TOPIC: PEOPLE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
(This material is collected by Smartcom, and used in the free of charge IELTS Speaking mini course)
During the IELTS Speaking exam you may want to talk about what people look like. This might
involve describing their physical appearance or the type of clothes they like to wear.
Questions:
Part 1:
-
Do you look like any other people in your family?
Tell me about your family.
What does your best friend look like?
Part 2:
Describe a person whose appearance you like. You should say
who this person is
what their relationship is to you
what they look like
and say what it is about their appearance you like.
Part 3:
-
Is it important to dress well whenever we go out?
Do people worry too much about their appearance as they get older?
Is attractiveness a quality worthwhile aiming for?
SAMPLE ANSWER (BAND 7.5+)
Part 1:
Examiner: Do you look like any other people in your family?
Carlo: No not at all take my brother for example he has short cropped hair and has quite
a pointed face hes also quite fair-skinned compared to me
Examiner: Tell me about your family.
Andrea: My fathers getting on a bit hes in his 60s but he looks very young for his age
he still does lots of exercise and is quite well-built
Examiner: What does your best friend look like?
Mandy: Shes the same age as me she has shoulder-length hair fair hair she has a slim
figure and is medium height
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Part 2:
Describe a person whose appearance you like. You should say
who this person is
what their relationship is to you
what they look like
and say what it is about their appearance you like.
Monique: OK Id like to talk about my aunt her names Marta and shes quite a character
shes middle-aged but has a very youthful appearance shes a little overweight I suppose but
not too much she has a friendly round face framed by thick blonde hair she has a lovely
complexion and shes always well-turned out she actually always looks like shes going out for
the evening to somewhere special theres never a hair out of place Ive always thought she
bears a striking resemblance to someone on TV I cant remember the name now
she wears glasses and always seems to have a different pair on every time I see her I like the
way she looks because she wears clothes that are right for her age and manages to look glamorous
without it looking like shes too done up yes Ill be happy if I look like her when Im her age
Part 3
Examiner: Is it important to dress well whenever we go out?
Mark: It depends where youre going I know some people get done up just to go to the shops
but I dont see the point you shouldnt go out looking scruffy with disheveled hair but I really
dont see the point in getting dressed up to the nines unless youre going somewhere special
Examiner: Do people worry too much about their appearance as they get older?
Mira: Im sure they do yes but it happens to all of us doesnt it we all go grey eventually
and get hard of hearing we start to lose our figure thats why plastic surgery is so popular
personally I think we just need to grow old gracefully and not worry too much about how we
look
Examiner: Is attractiveness a quality worthwhile aiming for?
Phoebe: Id like to say no it shouldnt matter what we look like in terms of our physical
appearance but unfortunately it seems women especially are taken more seriously if they
aregood looking with a slender figure with perfect make up and so on
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Useful phrases
1. to bear a striking resemblance: to look very similar to
2. cropped hair: very short hair
3. disheveled hair: untidy hair
4. to dress up to the nines: to dress very smartly or glamorously
5. fair hair: light-coloured hair
6. to be fair-skinned: light skinned
7. to get done up: to dress smartly
8. to be getting on a bit: to be getting old
9. to go grey: to have hair that is turning grey
10. to be good looking: to be attractive
11. to grow old gracefully: to act in a way that embraces the fact you are getting older
12. to be hard of hearing: to find it difficult to hear
13. in his/her 30s/40s: to be 20/30 something
14. scruffy: dressed untidily
15. to look young for your age: to look younger than you are
16. to lose ones figure: to have a figure that has lost its toned shape
17. complexion: natural skin colour and texture
18. make up: cosmetics
19. medium height: average height
20. middle-aged: approximately between 45-65
21. to never have a hair out of place: perfectly styled hair
22. to be overweight: to weigh more than is regarded as healthy
23. pointed face: the opposite of a round face
24. shoulder-length hair: hair that comes down to the shoulders and no further
25. slender figure: a figue that is tall and slim
26. slim figure: attractively thin
27. thick hair: a lot of hair
28. to wear glasses: to use spectacles
29. to be well-built: to be muscular
30. to be well-turned out: to look smart
31. youthful appearance: to look young
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DESCRIBING HOW PEOPLE LOOK
1. Ages
-
Newborn / nu b rn/ (n): S sinh
Baby / be bi/ (n): Tr em
Toddler / t dl/ (n): (Tr) Chp chng i
Teenager / ti n e d/ (n): Thiu nin
Adult / dlt/ (n): Ngi trng thnh
Adolescence / d lesnts/ (n): Thanh thiu
nin
C mt vi cch khc nhau miu t v tui ca mt ngi no . Nu bn bit chnh xc
tui ca ngi , bn c th ni, v d, He is 22 years old (Anh y 22 tui). Nu bn khng
chc chn, bn c th ni Hes about 20 (Anh y khong 20) hoc Hes in his early twenties
(Anh y bt u sang tui 20). Trong nhng trng hp thn thin hn, bn c th ni He
looks twentyish (Anh y trng khong 20 tui).
ng ni He is ten years. Hy ni He is ten hoc He is ten years old.
