IELTS Energy 1604: How to Ignore the IELTS Part 2 Cue Card and Still Score Band 9

This is an IELTS Energy Podcast, Episode 1604, How to Ignore the IELTS Part 2 Cue Card and Still Score Band 9. Welcome to the IELTS Energy Podcast from All Ears English. Downloaded more than 35 million times with examiner-trained IELTS whiz Aubrey Carter and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl. If you are stuck with a low score, our insider method will help you get the score you need to unlock your dreams.

Get your estimated band score now with our two minute quiz at allearsenglish.com forward slash my score. Do you have friends that are on a pop in basis? Do you ever pop by someone's house, but then stay longer than you expected? Today, you'll learn five fun phrasal verbs with the word pop that are perfect for describing quick actions.

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Go to allairsenglish.com slash fluency score. That's allearsenglish.com slash F-L-U-E-N-C-Y-S-C-O-R-E. Hello, Michelle. How are you today? Hey, Aubrey.

I am really good, but I have a question for you. Okay, let's hear it. Be honest. Be honest. I will. I will be honest. Okay. Have you ever littered? This is a good question.

And I have a story. So briefly, guys, when I was about 17, so old enough to know better, I had friends that would litter regularly. And I started to feel like it was normal. And I just sort of forgot that it's not something that should happen.

And so then I was with my dad's friend. So he was much old. He was at the age of my dad's age. He was probably like 40 or 50. Who knows? And could you forget how old?

How old was he? Oh, goodness. I might be older than he was at the time. He seems so old, but I was in a car with him and his daughter. We were, he was like taking us to ice cream or something.

I don't remember. And I had a piece of gum that I ate the piece of gum and I had the little foil wrapper and the windows were down and I chucked it right out the window and he stopped the car.

And he said, who taught you that that was okay? And he made me go out and pick it up and bring it back in the car so we could throw it away later. And he was nice about it. He was kind of trying to keep it lighthearted, kind of joking.

Like, what are you doing? What are you thinking? But I also was very much mortified. And like, he's right. Why did I start thinking that was okay? Because I was not raised to, I was raised that we do not litter.

Never, never. And so it was fascinating how my friends' influence, the influence of my peers had sort of made me start thinking it was okay to the point that I did it in front of an adult that I would think would not be okay with it. But it was like, it's so interesting. So, and that was a really great lesson for me.

And I stopped littering. I started telling my friends who were littering like, no, this is okay. This is not okay. And if I was driving, one time I was driving and someone threw a whole McDonald's bag out the window and

Well, it was like, they threw like a bag of Wendy's or something. They threw it out the window and I stopped and I was like, go pick it up and we're going to throw it away. And they wouldn't, they were kind of laughing and they wouldn't. So I went and picked it up and brought it back in the car and was like, no, this is not happening.

If I'm driving, don't chuck stuff out my window. Interesting. So that was a really good lesson for you. Well, guys, thank you for sharing that with us.

That's a good story. I had forgotten about it until recently. I was reminded of that story. I'm like, oh, goodness. Well, today, guys, we are doing part two.

On the last episode of IELTS on 1603, we started talking about cue cards and answering part two questions and what you have to answer. So definitely, guys, first of all, make sure you hit the follow button wherever you're listening to this podcast. And then if you haven't already, go back and listen to episode 1603,

So you can get the full understanding of everything that we're talking about today. Yes. And today, Michelle is going to answer a part two question. She is not going to see the bullet points.

So then after, we'll discuss what her answer would score and... then we'll read the bullet points and see if she accidentally covered them. But just like Michelle said, be sure to hit follow. You can definitely listen today to the end, hear this answer, and then go back and check out 1603 if you missed some of those details.

And then you will be prepared to answer these part two questions and decide if you should look at the bullet points or not, because sometimes you maybe should. So, all right, here we go. All right, let's get started.

As a reminder for everyone at home, especially if you haven't taken IELTS before, you need to speak for two minutes. When you answer these part two questions, you'll have one minute to think about what you want to say and take notes on your answer. And then you'll need to start speaking. So Michelle is going to answer a question for us, and we are not providing her with the bullet points.

