Mark Teacher’s Free Weekly IELTS Newsletter: Clothes
IELTS Warm-up Questions: Clothes
Warm-up Questions:
- Do you like shopping for new clothes?
- How long do you spend getting ready before you go out?
- What do you do with old clothes that you don’t wear anymore?
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As we continue to focus on Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Test, we’re going to look at Part 2 cue cards which ask you to describe Objects, Items or Possessions.
In Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test, the examiner will give you a cue card.
The cue cards are usually about 1 of 5 different topics:
- Describe a person
- Describe an experience / situation
- Describe an object / a possession/ item ← We’re going to focus on this one
- Describe a future dream or wish
- Describe a place
Many students struggle with this kind of cue card because they simply just describe it, and then can’t think of anything else to add.
But there is a lot of flexibility allowed in the IELTS Speaking Test (much more than the Writing Test, for example).
In the IELTS Speaking Test, especially in Part 2, you are allowed to go off-topic without any penalties or losing points.
If you look at the IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors…
…you can see there is not criteria for ‘Task Achievement’. This means, that as long as you tell as story that is even loosely connected to the topic, you will not lose points.
What does this mean?
Watch my example answer below.
The Part 2 Cue Card is:
Describe a piece of clothing you enjoy wearing.
As you watch, think: how much to I talk about my pair of jeans? How much do I talk about other pairs, or jeans in general?
I will explain more below.
https://youtu.be/JldFYIcyzUc
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IELTS Grammar Lesson
You can find the full transcript of my answer here: NewsletterClothes.doc
My opinion about clothes and clothes shopping in general: “I’ve never been into fashion or clothes shopping”
The past: “I bought my favorite pair of jeans on a whim while I was shopping by myself a few months ago.”
My opinion about jeans in general & reasons: I’ve always preferred wearing jeans over trousers, mainly because they’re so versatile. That means I can wear them very often and on lots of different occasions, too, because my office dress code is smart casual. I can even wear my jeans to work and then see my friends in a restaurant after work too.
Describe them: (Material – Colour) They’re made of a dark blue denim and they’re slim fit, which means they’re not baggy or loose in any places based on genes I’ve owned in the past.
Describe other bad pairs of jeans I have owned before: Some of them have been quite uncomfortable and restrictive, but after wearing these ones for a few weeks, I realized that the jeans I’ve probably been wearing were ill fitting and not really suited for me.
Describe them again: The pockets are deep, too, which is useful. I can wear them almost all year round because denim is relatively warm in the winter and it wicks away sweat in the summer.
My opinion about my pair of jeans & reasons: I like wearing them because they make me look smart and put together and they’re not overly formal or business-like.
Future / Speculation: if I wear these jeans out or rip them, I’ll try to buy another pair from the same label again.
Notice how I only talk about my specific jeans for a little while, and for the rest of my talk, I mention a variety of other things generally connected to the cue card.
- I talk about my opinion about clothes and clothes shopping in general
- I talk about where and when I bought them (The past)
- I talk about other bad pairs of jeans I’ve had before
- I talk about the future and what I would do if I tore my jeans (Future / Speculation)
As I said before, you ARE NOT MARKED on your choices or ideas in the IELTS Speaking. You can share any related details you like.
For this topic, you could even talk about all of the following things and not lose any marks:
- Where you keep your clothes in your house
- Photos of yourself wearing these clothes
- Any friends or family who own similar clothes
- A funny story about your friend and these clothes
- If this kind of clothing is popular in your country
- The type of people who like to wear these clothes
- How much these clothes cost
- How it compares to other clothes or outfits
- Famous people who wear similar clothes
- How you would improve the clothing, or make it better
Again, you can EXPAND in any direction you like. ‘Task Achievement’ is not a Speaking score criteria.
Of course, this does not mean that you should completely change the topic. For example, do not talk about your favourite restaurant, or your favourite movie – that will lose you marks, because it will seem as though you are changing the topic to gain an advantage, or you are changing the topic to one you do know because you have a memorized answer (which is not allowed.)
Get even more high-band guidance in the Complete Edition of my IELTS Speaking E-book, Audio Book and Workbook below!
…
IELTS Vocabulary and Levelled Reading
Because ‘Clothes’ in a Part 2 cue card, it also means it’s a Part 3 topic!
Read these 2 levels of about ‘Clothes’. Every level becomes more difficult but every level has the same meaning. The new words are highlighted, so if you don’t understand a word in Level 2, look back at Level 1 to find the easier synonym! This is a great way to learn new vocabulary!
Level 1: Basic Level 2: Advanced
IELTS Question #1: Do you think students need to wear school uniforms?
- Level 1: I think they should. First, uniforms can make life easier for students and their parents, because students can get ready in the morning more quickly, and their parents don’t have to spend a lot of money buying new clothes. Also, uniforms can also reduce the differences between rich and poor kids at schools, and I imagine, there should be less bullying because everyone looks more or less the same, and that makes things easier for both students and teachers too.
- Level 2: I think they should. First and foremost, uniforms can make life much easier for both the students and their parents, because they can get ready in the morning more quickly and parents don’t have to spend a lot of money updating their wardrobe. On top of that, uniforms can also ease social divisions at schools, and in theory, there should be less bullying because everyone looks more or less the same, which makes things easier for both students and teachers too.
IELTS Question #2: Do people wear more formal clothes than in the past?
- Level 1: I don’t think so. I’ve noticed that the workplace has become more informal and relaxed in regards to clothing rules. In a lot of tech companies, for example, the workers can come to work wearing shorts and t-shirt, because it seems like comfort is more important than appearance, but in the past, most companies worked with customers face-to-face, so a formal appearance was maybe more important.
- Level 2: I actually think the opposite is true. I’ve noticed that the workplace has become more informal and relaxed in regards to dress codes. In a lot of tech companies, for example, staff can come to work dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, because it seems like comfort has been placed ahead of appearance, whereas in the past, most companies dealt with customers face-to-face, so a smart appearance was maybe more important.
Links and Resources
You can find even more IELTS-appropriate vocabulary, collocations and phrases about Clothes and Clothing here:
- http://www.freecollocation.com/search?word=clothes
- http://www.freecollocation.com/search?word=clothing
School uniforms and Formal Clothing sometimes appears as an IELTS topic in Speaking and in Writing. The debate website ‘ProCon.org’ covers this topic in great detail and it’s full of IELTS-appropriate arguments and opinions.
You can also read about some of the benefits and drawbacks of Business Casual clothing at work.
IELTS Practice Questions
Putting it all together:
Try this Part 2 Cue Card for yourself! Remember, you can say ANYTHING generally related to the topic on the cue card in your IELTS Speaking test.
- Describe a piece of clothing you enjoy wearing. You should say:
- Where you bought it
- How often you wear it
- What it is like
- And explain why you enjoy wearing it
Try these Part 3 Questions about Clothing:
- What kinds of clothes do people wear after work?
- What kinds of clothes do you like?
- What kinds of clothes should people wear at work?
- Do you think students need to wear school uniforms?
- Where do people in your country buy clothes?
- Does personality affect what clothes people wear?
- Do people wear more formal clothes than before?
- What clothes do university students wear for their graduation ceremony?
