IELTS Energy 1449: Most Common Vocabulary for Speaking Parts 1 and 2
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This is an IELTS Energy Podcast, Episode 1449, Most Common Vocabulary for Speaking Parts 1 and 2. ♪

Welcome to the IELTS Energy Podcast from All Ears English, downloaded more than 22 million times with former IELTS examiner Jessica Beck and Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz. If you are stuck with a low score, our insider method will help you get the score you need to unlock your dreams. Get your estimated band score now with our two-minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com

forward slash my score. You do not want to miss today's episode. We are going to teach you the best vocabulary you should be using in speaking parts one and two. Plus, we'll show you how to use it in band nine model answers.

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Hello, Aubrey. How are you doing this week? I'm great. How are you, Jessica?

I am fantastic and I am excited to answer a great student question. Guys, we have sort of a two part series this week about speech.

speaking vocabulary. Yes, and this is really vital. This student is thinking about, you know, how to make the most of their time, maximize their time, because there is vocabulary that's likely to come up on every speaking exam. That is often what you want to focus your time on. Yes, you're going to need to learn a lot of topic-specific vocabulary, but a lot of what we're sharing today, there's a good chance you'll use it on test day. A hundred percent. I mean,

So we'll read the simple student question in a second, but keep in mind that you don't know what topics you're going to be asked for. So as we are teaching you guys the most common vocabulary for all three parts of the speaking test, also keep in mind that like you don't know what topic you're going to be asked about. Right. So, Aubrey, how do students prepare for like just to be ready for all of these topics?

Yeah. So first of all, you need to be taking in a lot of English. We talked to you guys about this a lot. You need to be watching TV in English, listening to podcasts, because then you're going to learn a variety of vocabulary. So you have something to say no matter what the question is. But you also have to think about, you know, what are like the adjectives and adverbs and linking phrases that are going to come up on every exam? You want to make sure you know those really well so that you're ready.

Yes, exactly. So the vocabulary we're going to teach you today and on Friday's episode can be used, guys, on every speaking exam. So this is from a student question that was asked during an IELTS webinar. So thank you, Jelcine, for sending us this question.

Jocene asked, what are some of the common vocabulary words that can be used in speaking parts one, two, and three? So we're going to go through parts one and two today. And then on Friday, we're going to teach you about part three.

Yeah, so this is going to be really helpful because everything we're going to share today, like Jessica said, is going to come up on every IELTS exam. For part one, we're going to share the four common, very low scoring words that come up on every exam and give you band nine alternatives, right? So first, let's dive in with big. If you find yourself about to say big, stop.

You know, don't stop, but like replace it quickly with something higher scoring.

There are so many great big words, right? So gargantuan, that's the first one we want you to learn because it's super fun. But guys, I mean, there's also, there's so many, right? Like massive. That's one of my favorite words. I know, right? Enormous. There are so many and that are band nine that students don't use as often, especially if you've already said big, don't repeat yourself. Instead, use one of these.

- Exactly, so instead of big, say gargantuan. Instead of small, say diminutive, diminutive. I love that word, that's also a super fancy word. Instead of good, you can say phenomenal. And guys, we will put this in the blog post for this episode so you can see this list. So go to allearsenglish.com/ielts and this is episode 1449. So check out that blog post for this vocab.

And here's my favorite word of today. What can we say instead of bad? Bad. Heinous. This is such a high scoring word. I've never heard a student use it, I don't think. And the bad, good and bad, these come up all the time, right? You're sharing opinions. You're sharing your favorites of things on part one. You're going to need to say big, small, good, bad. So be sure you're ready with these high scoring options.

Exactly. So I am going to do my best to spontaneously use all four of these words in a part one answer. Oh, I'm kind of nervous. This is a great challenge. Okay, Aubrey. All right, here's your part one question. Do you exercise regularly? Oh, I wish I did. I actually am a member at a gargantuan gym that's not that far from my house. But

The time that I have available to exercise is diminutive, I would say. I do not have a lot of time. I know if I exercise more, I would look and feel more phenomenal than I do now. I wouldn't say I look heinous, but I could look better.

Nice. Well done. Right? You guys can see how any question you were asked, you could, if you had these four top of mind, you could fit them in there because there are just so many. Thetley, you described the gym as gargantuan. Perfect, right? It's pretty easy to fit these into any answer. There is nothing more annoying than slow internet.

