How much do you like it?

Many questions expect you to express liking and say

how much you like something.
Your voice and intonation are important when you express how much you like
something and so are your smile and facial expressions.
Try to use a variety of expressions.
Listen to the examples and practise aloud.

Are you interested in sport at all?

Yes, Im keen on sport, especially soccer.

Does sport play a big part in your life?

Yes, it does. I'm very fond of volleyball especially.

Have you ever played a sport?

Yes, I have. I quite like sport and Ive played a lot of basketball.

Are you a sport fan?

Yes, I am actually. I quite like soccer

Do you like any cold weather sport?

Yes, I do as a matter of fact. I quite enjoy skiing in winter.

Do you enjoy playing or watching sport?

I prefer playing sport. Surfing is my favourite.

Are you keen on any adventure sport?

Yes, I am. I really love sky-diving.

Moving on now to activities other than sport that you enjoy. Are you keen on
activities outside the home?
Yes, I am. I really love getting in the car and driving into the country for a picnic.

Do you enjoy activities inside the home?

Yes, I do. I really like arranging flowers.

Do you often spend several hours on a special activity?

Yes, I do. Im really fond of playing the piano, so I spend hours practising every
day.

Are you a collector of anything in particular?

Yes, I am. Im very interested in collecting stamps.

Lets talk about friendship. Do you enjoy spending time with your friends?
Yes, I do. My friends mean a lot to me.

Do you enjoy sharing a meal with friends?

Oh, yes. I really enjoy good food and conversation together with my friends.

Do you prefer to have one or two good friends or be part of a large social group?
Oh, I have many friends and I just love being part of a big social circle.

The subject of television, now. Do you enjoy watching television?

Yes, I do actually. I like to watch the news at night.

Do you enjoy watching sport on tv?

Yes, Im quite fond of watching rally driving.

Are you keen on any particular television programme?

Yes, I am. Im really interested in watching the Sunday night documentary.

Do you like watching movies on tv?

Yes, I especially enjoy those old black and white movies.
Connected Speech
Listen to the model answers and find where the speaker has connected sounds
together in a smooth flow. Sometimes a short word or sound is used to fill the

pause while the speaker is thinking about what to say next. Here are some
examples you may hear: um, or and.
Listen to your own answers again and compare the rhythm or smoothness of your
speaking. Are there any unnecessary sounds you need to stop using so often?
Repetition of the same sound can be very distracting for the listener: e.g. um, ah,
er. However, it is quite natural to let the listener know you are going to say some
more with the occasional use of these short sounds.
Expressing Preferences:
Listen to the examples and find how and where the speaker expresses their
preference. Sometimes the preference is expressed at the beginning and
sometimes it is at the end of the sentence. Here are some examples you may hear:
would rather + verb , prefer to + verb, prefer + noun.
Are you a sports fan?
No, not really. I prefer listening to music.
Are you keen on eating out at restaurants?
Well... it's OK but it's too expensive, so I prefer eating at home.
Do you enjoy watching sport on TV?
No, I'd much rather play sport because then I can get fit. I can't stand sitting
around watching TV.
Do you prefer living with a family or by yourself?
I much prefer to live with my family because Id be lonely otherwise.

Sometimes the thing you don't like is repeated exactly as it is in the question.
Sometimes the noun is replaced by a pronoun.
Sometimes the topic is rephrased using slightly different words.

Lets talk about music. Are you a fan of pop music?

Did you use a linking word such as because?
No I dont like pop music because its too loud I prefer quieter easy-listening music

Variety of Expressions:
In the IELTS Speaking test you should demonstrate the ability to use a variety of
expressions. English has many ways to say the same thing so do not expect your

answers to be the same as the model answers. Listen carefully to the differences
and try to use new ways to vary your answers.
Refer to the topic in the question using 3 different styles.
Repeat
e.g. Q. pop music A.pop music
Replace with a pronoun
e.g. Q. pop music A. it
Rephrase
e.g. Q. pop music A. that type of music, what everyone else listens to.
Express your preference using different styles.
I prefer to listen to ...
Id rather listen to ...
I prefer listening to ...
I prefer music
I go for music thats ...
Express your dislike or lack of interest using different styles.
I dont like it.
I cant stand it.
Im not keen on ...
Im not interested in ...
I avoid
I dont enjoy
It doesnt interest me.
It doesnt appeal to me.
Im not a fan of ...
I wish I didnt have to ...
Is folk music or traditional music something you enjoy?
Did you try a different phrase for expressing your preference?
No, I cant stand it, folk music is boring. Id rather listen to something more lively
Do you enjoy listening to a wide range of music?
Did you use a linking word such as because or so?
Not really a lot of it doesnt appeal to me. So I never listen to rap or some others
popular styles of music
Do you ever go to live concerts?
Did you use a pronoun they instead of repeating the noun (concerts)?
No, never because they usually far too expensive and I hate crowd, I prefer to
listen to CDs at home
Lets move on to talk about fitness. Do you like walking?
Did you notice the use of too before the adjective to express more than is
desirable or acceptable?
No I am not very keen on walking maybe because the streets are too busy and I
dont like all the noise and pollution.
Have you ever belonged to a gymnasium?

