Greetings, future linguistic virtuosos! As you embark on your IELTS Speaking test journey, the strategic use of advanced vocabulary can elevate your responses to new heights. In this guide, we’ll unravel the art of choosing words carefully, ensuring your advanced vocabulary enhances, not hinders, your performance across all three parts of the IELTS Speaking test. For a more extensive exploration, check out our comprehensive eBook, “IELTS Kapow! Speaking Mastery.”

Part 1: Effortless Elegance in Everyday Talk

         1. Collocations:

Elevate your speech with naturally occurring word pairs. You can use collocations when answering all types of part one questions. For instance, when answering about preferences: instead of saying “I like to eat foreign food,” try “I’m crazy about sampling exotic cuisines.” Rather than saying, “I like Harry Potter,” try “I’m a massive fan of Harry Potter.”

By using these naturally occurring word combinations when talking about a variety of part one topics, you can make your speech sound more native like. Here’s another example, here’s the start of an answer about daily routine: “I often get up early and hit the gym for an hour, before grabbing a coffee and commuting to work for my 9am start…”.
There are seven  main types of collocation. Let’s have a look at how they can be used in part one answers:                  
1. Adjective + Noun Collocations:

• Question: “Do you prefer indoor or outdoor activities?”
• Response: “I’m really keen on open-air pursuits like hiking and jogging because they offer a refreshing break after being stuck in the office all day                                              .”

2. Noun + Noun Collocations:

• Question: “What type of clothes do you like?”
• Response: ” Well I’d say I have a pretty casual way of dressing. I certainly don’t wear any formal wear or designer labels and my clothing style consists of items from high street clothing brands like H&M and Topshop. My favourite colour combination is Maroon and light blue. My friends say it suits my pale complexion.

 3. Verb + Noun Collocations:

• Question: “How do you usually spend your weekends?”
• Response: “Well to be honest, I find it hard to strike a balance between my work/ my studies and my social life, and even at weekends I still dedicate a lot of time to completing work tasks/ assignments. However, I always set aside at least a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon to meet up with my best friend for a coffee and chat.

 4. Adverb + Adjective Collocations:

• Question: “What facilities do you have in your neighbourhood?”
• Response: ” My neighbourhood boasts a diverse range of amenities, such as cafes, restaurants and uniquely charming boutiques, which creates a wonderfully convenient living environment. As a result, it is a highly sought-after area, with a long waiting list of prospective tenants.

. 5. Verb + Adverb Collocations:

• Question: “How often do you exercise?”
• Response: “Well I try my best to work-out on a regular basis, but due to my busy schedule, not as often as I would like. I don’t own a car though, so I briskly walk from my house to the bus stop/ subway to catch the bus to work/ school in the morning, and even frantically sprint if I’m (running) late!”

 6. Verb + Preposition Collocations:

• Question: “Do you prefer studying alone or in a group?”
• Response: “I enjoy being part of a collaborative team far more than studying independently. Although it does depend on who you are studying with. For example, if you are having to rely on other members to complete their share of a project part, and they don’t pull their weight, then it can be extremely stressful. However, generally speaking I find that when you collaborate with others you can learn and achieve so much more than working alone. “

 7. Noun + Preposition Collocations:

• Question: “What do you like the most about your hometown?”
• Response: “ Well for me, one the main advantages of living in this city is the ready access to cultural events. As well as enjoying frequent trips to the theatre, I take a keen interest in the local music scene, so it’s great that there are so many venues and live performances taking place”.

           2. Time Expressions :

Using time expressions in IELTS Part One enhances lexical resource by showcasing a diverse vocabulary related to time, ensures accurate verb tense usage for past, present, and future actions, and facilitates the creation of more complex sentence structures, thus improving grammatical range. Additionally, the integration of time expressions contributes to coherence by organizing information chronologically and creating a logical flow of ideas. Let’s have a look at some examples:

1. What type of books do you like to read?

• Well I’m particularly fond of reading novels, normally before bedtime, or occasionally while commuting home. Every now and then, I might delve into non-fiction for a change. For instance, at the moment, I’m actually reading a fantastic biography about Prince Charles.

2. Do you exercise regularly?

·Yes, without fail, I make sure I hit the gym at least four times a week. More often than not, I have to spend my work day sat down, so it’s crucial that I work out regularly to stay in shape. Every once in a while, I go running, and I’ve even been known to have a kick about with friends at the park when the mood takes me.

3. Do you enjoy cooking?

• Yes, I typically cook dinner every day and love nothing more than spending time in the kitchen being creative. I tend to cook simple and nutritious traditional meals, but on rare occasions I might tackle a foreign dish

             3. Phrasal Verbs in Action:

How Phrasal Verbs Help in Part 1:

1. Natural Expression: Phrasal verbs add a natural and native-like quality to your language use, making your responses sound more authentic.
2. Variety in Vocabulary: Using phrasal verbs demonstrates a varied vocabulary, which is crucial for scoring well in the lexical resource criterion.
3. Conversational Tone: Phrasal verbs contribute to a conversational tone, making your answers more engaging and relatable to the examiner.
4. Contextual Understanding: Appropriately using phrasal verbs shows an understanding of how these expressions fit into different contexts, showcasing language proficiency.

Question: Can you describe your daily routine?

Answer: Well my day usually kicks off around 6 am. After a few minutes to wake up. I jump into the shower and then I grab some coffee while putting on my work clothes. I leave the house at around 8am and then, I dive into my work or studies, as soon as I arrive at the office/uni/ school. At lunch time I like to break up the monotony by going for short walk to get some fresh air. On the way home, I often pop in to a local bakery to buy some cheesecake or something sweet for dessert to have when I get home. I like to wind down by going for a quick jog when I first arrive back, followed by quickly whipping up a meal of some kind, typically a pasta dish, as I love Italian cuisine. I slowly get around to doing the washing up an hour or two later, and then I go to bed at around 11pm.

Question: How do you spend your weekends?

Answer: At the weekends, I love to sleep in a bit and then catch up on some reading. I usually head out for brunch with friends, and in the afternoon, I often drop by a local museum or art gallery. In the evenings, I like to hang out with my boyfriend/ girlfriend at our favourite late night café, or sometimes we just chill out at home watching Netflix series.

Check out Part 2 of this blog to find out how to advance your vocabulary in Speaking Part 2&3: 

For more in depth advice click the button below to download the IELTS Kapow! Blackbelt Speaking E-book!