5 minsLanguages, words and grammar have evolved over thousands of years, helping us refine the ways in which we communicate and share ideas with each other. Over time, the English language has come to be a major language of academia, commerce and international relations throughout the world. Students who are not native English speakers need to demonstrate their proficiency in the language via obtaining the required scores in approved tests in order to gain admission to universities in countries where English is the native language and the medium of instruction in education. The IELTS is one such test, the results of which are widely accepted by universities across the world.
The speaking component of the IELTS is an area that you can use to boost your IELTS band score. One of the ways you can achieve this is by learning and mastering the correct use of appropriate idiomatic language and phrases. But before we go any further, let’s consider the following question and its answer:
What are idioms and idiomatic phrases?
An idiom is a single word or group of words, used mostly as a style of expression, whose meaning is understood symbolically rather than literally, and which has become accepted in common usage.
In other words, the meaning of an idiomatic phrase cannot be understood simply by knowing the meaning of each word in the phrase – it needs to be learnt. One way to do this is to listen carefully when fluent native speakers of the English language converse with each other, keep an ear out for such words and phrases and then practice incorporating them in your own speech. Of course, nowadays one can turn to the internet for this purpose and go through list after list of ‘common idioms for IELTS speaking’ or ‘phrases for IELTS speaking’; there is no denying that these are extremely convenient and useful backup material to turn to, but it always helps to hear a native speaker use these so as to know the context and other important things like the appropriate tone, pronunciation etc. to use when using idiomatic language and phrases.
The beauty of idioms
Idioms help you express your thoughts and ideas in a more dynamic and creative way as compared to literal language. Sample these:
Idiom: have a whale of a time
Meaning: have a good time and enjoy yourself
Usage: I’m sure you’re going to have a whale of a time at the party tonight!
Idiom: over the moon
Meaning: To feel extremely happy or pleased
Usage: Kabir was over the moon about his exam results.
Idiom: the last straw
Meaning: something that pushes a situation beyond tolerable limits
Usage: The sudden cancellation of the concert was the last straw in a series of unpleasant happenings last month.
These examples give you just a glimpse into how idiomatic language and phrases liven up otherwise simple and dull sentences. There are plenty of idioms for nearly every situation in our everyday lives and any topic we choose to speak about. The IELTS speaking test throws up numerous opportunities for you to impress the examiner with your vocabulary and range of language. Here is a list of common idioms, covering a wide range of topics and appropriate for multiple situations, that you can practice and master for the IELTS speaking test.
Geography or travel-related idioms for IELTS speaking
|
Idiom/ idiomatic phrase |
Meaning plus example |
Useful for |
|
Back of beyond |
A far-off place, often difficult to reach or access. Example: Ravi’s house is in the back of beyond, so you definitely need your own vehicle to get there. |
Talking about remote locations, adventures, experiences |
|
A stone’s throw |
A place which is located very close to a referred place or point. Example: The park is a stone’s throw from the hotel. |
Talking about directions, routine |
|
Hit the road |
Start on a journey. Example: We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow, so we should hit the road early. |
Talking about trips, travel experiences |
|
Off the beaten track |
Somewhere away from a main route, mostly not on people’s and tourists’ programs. Example: Kavin and his friends went off the beaten track on their recent vacation. |
Talking about remote locations, adventures, experiences |
Academics or career-related idioms for IELTS speaking
|
Idiom/ idiomatic phrase |
Meaning plus example |
Useful for |
|
At the eleventh hour |
At a very late stage, close to the end or deadline. Example: My friends and I submitted our term project for internal marks at the eleventh hour. |
Talking about an exciting or thrilling episode, deadlines |
|
At sea |
To not understand anything about a situation or not have even the basic knowledge or skill to handle a particular situation. Example: Roma was all at sea when her boss questioned her about the presentation. |
