about

why you think it was an interesting advertisement.

I'm going to talk about an advertisement for Coca-Cola, which is one of the biggest brands in the world. I've seen Coke advertised everywhere, on posters and TV commercials.

The advert shows a picture of Santa Claus smiling and holding a bottle of Coke. I think the aim is to target children and associate (link/connect) the brand with Christmas time.

The advert is interesting because the company is deliberately trying to influence and attract children. The marketers are trying to capture young customers. They are presenting the drink as something special, a gift for Christmas. However, Coca-Cola is not necessarily a healthy drink for children; it contains a lot of sugar. Maybe this kind of advertising manipulates children and encourages them to pester their parents.

Ielts Speaking: examples, real examples!

To improve your IELTS speaking score, use good examples to extend your answers. Real examples or stories about yourself are the best.

Use examples in part 2 when you need to make your presentation longer. Use them in part 3 to support your opinions.

Here's an example that helps me to extend my part 2 presentation about my mobile phone:

"For example, yesterday I used my phone to call some friends to arrange a get-together this weekend. Some of them didn't answer, so I either left a message in their voicemail or I sent them a text. I also replied to a few emails while I was waiting in a queue at the bank."