She's going to answer the question. And then after, we'll read the bullet points and see if she accidentally covered some of this. All right, Michelle, your question is... Okay.

Describe a time when you did something to help the environment. Okay. All right. Should I start? Yes. Oh, and this is a quick, I'm going to share for everybody out there because I already started the timer.

When the examiner reads is a good reminder. When the examiner reads that question, just start speaking immediately. They have started the timer. Don't ask like, should I start now?

As soon as they finish the question, start speaking. So let's do that again so that I can start the timer at the right time. Ready, Michelle? Here we go.

Here we go. Yes. Describe a time when you did something to help the environment. Okay. So what really bothers me is when people just throw their stuff out the window or they just litter.

Litter really does bother me. And this is kind of an interesting example. It's really just a drop in the ocean. So I feel a little bit silly even mentioning this example, but it just stands out of my mind.

I remember when I was a teenager... And I was driving out of where I was working. I was working at this at this sports bar, actually. And I remember I was driving past with my friend and I just saw that there was this big McDonald's bag just at the entrance of the parking lot.

And it was just on the ground. And instead of just driving past it, I actually stopped to pick it up and throw it away. Just like while I was driving, I just made a stop to pick it up and throw it away. So again, this is really...

I just don't like it when people turn a blind eye to things that are on the road. I mean, somebody has to pick it up, right? So I just remember that... I forget who I was with, but it was like, why are you stopping?

But I just felt that... It was necessary. And then I felt good about it. Again, I know that this is not something that is going to solve all of the problems.

But for some reason, that's just a story that stands out in my head from my past, where it just really irked me that I saw this litter in the middle of the road. And I didn't understand why somebody would just like, what are you doing with your McDonald's bag that you can't just throw it out?

So that's something that I really remember. I mean, I try and be environmentally friendly in other ways. Michelle, that answer was amazing. Thank you.

So good. I'm excited to dive into all of the high-scoring vocabulary you used and some other interesting strategies. Thank you. And chunks that can be used on any answer for any topic.

This was so good. Okay. First of all, I love that you started with what really bothers me is that is such a native chunk. I don't hear students say that often.

What really bothers me? They might say what upsets me? What makes me angry? I hear students say that this is band nine. What really bothers me is because it's more rare.

It's less common for students to use it. Make a note of that one, guys, and use it to start IELTS part two answers. Often we have students ask us, how should I start my part two answer? Or I will tell them because they're starting it with, today I would like to talk about a time I helped the environment.

No, that's so low scoring. Don't do that. We don't talk like that. If someone asks you this question in real life, you would never say that, right? Yeah.

Right, right. Exactly. So this is so much better. This is a great way to start your part two answer. What really bothers me is, and you're going to have good intonation because you're sharing something you're emotional about, you're passionate about, so you're going to have a better chance of emphasizing words, punching words, you know?

what really, either what really bothers me is, or what really bothers me is, either way, you are punching certain words to get that emotion out, right? Amazing. Okay. You used the phrase, a drop in the, in the, so you said a drop in the ocean, which is what we taught.

And as you said it, I thought in my dialect, I would say a drop in the bucket, which do you say a drop in the ocean or a drop in the bucket? Or both? Maybe a drop in the bucket. Yeah.

Which I've heard both. They're both common. They're definitely both allowed. But yeah, me too. I hear that more and I say that more. So interesting. But they mean the same thing.

Just mean something small that might not have a great effect. But I love that we can also use it this way to be like, maybe this is just a drop in the bucket, but... Or a drop in the ocean, but... Both work. And then here's an interesting note.

Listeners, go back and fact check me on this. But I think what Michelle said was, what stands out of my mind is native speakers do this a lot where we'll accidentally use the incorrect preposition. You didn't notice... You didn't correct it.

And I think this is a really good note because we often talk about how native speakers will also make tiny grammar errors like this. When we are thinking about something, we're thinking about, what do I think about this? And when I say we're not so focused on the grammar, we'll do this all the time. Because of that, you can make an error like this and still get a band nine on IELTS because native speakers do it too.

