In part 2 of the IELTS speaking test, you may be asked to talk about a book that you have read or a film that you have seen. In this post, I’m going to give you some tips on how to do that successfully.
Keep it simple
A film or book can have a long, complex story. If you have to talk about the story, try to keep it simple. Try not to include too many details or you might be unable to finish the task. Practise summarizing your favourite film or book in under 30 seconds.
Use the present simple
When we talk about what happens in a book or film, we often use the present simple. The use of the present simple makes the story more ‘alive’. The book might be written in the past, but we still use the present simple to retell the story. Examples:
- In the book, Gatsby falls in love with a woman called Daisy.
- At the start of the film a big spaceship comes to Earth and lands in LA. Then the aliens eat all the people.
Learn some vocabulary for describing a book or film
You should be ready to give your opinion about a book or film. Did you enjoy it? Was it captivating? Were the special effects mind-blowing? Was the acting superb? Below are some links to help you:
99 Adjectives to describe any book
Adjectives for describing films (pdf)
12 English phrases for describing movies (American English, advanced)
You can find many more model and sample answers in the IELTS Speaking Masterclass, an online training course including videos, eBooks and audios.
Leave a Reply