Out of all the modules of IELTS, Speaking is least time consuming one, it just takes 11 to 14 minutes. Although it gets over fast, it is really difficult for many students to perform well in that time which is mostly because they are not in the habit of using the language in their daily life. As speaking is largely about being expressive verbally, it does not come naturally to many non-native English speakers. To be able to express effective through Spoken English requires you to generate the relevant ideas and put those forward using good words and accurate grammar. There are nearly 6 types of topic that can be asked in the Cue-card section; Person, Place, Object, Activity, Event, Favorites. If you prepare for it in an efficient IELTS coaching institute like Abroad Gateway then it will not be a difficult task for you. Let us see how you can develop content on few of them.
A person:
How to develop the idea: You must focus on the sub-questions that are given below the main question as these are for your help. They tell you about what all you can include in the content you develop. The first thing is to read the question carefully to understand it and then decide on the person from the various categories such as friends, family members, child or someone else. Once you have that clear, develop the idea by answering the given questions. As it is about a person, you must talk about the personality trait asked in the question and try to give a story as an example to explain that.
Sample:
Talk about a Talkative Person
You should say:
Who is the person?
How do you know him/her?
What does he/she mostly talk about?
Why do you think this person is so talkative?
People interact with many people in their daily lives, some talk a lot and some very little, and here I am going to talk about my friend who is very talkative. He is none other than my best friend Amit. He is tall, dark and handsome. He loves talking to anyone and everyone whether he know them too well or not and this makes him very approachable.
I met him on my first day of college, he was in my class. When I went to my class, I saw him sitting on the first row and talking to some students. I sat in the second row and listened to their conversation quietly. I really liked him as he was very positive and open, so I approached him in the break. That’s how we started to talk and slowly became good friends.
He is a knowledgeable person and likes to share his views and opinions freely on mostly all the topics. It is amazing to see a person knowing so much about varied topics. Spending time with him made me realize that he is able to do all that because he reads extensively. He loves to talk about politics, sports and entertainment.
I believe he is very talkative because he has a lot of energy and awareness about things happening in the country and around the world. Being well read makes him confident and sure about the facts which makes people hear him. I remember once we were sitting in the college canteen and he was talking about a movie that he watched last night. I was listening to his interpretation of the movie and did not realize for some time that all the people sitting around us were also doing the same as it was very interesting. Nevertheless, I like spending time with him as he is a very optimistic person.
A Place:
Describe a place where you like to read and write.
You should say:
Where the place is
How you get there
What it looks like
Explain why you like this place and often go there.
How to develop idea: The main focus here should be firstly on the factors important for successful reading and writing as this will lead you to the answer, for example; it is important to have a peaceful environment so library is the place which offers that. Do mention your first experience at the place as a story because based on that you decide to go to the place again.
Sample:
As I am a student, reading and writing are an integral part of my life and I spend a lot of my time doing that. There are various places where I study but library is my most preferred place to read and write. I usually visit the library of my college which is quite convenient for me. In-between my lectures or otherwise whenever I have free time, I love to go there are study.
My college library is in a separate building near the admin block and has very big halls where students of different streams study. The books related to respective fields are arranged at one place in alphabetical order so it is easy to locate one. This is the reason I find it more convenient. There are long tables with chairs where students sit and study in peace.
I prefer to read and write here because it provides best atmosphere for that. The usage of phones and talking is strictly prohibited leading to peaceful environment which helps me to concentrate and learn better. When I first visited this place, I loved the ambience and organization of things there, I went there to read about a topic given by my professor. I was able to locate it easily on the shelf, thanks to the list present next to that shelf containing all the names. I like studying there and since then ensured to study there as often as possible. Also, whenever I have doubt I can approach the librarian who is very supportive. I believe library is the best place for anyone to read and write effectively.
An Object:
Describe a piece of furniture you own.
You should say:
Where you bought it from
How useful it is
Explain why you like to use this piece of furniture.
How to generate idea: As the question is about an object, specifically furniture, so the obvious answers can be bed, chair, table etcetera that you use daily. Keeping this in mind you pick an object that you want to talk about. If you wish to speak for nearly 1 minutes on an item then just giving the details about it will not let you have the content for that long, therefore try to make an story on that which will allow you to stretch the content.
Sample:
There is a lot of furniture in my house which is brought at different times as per the need. I would like to talk about a piece of furniture that I particularly like the most which is my study chair. Last year I realized that sitting on the old study chair was causing me backache and then I saw that it was not in very good shape, so I decided to buy a new one for myself.
I went out to the local furniture market to explore my options and visited almost 7 to 8 shops. I particularly liked 3 chairs on the whole, the first was very simple with clean lines and angles and was modern looking. I liked the design, however, the use of metal was not very appealing to me. The second one was wooden but it had leather upholstery but I wanted fabric and the third one was wooden with fabric but was too traditional looking, so I did not by any of them. Then I surfed internet to look for it and came across an advertisement for a chair which was very close to what I wanted, it was modern looking wooden chair with fabric covering. I checked the details and found it to be the best. To my surprise, it was on discounted price and while I was placing the order for it, I got an additional discount of 25% making it half the price. I ordered it and it was expected to be delivered by next week. I was overjoyed when I was delivered after two days.
I kept it in place of the old chair and was really happy to see that it was perfect for the place. It gelled beautifully with the décor of the room. It was extremely comfortable and strong. I use it currently when I study and also sometimes when I sip my evening coffee sitting near the window, looking outside. It is very comfortable and I can sit on it for long hours without any discomfort.
Overall, it is clear from the above that there are certain things that you need to remember; understand the question, think about possible answers, pick your answer and then build content adding a story so that you can make it more interesting and could be more expressive. We will cover the next three as well in the coming days, keep visiting for that, however, the best option is tojoin the best IELTS coaching center in Chandigarh Abroad Gateway for online or offline coaching and practice.