So that's why we often say, don't stress so much about the grammar. This is a perfect example of that. If you let that throw you off and you went back, you could correct yourself and be like, I mean, stands out in my mind and that wouldn't affect your score, but you didn't notice it. You didn't point it out.

And that also would not affect your score. Here, Michelle is a native speaker with a master's degree. She did it. You can do it too. It won't affect your score.

So I love that that happened. Yeah. But also maybe go back and listen to the answer again and then leave a comment. Let me know if I just misheard. But I thought you did actually made me really happy because we talk about this a lot.

Don't worry about it. Don't let it throw you off. Don't let it stress you out. Okay. Then you said turn a blind eye. This is such great vocab. It was a perfect way to use it, right?

You hate when people turn a blind eye to the litter on the street. I agree, Michelle. You and I, we see eye to eye on this. We don't turn a blind eye.

There's a couple of eye idioms. Okay. Then I love that you used this chunk where you said, I forget who I was with. This is so great. And it's a really good way to add to your time.

If you're like, okay, I'm going to share who was there with me, but you don't remember this native chunk. I forget who I was with. And notice the grammar here.

You could say, I have forgotten who I was with, or I don't remember who I was with, but this is such a native natural chunk to say it in present tense like this, because you're talking about you now in the present. And even you could also say, I am forgetting who I was with, but you can also use present simple. I forget who I was with. And that's how we hear it the most often.

So it's a really common chunk. Write that down, guys. Add that. Whatever you're talking about, if you feel like you need more to say to fill the two minutes, talk about who was with you.

And if you don't remember, say this. I forget who I was with. Then you could add, think of all the vocab. Maybe it was my mom. We hung out a lot back then.

Maybe it was a friend. This is all amazing. Anything like this that it's all related, the examiner's not like going off topic. No. As long as you answer the question, that is all perfect.

And as you saw, native speakers do it too. Okay. Then I love, you said, I felt good about, that's a great phrase. Irked. I felt irked. That's a brand nine word that means irritated or annoyed.

I felt irked. And then, um, oh yeah. The other things I noted were just things I wanted to share, but this, that's just such a great vocab. So guys go back and listen to it again to hear this great vocab.

I was thinking so many things while you shared that, that have happened to me recently. I was shopping and there was a receipt someone had left in the shopping cart. I'm like, what are you doing? Throw away your receipt.

And I almost left it for the next person. And then I'm like, I didn't really want to touch it. It wasn't mine. And then I realized the next person's going to think it was mine.

First of all, why should the next person have to throw it away? Someone has to throw it away. So I took it and I went and throw it away. Actually, I put it in my car and it's probably still in my car because I'm like, I'll throw it away eventually.

Yeah. And it's in my car for a while, you know. Oh, I just had to clean out my car. Oh, my gosh. Well, so just a little bit of commentary. So for this, yeah, when I didn't have, you know, I wish I had an answer about like, oh, that I'm president of the environmental club in my, you know what I mean?

But when you ask me this question... Yeah, so it's like, I don't feel that I, it's possible that I, if I had more time to think, that I could think of like a better story, right? But I thought of just what is the first thing that's coming into my head? And I, even though, yeah, I threw away a bag of trash.

Okay, great. Like, you know, I'm not the greatest environmentalist who's ever lived in this answer. And, but I wanted to try and think of like, how can I expand this?

What do I remember? Where was I? Just adding in as much of extra information to just kind of pad the story. Because I could have told that story in about 10 seconds, right?

And you needed to fill two minutes. Right. So, you know, just think of like what Aubrey said, like, who were you with? Where were you? At what time in your life was this?

Oh, so I think I was a teenager. I was working at the, you know what I mean? Yes. Don't feel bad if you don't feel like you're in this type of question that you don't have anything super inspiring to say.

Again, maybe if I had more time to think, I could have thought of a better example, but I didn't. You made such a good point here that it doesn't have to be this big, impressive, important thing. You answered the question. That was a band nine answer.

Answering that question, that's something that probably everyone out there listening, everyone who takes the IELTS exam has probably done that. You've probably picked up something that wasn't actually yours and thrown it away.