Did you notice how the topic was paraphrased membership = belonging to a
gym?
No I havent, because membership is usually quite expensive and I am put off by
sweaty bodies.
How often do you exercise?
Did you notice the use of the pronoun it to avoid repeating the noun exercise?
Not very often at all, its not something that appeals to me
Do you sometimes go swimming?
Did you notice how the reason was given first and linked to the result by so?
Actually I cant swim, so I avoid the water.
Id like to talk about food. Are you keen on eating out at restaurants?
Did you notice the use of you see? We can use this phrase (in conversational
English) before or after a reason.
Id much rather enjoy a quiet meal at home, my wife is a wonderful cook you see.
Do you like cooking?
Did you notice the use of the pronoun that to replace the noun cooking in the first
half of the response?
Not at all. I leave that to my wife, I prefer her cooking
Are there any particular foods youd like to prepare?
Did you try the new expression I dont have any faith in?
Unfortunately because I dont have any faith in ability to cook theres anything I
would like to prepare.
Were you ever given a meal you really didnt like?
Did you notice the linking word so to introduce the result?
Yes I hate of hot carries one which I really didnt enjoy. You see, I dont like hot and
spicy food so it was a terrible experience.
Moving on Holidays. Do you prefer staying at home in the holidays or visiting
other places?
I much prefer to visit other places Id rather not stay at home, its too boring.
Are you a keen traveller?
Did you try a new expression for expressing your preference?
I like to travel but not by sea because I get terribly seasick I avoid to travel by boat
whenever I can Id rather drive or fly
Do your holidays often seem too short?
Did you notice how to expand your response by adding little bits of relevant
information?

Not really, by the time the holiday is over I am sick of all that packing and
unpacking and I am actually looking forward to going back home. In fact holidays
can be very tired

Are you on the topic? How do you decide what you should talk about and what is
really off the topic?
It is important to listen for key words. Key words are often stressed they
sound louder. When there are two or more key words you should talk about them
too, but only in relationship to the main topic.
Did you play sports at school?
Yes, I did. I loved sport and was in the school basketball team.
B is the better answer because you should talk about sports you played at school
or why you sports at school. You should not talk about your school life in general,
and you should not talk about Olympic Sports.
Have you ever prepare a meal for family or friends?
Yes, I have. I cook for my family two or three times a week because my parents
both work.
A is the better answer because you should talk about a meal or meals you have
prepared for family or friends or why you haven't prepared a meal for them
before. You should not talk about going out for a meal at a restaurant.

Can you hear the stressed words? These are usually the main topic, but you will
often also be asked to talk about the time or place.
Practise again and listen for the time words, like still, current or currently, at the
moment, in the future, when you were..... Listen as well for words such as, at
school, in your country, in your home town.
Lets talk about accommodation. Are you happy with your accommodation at the
moment?
The topic was: your accommodation and what you like or dont like about it at
the moment.
You could name your style of house, say where it is, describe it briefly, say how
much it costs, say what you like and dont like about it, and compare it with other
places you have stayed in or would like to live in and say whether you are happy
with it or not.
Does your current accommodation suit your lifestyle?
The topic was: your current accommodation and your lifestyle.
You could briefly describe where you live now, talk a little bit about the kind of life
you lead and say whether the place you live in is suitable.
Are there any special features you would look for in a new house in the future?

The topic was: special features that you would like in a new house in the
future.
You could talk about a house that you would like sometime in the future and name
some special features such as, a kitchen with modern appliances, a large bathroom,
a living room with a view etc.
TENNIS COURT
Tell me about your favourite room in the house you lived in as a child.
The topic was: your favourite room when you were a child.
You could talk about any room that you particularly liked in the house where you
lived as a child. Briefly describe the room and say why you liked it so much.
Lets talk about your home town. Are you quite fond of your home town?
The topic was: your hometown and whether you like it or not.
You could name your hometown, say where it is, describe it briefly and say what
you like or dont like about it.
What do you see as the best features of your home town?
The topic was: the best features of your hometown.
You need only talk about what is good in your hometown. It could be the buildings,
the gardens or parks, a river, lake or other natural setting, or it could be the
shopping malls and the nightlife, for example.
Do you still live in your home town?
The topic was: do you still live in your hometown.
You need to say whether you are living in your hometown now. You can expand
your answer by giving reasons why you are or are not.
Lets move on to talk about school. Did you have a good friend when you were at
school?
The topic was: a good friend you had when you were at school.
You could name a good school friend, say what class you were in when you met,
briefly describe the friend and perhaps say what you liked doing together at school.
What is your best memory of your school days?
The topic was: your best memory of your schooldays.
You should talk about something you remember really well from when you were at
school. It could be something that happened just once maybe you won a prize,
for example; or you could talk about such things as a kind teacher, yummy school
lunches, a favourite activity and so on.
In your country, do children take their own lunch to school?

The topic was: school lunches and whether you took your own lunch from home.
You could say who made your lunch (your mother?) or whether it was provided by
the school. You could briefly describe the kind of food that you ate for lunch at
school and perhaps say whether you enjoyed these lunches or not.