Want to practise speaking with an experienced native English teacher?
Sign up for an IELTS speaking course or 1-2-1 Skype class and book your first interview practice today!!
SAVE €20 when you sign up for IELTS Speaking + Writing together!!
Part 1 – sample questions
- What is the climate like in your country?
- Are there any problems with the climate in your country?
- What is your favourite type of weather?
- What kind of weather do you dislike?
- Would you prefer to live in a hot or cold country?
- What is the best/worst weather for travelling in?
Part 2 – sample task card
Describe an environmental problem. You should say:
- what it is
- how long it has existed
- how it affects people’s lives
and explain how you think the problem will develop in the future.
Part 3 – sample questions
- Which environmental problems are people most concerned about in your country?
- What are the main causes of these environmental problems?
- Do you think it is the responsibility of governments alone to protect the environment?
- What measures can individuals take to protect the environment?
- Do you think large companies and business organisations should be more environmentally friendly? Why? How?
- How can we teach children about the importance of protecting the environment?
Useful Vocabulary
Environmental Problems
- destruction of the rainforests (deforestation)
- melting of the icecaps
- extinction of many species (loss of biodiversity)
- destruction of the ozone layer
- global warming / the “greenhouse effect”
- rising sea levels
- pollution of land, sea and air
- increase of natural disasters eg, earthquakes, landslides, floods
Causes of Environmental Problems
- excessive emissions of greenhouse gases, eg carbon dioxide
- chemical and industrial waste
- emissions from cars and planes
- improper dumping of household waste
- overuse of non-renewable fossil fuels
- genetic modification
- over-consumption
- over-urbanisation
Solutions to Environmental Problems
- recycling
- using renewable sources of energy, eg solar heating, wind-farms
- replanting trees
- cutting carbon emissions
- cleaner waste disposal
- sustainable consumption and development
- buying products with less packaging
- buying organic products
- buying products made from recycled material / renewable sources
- using natural remedies as alternative medicine
Useful linkers for explaining cause & effect
- caused by
- due to
- because of
- as a result of
- leads to
- results in
- causes
Sample Answer
Which environmental problems are people most concerned about in your country?
I think people in my country are most concerned about future shortages of fresh drinking water, which I suppose is both a result of poor water management and general global warming. I think everyone is feeling the effects of the latter problem which is causing us to experience more extreme temperatures, for example, much colder winters and much hotter summers. The long hot summers are particularly worrying in the south of the country where there is a real risk of drought due to the consistent lack of rainfall.
I am a registered nurse from India. Even after three IELTS attempts I couldn’t score band 7 in speaking, so I enrolled on the iPass IELTS speaking course. Finally, I was able to score 7.5 in speaking and I am really thankful to Jenny who was my mentor. She gave a lot of prompt corrections and tips for me which I could apply in my test. I would highly recommend the iPass team for anyone who wants to achieve a good band in IELTS.
Susan - India