Basic IELTS Speaking – IFS Lesson Plan

Part 1: Talking about Hometown

1) Frequently-asked questions:
1. Where do you come from?
2. Can you describe your hometown?
3. Do you know something about the history of your hometown?
4. What is the weather like there?
5. Are there any interesting places I can visit?
6. What do you miss the most about your hometown?
7. Can you compare your hometown with big modern cities like HCM city?

2) Useful words and expressions:

1. Location:

Close to (preposition) /kləʊs tə/ Not far in position

Next to (preposition) /nekst tə/ Beside
Northeast (n) [U] /ˌnɔːθ ˈiːst/ The direction which is
between north and east
Southeast (n) [U] /saʊθ ˈiːst/ The direction which is
between south and east
Southwest (n) [U] /ˌsaʊθ ˈwest/ The direction which is
between south and
west
2. Weather:

Clear (adj) /klɪə(r)/ Not cloudy

Cloudy (adj) /ˈklaʊdi/ With clouds
Fair (adj) /feə(r)/ Pleasant and dry
Foggy (adj) /ˈfɒɡi/ With fog
Humid (adj) /ˈhjuːmɪd/ (air and weather
condition) containing
extremely small drops
of water in the air
Rainy (adj) /ˈreɪni/ Raining a lot
Shower (n) /ˈʃaʊə(r)/ A short period of rain
or snow
Stormy (adj) /ˈstɔːmi/ With strong wind,
heavy rain or snow and
often thunder and
lightning
Sunny (adj) /ˈsʌni/ Bright because of light
from the sun
Windy (adj) /ˈwɪndi/ With a lot of wind
3. People:

Ambitious (adj) /æmˈbɪʃn/ Having a strong will to

be successful,
powerful or rich
Average height (n) [C] /ˈævərɪdʒ haɪt/ Typical or normal
tallness
Build (n) /bɪld/ The size and shape of
a person’s body
Energetic (adj) /ˌenəˈdʒetɪk/ Having a lot of energy
Friendly (adj) /ˈfrendli/ Behaving in a pleasant
way towards someone
Helpful (adj) /ˈhelpfl/ Willing to help, or
useful
Kind-hearted (adj) /ˌkaɪnd ˈhɑːtɪd/ Kind and generous
Open-minded (adj) /ˌəʊpən ˈmaɪndɪd/ Willing to consider
new ideas
Reserved (adj) /rɪˈzɜːvd/ Not talking about or
showing feelings
4. Facilities:

/klʌb/ A group of people who

do something together,
the place where they

Club (n) [C] [U]
Service (n) [C]
Transportation (n) [U]
Well-equipped (adj)
meet
/kənˈviːniənt/ Near or easy to get or
to use
/ˈsɜːvɪs/ A system or
organization that
provides for a basic
public need
/ˌtrænspɔːˈteɪʃn/ The activity of moving
people or things from
one place to another,
or the system used to
for doing this
/wel ɪˈkwɪpt/ With the necessary
equipment

3) Useful sentence structures:

1. My hometown, (name of a city/province), is located in/on (location, eg.
Central Vietnam/ the north/ south of Vietnam, etc.)
 My hometown, Nha Trang, is located on the coast of Vietnam.
2. (name of a city/ province) is a beautiful place with (special features, e.g.
a long shore/ a lot of paddy fields/ a high mountain to the north/ a
flowing river to the south, etc.)
 Nha Trang is a beautiful place with a long shore and a lot of scenic
spots.
3. The weather in (name of a city/ province) is usually
(cold/hot/warm/windy/rainy, etc. in spring/summer/autumn/winter/all the
year round).
 The weather in Da Lat is usually cool all the year round.
4. (name of a city/province) is famous for …
 Nha Trang is famous for seafoods.
 Da Lat is famous for scenic spots.
 5. (name of a city/province) is (adj) –er/more (adj) than (name of a
city/province).
 Da Lat is colder than Nha Trang.
 HCM city is more crowded than Da Lat.

4) Oral exercises:
1. My hometown / Hue/ located/ central Vietnam.

2. Beautiful place/ many famous historical sights

3. The weather/ Ha Noi/ usually/ quite cold/ winter

4. Da Nang/ famous for/ handmade kites and the kite festival

5. HCM city/ hotter/ Nha Trang

6. My hometown/ Dong Nai/ located in the south of Vietnam

7. Da Lat/ beautiful place/ lots of hills

8. The weather/ Da Lat/ usually/ most beautiful/ spring

9. Ha Dong/ famous for/ silk

10. HCM city/ more modern/ Tien Giang province
