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. Â
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.Â
That means you should try making some phrases with the vocabulary below.Â
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 changesÂ
- Covid has _________Â Â Â _______ 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 CollocationsÂ
Make a changeÂ
Introduce some new changes
This has brought about/caused a few changesÂ
- Change your mind
- Change your opinionÂ
- 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 livesÂ
Yes, I usually embrace change.
Yes, we can learn and grow through change.Â
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’ VideoÂ
- A change is as good as a rest
- It’s a change for the better / worseÂ
- I’ve had a change of heart, I’ve decided not to marry you!Â
- I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf, I will stop eating cakes and start eating more fruitÂ
- 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.Â
- 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 changeÂ
- Schools
- WorkplaceÂ
- Family Â
- Film / food / music industryÂ
Causes of Change
- TechnologyÂ
- Covid 19
- NatureÂ
- AgeÂ
Common Question Types
How has _________ changed in recent years?
You can break your answers into three simple parts.Â
- The past
- The change
- NowÂ
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.Â
- Now
- Â The change
- The future Â
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.Â
Mobile phones in IELTS Speaking. Learn vocabulary of phones and ideas to talk about how we use phones in our lives.
Hi, My name is Naina and I am living in New Zealand. I am preparing for the exam from last 2 months and next week, I am having my exam. I am really nervous that, will I able to crack the exam or not?
Can you suggest me, what can I do to crack the band 8 in exam?
Well, to crack Band 8, it is more about having very good speaking skills, rather than exam knowledge. This takes time and lots of practice across a very wide range of topics. Relax about your exam, and just enjoy it – this will help you. Best of luck!
U r superb… Great work..
Thank you so much!
You are wonderful, thank you for making such great videos 🙂
Thanks and glad you like them!
I just want to say thank you for making all these efforts sharing your knowledge and insight about IELTS. It helps me a lot, not just in preparing for taking the IELTS exam but especially for me. Thank you, Mr. Keith.
Pleased to hear that and delighted I can help!
Very informative videos thank you! Still learning how to improve my grammar and fluency.
You are welcome – keep practicing!
Thank You Keith for making such informative videos. Since i have started watching your videos, I’ve learnt a loads of new English vocabulary and i feel more confident than ever before in my fluency. Much thanks to you and i wish you all the luck for the work you are doing. Way to go
My pleasure and I am so pleased the videos are helping you!
Thank you Keith,
Since i have started watching your video, i’ve been much learning abour vocabulary, fluency, and improve my confident… I’m a introvert women without confident…
Your video verry impress me.. God bless you always
Glad to hear that Ella, confidence is a skill we build, so keep practicing, step by step, we arrive. Pleased to be on the journey with you.