IELTS SPEAKING

Topic: SPORTS
MUST LEARN VOCABULARY
Word/ Idiom Definition / Side-words Usage
active rest a leisure time during which you Active rest between lessons helps children to
exercise. study more effectively.
athletics track a track for running, usually used The 9-lane running track is equipped to cope
(running track) for athletic races. with competitions of all levels.
blow the win the competition easily. After training for seven years, he blew the
competition away baseball competition away.
build muscle to gain muscle mass. John was very skinny five year ago, but now
he has built muscle and looks really strong.
personal best an achievement in sport that is Today I've ran 100m in 12 seconds! That is
better than anything you have my personal best.
achieved before.
to set a record to achieve the best result in a Tom set a new record in pole vault two years
sport. ago.
personal trainer a person that helps you to train on It's much easier to train with a sports coach
(sports coach) a one-to-one basis. than alone.
sports centre a specific building where people I practise fencing at a local sports centre
(fitness centre) can do different sports. because it is the only one which is fully
equipped with necessary gears.
sports facilities the equipment and services needed I chose this gym because it offers a wide
to do a sport. range of sports facilities.
strength-training set of exercises to build muscles. My dad told me about a wonderful strength-
strategy training strategy thanks to his days in the
army.
strenuous exercise exercise that needs a lot of It is recommended to drink a lot of water
physical effort. after strenuous exercises.
that's the way the used to say that things don't Dave didn't win the game as he expected, but
ball bounces always go as planned, but there is he never minds - that's the way the ball
nothing we can do about it. bounces.
to be saved by the to be saved from losing by a Evan would lose this round, if he wasn't
bell timely interruption. saved by the bell.
to be out of to be in bad physical condition, to Lily hasn't been training for years, she is out
condition (to be lose strength. of condition now.
out of shape)
to get into shape to become fit. Paul started training in gym because he
wanted to get into shape.
to take up doing to start doing something new I took up dancing last week.
 IELTS SPEAKING
Topic: SPORTS
sth (usually sport).
to warm up to perform light exercises to A good warm-up readies your body for a hard
prepare for a hard workout. training.
trial-and-error a method of reaching a solution by I learned swimming by trial-and-error
method trying various means until you method, trying different moves until I figured
succeed despite failing many out how to float on water.
times.
workout a session of exercises in gym. You My trainer suggested me a workout for back
can do a workout for chest, for muscles.
legs, for losing weight etc.
take the bull by accept the challenge and try your Even though this new job will mean
the horns hardest relocating to a different city, I think you
should take the bull by the horns this time.
keep my head try not to fall behind in work or We are so busy during the tourist season I can
above water other duties barely keep my head above water.
have the upper have a better chance of winning or Vietnam’s football team has the upper hand in
hand succeeding the tournament, because none of their players
is injured.
under the table (do something) illegally I don't have a work visa, so they have to pay
me under the table.

SPEAKING TASK 1 QUESTIONS

What sports did you do at school?

Sport was my favourite thing at school. Last year, in the first semester I played volleyball and in the second one
we did dance sports. I even enjoyed marathon which most people hated.

How important is keeping fit to you?

Keeping fit is and very important part of my life. In fact, my friends would say I’m a bit of a fitness fanatic. It
helps to keep me healthy and I also work out to be in good shape for taking part in my school’s soccer club.

Is violence a problem at sporting events in your country?

There used to be a serious problem with football fans getting involved in fights both inside and outside stadiums
but a lot has been done to stop this happening. It’s much safer to go to matches now and they have become
family events again.

Do you do any sport?

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Topic: SPORTS
Absolutely yes, I am fond of playing football with my friends after school, because we are big fans of football,
and whenever playing it, we have a lot of fun with that and feel a sense of enjoyment.

Do you watch sports on TV?

Football is my favourite sport to watch on TV. Since I a huge football fan, I have barely missed football
matches of my favourite team including away games and home games. I prefer to spend my Sunday night
staying at home to see a match with my father.

What is the most popular sport in your country?

In my opinion, I believe football is the most common sport in my country. This is because it is not too hard to
take up the sport, in addition in term of watching a football match, this can bring so much fun to the viewer, not
to mention that the sport does not cost much money to play and watch, which allow people to find it easy to
approach.

Do you think it is difficult to learn a new sport?

Definitely it is tough to learn a new sport. Everyone needs to take up tremendous exercise and have a crack at
practicing to meet the demands of the new sport. They also need a personal trainer to help them practice
correctly to avoid unwanted injuries.

Do you prefer watching or playing sports?

Absolutely I'd prefer to join sport activities rather than to sit in a dump place to watch others having fun. Firstly,
playing sports helps us to keep fit and stay healthy. Secondly, it also raises people's competitiveness to win a
match for example. Finally I believe that s also teach us about discipline to play fair and how to cooperate with
other people to blow a competition away.

How often do you play sports?

Actually it depends on my schedule and my health status. If I don't need to work in the evening, I would take up
exercise following a fitness programme with a personal trainer to get into shape. However if I feel weak, I
would try to avoid being out of my condition and only take part in several sports such as jogging or yoga.

