Question Type 1: Basic Description Questions

Question Type 2: Liking

A very common type of questions in Part One is the "liking" questions. For example: "Do you like animals?"

As an examiner I have asked this style question hundreds of times. A common response might be something like:

"Yes. I like animals. I like cats and dogs because they are very lovely.”

If you have read and understood what has been written so far in this book, you should be starting no see the problems with this answer. This answer lacks all the features common in native-speaker style English. The answer focuses I00% on content.

Expressing likes and dislikes is actually quite a large area of the English language and as a result there is a wide range of language available to express these functions. When the examiner asks, "Do you like animals?" your answer should display some ability to express these functions using a range of appropriate language.

“I like” and “I don’t like” do not display any ability to skillfully or flexibly express these functions. In most cases, the examiner probably used "like" or “don't like" in the question, so candidates who use these words are simply recycling the question words in the form of a statement.

For these questions, the first step is to find some alternative language for "liking". The following expressions can be used for all general topics:

• 
  I’m fairly / pretty keen on...
  
• 
  I’m quite / pretty fond of
  
• 
  I'm really into...
  
• 
  I'm totally mad about
  
• 
  I'm quite a big fan of...
  
• 
  I'm quite partial to
  
• 
  I simply adore...
  
• 
  I'm quite passionate about
  
• 
  I’m quite enthusiastic about...
  
• 
  I generally prefer... (use only when comparing)
  

Most of the adverbs are interchangeable in this list.

One advantage of the IELTS vocabulary marking system is that if you use an uncommon word incorrectly or in the wrong context, you will still get some credit for trying to use the word.

For example, if a candidate said: "I’m quite enthusiastic about Korean food." Compare it with: "I like Korean food."
Native-speakers wouldn‘t normally use the word "enthusiastic" to describe food, but the first sentence is better than the second because it attempts to use an uncommon vocabulary item (quite enthusiastic).

So don't be afraid to use any of the words from the list - they are all worth more to your score than "I like" or "I enjoy".

We return to the question: "Do you like animals?" The aim of our answer is to use about 3 or 4 "liking" expressions.

Look at the following answer:

“Well to be quite honest, in general I would say that actually quite keen on animals, but in particular I would probably have to say that I'm really into domestic pets like dogs. I guess the reason why I'm a fan of dogs is because I adore their loyalty and companionship. In addition to dogs I suppose also pretty passionate about endangered species, especially dolphins and things like that and this is due to the fact I feel some degree of responsibility towards wildlife protection."