Vocabulary
A frequent speaking topic and a recurring Task 2 essay. The vocabulary, grouped the way the argument runs.
Food comes up in two quite different registers. In speaking it is personal and everyday, about what you eat and what you cook. In writing it is a public policy question about diet, health, farming and fast food.
Preparing only the everyday vocabulary leaves you short in the essay, and preparing only the policy vocabulary makes your speaking sound like a report. It is worth having both.
The words
Four groups, from the personal to the public.
A balanced diet, home cooked meals, eating out, a takeaway, comfort food, an acquired taste, filling, bland, rich, seasonal produce.
Ingredients, a recipe, from scratch, to season, to marinate, to simmer, a staple food, a signature dish, leftovers.
Processed food, nutritional value, saturated fat, additives, portion size, obesity rates, dietary guidelines, food labelling, sedentary lifestyles.
Food security, agricultural subsidies, imported produce, food miles, organic farming, food waste, a sugar tax, fast food outlets.
Method
Five things that keep it accurate.
Speaking Part 1 wants everyday language. Part 3 and Task 2 want the policy vocabulary. Mixing them the wrong way round is jarring.
Whether governments should tax unhealthy food, and whether responsibility sits with individuals or the state. Have vocabulary for both positions.
Bland, rich, greasy, filling and refreshing say far more than nice or delicious, and they cost nothing extra to learn.
Food, produce and advice are uncountable. A meal, a dish and an ingredient are countable. This is a frequent slip on this topic.
Almost every candidate gets asked about food they like or a meal they can cook. Knowing the steps in English removes the hesitation entirely.
Yes. It is one of the most frequent Part 1 topics and appears in Part 3 as a question about diet and health.
Sometimes. A common cue card asks you to describe a meal you can cook, so having the steps ready in English is worth the preparation.
Whether governments should intervene in diet, usually through taxes, labelling or restrictions on advertising.
Food is uncountable. A meal, a dish and an ingredient are countable.
No. Speaking about your own meals wants everyday language. An essay about public health wants the policy vocabulary.
Full membership
Everything on this site is free, and it will take you a long way. What it cannot do is tell you whether your writing and speaking are where they need to be.
IELTStestONLINE assesses your writing and speaking against the four IELTS criteria, instantly and as often as you like, using a system built by a former IELTS examiner and examiner trainer. It keeps every score in one place with an estimated band, and it carries no advertising.
See what membership includesQuick question, 10 seconds
Where do you want to study or move to?
When are you planning to go?
How far along are you?
Want free IELTS practice sent to you?
Optional. Leave it blank and your answers are still counted.
Thanks. That helps.
Back to your practice.