Talking about personal experiences, difficulties faced and overcome |
|
Piece of cake |
Something very easy to learn or perform. Example: Remembering chemical equations is a piece of cake once you understand the logic behind them. |
Talking about achievements, strengths |
|
Go the extra mile |
Put in extra efforts to ensure something gets done. Example: Rachel won the ‘employee of the month’ award for going the extra mile to ensure the project was delivered to the client on time. |
Talking about achievements, plans |
Home or family-related idioms for IELTS speaking
|
Idiom/ idiomatic phrase |
Meaning plus example |
Useful for |
|
Heat of the moment |
A moment of thoughtless action or behaviour, usually fuelled by anger. Example: I yelled at John in the heat of the moment. I didn’t mean to upset him. |
Talking about impulsive behaviour, regrets |
|
Take after someone |
To be very similar in some traits to someone else, usually an elder relative. Example: Kyra really takes after her mother in terms of her interest in wildlife. |
Taking about family, inspirations, interests |
|
Apple of someone’s eye |
Being the favourite person of someone, mostly in the family. Example: As a child, Misha was the apple of her grandmother’s eye. |
Talking about special family bonds, relationships |
|
Fly the nest |
To leave home and settle down independently, usually used while beginning a career. Example: My older cousin finally flew the nest last month and left to take up his job abroad. |
Talking about change in circumstances, challenges |
Friends or peer group-related idioms for IELTS speaking
|
Idiom/ idiomatic phrase |
Meaning plus example |
Useful for |
|
See eye to eye |
Have the same or similar viewpoint on a topic or topics with someone; often used in a negative sense. Example: Sheela and I have been friends for years, but we don’t see eye to eye when it comes to taste in music. |
Talking about differences, different perspectives, relationships |
|
Party pooper |
Someone who often behaves like a killjoy, ruining others’ fun. Example: Ronak is the party pooper in our group, always reminding us about our next exam or assignment when we are all together having fun. |
Talking about situations, personalities |
|
Pull (ing) someone’s leg |
To tease or play a joke on someone. Example: “Oh, come on Sumit, don’t get angry. Sameer was just pulling your leg.” |
Talking about funny situations, fond memories |
|
Through thick and thin |
To be loyal to someone throughout the relationship. Example: Riba really stuck with Ashok through thick and thin. He’ll do anything for her. |
Talking about loyalty, persistence |
Self-related idioms for IELTS speaking
|
Idiom/ idiomatic phrase |
Meaning plus example |
Useful for |
|
Under the weather |
To feel sick or ill. Example: I’ve been under the weather for a few days now with a viral fever. |
Talking about health |
|
Blessing in disguise |
Something positive or favourable, whose impact is not realised till later. Example: My non-selection for the cricket team turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it allowed me to come back a better player. |
Taking about hindsight, events that went well, luck |
|
On cloud nine |
Extreme feeling of happiness. Example: I was on cloud nine after I heard that we would be going trekking in the Himalayas. |
Talking about satisfaction, pleasant memories |
|
Rule of thumb |
A principle that is fairly strictly followed. Example: As a rule of thumb, I avoid working on weekends as I really value some downtime. |
Talking about routines, rules to live by |
As you can see, idioms can really transform your sentences and infuse some much-needed dynamism in your overall speaking output. The one thing to be a little cautious of is forcing idioms into your speech at any time; they must flow naturally with the sentence that you are speaking and the point that you are attempting to make, and not stand out and seem out of context. Also, it might be a good idea to spread them out a little bit and not come across as someone who just goes about talking in idioms and phrases.
So go ahead, plan and prepare a list of idioms and phrases for IELTS speaking to dazzle your examiner with. Don’t obsess over them though – ‘cut yourself a little slack’ (i.e., don’t be too harsh on yourself!) and enjoy the process of picking up new words and phrases to enrich your language. And now, it’s time to ‘call it a day’ (i.e., decide to stop doing something, because you’ve had enough) and wish all of you IELTS aspirants the very best of luck in your attempts to hit a high band score and improve your prospects. Good luck!
Note: Hotcourses India is part of IDP Connect, which is an IELTS partner.
Hi there! I'm Navi, your AI assistant on WhatsApp.
