IELTS Speaking Test Vocabulary, Your success tools in IELTS

IELTS Speaking Vocabulary. Health

Useful idioms:

• alive and kicking: to continue being well and healthy.My grandma is almost 90 but she’s still alive and kicking.
• to break a habit: to stop doing something that is a habit, especially something bad or harmful.I was a drug addict, but a managed to break this habit
• to black out: to lose consciousness.I blacked out before my final exam, because I was too worried about it.
• to be under the weather: to feel ill.Mary won’t be at work todays, she’s a bit under the weather.
• to phone in sick: to call your superior to inform him/her that you are sick and won’t be at work for some time.I had to phone in sick last week, because I caught a flu.
• sick as a dog = to be at death’s door: very sick.Paul caught a flu a few days ago and now he’s sick as a dog.
• white as a sheet: can be sad about a very pale person.Jonh looks sick. Look at him! He’s white as a sheet.

Advanced vocabulary:

• addict: a person, who is obsessed (addicted) by (to) something, drugs or alcohol, for example.My friend used to be an addict, but thankfully he’s healthy now.
• a check-up: an examination done by a doctor.I felt ill for a few days, so I went for a check-up.
• a runny nose: a nose that has liquid coming out of it.I caught a cold so now I have a runny nose.
• chronic disease: a type of disease that continues to occur for a long time.My friend Rob needs to use inhaler every day, because he has chronic asthma.
• impediment: a physical defect that hinders normal or easy speech.After an accident, Jim developed an impediment – he stutters.
• epidemic: when disease spreads very quickly and effects a large number of people.There was a large epidemic in South Africa in 20th century. It took away millions of lives.
• painkillers: medicine for dealing with pain.I had to take the painkillers last night, because I couldn’t handle the pain.
• rehab: a course of treatment for drug or alcohol or any other dependence.After talking to a doctor, Jim decided to go to a rehab.
• to diagnose: to recognise an illness by examining the patient.Although Nick had a very rare disease, his doctor managed to diagnose it correctly.
• to stutter: to talk with a continued accidental repetition of sounds.Sometimes you might develop a stutter if you have been scared by someone or something

IELTS Speaking Vocabulary. Travel & Holidays

• far-off destination: a distant place.Australia is a far-off destination, nonetheless I want to visit it.
• getting away from it all: escaping in order to rest from a daily routine.After I passed my exams, I wanted to get away from it all for at least a couple of days.
• go off the beaten track: to visit an uncommon place.Unlike my brother, I prefer to go off the beaten track.
• guided tour: a tour in which a group of people is guided by an expert.Guided tours are a great way to learn about different places of interest.
• head for: go in a direction for.I’m heading for France for my next holidays.
• holiday brochure: a publication with details of holiday.Our guide gave us a great brochure about our hotel.
• holiday destination: where you go for a holiday.We chose New York as our holiday destination for the next summer.
• lifetime holiday : a very special holiday, once in a lifetime.Last year me and my family had a holiday of a lifetime in Italy.
• holiday resort (tourist resort): a place where lots of people go for a holiday.Last year my family went on a journey to London. We lived in a great tourist resort.
• hordes of tourists: crowds of tourists.Hordes of tourist can be seen during summer near the city park.
• in the middle of nowhere: in a place that is far away from where most people live.My grand-mother lives in the middle of nowhere, but she loves her old little village.

• local crafts: thighs made in the region.My sister bought some amazing local crafts on her trip to India.

• out of season: not within the main holiday period.I decided to go on a journey with my friends out of season.
• passport control: a place where you get your passport checked.I spent a few hours waiting in line on a passport control.
• package tour: a holiday at a fixed price in which the travel company arranges your travel, hotels, and sometimes meals for you:We bought a cheap package tour to Italy and stayed in a big hotel by the sea.
• picturesque village: a nice, beautiful village.My grandparents live in a picturesque village.
• places of interest: memorable and honorable places.My native city has a variety of places of interest.
• short break: a little holiday.My father had a short break this year, I hope he’ll be able to relax some more.
• stunning landscape: a beautiful countryside.Stunning landscapes are only one of many reasons why I want to visit Africa.
• to go sightseeing: to go visiting sights of interest.Today we went sightseeing with my friends.
• to travel on foot / horseWhen I’m in a small town I prefer to travel on foot.
• tourist attractions: places which tourists tend to visit. Despite not being a tourist attraction, new fountain is very popular among the locals.
• to travel by bus / plane / car / bicycle / motorcycleAlthough I usually travel by car, when I decided to visit Paris I had to travel by plane.
• tourist trap: place with many tourists.We’ve visited many tourists traps lately.
• travel agency: a shop that specializes in booking holidays.I’ve bought tickets for my trip through a travel agency.
• wildlife safari: an observational holiday, mainly in Africa.I’d love to go on a wildlife safari sometime.
• youth hostel: a cheap hotel.During our trip we stayed in a hostel, because we didn’t have enough money for a hotel.all

• holiday: a time after you lost your job.He lost his job yesterday. Now it’s all holiday for him.

