IELTS Tips

Describe Your Favourite Room [IELTS Speaking Part 2]

Today’s lesson looks at the IELTS speaking part 2. In it, we will think about the question: Describe your favourite room. I will show you how to read the cue card, make notes, and then answer the questions easily. I’m going to ask you to get up and get active in this lesson, so be ready to explore!

Cue Card

Of course, there are various possibilities for how the cue card may be written, but this is one:

Describe your favourite room

You should say

  • what the room is
  • what furniture it contains
  • what you do in it

And explain why it is your favourite room

Here, we have a list of things we should talk about, although you can go into other details. For example, maybe you have a collection of some kind, an interesting decoration, musical instruments, or some books that you’d like to talk about.

Making Notes

Once you’ve read the cue card, you should take a minute to try down some notes. Practice doing this at home because it’s not as easy as it sounds! Under real exam conditions, note down some details about your own favourite room. Close your eyes and imagine you are there – what do you see around you?

Here’s some ideas for me:

  • office/study
  • book shelves
  • cameras
  • one single blue plastic chair
  • computer desk
  • plants

These are just some ideas. You can’t write down too much because you don’t have that much time. Instead, just focus on ideas and difficult vocabulary that could help you describe your favourite room.

Vocabulary to describe your favourite room

Here’s an idea: Go to your favourite room right now and look around. What can you see? Can you name everything? Try it! Do your best! Look up the word for anything difficult in a dictionary. What about more details? How would you describe your desk, chair, or shelves?

What about your feelings towards the room, or a way to describe what you do there? Is it for relaxing, studying, or eating? Does it make you feel any particular way? Is it a place you get privacy or creative inspiration? These are great things to mention.

My Sample Answer

Yesterday, I recorded a very different video to my usual style and posted it to my YouTube channel. In it, I show you around my own little office and explain why it is my favourite room. Enjoy!

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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