IELTS Tips: How to use idioms in the IELTS Speaking test - Part 1
This is the first part of a two part series that describes what idioms and phrasal verbs are, and how to effectively use them in the IELTS speaking test!
This article was first published on IELTS.IDP.com
To reach a band 7 and higher in the IELTS Speaking test, you need to be able to use a wider range of vocabulary and to show the examiner that you can use idiomatic language. Read through this article which explains what idiomatic language is and how to use it when speaking.
Every language has a different way to describe things, ideas or feelings. We use a combination of words that have a meaning that is not always clear to someone who is learning that language. Each culture has a different set of phrases that have special meaning in their country. In English, we use idioms and phrasal verbs to express ourselves. This idiomatic language is used frequently in our everyday communication so, it's very important that we understand what idioms are and how to use them.
The IELTS Speaking assessment criteria focuses on how well you can use idiomatic language from bands 7 and upwards. At band 7, you will see this statement for Lexical Resource:
uses some less common and idiomatic vocabulary and shows some awareness of style and collocation, with some inappropriate choices
What's an idiom?
An idiom is a phrase or expression that generally has non-literal meaning - the meaning cannot be directly understood by reading each word. For example, if you are very happy because you got a band 8 in your Speaking test, you might say: "I was over the moon when I saw my results". If we look at the literal meaning of these words, we think about looking over the moon up in the sky beyond the stars! However, the idiomatic meaning of this phrase is to do with happiness - "I was very happy when I saw my result."
Idioms are used so often in a natural way by native speakers that they often go unnoticed, we are not even aware that we are using them because we have grown up listening to these phrases and expressions. However, when you are a language learner, you have to learn how to use them correctly, so they don't sound unnatural. You might have heard the term collocation, which is also assessed in the IELTS Speaking test. Collocation refers to words that often go together naturally and are generally used in that order when speaking. For example, you would never say food fast as the order is incorrect, you would always say fast food. Collocation is very important when using idiomatic language as the words you choose are just as important as the order they are spoken in.