• all-inclusive: a hotel deal where the price includes accommodation, meals and drinks at any time.I’ve never thought that hotels with all-incusive service are so comfortable! You can grab a piece of cake at 6 a.m. or get a cocktail at midnight.
• half-board: if you request ‘half-board’ at a hotel, breakfast and dinner would be included in the hotel price (as part of the package).John and Lily liked their tour with half-board service. They spent breakfasts and dinners in the hotel and bought lunches in the nearby cafes.
• full-board: if you request ‘full-board’ at a hotel, that would include all three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) in the price of your accommodation.
• self-catering: a holiday deal where meals are not provided.Mary thinks that self-catering is neither pleasant nor efficient.
• to book (something): to arrange and confirm a place on a flight, a room in a hotel or a ticket for an event in the future.If you book your plane tickets in advance, they will be much cheaper.
• breathtaking view: an amazing view.I’ve seen many breathtaking views during my journey to Paris.
• busman’s holiday: when you spend your free time similarly to the time when you work. This expression comes from the idea that a bus driver would spend his holiday traveling somewhere on a bus.Unfortunately, many people spend a busman’s holiday nowadays.
• charter flight: a cheap regular flight.Due to our modest budget, we had to take a charter-flight.
• check-in desk: the place at the airport where you register for your flight and deposit your luggage
• accommodation: a room or building in which you stay during holidays or live.While I’m travelling, my favourite types of accommodation are hotels.

IELTS Speaking Vocabulary. Technology

• desktop PC: a personal computer that remains on a desk.I have an old desktop PC that I use for surfing the net when I’m home.
• digital editing: a process of changing digital materials like audio or video files.Being good at digital editing is essential in our time.
• download (podcasts): to save a copy of a file from the internet to your own device.Yesterday I downloaded a few films that I plan to watch during the weekends.
• essential: something you can’t imagine your life without.Internet is an essential piece of technology for many people.
• gadget: an advanced piece of technology, like smartphone.Nowadays almost everybody owns a gadget.
• geek: someone who is obsessed with technology, especially computers.My friend is a real geek. He owns a bunch of computers and other gadgets.
• hold the line: wait a minute.She told me to hold the line, because she had to open the door.
• large screen: a big-sized monitor.A few days ago I decided to renew my computer, so I bought a large screen for it.
• light years ahead: very far away from.Modern computers are light years ahead of those which people used in 90s.
• on the cutting edge: at the forefront of progress.Paul’s new laptop is on the cutting edge of technology.
• operating system: the most important program that runs the computer.I chose to buy a laptop which is based on the Windows operating system.
• out of steam: tired, exhausted.Due to today’s intense workday I am out of steam, so I won’t be able to work tomorrow.
• to access websites/email: to visit websites/email.John accessed his email today to see if he had received any letters.

• to back up files: to make a copy of files in case of a computer problem.I had to back up files on my computer, because I was going to reinstall my operating system.

• social media: media used to interact with other people.Facebook is the biggest social media in the world.
• to be stuck behind a computer: to use computer for a long period of time.A lot of teenagers are stuck behind their computers all day.
• to boot up: to start a computer.I booted up my computer as soon as I got home.
• time-consuming and inefficient: something that takes too much of your time and isn’t rational to do.I find watching football time-consuming and inefficient.
• to browse websites: to search for websites.I spent a few hours browsing the websites today, until I found was I was looking for.
• to crash: to suddenly stop working.My computer crashed when I was writing my essay.
• silver surfer: an old person, who uses the Internet.Uncle Bob is a silver surfer. He uses the Internet every day, although he’s almost 70.
• to go online: to use the Internet.Millions of people go online every day.
• to navigate a website: to find what you need on the website.Navigating a website is not very easy, especially if the website is poorly designed.
• send an attachment: send an email with an added file.My brother sent an attachment with his homework to the professor.
• to pull the plug: to end an activity.After being stuck behind a computer all day, I decided to pull the plug.

• to push someone’s buttons: to do specific thing to irritate somebody (usually intentionally).I became so angry because he pushed my buttons by adding pepper to my ice cream!

