1 IELTS Materials – (Ms.) Trang Nguyen, M.A. – 0375.085.986 – [email protected].
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IELTS SPEAKING – ENVIRONMENT
TOPIC VOCABULARY
I. Part 1-style questions
Q1: Are there any environmental problems in your country?
A: Yes, we have a serious issue with pollution levels in some of our big cities.
Exhaust fumes from cars and lorries are definitely one reason for the problem,
but we also have a lot of heavy industry in some areas, and this also results in
poor air quality.
▪ pollution levels:
▪ exhaust fumes:
▪ heavy industry:
▪ air quality:
Your answer:
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Q2: Do you take an interest in nature?
A: Well, I’m a city person through and through, and don’t get back to nature
very often I’m afraid. But like everyone else, I’m fascinated by the natural world
and I like watching documentaries showing wild animals in their natural
habitat.
▪ to get back to nature:
▪ the natural world:
Your answer:
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2 IELTS Materials – (Ms.) Trang Nguyen, M.A. – 0375.085.986 –
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Q3: Do you or your family take steps to help the environment?
A: My parents have always tried to make us aware of our impact on the
environment. They’re really into energy conservation, and always try to buy
environmentally friendly products if they have the chance.
▪ impact on:
▪ energy conservation:
▪ environmentally friendly:
Your answer:
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II. Part 2-style task
Describe an environmental problem that has been in the news. You
should say:
▪ when this was
▪ where the event happened
▪ what actually took place
and say how you felt about this problem.
Sample answer: Well, this is an interesting question. There are so many issues
I could think of, hmm, natural disasters like earthquakes and floods seem to
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3 IELTS Materials – (Ms.) Trang Nguyen, M.A. – 0375.085.986 –
[email protected] be in the news almost every year, but there was one story recently about some
animals that were under threat. It wasn’t focused on one place in particular. It
was looking at various animals that could actually become extinct in different
African countries. If we don’t take steps to protect them, these were really
iconic animals like gorillas, leopards, rhinos, … and apparently, they’re now listed
as endangered species. What made it really depressing was they were in
danger thanks to us. In some cases, it was due to a loss of habitat either
because people need more agricultural production, or even worse I think, you
know, because of hunting and poaching. I hate to think of future generations
being robbed of the chance to see creatures like these in their natural
environment. It’s lucky we have lots of organisations that focus on wildlife
conservation. Hopefully with their help we can put pressure on those in power
to do something to stop creatures like these dying out.
▪ natural disaster:
▪ to be under threat:
▪ to become extinct:
▪ endangered species:
▪ loss of habitat:
▪ poaching:
▪ future generations:
▪ natural environment:
▪ wildlife conservation:
Your answer:
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4 IELTS Materials – (Ms.) Trang Nguyen, M.A. – 0375.085.986 –
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III. Part 3-style questions
Q1: What do you think is the main danger the world faces in terms of the
environment?
A: Well, climate change is a real issue. In my country, we have flash floods and
heatwaves on a yearly basis, so yes, I think global warming is the biggest issue.
▪ climate change:
▪ flash floods:
▪ global warming:
Your answer:
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Q2: What examples are there of how we damage the natural world?
A: There are so many examples. There are factories that empty toxic waste into
rivers and oceans, oil spills that damage the coastline, the way we destroy vast
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5 IELTS Materials – (Ms.) Trang Nguyen, M.A. – 0375.085.986 –
[email protected] areas of land and rain forests in search of fossil fuels or to increase agricultural
production. I mean, I can’t name them all here but there are a lot, really.
▪ toxic waste:
▪ oil spill:
▪ fossil fuels:
Your answer:
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Q3: In which ways do we respond well to environmental problems?
A: Well, on the one hand there are various worldwide agencies that are always
the first on the scene with humanitarian aid after natural and man-made
disasters, and on the other hand we have environmental pressure groups that
are constantly raising awareness of issues and trying to stop disasters
happening.
▪ humanitarian aid:
▪ man-made disaster:
▪ pressure group:
Your answer:
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