When describing things, which words do you think you use the most often?
Like most students, it’s probably “good” and “bad.”
These are low scoring adjectives that should be avoided on IELTS Speaking and Writing.
There are a plethora of higher-scoring ways to describe things.
Don’t miss Part 2!
In this first installment of this series, we’ll share idioms to help you avoid using the 4-letter-word “good” when describing something on IELTS.
In part 2, you’ll learn band 9 vocabulary to describe something as bad.
Why do you need idioms on IELTS speaking?
The vocabulary score for the speaking exam requires idiomatic language.
You cannot score 7 or higher without idioms and idiomatic phrasal verbs.
IELTS calls this the lexical resource score.
Common words like “good” and “bad” are band 6 or lower.
You need less common synonyms and idiomatic language.
#1: A cut above
This means better than the competition.
- The café around the corner from my house is a cut above the rest.
- I discovered an artist while visiting galleries downtown. I really loved his work and felt like it was a cut above everything I’ve seen lately
#2: Top-notch
- The service at that restaurant was top-notch, so I would definitely recommend it to visitors.
- My university has top-notch facilities, especially the library and research labs.
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#3: Out of this world
- I tried a dessert from a local bakery that was out of this world. It had a lemon blueberry sauce that was to die for.
- When I visited the mountains last year, the view from the top was out of this world.
#4: Mind-blowing
- The technology we have today is mind-blowing, especially advances in artificial intelligence.
- When I first saw the Grand Canyon, the size of it was absolutely mind-blowing.
Part 2: Describe a time you were impressed
Aubrey answers about a pizza place called Slice House!
She tried a new pizza place this weekend that was out of this world!
They had a pie called the WiseGuy that was top-notch and had all of her favorite toppings – pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage and hot honey.
It was maybe the most delicious slice of pizza she’s ever had in her life.
Use these as negatives
You can also use any of these to say something is NOT good.
- It wasn’t exactly mind-blowing.
- The hotel wasn’t out of this world, but it was decent.
Takeaway
You will almost certainly need to express on IELTS Speaking that things are good and bad.
Instead of these low-scoring adjectives, use today’s phrases.
These will also satisfy this exam’s idiomatic language requirement.
For all the strategies you need, sign up for 3 Keys IELTS.
What do you think of today’s vocabulary?
Share it with us in the comments below.
