IELTS Speaking part 3: rivers, lakes, sea

1. What do you think are the functions of rivers nowadays?

Rivers have various functions. In the UK, they were probably more important in the past because they were used for the transportation of goods, but I suppose this is still the case in many parts of the world. Rivers can be used as a source of renewable energy in the production of hydro-electric power, and they are also a source of fresh water for drinking and irrigation. Leisure activities are another function: fishing, canoeing, swimming, bathing... I'm sure there are many other things I haven't thought of.

2. What do you think of boats and ships as forms of transportation?

I'm not really a fan of boats and ships. If I'm going abroad, I like to get to my destination quickly, so I prefer travelling by plane. Of course, ships are vital for the transportation of oil and other heavy cargo.

3. Why do some people like to live near rivers, lakes or the sea?

Well, the view is probably a major factor; most people like to look out to sea, or across a river or lake. I'd much prefer to look out of my window onto a natural landscape than an apartment building in a city. Then there's the lifestyle: if you live by the sea, for example, you can lie on the beach, go for a swim, or do water sports like surfing or waterskiing. I definitely wouldn't mind living near a beach at some point in my life!

Note:
These answers are less formal than the essays I write for the writing test, and I say things like "probably" or "I suppose" when I'm not sure about the facts.

Comments

[Abbas]

Hi simon,
Great tips and choice of words. I really enjoyed the language and being natural along with being comprehensive and to the point. I surely can use it in my own classrooms as well ;-)

[vijay sharma]

hi simon nice answer.
i sant my second task on ur web plz give answer of this.

tnx alot

[Simon]

No problem Abbas.

...

Hi Vijay,

Your question is on my list, but it's quite a long list of requests from students! Try studying some other topics in the meantime; there are many other more common topics.

[Shadi]

hi Simon
thanks a lot for your great website, i have a big problem in speaking part. i gave short answers to questions and i can not make my answers long enough. What do you suggest for solving it?
thanks

[Anna]

Hi Simon,

Thanks a lot for your great work! Even I have problem of giving short answers. Sometimes, I find it difficult to drag th answers in speaking part. Can you please suggest some solutions to overcome this problem?

Thank you

[x-reader]

hi simon

can we write ?
The people
or
People have not the information of all products.

i wrote in my essay:
other people buying in a bulk.

please, comment on these few lines.

Thanks in advance.

[Najmeh]

Hi Simon,

Thank you for your great work, it really helps me to improve my English language skills :)

[Simon]

Hi Shadi and Anna,

You need to add detail to your answers. Look at these lessons:

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/03/ielts-speaking-part-3-longer-answers.html

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2011/01/ielts-speaking-add-detail.html

...

Hi x-reader,

You can write "the people" when you are talking about a particular group e.g. "the people in my class are nice"

Instead of "people have not the information", write "people do not have the information"

Write: "other people BUY or ARE BUYING..."

...

No problem Najmeh.

[vinh]

Hi simon
your site is great and has a lots of useful infomation. However, in the speaking section i now stuck at a topic and i did not see any similar topic on your site.
It's describe a work of art ( or a piece of art)
and to be honest i found this topic really difficult as i'm complete out of touch with art. So it would very nice of you to help me with some vocabs or ideas. Hope your next topic is about this.
Thanks

[Simon]

Hi Vinh,

Can you give me the full question and tell me where you found it? I've never seen that question before.

[vinh]

Hi Simon, here is the full question
Describe your favourite work of art
You should say:
- what the work of art is
- where you first saw it
- what it looks like
and explain why you like this work of art.
(source: ready for ielts- sam Mc Carter)
I hope you can help me with this question :)
thanks

[hathanh]

Hi Simon,
Does the examiner mark the student's intonation?

[Simon]

Hi Vinh,

I've never seen that as an 'official' IELTS question in a real exam, and I've never prepared it with my students. I agree that it's difficult - not many people can speak for 2 minutes about a work of art.

I don't really think you need to worry about studying for that question because I don't think it will appear in the test. It would be better to spend your time on questions that are more likely to appear and much more common.

If anyone tells me that it has appeared in the exam, I'll do a lesson about it, but I really don't think it will.

[Simon]

Hi hathanh,

Intonation is considered as part of your pronunciation score, but the main thing is to speak clearly and pronounce words well.

[vinh]

Hi Simon
thanks for your advice
perharps i'll spend time on other questions.

[Komal Pujara]

Hi simon,

I have some querries on this waterway question. Can I use in each of all these question any personal example to answer.

Like, actually I born near sea so can I use that to show I know how people feel about waters. Second, during my visit to Bangladesh I have seen best use of waterway for transportation. Can I mention it to emphasis the importance of waterway for transportation? Third, infact I have worked in power plant so I know hydro power is clean form of energy. Should I mention this while answering the uses of waterways.

I have my speaking tomorrow so will be glad to see your response at the earliest.

By the way, I just (stumbled or tumbled ??) on your blog week back and used your strategy straitaway for writing. I guess it will help me to raise my writing band by 0.5 than earlier.

I will share questions shortly (Singapore venue). Thanks for everything.

Lastly, You are providing all these free tips to everyone and not charging anything, make (or makes?) me wonder how you are able to servive? Sorry for personal question.

[gwapo]

1. What do you think are the functions of rivers nowadays?
There are various functions of rivers today. It can be used for leisure activities like kayaking or canoeing. Also, rivers can also be turn into a dam, which is very useful for producing energy source to power major cities. I'm sure there are other things that rivers can be used for that I haven't thought of.

[Simon]

Hi Komal,

Your ideas are fine. Good luck in your test!

PS. Use 'stumbled'.
Thanks for your concern - I manage to survive ok.

...

Good answer Gwapo.

[Ver]

Hi Simon,

I really had this type of question on my first IELTS exam last year regarding art and describing a painting.I said that I am completly out of touch with art and the examiner asked me something else.I scored 7 for speaking,but I have to recognise that I had an easy topic,I am not so good at speaking.

Best wishes,
Ver

[Simon]

Hi Ver,

You obviously had a nice examiner! Congratulations on getting a 7.

[Rachele Seeley]

I really enjoyed the language and being natural along with being comprehensive.