This is a sample response for IELTS Speaking Part 2 and 3. In addition to the model answer there are highlighted words and phrases. Teal is for vocabulary relating to this topic, yellow is for generally useful words and phrases.
IELTS Speaking Part 2
You should say:
- how old you were
- what was the weather phenomenon
- what made you remember it
and say if it is a happy or a sad memory.
Model answer
When I was in primary school we had an unusually cold summer, the coldest I can possibly remember I guess. I was about 8 years old at the time, it was almost summer break for us all. I remember doing the homework assignment when it happened. It started easy, it felt like some pellets hitting the roof of our house. Within minutes the noise escalated dramatically, and it felts like stones were falling it down from the sky en masse. It was a hailstorm – hard compacted pieces of snow and ice.
The reason I remember it to this day is that one particularly big lump of ice hit my father’s car and broke the windshield. It surprised that my father didn’t feel particularly bad about the incident – I guess he was just thankful that our family was lucky enough to be indoors during the storm. This is what made me feel warm and cozy, protected by the roof and the walls of our house. And the car insurance covered the repair costs, if you care to know!
IELTS Speaking Part 3
Natural phenomena
Do you think the frequency and intensity of natural disasters are increasing?
It appears to be the case, unfortunately. One obvious example is the 2023 chain of earthquakes, the most dramatic one in Turkey with death toll of over 50 thousand. It’s a real shame this happened and one would think that given the current seismological equipment one could at least predict that happening. Many other countries suffered from this disaster, namely Syria, Afghanistan and Ecuador, claiming many innocent lives. Maybe it’s a way of nature letting us know that we are doing something wrong, disrespecting the land or something similar.
What can individuals do to be ready for unpredictable weather conditions?
Planning ahead is always a good thing, especially when you want to counter unforeseen difficulties. Always having an umbrella with you can save you from getting soaked wet. Another option is to always have a change of clothes stashed somewhere – your place of employment or your friends’ place. A more conventional and almost obvious solution is to look up weather forecast. This one doesn’t always work though – weather can be quite volatile, depending on where you live. To sum up, you have a handful of options, but there is no approach that covers every possible situation.
Should governments invest more resources into researching and combating the effects of climate change or into preparing for and responding to natural disasters caused by severe weather?
This is a classic long term versus short term approach case. I’d say that the optimal choice is to prioritise most pressing issues but shift focus on sustenance as soon as you can afford it. Climate change, if left unchecked, is likely to make the planet practically impossible to live on. This will take some time, but it will inevitably happen. Naturally if we act now it is possibly preventable. But the matters at hand such as mitigating consequences of a natural disasters should take precedence.
Climate change and the weather
How is people’s mood affected by weather changes? Why?
The nicer the weather, the better people feel – that goes without saying. But is it true for everyone? I know at least two people who have it upside down – they feel more comfortable during gloomy days, they enjoy staying inside with a warm beverage. Admittedly, they are outliers in this regard and for the vast majority sunshine is highly desirable. This is easily explained by sun rays being a natural source of vitamin D. Therefore it’s no surprise that warm summer days bring out the best in people.
Would you prefer to live in a place with consistent weather conditions or one that has distinct seasons throughout the year? Why?
Ah, probably the latter. I think the variety of seasons makes us appreciate the pleasantly warm days more. Everything is cyclical and nature is a great reflection of that with every season having its own special charm. Having an in-between weather and ambient temperature would get real old real fast I guess. But it has to depend on where you come from – maybe some people who have never experienced seasonal peculiarities would loathe living in a climate like that!
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