IELTS Energy 1496: Perfectly Placed Band 9 Speaking Part 2’s
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This is an IELTS Energy Podcast, Episode 1496, Perfectly Placed, Band 9 Speaking, Part 2s.

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 IELTS.

You will likely need to describe a place on IELTS Speaking Part 2, and you need interesting details. Today, you'll hear two Band 9 sample answers with strategies on how to excel at these questions.

On this podcast, we've talked about how important your preparation for IELTS is. We want you to succeed. That's why we created our free IELTS quiz so you can find out what you'd likely score on the IELTS exam if you took it today. We'll give you free IELTS materials for your level to help you improve. Go to allearsenglish.com slash myscore for the free IELTS quiz. That's allearsenglish.com slash myscore.

Aubrey, what are we doing in today's episode? We are describing places. I am excited about this. When I started looking for part two questions, there are so many. Speaking part two questions where you have to describe a place. It is very, very common. There's really...

Four main types of speaking part two, right? Describe an event or occasion, describe a person, describe a place, or describe an object. And describing places, I would say, is one of the most likely ones.

Yes. And so if you look some of these up, you get describe a place you often go, describe your hometown, describe a place you would like to live in. There are so many different ones. We're going to need related vocabulary. The vocabulary we taught you in the episode just a few days ago. I almost said yesterday. So scroll up if you missed the last episode and get some of that vocabulary. Today, you're going to hear it in some Band 9 sample answers.

Yes. So in the last episode, guys, hit follow if you missed it so you don't miss another one. But in the last episode, we talked about dividing up the places into two categories, right? There's indoors and there's outdoors. And then we gave you a lot of ideas and some great vocabulary for

how to think outside the box. How much can you say or write about these places? So we're going to challenge that notion when we do a couple of speaking part twos today. Awesome. Very excited for these. I'll go first, Jessica, if you're ready to time me, I'll do my best with a part two question. Give me one for an indoor space. I'm going to describe inside a space.

Okay, you're gonna do great. Okay. Aubrey, I would like you to describe a museum that you have visited. I have to go with the Louvre. When I was 18, I was first in Paris and it was mind blowing. Of course, it's gigantic, hallways and hallways of art, a little maze, like a labyrinth inside.

But honestly, it was quite disappointing. Don't get me wrong. There were still things that were very impressive, but there was so much Renaissance art that was very dark and somber, not that impressive to an 18-year-old. And I'm walking forever. We sort of started just looking for the Mona Lisa. And once we hit it,

That was the most disappointing of all because it was tiny and there were a million people and you're in a line and a huge crowd and you have to just walk past it. They won't let you pause. And so you couldn't even stop to appreciate it at all. You just get a drive-by glance.

of the Mona Lisa. And then that's it. And it's very anticlimactic. So we were trying to make the best of it. There was no internet at the time. And so we couldn't look up like, what should we be seeing here? What is impressive? So we started trying to be impressed by the architecture of the space. The

the columns, giant windows down these really long hallways. And all of that was very impressive. A lot of tapestries that we were able to look at up close to see the fine threads, the beautiful colors, even though some of those were also quite dark, there's nothing that colorful in the Louvre compared to like the Orsay Museum or the Met in New York, where there's a lot of bright modern art.

Most everything I saw in the Louvre was so somber and kind of depressing. I guess I'm just not the hugest fan of Renaissance art. Would you go back to this museum?

I would not go back to the Louvre. Been there, done that. That's a great answer. You know what? Like 100%, I could agree with you. I thought exactly the same when I went to the Louvre. This is going to be weird. She's like, the Louvre was amazing. And I'm like, okay, I agree to disagree.

No, totally. I thought exactly the same. Okay. But some awesome things that you can do in your answers, guys, that we can learn from Aubrey's answer. Introducing the topic of what you're saying. I have to go with the lube. So I have to go with noun or verb I-N-G. Like what's your favorite? Or describe an outdoor activity. I have to go with snowboarding, right?

so awesome way you can introduce a part two um incredibly expressive intonation aubrey didn't just say big no she said gigantic like really just making a meal out of that word um she said maze you probably know the word maze guys but she followed it up with a better synonym labyrinth and

A labyrinth is a more intricate maze, right? It's not just a maze. You're going to get lost in a labyrinth. And there are probably like puzzles and things you have to figure out. Yes. Like the Minotaur in the labyrinth and the Greek Minotaur.

Anyway, side note. Side point. If you haven't seen Labyrinth, the movie with Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie, I love it so much. It's kind of weird. So get ready for weird. But it's old. It's so good. I have seen that so many times. I took James to see it in the theater because we have like, you know, a theater that shows old movies. Anyways, yes. Labyrinth, great movie. Watch it. Talk about it on IELTS.

