Search
Close this search box.

IELTS Speaking Lesson about Famous People

Download this IELTS Speaking Lesson PDF

Table of Contents

IELTS Speaking Vocabulary: Famous People

In this lesson, you will learn some vocabulary and useful expressions to talk about famous people  

What kind of people can become famous? 

Adjectives

Here are some useful adjectives to describe the kind of people that can become famous.

  • Ambitious
  • Industrious, hard-working, diligent
  • Persistent, consistent, relentless  
  • Talented, skillful 
  • Energetic, charismatic, positive 
  • Caring, loving 

Word Families 

  • Fame (n.)
  • Famous (adj.)
  • A celebrity (person)

He likes fame.

She craves fame =to really want it 

Fame has changed him

Prepositions

What is the missing preposition in the following sentence?

He is famous ___ being a creative person

Notice: When a preposition is followed by a verb, the verb is in the gerund. 

Preposition + verb ___ING

He is famous FOR BEING a creative person

Synonyms

  • Famous for 
  • Well known for 
  • Renown (adj.)
  • Recognised (adj.)
  • Noted, celebrated, distinguished (e.g. writer, scientist, historian…)
  • Notorious for (negative)
  • Infamous (well known for bad things)
IELTS celebrity

IELTS Speaking Phrases: Famous People

Here are some more useful phrases you can use to talk about famous people.

She is a sports / sporting celebrity 

Examples, we could use above are, 

She is a _________ celebrity

  • Business
  • Entertainment 
  • Political
  • TV
  • Internet

He is a celebrity in the world of sport

She is a celebrity in the field of sport 

Examples, we could use above are,

She is a celebrity in the world of ___

He is a celebrity in the field of ____

  • Business
  • Entertainment 
  • Politics
  • TV
  • The Internet
  • Social media 
  • Cooking

To have a special talent /skill

To have a flair for ______ (noun or verb)

He has a flair for football

He has a flair for playing football

To have a knack for ______ (noun or verb)

She has a knack for sales

She has a knack for selling things

famous celebrities

IELTS Speaking Tip

When it comes to talking about a famous person in the IELTS Speaking test, don’t worry if you are not exactly sure of the person’s name. You can get around this by saying something like eat following:

I’d like to talk about the actor who plays Mr Bean…

I’d like to talk about the singer who sang ‘candle in the wind’…

I can’t quite remember his name, but anyway, let me tell you about him

Benefits and Drawbacks of Being Famous

Collocations 

Collocations are extremely important when speaking English. This basically means knowing which words go together. For example, the following are all collocations.

  • Do business 
  • White wine
  • Have a drink

Below we look at some phrase and collocations to talk about the benefits of being famous

  • Well paid, well off, wealthy, financial freedom,
  • Luxurious lifestyle, lavish lifestyle 
  • Get sponsorship, be a brand ambassador, get paid for advertising
  • Travel the world, meet exciting people
  • Get VIP treatment, get recognition, get respect, easily recognised
  • Get an ego boost, having confidence, get an adrenaline rush, it builds your confidence 

Below we look at some phrase and collocations to talk about the drawbacks of being famous

  • Harassment by the press
  • Chased by paparazzi 
  • Hounded by fans (=followed too closely)
  • Lack of privacy 
  • Attract stalkers / trolls (fans who follow with band intention)
  • Get fake friends, fair-weather friends 
  • Constant judgment 
  • Potential depression 
  • Addiction to drugs/fame
  • Fall prey to depression
  • Be a victim of gossip 
To be in the public eye

IELTS Listening Task

In this interview, I speak to a teacher, Daniel Shaw. 

Daniel is British and currently lives in Canada.

Find out more about Daniel’s work: https://www.iamdanielteacher.com

______

First, here is some grammar that will help you understand the interview.

Notice present perfect tense used to talk about activities we started in the past and continue now. 

I’ve been teaching English for 11 years

I’ve been in Canada teaching university students

Contrast this with activities in the past that are finished – simple past

I taught in Korea for 4 years

1. Intensive Listening Task

Watch, listen and fill in the missing words:

  1. To pick up ___________
  2. I couldn’t get _____ with just English 
  3. It ___________ a lot of doors for me
  4. Get more _______ of daily interactions 
  5. You’ve already picked up the __________ 
  6. To __________ basic situations

Click arrow to open/close answers

  1. To pick up some Korean
  2. I couldn’t get by with just English 
  3. It opened a lot of doors for me
  4. Get more out of daily interactions 
  5. You’ve already picked up the basics 
  6. To navigate basic situations

2. Extensive Listening Task

  1. What is Daniel’s passion?
  2. How does he help his students?

Click arrow to open/close answers

What is Daniel’s passion?

  • Helping students

How does he help students?

  • Helps them write they PHD
  • Helps improve speaking skills
  • Helps them survive, function and thrive in a new environment 
  • Gives academic and personal support 
  • Helps them handle culture shock

IELTS Speaking Idioms about Being Famous

  • To be in the public eye = you are famous and watched by everyone 

Trump was always in the public eye when he was president

  • To be in the limelight = you are famous and watched by everyone

Some celebrities loving being in the limelight

  • My claim to fame is __________ = something that made me ‘famous’

My claim to fame is that I once served Sting, a famous singer, in a restaurant where I was working

IELTS Speaking famous people
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Telegram

More Free Lessons​

If you liked this lesson, leave a comment below!

There are more lessons you can follow in the links below too.

BUSINESS in IELTS Speaking. Useful vocabulary and idioms to express yourself when talking about Business People and Entrepreneurs.

NATION AND CULTURE in IELTS Speaking Learn the essential vocabulary for this topic, as well as how to talk about the connection between nation and identity.

PHOTOGRAPHY in IELTS Speaking Learn vocabulary of taking, storing and sharing photos.identity.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Avoid The Most Common Mistakes & Boost Your IELTS Score!

FREE E-BOOK!

Enter your name and email to get practical tips to avoid these common mistakes.