More speaking task 1 questions

 Who is your favorite sports star?

 What kinds of sports would you like to try in the future?
 Do you like to watch sports on TV?
 Do you enjoy individual or team sports ?
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Topic: SPORTS
 What according to you is the importance of mental games?
 Do you think grown ups should play sports ?

SPEAKING TASK 2 QUESTION CARDS

Describe an exciting sport you know I learnt to swim when I was a small child and
my parents sent me to sport centre every
You should say: weekend because they believed it would be
 What the sport is useful for me. Unlike other sports, there are
 How you know about it no rules to follow when you swim. Basically,
 Whether it is an easy or difficult sport to play swimming is just combination of your leg and
arm motions and the natural floatation of the
And explain why you think it is exciting body. To progress as a swimmer, you need to
take up exercise and practice with a personal
trainer as well as wear some special
swimming costumes such as swim cap or
glasses to protect your hair and eyes from chemicals in swimming pool. For me, swimming is not really a hard
sport to play as long as people to have a crack at practicing regularly. Swimming is absolutely a sport that I'm
into very much. It helps me get into shape and build endurance because it provides an all-over body workout, as
nearly all of my muscles are used during swimming. Additionally, I also feel liberal and flexible when I'm deep
into the water. All daily stress and hardness are set aside when I come to swimming pool where my whole body
and brain are released. Finally, it is clear that swimming pool is an ideal place to help me escape from the
extremely hot weather in the summer. All in all, swimming is the best sport that I've ever tried in my life so far.
I cannot fly as a bird but water is my own sky where I feel I'm flying.

Describe a sports club you belong to or used to belong to.

You should say:

 what club it is
 when you joined
 why you joined
and explain the benefits of belonging to your club.

SPEAKING TASK 3 QUESTIONS

1) Do you think people in your country exercise enough? If not, why?

In my opinion, the majority of adults in the UK definitely don’t get enough exercise. You only have to look
around at the level of obesity to see that this is true. I’d go as far as to say that the majority of people are very
out of condition and never do any strenuous exercise.
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Topic: SPORTS
I really don’t understand why this is the case. There’s more knowledge than ever before about the advantages to
both physical and mental health of keeping fit, and the negative effects of not taking enough exercise are well-
known.

Every town has a range of sports facilities including fitness centres, gyms and swimming pool for people to use.
Or they could just walk more or maybe cycle to work. There really isn’t any excuse not to take at least some
exercise every day.

Many doctor’s surgeries even run their own fitness programmes or will recommend some that you can join to
help you get in shape. I wish more people would take their fitness seriously and take advantage of the
opportunities to stay healthy.

2) Do you think competitive sport should be part of the school curriculum?

Yes, I definitely think it’s important for children to take part in competitive sports at school. In recent years
there’s been a trend of having non-competitive sports days so that less sporty kids can take part without always
being the loser. I disagree with this.

I was good at sport and it was the only thing I really achieve a high level of success in at school. This was
extremely important to me, so it works both ways. Life is competitive and schools need to help children to cope
with this.

I’m not saying that those children who hate sport and always fail at it should put through this negative
experience. Rather, I think schools need to rethink how sport is taught. There is such a huge range of sporting
activities to choose from these days that I truly believe there’s something every child can enjoy participating in.
Schools need to provide the opportunities.

3) What are the benefits of international sports events?

I think there are several major benefits of international sporting competitions. Firstly, it helps to build
relationships between people of different nationalities and cultures. This is so important in our divided world.
While the competitors may be rivals during competitions, there is friendship when the contest is over. You can
see this and the respect they have for each other when you watch big sporting events on TV.

Secondly, when top international athletes compete together, they motivate and inspire each other. This is why
new world records are often set at events such as the Olympics and many athletes achieve personal bests.

Finally, international sporting events encourage people to get involved in sport themselves, especially the
younger generation. The TV coverage of competitions for disabled sportspeople in recent years has led to a
massive increase in people with disabilities taking up sports which is life-changing for them.

4) Should people be encouraged more to take up sport?

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Topic: SPORTS
I think young people should be given the chance to discover which sport they might like watching sport is
sometimes a good way to get people started not on TV but actually getting out take athletics for example they
could go to an athletics meeting there are so many different sports on show one might interest them.

5) Why do some people enjoy participating in sport more than others?

That’s a good question. I suppose some people are more concerned about their health, they can’t stand the
thought of being out of condition other people might be driven to excel they want to set records or get personal
bests.

6) Which sports do you think are best for people who aren’t used to physical activity?

Well, I think people like this should avoid strenuous exercise so things like circuit training are definitely out of
the question maybe just doing a brisk walk every day or swimming is always a good way to get started.

More speaking task 3 questions

1. Why are some sports fans so passionate?

2. Should athletes be better role models?

3. Do you think the types of sport that are popular will change in the future?

4. What types of sports are popular in your country?

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of playing games / sports?