IELTS Speaking Lesson about The Olympics
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The Olympics is a popular topic in both IELTS Speaking and IELTS Writing. In this lesson you will learn the language, ideas and idioms needed to talk confidently on this topic.Â
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The language in this lesson will also be useful to talk about sports in general, keeping fit, staying healthy, going to the gym, and any Part 2 question about a sport event.Â
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Table of Contents
IELTS Speaking vocabulary: The olympics
When talking about the Olympics, one of the most common verbs isÂ
To compete (v.)Â
Do you know the word family of the verb ‘to compete’?Â
Try and fill in the gaps below, and let’s see!
There were a lot of ___________(n.)Â from Italy _________(v.) in this _________ (adj.) _____________ (n.)
Click arrow to open/close answers
Answers:
There were a lot of competitors (n.)Â from Italy competing(v.) in this competitive (adj.) competition (n.)
- Compete (v.)
- Competitor (Person)
- Competition (n.) Countable (=race, contest)
I am competing in a competition
- Competition (n.) Uncountable (=desire to win)
There is a lot of competition to take people to the moon
- Competitive (adj.)
_______________________
Here are the prepositions we usually use with the verb ‘to compete’:
India has competed in Japan in the Olympics
India has competed against many other countries in the Olympics
When it comes to the different parts of a competition, we have the following events in order:
- The qualifying rounds OR The heatsÂ
- The semi-finalÂ
- The finalÂ
- An Olympic record = the fastest, best in the Olympics
- A world record = the fastest, best in the World
- A personal best = the fastest, best ever for that athlete
To qualify for the final = to succeed in making it to the final
To be disqualified = kicked out from/of a competition for breaking the rules
He was disqualified for taking drugs before the event.Â
A false start = when you accidentally start running before the starting gun sounds.
Unqualified = not having the qualification / certificate to do it.
Here is the vocabulary you need to talk about medals.
- To win a gold, silver, bronze medalÂ
- She is an olympic medalistÂ
- She is an olympianÂ
- To make it to the podiumÂ
- The medal ceremony
Different olympic sports
Athletics (n.)
I love athleticsÂ
Athletics includes races and competitions where there is running, walking, jumping, and throwing.
- Athletics (n.)
- An athlete (Person)
- Athletic (adj.) = sportyÂ
Learn more about Olympic sports here:
What are the 6 category names of the sport / events below?
- _____ and _____(e.g. discus, hammer, 100m, high jump, long jump…)
- ________________ (e.g. artistic, floor, pommel horse, beam…)
- _____  __________(e.g. swimming, canoe, diving…)
- _____  __________ (e.g. boxing, Taekwondo, wrestling, judo…)
- _______  __________ (e.g. volleyball, football, hockey…)
- _______  ________ (e.g. shooting, archery…)
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Answers:
- Track and field (discus, 100m, high jump, long jump…)
- Gymnastics (artistic, floor, pommel horse,Â
- Water sports (swimming, canoe, diving…)
- Fighting sports (boxing, Taekwondo, wrestling, judo…)
- Team sports (volleyball, football…)
- Individual sports (shooting, archery…)
There are many other categories, too, such as,
Equestrian Sports – (any competitive event with a horse)
IELTS Speaking discussion: Role of the olympic games
There is a lot of controversy about it (=heated debate, discussion)
They help build ____
They help foster ____
- international unityÂ
- friendshipÂ
- understanding
- empathy Â
They help bridge ____
- the political divide between countriesÂ
- the gap between different cultures
- the differences between peopleÂ
They inspire young people to
- be the best they can
- excel in their given field (=to do very well)
- practice more sportÂ
HOWEVER
The money spent on infrastructure could be (stadiums, roads, hotels…)
- better spent on…..schools, hospitals etc…Â
- put to better use
Watch some great programmes about the Olympics
IELTS Speaking topic: The paralympics
The Paralympics take place straight after the regular Olympics. They were officially founded in 1989 in Germany.Â
The Paralympics _____
- raise awareness of people with disabilities / with impairmentsÂ
- offer disabled people the chance to competeÂ
- challenge the boundaries set by society Â
To qualify for the Paralympics, you need an underlying health condition, such as:
- Visual impairmentÂ
- Impaired muscle power
- To be an amputee (=you have lost a limb, e.g. an arm)
- Restricted movement of joints Â
Learn more about the Paralympics here
IELTS Speaking idioms: The olympics
Here are some idioms you can use to talk about the Olympics and other sports events.
- To be the underdog = the team/ person that is not expected to win
- To be the favourite = is the team/ person who is expected to win.
Some say, Elaine Thompson was the underdog,but she won the 100 meters breaking the world record!
- It blew me away = it was very impressive
Her performance in the semi-final blew me away
- She blew the competition away = She was much better than the rest
To give it your best shot = do your best
To throw someone a curveball = surprise someone with a situation, problem
When Dina Asher-Smith didn’t qualify for the final, that really threw us a curveball
- To be neck and neck = to be equal / level during a raceÂ
They were neck and neck right up until the finishing line, and then it was a photo finish.
A nail-biting final = very exciting
That was the most nail-biting final I have ever watched
What is your favourite Olympic Sport? Leave a comment below and let us know!
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