Ielts speaking strategies

TALKING ABOUT ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

The nice thing about advantages and disadvantages questions is the fact that you can change a lot of part 3 speaking questions into advantages and disadvantages questions .
Example: Should parents limit the amount of fast food their children eat? You can say: Yes, they should because fast food has a lot of disadvantages. Great, you have just switched the question into disadvantages question .
Moreover, this kind of language is something that comes up in task 2 writing.
Example: What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying and using a motor car?

Answer order:

1. 
   Use introducing advantages phrases:
   

One of the main advantages of X is…. One of the main benefits of X is….
Another good thing about X is…..
One more great thing about X is… Example:
One of the main benefits/advantages of owning a car is that it is convenient (long distance travel)
Another good thing about owning a car is weather protection.
One more great thing about car ownership is time-consuming/ save a lot of time compared to public transportation/ carry more people.

2. 
   Then you simply signal something like “in contrast/however/on the other hand” and tell the listener that you have done talking about the advantages, now you are talking about the disadvantages.
   

The main disadvantage of X is: The main disadvantage of living in a modern city is the noise. (About the environment)
One drawback of X is: One drawback of owning a car is that it’s very expensive.
(About finance)
One disadvantage of X is: One disadvantage of owning a car is being able to find a parking space in major cities.
“A car offers a lot of conveniences, but it can be inconvenient too.” “Although a car is very convenient, sometimes it’s very inconvenient.”
“It can be a great convenience to own a car. However , it can be inconvenient,
for example, in many cities, owing a car could cause you to get stuck in the traffic jam because cars are not as moveable as motorbikes. Moreover , trend to find parking can be a problem because there are not a lot of areas for car parking in major cities.”
“Although cars show people how rich you are, they do cost a lot of money (taxes, gas, parking, services...)”

Does fast food have any positive effect on society?

You could say: Yes, it does. One of the advantages of fast food is that it is very convenient.
How? Now you need to explain how it is convenient.
What I mean is when people are very busy, they can stop somewhere and get something delicious to eat, and it doesn’t take very long……
Some good language here: concession & contrast.

• 
  Something is true at the same time something else is true .
  
• 
  Something is true . However , something else is true .
  
• 
  Although this is true , that is true .
  

Example:
Men tend to do some strenuous sports like football or basketball; however, wome are more likely to be interested in aerobic exercises like yoga…
Elderly people are more likely to shop at open markets, or second-hand markets. They love buying stuff on sale and bargaining; however, young guys tend to shop big shopping malls, department stores and fancy boutiques.

HYPOTHETICALS

Hypotheticals are very important when it comes to part 1 and part 2 speaking. When they give you a hypothetical question, they are signaling that they want a certain kind of answer. They are signaling that they want a certain type of grammar here. That’s very important that we understand hypotheticals.

What is a hypothetical?

A hypothetical is an imaginary situation . If we are talking about the future, it’s an imaginary situation. What you need to pay attention to hypotheticals will be dealing with the modal verbs “would/could/should” . You might hear these questions in part 1 speaking “would/could/should” like “would you ever ride your motorbike without your helmet?” It is a hypothetical question.
You even might get hypothetical questions in the past .

How do we use hypothetical questions in the past?

We talk about things that we would do. When we talk about things that we would do, we need to signal that we are talking about things in the past; and you’re talking about things that you did a lot in the past. For example, you might say:
I had a lot of fun when I was a kid. My friends and I would often go to the beach, and sometimes we played football. Occasionally, we would go to the movie.
So what I am saying “we would often go to the beach” ; “we would go to the movie”
I’m using the same modal verbs that I am using for the future tense, but I’m using them in the past. I’m signaling that I am talking in the past. It’s a very useful grammar structure because you are talking with the examiner about things that you did a lot in the past.
When it comes to the part 2 speaking, if the examiner gives you a hypothetical question, they are going to ask you to talk about the future.

Do you live in an apartment or a house?

I live in an apartment. Is this a good answer? Of course, not .
What should you say?
I live in a big apartment with three classmates on the corner of ….( much better).
I’ve been living in a big apartment with three friends on the corner of ….

Which is the best room?

My favorite room is living room. I like it more than my bedroom. There is a television in the living room, so I am a lot less bored when I spend time there (comparison).
What would you like to change? ( Pay attention to the modal “would”)
I would change the color of my walls I ’d paint my walls
I ’d build a bookshelf.
I ’d buy a big Television.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. 
   What are the advantages of owning and using a car? What are the disadvantages?
   
2. 
   What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using social media websites?
   
3. 
   Tell me about the disadvantages of city life?
   
4. 
   Compare the advantages of working from home with the disadvantages
   
5. 
   What are some disadvantages of studying abroad?
   
6. 
   What are the advantages of travelling alone? What are the disadvantages?
   
7. 
   What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet for completing homework?