Use this post to develop your vocabulary for the IELTS exam. Learn the vocabulary and practice formulating answers to the questions below.
| Word | Definition | Example |
| Bedside table | A small table positioned next to a bed. | “I always put water on my bedside table, just in case I get thirsty in the night.” |
| Lunch break | You free time at work allowing you to eat lunch. | “My lunch break is an hour long, it starts at 1pm and finishes at 2pm.” |
| Alarm | An electrical machine that makes a noise at a certain time to wake you up. | “They set their alarms for 6:30am every morning.” |
| Bath | A big bowl in the bathroom, you can sit in it to wash. | “Although it is better for the environment to take showers, I love to take a bath occasionally.” |
| Laundry | A noun to describe your dirty, or being washed clothes. | “I try to do my laundry at least twice a week, but sometimes I am too busy.” |
| News | Information about recent events. | “She watches the news while she eats breakfast as it helps to wake her up and keep up to date with recent events.” |
| Dishes | The objects you put your dinner on to eat it, including; plates and bowls. | “He puts the dishes into the dishwasher immediately after using them.” |
| Day | A period of time that is 24 hours. Also to explain time when the sun is up. | “It is difficult to organise your entire day, but necessary if you want to be productive.” |
| Evening | After 5pm till around 10pm. Different in many cultures. | “My mother used to spend 30 minutes in the evening reading to us when we were children.” |
Verbs
| Word | Definition | Example |
| To shower | To wash yourself while standing under falling water (normally a shower.) | “Showers are far more environmentally friendly than baths, they save a lot of water.” |
| To commute | To travel from your home to work and to return. | “I have a fairly short commute, I only spend 45 minutes a day commuting.” |
| To comb | To pass a brush or comb through your hair.” | “After his morning wash or shower, he always combs his hair.” |
| To fall asleep | The process of changing from being awake to being in a sleep state. | “People spend too much time on their phones nowadays. It really affects people’s ability to fall asleep quickly.” |
Phrasal Verbs
| Word | Definition | Example |
| to wake up | To open your eyes and become aware after sleep. | “I try to wake up at the same time every day, I prefer routine.” |
| to sit up | To action of moving from a lying on your back to sitting position. | “He always sits up immediately after he wakes up, he falls back to sleep if not.” |
| to get up | To get out of bed or your place of sleep. | “She always looks at her phone before getting up, it’s a terrible habit!” |
| to hang out | To meet and spend time with someone or on your own. No specific activity. | “They all try to hang out together at least once a week.” |
Idioms
| Expression | Definition | Example |
| day in day out | Things that are done daily. | “I love football, I read the football news day in, day out.” |
| to rise and shine | to wake up and get up, often said by parents to wake up their sleeping children. | The mother said, “rise and shine!” And her daughter woke up. |
Collocations
| Collocations | Definition | Example |
| to head to bed | To go to bed/sleep. | “I am so tired,” he said, “I’m going to head to bed. Night, sleep well!” |
| to hang out with friends | To spend time with friends doing any activity. | “He loves hanging out with friends.” |
IELTS speaking sample answers.
Part 1 questions.
- What’s the busiest part of your day?
- What part of the day do you like best?
- Have you ever changed your routine?
- Describe your daily routine.
Part 2 questions.
- Describe one of your typical days.
You should say:
- How does your day begin.
- How long have you had this routine.
- What is your favourite part of your day.
and explain what is a typical day of your life.
Part 3
- Do you think people need to have a day-to-day plan?
- Do you think it is important to learn how to manage your time?
- Do you think people can still do their tasks well if they don’t plan them?
What sort of things do you do everyday? Tell us your daily routine in the comments below! 😀