All right. So for part two, guys, of course, topics are mainstream.

many and varied, but the words that you can always use in part two are time transition phrases or time markers. So Aubrey, what can we say here? Yeah. So you want to be able to introduce a story when you're sharing what happened at first,

And that word first, you know, super low scoring. We often hear students say first I went to the airport, right? So when you're wanting to share that something happened in the beginning, a really high level phrase is at the outset, at the outset, which means the same as at first at the start. Yeah. And it's so much more impressive, right? Than just be like first. Um, and then when you're talking about something that happens, um, like

simultaneously, right? Two actions that are happening at the same time in a story. We can say, meanwhile, and here's the issue is that students just don't use a lot of linking words in part two, right? And that is such a lost opportunity because the examiner needs to hear you use a variety of transitions throughout the speaking exam, right?

The whole thing. Or what I will hear students do is say, "Then this, then this," or "Next this, next this," and it's the same one over and over, right? Just like Jessica said, you need a variety, and it will also help you move the story along so that you can provide more detail. We actually did a whole episode not long ago on "meanwhile" and similar phrases, so come back to the blog, allearsenglish.com, and search "meanwhile." That one will pop up for some great linking phrases.

Awesome. Awesome. Yeah, guys, if you haven't checked out our blog, that is another fantastic resource. So definitely go to allearsenglish.com slash aisles to check out all of those posts. All right. So if you want to talk about what happened at the end of a story as a consequence, right? Consequence is also a great word.

Right. You can say consequently or you could say as a result. And that's a great way to introduce like, you know, what what happened because of all this other stuff? What was the ultimate result?

Yes, that's so high scoring and impressive. And you might be tempted to, you know, if you're in that habit of just saying next or then, even when sharing a consequence, instead share this. What was the result, right? As a result or consequently. It's more specific. Yes, it's much more specific and it's going to pull out more specific details. Totally, totally. All right. And then last one today, and then I'm going to challenge Aubrey to try and use all of these. Okay.

So if you want to talk about something that happened much later, you want to skip ahead in time, right? You could be like eventually. So eventually means like after a long time. Okay. So that's another great way to introduce a result or an ending to your story, but only if it happens after a long time, right?

Yes, exactly. This is good. Eventually, this is often you're sharing the lead up to something in a part two answer often. You're sharing lots of things that happened. And then this can kind of summarize it toward the end of your answer. Eventually, we decided to and you share the end result.

Alright, now Aubrey, you are going to try to use all of these in a story. Now, Aubrey, you don't have to do an entire two-minute part to answer, okay? We just want to model how to use these phrases for our students. So, what if the question is, describe an exercise routine you enjoy. Okay.

When COVID hit, we were at a loss for what to do as far as exercise. Gyms closed down. It was hot out in Arizona, so not a lot of options for exercising outdoors. And at the outset, we were really stumped. We decided to look into a Peloton bike and

It was pricey. We kind of weren't sure we wanted to spend that much money. And there's a subscription you have to pay monthly. So meanwhile, I was trying to walk. I was running outside, sweating profusely. It was not ideal. So we finally decided to take the leap and get this Peloton.

Consequently, I finally started biking. I was saddle sore for a while because I had sat on a seat so rarely. But as a result, I started to get a lot more fit. So it ended up being a great decision. And eventually, we were both riding daily and our routine was much improved. Nice! That was so good!

It actually really helped to have these as sort of like a map to know like I need to say this next one. So I need to move along and share more detail. Yeah.

Yeah, think of that list of time markers as a template, guys, and just fill in the story facts that occur between each of those time markers, right? That's perfect. That's great. Awesome. I'm excited for you guys to practice your own answers using this vocab so that it comes so easily on test day. You can boost both vocabulary and fluency scores by using this higher scoring vocab.

Exactly, exactly. All right, guys, so if you have a question you would like to ask us, please go to [email protected] and you can send us a message. And also, guys, stay tuned for Friday's episode because we are going to teach you the best, most common vocabulary that you should be using in Speaking Part 3. Awesome. We will see you guys then. Thanks, Jessica.

Thanks for listening to IELTS Energy. Hit subscribe now and don't forget to find your estimated band score at allearsenglish.com slash myscore.