Nouns
leisure pursuit
spare time
pastime
Verbs
amuse oneself by
unwind by
kill time by
Adjectives
fascinating
cativating
time-consuming
appealing
Idioms
take up (= start)
I’ve recently
taken up
swimming.
take part in
I frequently
take part in
group activities like..
get into (= enjoy)
Recently I’ve been
getting into
fishing.
have a go at (= try)
I’d really like to
have a go at
scuba diving.
idle away the hours (= spend
time)
In my time off I often
idle away the hours
by playing guitar.
Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
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Topic 4: Sports
Do you like playing sports?
How often do you play sports?
What sports are the most popular in your country?
Do you think it is important to play a sport?
What sports would you like to try in the future?
Do you prefer watching or playing sports?
Nouns
team game
spectator spost
physical activity
squad
solo sport
Verbs
compete
challenge
get fit
lose weight
stay healthy
Adjectives
strenous
physical
energizing
revitalizing
Idioms
have a crack at (= had a try at)
I
had a crack at
baseball but it was too strenuous
for me.
get into shape
I’ve been trying to
get into shape
by going to the
gym.
Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
57
Topic 5: Televison
Do you like watching TV?
How much time do you spend watching TV?
When do you usually watching TV?
What types of TV programme do you like watching?
What types of TV programme are popular in your country?
Why do children like watching TV?
Nouns
telly (= TV)
episode
series
soap opera
documentary
mainstream
sitcom
audience
viewer
Verbs
turn on/ off/ over
tune in
sit in front of theh telly
repeat
produce
telesise
broadcast
Adjectives
witty
enlightening
mind-numbing (= boring)
televised
live-broadcast
attention-grabbing (= interesting)
pre-recorded
Idioms
watch the box (= watch TV)
I often
watch the box
at weekends
channel surf(=change TV
channels frequently)
I usually sit in front of the telly and
channel surf
Topic 6: Music
Do you like listening to music?
What types of music do you like listening to?
Where do you usually listen to music?
Can you play any musical instruments?
Do you think it’s important for children to learn to play a musical instrument?
Do you prefer listening to live performances or recorded music?
Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
58
Nouns
harmony
melody
lyric
synthesizer
concert
gig (= concert)
album
tune
portable
CD player
MP3 player
a hit record
Verbs
download( MP3’s)
burn CD’s
put on CD/ piece of music
Adjectives
funky
catchy
soothing
atmospheric
Idioms
blow one’s mind
The music was so amazing it
blew my mind
set sth. to music
The composer managed to
set
the lyrics
to music
chill out to (= relax)
I often
chill out to
atmospheric ambient music
Topic 7: Reading
Do you like reading?
How often do you read?
What do you like to read?
Where do you usually read?
Do you read for pleasure or to get information?
Nouns
a work of fiction
biography
novel
novelist
poetry
author
literatune
best-seller
Verbs
scan
skim
browse
flick through
flip through
Adjectives
fictional
gripping
contemporary
classical
Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
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Idioms
read up on (=read about)
I often
read up on
modern literatune.
have one’s nose in a book (= read a book)
I always
have my nose in a book
.
a coffee-table book (= a large book
that one leaves on the table, often
with photos etc.)
I sometimes flick through
a coffee-
table book
.
Topic 8: Email
How often do you use email?
What do most people in your country use email for?
What are the advantages of email?
Are there any disadvantages?
Do you think that email will replace letter-writing?
Nouns
email account
electronic message
attachment
spam (= junk mail)
commercial correspondence (= business communication)
cyberspace
Verbs
send out
deliver
delete
Adjectives
web-based
prompt
speedy
virtual
time-consuming
Idioms
snail mail (= sending letters through the post)
Snail mail
is extremely time-
consuming
lost in cyberspace (= lost somewhere on the
internet)
Sometimes emails get
lost in
cyberspace
At the push of a button
With email you can send a
message
at the push of a
button
Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
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Topic 9: Learning English
How long have you been learning English?
What do you find difficult about learning English?
What advice would you give to someone starting to learn English?
Would you like to learn another language in the future?
Nouns
expression
irregularity
syntax
learning
strategy
Verbs
become skilled at sth.
make progress
recall
Adjectives
tough (=difficult)
effortless (= easy)
intricate
Idioms
learn by heart
(= remember)
It’s quite tough to
learn
expressions
by
heart
swot up on (=learn)
I find it effortless to
swot up
on the irregular
verbs.
block out (= ignore)
It’s a good idea to
block out
your first
language
Topic 10: Writing
How often do you write something by hand?
What types of things do you usually write by hand?
Do you think it is important to have good handwriting?
What are the advantages of writing something by hand?
Nouns
handwriting
calligraphy
correspondence
script
diary
journal
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Verbs
scrawl
scribble sth. down (= write sth. quickly)
keep a diary
Adjectives
hand-written
illegible
sloppy (=untidy)
clear (= tidy)
personal
Idioms
put pen to paper (= write
by hand)
I don’t
put pen to paper
very often.
put…in writing
A diary is a cool way to
put
your thoughts
in writing
.
jot down (= write quickly)
I might
jot down
a new idea in my
notebook.
Topic 11: Clothes
What types of clothes do you like wearing?
Where do you usually buy your clothes?
Did you wear a school uniform when you were younger?
What can we learn about a person from the clothes that they wear?
Nouns
clothing
garment
trend
Clothes
boutiquite
Verbs
flaunt
show off
dress up
Adjectives
stylish
chic
well-made
hard-wearing
Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
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Idioms
the in thing (= fashionable)
This summer, baggy jeans are
the in the
thing
.
at the height of fashion (=
fashionable)
Sports clothing is
at the height of
fashions.
up-to the-minute (= the most
recent)
I don’t really follow
up-to-the-minute
fashions.
dressed to the nines (=
wearing very formal clothes)
If a person is
dressed to the nines,
then
it usually means they want to impress
someone.
Topic 12: School (that you went to when to when you were younger—NOT
your current school)
Telll me about a school that you went to when you were younger.
What did you like about that school?
What subject did you like best at that school?
What would you like to change about that school?
Nouns
Rules & regulations
Subject matter
curriculum
Tutor
Verbs
Cram (=remember a lot of information in a short time
Clarify
punish
reward
Assess
Adjectives
monotonous
Thought-provoking
authoritarian
Easy-going
Idioms
Off by heart (=remember 100%)
We had to learn all our lessons
off by heart
.
Off the top of one’s head (=without any help)
We had to recite famous stories
off the top of our heads
.
Come down like a ton of bricks (=punish severely)
My maths teacher used to
come down on us like a ton of bricks
if we couldn’t work out
some problems.
Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking
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Topic 13: Restaurants
How often do you eat out in restaurants?
What types of restaurants do you like best?
What types of restaurant are common in your city?
What are the advantages of eating out in restaurants?
(See Topic 31: Cooking and Topic 36: Food)
Nouns
eatery cuisine meal speciality dish
delicacy service décor setting
Verbs
eat out dine out feast on sample
Adjectives
regional swanky posh low-cost
unsophisticated
Idioms
Not as good as it’s/they’re cracked up to be (=not as good as people say)
Lots of the posh restaurants are
not as good as they’re cracked up to be
.
Run of the mill (=average, typical)
In my neighbourhood there are quite a few run
of the mill
eateries.
Set sb, back (=cost sb, an amount of money)
The swanky restaurants will
set you back
quite a lot of money.
Topic 14: Friends
How much time do you spend with your friends?
What do you usually do with your friends?
Do you prefer spending time with your family or friends?
Is friendship important to you?
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