That counts. You could talk about that for two minutes. So I love that advice. It doesn't have to be big. It doesn't have to be groundbreaking. Just talk whatever you're talking about as long as it's on topic.

As long as it's related, as long as you're answering that question, it can be high scoring if you're adding this good vocabulary and using these strategies. Okay, after the break, we are going to share the bullet points and see if Michelle covered them.

All right. Have you ever wondered if you're actually ready for the IELTS exam or if you still need more preparation? Guessing is risky when the test is expensive and your future depends on your score. That's why we created our free IELTS band score quiz.

In just two minutes, you can get an estimated band score and free resources designed for your level. This is the fastest way to understand where you are and what to do next. go now to allearsenglish.com slash myscore. That's allearsenglish.com slash M-Y-S-C-O-R-E.

Okay, Michelle, let's look over the bullet points for that question. And we're going to think about, and I'll look at my notes here to see if you covered them. Can you read the bullet points for that question for us? Okay, so what you did...

when and where you did it, why you did it, and explain how you felt about it. Okay, let's talk about these. First of all, what you did. Yes, obviously.

How difficult would it be to answer that question if you didn't cover that bullet point, Michelle? I couldn't answer it. There's no way. It's impossible.

If you don't cover that bullet point, there's no way you can get a high score on this question because you're not answering the question. So it's silly that that bullet point's even there. Obviously, you're going to say what you did. And that's kind of how it is with these bullet points.

Why waste time reading them when they're so obvious? Like, yeah, obviously, I'm going to talk about that. What about the second one? When and where you did.

So yeah, I talked about when that it was when I was a teenager and it was near where I was working. So yeah, I gave that information. And I think it would be a sort of hard to fill two minutes and not cover those things. They're not required.

Yeah. If you just kind of told the story and didn't happen to share when that was and where you did it, that would not pull down your score. Answering that bullet point would not pull down your score. But it kind of would be difficult to provide lots of detail and fill two minutes and not share that.

Yeah. And also why you did it. I mean, I gave a little bit of background that that's, it's kind of a pet peeve of mine, um, to see those things on the, on the road. And so I, that's when I, how I explained it.

Yes. And then I, and then also I explained how I felt about it. You know, I said, I felt, I think I said, I felt good about it. And that, you know, I, you know, sometimes it's just those little things that you do where you're like, okay, I did, I did something.

Yeah. Totally. And this is of all of these bullet points. This fourth one is most likely to be the one that isn't covered by a student. And it would not matter if you don't share how you felt about it.

You are still answering the question because you, the question wasn't describe a time when you did something to help the environment and share how you felt about it. If so, you would have to share that. It does not. You would not have to share how you felt about it.

But it also added a lot of interesting detail and vocabulary and filled that two minutes and is just sort of natural that often we will share how we feel about something. So you can see how... If you don't feel like you could fill the two minutes, you might want to read those bullet points to give you ideas of what else could I say about this? What other details could I share?

But it doesn't have to be that way, right? You don't have to share all of that. It won't affect your score. Awesome. Well, wow. I've learned a lot today, Aubrey.

This has been really helpful and I'm sure our listeners felt the same way. So guys, just remember this information, these hot tips from Aubrey. Don't stress about that cue card. And I think, should we head off the mic today?

Yeah. I want to share a related episode that was actually over on um all ears english where we talked about or no it was here on the ielts energy podcast it was related vocabulary about the environment we kind of um talked about it a little bit but i want to make sure you didn't miss it if if not scroll up it was episode 1600 right here on ielts energy how to ace ielts speaking questions about the environment we shared a lot of band nine vocabulary for these questions about the environment.

And with that, with all of that vocabulary and today's strategies, you will be able to score very highly on any question about the environment, which is one of the most common topics on IELTS that comes up a lot. So you want to be ready for those questions.

Absolutely. All right. Thank you so much, Aubrey. Thanks guys for listening and have a great day. You too. Thanks, Michelle. Bye. Bye. Thanks for listening to IELTS Energy.

Hit subscribe now and don't forget to find your estimated band score at allearsenglish.com slash myscore.