Describing Renaissance art, first of all, knowing the word Renaissance and describing it as dark and somber, right? Somber is like sad and quiet, right?

Right. Exactly. Nothing really bright and exciting and happy if it's somber. Totally. So I could go on. I made a list of a bunch of stuff there. But guys, I recommend practicing this answer. Find the English vocabulary for the art period, like Renaissance art. Find interesting adjectives to describe it.

And as we learned from Aubrey's answer, it's okay to not be a fan, right? You can describe a not great experience as well and maybe even have more to say. Yes. And where I didn't have much to say about the art, I'm like describing the hallways and the columns and the windows because like just start describing the inside of the building if you don't have much to say about the art when it comes to a museum at least. Totally. Close your eyes, exhale, feel your body relax.

And let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-CONTACTS. Oh my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-CONTACTS.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-CONTACTS.

All right, it's my turn and I'm going to do an outdoor place. All right, here we go. Let me get my timer ready. Describe a recreational place. Well, the first place that comes to mind, you know, honestly, I tried to think of a place around Portland because there are so many and I thought like I should be able to think of one more quickly than this. But

But what I ended up going with was Icy Straight Point, Alaska, because this is one of the most stunning and just incredible places that my son and I have been to in the last year. So last summer, we went to Alaska for two whole weeks. And Icy Straight Point was magical and expensive as heck, but magical. So we get to Icy Straight Point.

We get off the boat and it's just, you know, we were on a cruise to be honest. So there were like just hundreds of tourists everywhere. But the first thing you notice when you look up as soon as you like walk onto the beach is this incredible zip line that you can't even see the top of it because it starts up so high. It's like above the cloud cover.

And of course, my son, 13 is like, we have to do that. We have to do that. And so we and I'm like, Okay, well, you know, let's check it out. So we walked in the office and I asked the very nice woman that was working there through like gritted teeth, how much is it? And when she told me it was multiples of hundreds. I couldn't decide right away. I was like,

Okay, give me a minute, James, just give me a minute. And I took like five minutes just to like walk around by myself. And I was weighing the pros and cons in my head. And I'm like, when's the next time you're going to be in icy straight point Alaska? Maybe never. So you know what? I totally did it. And it was amazing. I think this is one of those core memories.

that James and I are gonna have forever. And that was just the beginning of "Icy Straight Point." So after the zip line, you walk through this forested path and there's this really cool like American Ninja Warrior type thing in the forest for kids. - Thank you. - Oh my God, there's so much more to say.

Are you glad that you forked over the cash for that experience? Heck yeah! It was amazing. Oh, that's awesome. Wow, so much great vocab and so many good strategies here. So first, notice how Jessica started her answer. You can do this, right? Say, you know, I first thought about talking about this, but then, and she says, what I ended up going with was, and then she says what she's going to talk about.

You can have so much great expressiveness and details in a few sentences before you even start describing the thing. Right. And this is a good way to do that. Say what first comes to mind when you heard the question and then whether you're going to talk about that or not and why. Right. Such great details can come out of that.

And similar to what I had said, right? What I am going with, and you said what I ended up going with, which means sort of like what I decided to talk about was. These are great native natural phrases.

And then I love the adjective magical. To say something is magical. You can't say this about something that's boring, right? It has to really be very cool, but I mean, cool is band six. Magical, and especially if you emphasize it. And then I love that you said expensive as heck, but magical, right? Say it again, emphasize it. That was really great. And then

The way you organized to say the first thing you notice as soon as you step onto the beach and you describe that and then continuing on as soon as we write these transition phrases to describe the place you're seeing, what you noticed first, what you noticed next. That was a really good way to organize that answer.

You know, something we haven't noted yet that both of us did automatically was turn these answers into stories. And listeners, if you've been with us for a while, then you know this is the best thing you can do in part two to fill that two minutes in an organized, impressive way.

And to have enough to say. So I think today's both of these answers were really good examples of part two stories. Yes, if I started describing the Louvre, like, well, there's a glass triangle out front, and then there are hallways and paintings, it would be hard to fill two minutes and have interesting details and cool pronunciation. But telling a story about what I experienced and saw, that two minutes went by in a flash. Right.

And right, like in telling a story, so in describing a place, right? If you just say there's this and there's this and there's this, first of all, no great linking words. But secondly, like the intonation is going to be terrible because you're not including any feelings, right? And when you turn it into a story, explaining how you felt in the story, that's just a natural part of a story.

Yes, exactly. Oh, such great answers today. If we do say so ourselves. Very good. We're excited now. Pat ourselves on the back. Pat ourselves on the back. But there is a really good chance you'll get a question describing a place. So definitely practice these speaking part two questions so that you are ready. Awesome. Awesome. All right, everyone. Thank you for being here with us and we'll see you next time. See you next time. Bye. Bye. Bye.

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