Mark Teacher’s Free Weekly IELTS Newsletter
Week 7: History
IELTS Warm-up Questions: History
Warm-up Questions:
- Do you like learning about history?
- Did you enjoy studying history at school?
- Are there many historical buildings in your country?
- Why do you think many people find history so boring?
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History *yawn*. Before you fall asleep, let me explain! I have chosen this topic because it’s a great topic to teach Descriptions in Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Test.
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 / thing / item / product
- Describe a future dream or wish
- Describe a place ← We’re going to talk about this one today.
In this week’s newsletter, you will learn lots of interesting ways to describe places.
Watch the video below to see a full-length Part 2 example answer about an historical building in London called Big Ben.
If you want to download the transcript for this Sample Answer – you can download it here:
https://markteacher.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/HistoricalBuildingMarkTeacher.docx
IELTS Grammar Lesson & Video Breakdown
Let’s look at some of the language, grammar and sentence patterns I used in this video to describe a place.
Vocabulary – Strong Adjectives
In my answer, I used lots of ‘Strong’ (also known as ‘Extreme’ or ‘Ungradable’) adjectives to improve my vocabulary score. In my answer, I used:
- Amazing
- Enormous
- Intricate
- Detailed
- Elaborate
- Impressive
- Decadent
- Amazing
Go back and watch the video again. Can you hear when I used these words?
If you’re aiming for Band 7.0+ in your IELTS exam, you need to have a wide range of vocabulary for all kinds of different topics.
If you’re struggling with this, you can find HUNDREDS more high-band example answer (written and recorded by me) to help you tackle any IELTS Speaking Topic you might come across.
Get lifetime access to my IELTS Answer Library on Udemy for just $10.00 (that’s 50% off!)
>>> http://bit.ly/IELTSVOCAB <<< You can click here if the picture doesn’t work.
Sentence Pattern
Having good vocabulary is great, but being able to use the vocabulary in appropriate sentence patterns is equally important.
“I was blown away by how + adjective + it was”
- Big Ben: “I was blown away by how [intricate] and [detailed] it actually was.”
- The Taj Mahal: “I was blown away by how [huge] it was.”
- The Great Barrier Reef: “I was blown away by how [colourful] and [vibrant] it was.”
“To be blown away by something” means you were really impressed or amazed by something. So this is a great pattern you can include in your Part 2 answers to talk about an impressive building, an impressive view, or even an impressive person.
Connectors & Adding More Detail
1 minute is not enough time to plan every single sentence in Part 2. But, there are some simple words which can help you keep adding detail easily and quickly. I used 2 different connectors in my answer, and 1 complex structure.
1.) So
“It’s neo-gothic so it’s design is very elaborate…”
- The island is close to the equator so the weather is hot and humid.
- The flight was over 9 hours long, so we were really tired and jetlagged when we arrived.
- My friend has always been very extroverted, so he’s never shy in social situations.
2.) Which
“which makes it appropriate because it’s attached to the British government building.”
- My favourite cafe is really close to my office building, which makes it perfect for my lunch break.
- The park has lots of grassy field and trees with shade, which means it’s full of people having picnics during summer time.
- My old smartphone had a cracked screen, which meant that I couldn’t sell it after I replaced it with a new phone.
3.) Adjective Clause
Finally, I used a more complex trick called an ‘adjective clause’.
“The tour guide who was leading us on our trip told us the tower was 97 metres tall.”
Here’s the structure to make an Adjective Clause:
Subj. / noun + [relative pronoun] → [subj.] → [verb]…
The + [subj. / noun] + [adjective clause] + [is / was / were]…
- The cafe [where I like to work] is really close to my home.
- The city [that we loved the most] on our trip was Chiang Mai.
- The food [that they serve] in the cafe is always fresh and filling.
- The film [that my friend recommended] was called ‘Memento.’
Try and use these vocabulary items, sentence patterns and grammar structures in your own Part 2 answers!
Want more 70+ more high-band sentence patterns and grammar tips? Get the Complete Edition of my IELTS Speaking E-book, Audio Book and Workbook below!
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IELTS Vocabulary and Levelled Reading
Read these 3 levels of each answer about ‘History’. 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: Beginner Level 2: Intermediate Level 3: Advanced
IELTS Question #1: Is it necessary to protect historical buildings?
Level 1: I think it is necessary to protect historical buildings, especially ones which are important in history. It might be expensive and difficult to maintain these buildings but it’s important to look after them for future generations so that they can see, understand, and appreciate the history of the generations before them. If we let these buildings fall down and get old, we’ll lose a piece of history. So I think it’s important to keep them maintained and in good condition.
Level 2: I think it is necessary to protect historical buildings, especially ones which have historical significance. Even though it might be expensive and difficult to maintain these buildings, it’s important to preserve them for future generations so that they can see, understand, and appreciate the history of the generations before them. If we let these buildings collapse and decay we’ll lose a piece of its history. So I think it’s important to keep them maintained and in good condition.
Level 3: I think it is necessary to protect historical buildings, especially ones which have a strong historical significance. Even though it might be costly and difficult to maintain these structures, it’s important to preserve them for future generations so that they can see, understand, and appreciate the history of the generations before them. If we let these buildings collapse and decay we’ll lose a piece of its history. So I think it’s important to keep them maintained and in good condition.
IELTS Question #2: Do most people support government funding to protect historical buildings?
Level 1: I think they do. Especially fans of history who want to see old buildings protected and preserved into the near future. I think that’s because so many skyscrapers and tall apartments have been built everywhere, so now people think we should appreciate and respect older, more traditional buildings. It could be quite expensive to stop old buildings from becoming abandoned and ugly but I think most people agree that we should preserve historical buildings.
Level 2: I think they do. Especially history buffs who want to see old buildings protected and preserved into the near future. I think that’s due to the fact that so many skyscrapers and tall buildings have been built all over the place, so now people think we should appreciate and respect older, more traditional buildings. Despite the fact that it could be quite expensive to stop old buildings from becoming abandoned and ugly, I think most people agree that we should preserve historical buildings.
Level 3: I think they do. Especially history buffs who want to see old buildings protected and preserved into the foreseeable future. I think that’s due to the fact that so many skyscrapers and high-rises have been popping up all over the place, so now the general consensus is that we should appreciate and respect older, more traditional buildings. Despite the fact that it could be quite expensive to stop old buildings from becoming dilapidated and ugly, I think most people agree that we should preserve historical buildings.
Links and Resources
You can find even more IELTS-appropriate vocabulary, collocations and phrases about History here:
Links & Resources:
http://www.freecollocation.com/search?word=history
http://www.freecollocation.com/search?word=building
Why should we protect historical buildings?
https://www.ierek.com/news/index.php/2016/10/09/importance-restoring-historical-monuments/ → This article starts with a great IELTS answer! You could even use this opening paragraph to answer the question: “Why should we protect historical buildings?”
There are even more great ideas as well as excellent vocabulary throughout the article. Check it out!
IELTS Practice Questions
Putting it all together:
Practice Part 2 Cue Cards:
Describe a historical building You should say:
- What it is
- What it looks like
- What it is used for now
- Why you want to visit it
Describe a period of history that interests you. You should say:
- What the period is
- How you know about it
- Why it is interesting
Try these Part 3 IELTS Questions all about History!
- Should old buildings be preserved?
- How do people feel about old buildings?
- What is interesting about old buildings?
- What aspect of culture do old buildings reflect?
- Do old and young people have the same attitudes towards old buildings?
- How can people learn about history?
- Will museums be replaced by technology someday?
- Are history museums useful?
- Should museums be free?