• rocket science: a very complicated subject for someone.Biology is a rocket science for me. I don’t understand anything in it.
• to surf the web: to look through websites, searching for something you need, or simply for entertainment.I was surfing the web yesterday for three hours, because I had nothing else to do.
• to upgrade: to renew a software or a piece hardware.Thanks to the new program for students, I updated my computer for free.
• well-oiled machine: something that works perfectly well.My computer, despite being 7 years old, is still a well-oiled machine.
• widespread computer use: that is to say people use computers very often.
• Wi-Fi hotspots: a public place where you can access the Internet.Our university has a Wi-Fi hotspot. It is very convenient.
• wireless network: a network where users can access the Internet without using any cables.We have installed a wireless network at home.
• computer age: the period in modern history characterized by rapid technology development and widespread computer use.Living in a computer age has many benefits.
• computer buff: a user who is good at working with a computer.Mike is a computer buff. He got an A+ on his programming exam.
• word processing: writing, editing and producing words on a computer, using special programs.There are tons of word processing programs.
• computer fatigue: a syndrome of tiredness resulting from long computer usage.About 60% of IT specialists are affected by computer fatigue.
• cutting-edge: something innovational and leading.Cutting-edge technology.

IELTS Speaking Vocabulary. Food

Italian cuisine: traditional Italian food. You can also say French cuisine, Russian cuisine, Chinese cuisine and so on.I adore pasta, pizza and Italian cuisine in general.

more of a chore than a pleasure: something you do rather unwillingly.I think that cooking is more of a chore than a pleasure.

mouth–watering: delicious, appetizing.

my mouth is watering: that is to say you find something very appetizing. People use this expression when they see/smell food that looks very delicious.My mouth is watering every time I think about my grandmother’s apple pie.

nutritious products: products rich in calories.A nutritious breakfast is a great way to start the day, as it gives your body the nutrients and you get enough energy.

processed food: food that has been modified in an undesirable or unhealthy way to achieve its current state.Try to avoid processed foods like flavored nuts and cereal bars. It is much healthier to eat organic food.

quality justifies the bill: when a product is worth buying due its good quality, even if it’s expensive.I first thought those strawberries were too expensive, but when I tasted them I understood that their quality justified the bill.

quick snack: a light and quick meal, usually unhealthy.Eating quick snack instead of main meal can be harmful for stomach.

ready meal: a meal that you buy already cooked, which only requires reheating to be eaten.I had no desire to cook, so I bought a ready meal in a nearby supermarket.

restrain one’s hunger: to avoid eating when you really want to. Usually practiced during diets.John couldn’t restrain his hunger anymore and went to the nearest fast-food restaurant.

slap-up meal: a quick and fatty meal. To slap up means to cook something very quickly.I feel like making a slap-up meal tonight. 

to be dying of hunger: an exaggerated way of saying you are really hungry.I haven’t eaten all day. I’m dying of hunger!

to be full-up: to eat to the point that you can’t eat anymore.– Would you like more chips?
– No, thank you, I’m already full-up!

the main meal: the most important meal of the day.

to be ravenous (to have ravenous appetite): to be really hungry, starving, voracious.After working all day, I had a ravenous appetite.

to be starving hungry: an exaggerated way of saying you are very hungry.

take-away: a meal prepared in a café/restaurant and eaten at home.I’m going to ring the Japanese restaurant and order a takeaway.

to bolt something down: to eat a large amount of food very quickly.Don’t bolt your food down like that, it’s very rude!

to catch a snack: to eat a little portion of food very quickly.

starving hungry: to be extremely hungry.I woke up starving hungry yesterday and ate the whole roast chicken.

to eat a balanced diet: to eat correctly and in time.

to eat like a horse: to always eat a lot.She’s so ​thin, ​yet she ​eats like a ​horse.

to follow a recipe: to cook a meal using instructions.Although she had never cooked a jugged hare before, she followed a recipe and made a fantastic meal.

to foot the bill: to pay the bill.You paid for dinner last time. Let me foot the bill for lunch today.

to grab a bite to eat: to eat something quickly.I won’t eat the whole cake, just let me grab a bite to eat.

to have a sweet tooth: to enjoy eating sweet food.Dave eats candy all the time. He must have a sweet tooth.

to overeat oneself: eat too much, eat immodestly.If you overeat, you’re bound to get fat.

to play with your food: to push food around the plate without eating it.

to spoil your appetite: to do something that would hinder your desire to eat.Stop talking about the snails, you’re spoiling my appetite!

to tuck into: to eat something greedily and with pleasure.After not eating the whole day, he tucked into the ham like a savage.

to wine and dine: to banquet, to “entertain with good food”. If you wine and dine someone, you usually take him out to dinner at a fancy restaurant.The company wined and dined us, hoping to convince us we should accept the job.

to work up an appetite: to do something that will lead to hunger.He must have worked up an appetite in the gym.

dine in: dine at home.We’re dining in tonight.

dine out: dine at a restaurant.We’re dining out tonight.

fussy eater: someone who is very picky about the food and doesn’t eat everything.My husband is a fussy eater, and he’s never pleased with my cooking.

home-cooked food: food cooked at home, usually implies that food is healthy.Preparing home-cooked food is a good way to make a balanced meal.

in a walking distance of: close to.I usually dine at a restaurant that’s in a walking distance of my home.