This is a lesson available in Tiny Lessons in the Eduling Speak app. It's written and recorded by Ms. Lara, an IELTS examiner. We are sharing it here with you, but head out to the app (download here) for a better learning experience with more interactive features and opportunities for further practice.
Pre-listening: Study these words before listening to the lesson. They will appear in the recording.
introductory
fluency
category
depend
neighborhood
crowded
observation
yard
trust
protect
Task 1: Click HERE to listen to the recording to learn more about about how to answer questions about neighbors in IELTS Speaking Interview Part 1
Task 2: Listen to the recording again and read the transcript of the lesson.
Are you preparing for the IELTS Speaking Interview? As you know, in Part 1 of the IELTS Interview, you’ll be asked to answer a variety of personal questions. Questions about neighbors are some common ones in this part of the interview. We will practice answering four of them in today’s tiny lesson. Remember to answer each in a few sentences even when it’s a yes-no question. Imagine the examiner asking “Why?” Let’s get started.
Question 1: Do you like your neighbors?
Answer: To be honest, I don’t really know my neighbors. I just moved to a new place and so I haven’t met them yet. But I have seen some of them and they look like nice people.
Tip: You can answer a personal question with “to be honest” as an introductory phrase, which helps in the fluency category. Also note the use of the present perfect in this answer: “haven’t met” and “have seen” along with present (“don’t know” “they look”) and past (“just moved”). This shows grammatical flexibility.
Question 2: Are neighbors usually close to each other in your country?
Answer: I would say that usually, people in my country are not very close with their neighbors, but it depends on the neighborhood where you live. In crowded areas, people are closer to their neighbors because they tend to share things or help each other out.
Tip: The question asks you to think more broadly than just yourself; the word “usually” shows you’re making an observation about what people do in general. This is a yes-no question, but you should explain your idea as though the examiner asks “why?” In other words, what does it depend on and why (in this case, it depends on the neighborhood).
Question 3: Do you think your neighborhood is a good place for children?
Answer: No, I don’t think my neighborhood is a good place for children because there is not enough room to play. It’s better for children to have a yard and more space to do activities outside the home.
Tip: With a yes-no question, you can use “because” to give your reason why. After giving your reason (in this case, there’s not enough outdoor space), explain by adding a detail or example (children need a yard to play).
Question 4: Do you think it is important to have a good relationship with your neighbors?
Answer: Yes, it is important to have a good relationship with your neighbors. This way, you can trust them and they can even look after your house if you're away. Good neighbors will protect each other and even become good friends.
Tip: After restating the question (it is important to have...), again you should explain why. Try to use vocabulary that is more precise, such as “trust” “look after” “protect”. Like questions 2 and 3, this asks you to think more generally and beyond yourself.
I hope this lesson gives you some examples and ideas to answer questions about neighbors. Practice answering these questions on the Eduling Speak app by talking with someone or recording your answers. And remember to check out other tiny lessons.
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