Old /old/ (n): Ngi cao tui
Middle-aged / m dl e dd/ (adj): Trung tui
(In sbs) twenties / twentiz/ (n): tui 20
Thirties / tiz/ (n): tui 30
Forties / f rtiz/ (n): tui 40
The following idioms are all about getting old. Complete them using these words:
getting
dog
over
wrong
a. You cant teach an old _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ new tricks.
b. Shes the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ side of 40.
c. Hes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the hill.
d. Hes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ on a bit now.
Now use these above idioms, changing the grammar if necessary to complete these
sentences:
a. John will never change the way he does things. You _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
b. In professional football, youre _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ at 35.
c. I think Ill have to start taking life a bit easier. I am _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , you know!
d. Sheila looks great for her age. Youd never guess shes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of 50!
2. Appearance
-
Tall /t l/ (adj): Cao vs Short / rt/ (adj): Thp
Stocky / st ki/ (adj): Trn trnh
Slim /sl m/ (adj): Gy
Well-built / wel b lt/ (adj): Cn i
Overweight / ov we t/ (adj): Tha cn
Enormous / n rms/ (adj): To b
Thin / n/ (adj): Gy g vs Fat /ft/ (adj): Mp
Bald /b ld/ (n): Hi u
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Muscular / ms.kj.l /: c bp
Skinny / sk ni/ (adj): Gy g
Good-looking / gd lk /(adj): a nhn
Handsome / hnsm/ (adj): p trai
Pretty / pr ti/ (adj): Xinh p
Moustache / mst / (n): Ria mp
SMARTCOMS IELTS PREPARATION SERIES
SMARTCOMS MINI COURSE FOR IELTS SPEAKING TEST
Bn c th miu t mt ngi bng cch ni she/ he has brown hair/ blue eyes Mt
cch khc miu t l s dng vi gii t with, v d: a man with brown hair hoc
a girl with blue eyes.
Khi vit miu t, bn c th s dng cm tnh t nh l dark-haired hoc brown-eyed, i
km vi miu t v tui, v d: a dark-haired man in his late 30s (Ngi n ng tc
en tui cui 30)
ng s dng qu nhiu cc cu ngn. V d, ng vit nhng cu nh He is tall. He has
dark hair and bright blue eyes. He has a small moustache (ng y cao. ng c mi tc
en v i mt mu xanh sng. ng c b ria nh). Cu vn s tr nn t nhin hn hn
khi bn lin kt cc miu t li thnh mt cu di hn: He is tall, with dark hair, bright
blue eyes, and a small moustache. (ng y cao, vi mi tc mu en, i mt xanh sng,
v b ria nh)
Khng ni She has dark/long hairs. Hy ni She has long dark hair
Khng ni He has black eyes. Hy ni He has dark brown eyes
Trong ting Anh giao ca ngi Anh, ngi ta thng ni has got thay v ni has/ have, v
d: Youve got beautiful eyes (Bn c i mt p)
Trong vn vit miu t, ngi ta li thng s dng has/ have. Ch : khi ni hoc vit v
thi im qu kh, bn lun phi s dng t had, m khng phi l had got.
3. Clothes
-
Scarf /sk rf/ (n): Khn
Sandals / sndl/ (n): Xng an
High heels /ha hi lz/ (n): Giy cao gt
Shoes / u z/ (n): Giy
Belt /belt/ (n): Tht lng
Cotton / k tn/ (n): Cht ct-tng
Wool /wl/ (n): Len
Silk /s lk/ (n): La
Denim / den m/ (n): Vi gi b (jean)
Leather / le/ (n): Da
Fur /f / (n): Lng (th)
Gloves /glvz/ (n): Gng tay
Shirt / t/ (n): o s mi
Jeans /di nz/ (n): Qun jean, qun b
Blouse /blas/ (n): o tay bng
Skirt /sk t/ (n): Chn vy
Dress /dres/ (n): Vy
Tie /ta / (n): C vt
Shorts / rts/ (n): Qun soc
Sweater / swet/ (n): o len
Jacket / dk t/ (n): o khoc
Coat /kot/ (n): o khoc
Hat /ht/ (n): M
Khi miu t trang phc ca mt ai y, bn c th ni She/ He is wearing a black jacket
and denim skirt, hoc She/ He is dressed in a black jacket and denim skirt. Bn cng
c th s dng mt cch khc bng cch dng vi gii t in, v d: a man in a black
jacket.
Trong nhng trng hp thn thin, ngi ta thng ni She/ He has something on, v
d: She had a black jacket and a denim skirt on hoc She had on a long green dress.
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