Introduction
Talking about change in IELTS Speaking is quite difficult.
Not only has it been a recent Part 1 topic, but also IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions often ask about change, especially changes in the past and the future. For example,
How are things different now from the past?
How will things change in the future?
In this IELTS Speaking lesson on the topic of CHANGE, you will learn how to talk about changes in life, the workplace, and society to prepare you for Part 1 and 3 of the test.
Download this IELTS Speaking Lesson PDF
What you will Learn
IELTS Vocabulary: Topic of Change
It is essential to build your vocabulary and also to start activating it.
That means you should try making some phrases with the vocabulary below.
Remember to always learn the collocations of new words.
Try to fill in the gaps in these sentences.
- This new government is going to _______ some big changes
- Covid has _________ _______ quite a few changes in our lives
- Please don’t change your _________ !
- I am going to take the bus to work, _______ a change
Possible Answers:
- make / implement / consider / apply / conduct
- brought about / led to
- opinion / mind / plan / ideas
- for
Common Collocations
Make a change
Introduce some new changes
This has brought about/caused a few changes
- Change your mind
- Change your opinion
- Change your tune (=mind or attitude)
- Change your job
- Change a plan
I am going to take the bus to work, for a change
It’s a change for the worse / for the better
Attitudes to Change
Here are some phrases you can use to answer this question about change in IELTS Speaking.
Absolutely, if it’s for the better
Change is constant, there is nothing we can do about it
It is a constant in our lives
Yes, I usually embrace change.
Yes, we can learn and grow through change.
I do, provided it is a positive change.
Idioms about change
- The wind of change is coming (=things are going to change)
- I have had a change of heart (=to change my mind)
- A person cannot change their stripes (=can’t change their ways)
- A change is as good as a rest (=a change has sane benefits as a rest/holiday)
- To turn over a new leaf (=start something new)
Idioms from the ‘Stan the Man’ Video
- A change is as good as a rest
- It’s a change for the better / worse
- I’ve had a change of heart, I’ve decided not to marry you!
- I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf, I will stop eating cakes and start eating more fruit
- I’ve been stuck in this job for years. I need to blow away the cobwebs, so I am going to quit and look for a new job and make a fresh start.
- This new manager has lots of new ideas. She is like a breath of fresh air
- We need to breathe new life into this company, let’s recruit some younger managers.
Watch the video of Stan the Man here.
IELTS Speaking Part 3 Tips
On the topic of change, these are some of the common topics you may want to talk about, and the causes of change you may want to mention.
Topics of change
- Schools
- Workplace
- Family
- Film / food / music industry
Causes of Change
- Technology
- Covid 19
- Nature
- Age
Common Question Types
How has _________ changed in recent years?
You can break your answers into three simple parts.
- The past
- The change
- Now
Well, in the past, _________
But recently there has been a huge change
Now, we can see __________
How has education changed in recent years?
Well, in the past, we used to have face-to-face classes
But recently there has been a huge change
Now, we can see more students are studying online.
I think this is due to technology….
How will _________ change in the future?
You can break your answers into three simple parts.
- Now
- The change
- The future
Well right now, _____________
But I think this is more than likely to change
In the future, we will / might / may / are going to ________
How will education change in the future?
Well right now, many pupils have to study online, as well as going to school
But I think this is more than likely to change
In the future, they will stop going to school altogether and just study from home on mobile devices.
More IELTS Speaking Free Lessons
If you liked this lesson, leave a comment below!
There are more lessons you can follow in the links below too.
Noise in IELTS Speaking. Learn to talk about different kinds of noise, as well as noise pollution and how it has changed in recent years.
Family in IELTS Speaking. How to talk about your family, stages of life, and idioms about family.
Mobile phones in IELTS Speaking. Learn vocabulary of phones and ideas to talk about how we use phones in our lives.
