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In IELTS Speaking the virtual world, or the online world, is a common topic. Questions related to technology, the Internet and our online lives could appear in Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
In this lesson, there is lots vocabulary, including collocations, and idioms, that you need to talk fluently about the topic of our virtual world in the IELTS Speaking test.
Table of Contents
Activities in the virtual world
Here are some of the common activities we do online.
- Online gaming
- Meeting people
- Online shopping
- Reading blogs
- Online learning
- Doing research
- Buying and selling stocks
- Sending emails
- Watching films and series
- Listening to music
- Reading books
What do you do in the virtual world?
Let me know in the comments below.
IELTS grammar: Comparisons
There are many different ways to compare two things, and this is a skill you will certainly need in IELTS Speaking.
Let’s have a look at some ways of doing this.
Looking first at comparing online gaming with playing games in the ‘real world’
Task
Fill in the gaps below, using one word for each line.
- Playing games online is _________ than playing face to face
- Playing games online is_________ _________ than playing face to face
- Playing games online is_________ _________ _________ than playing face to face
Answers Click here to check the answers There are more possible answers, such as: better / quicker / lonelier 2. Playing games online is much better than playing face to face
Explanation
- Comparing using Short Adjectives:
Adjective + _____ er
long + er = longer
Notice:
- Some adjectives are irregular (e.g. good = better, bad = worse)
- Some one syllable adjectives double the last letter (e.g big = bigger, hot = hotter)
- If an adjective ends in ‘y’ you must change it to ‘i’ (e.g. lonely = lonelier)
More examples:
Bigger / better / longer / quicker / faster
- Comparing using Longer adjectives:
more + Adjective
More + expensive = more expensive
- Making Emphasis
It’s far/way/much better THAN ….
It’s far/way/much more expensive THAN….
- Other ways of comparing
We can also use ‘prefer’ when making comparisons, but notice the preposition is ‘to’ not ‘than’.
A is preferable to B
I prefer A to B
So we can say;
Fish is preferable to meat because it is healthier
OR
Fish is healthier than meat
Listening task: Comparing real and online shopping
First read the script below and see if you can guess the missing words.
Then, watch the video and try to fill in the gaps.
Finally, check your answers at the bottom of the page.
SCRIPT
For me online shopping and face to face shopping are world’s [1] ________.
I actually love to shop online because I can access almost anything I want with a [2] ________ of a button. It’s a breeze to search for items and much more convenient than going to a shop. You know I can do it all from the [3] ________ of my home.
I don’t have to worry about the [4] ________ of travelling to a shopping mall, going around busy shops, and waiting in queues.
That said, I recognise there is always a bit of a security risk, vis a vis using online [5]________ . Sometimes online sites are [6] ________ and credit card information is stolen, but I think most established stores have trustworthy, online security systems.
Some say, they are actually [7] ________ safer than real shops
I guess the one thing I do prefer to buy in a brick and [8] ________ shop is clothes. I need to feel the material, see the quality and try them on to check the size.
By and large, I am [9] ________ more at home shopping from home!
Listening Task: Answers
Click here to see the answers 1. Fill the gaps For me online shopping and face to face shopping are world’s [1] apart. I actually love to shop online because I can access almost anything I want with a [2] click of a button. It’s a breeze to search for items and much more convenient than going to a shop. You know I can do it all from the [3] comfort of my home. I don’t have to worry about the [4] hassle of travelling to a shopping mall, going around busy shops, and waiting in queues. That said, I recognise there is always a bit of a security risk, vis a vis using online [5] payments. Sometimes online sites are [6] hacked and credit card information is stolen, but I think most established stores have trustworthy, online security systems. Some say, they are actually [7] way safer than real shops I guess the one thing I do prefer to buy in a brick and [8] mortar shop is clothes. I need to feel the material, see the quality and try them on to check the size. By and large, I am [9] much more at home shopping from home!
IELTS vocabulary: The virtual world
Here is some essential vocabulary you can to start using to talk about this topic of the virtual world.
- Go/get online
- Online spaces
- Online community
- Online trolls = someone who attacks you or upsets you on the Internet
- Cyberbullying = attacking and insulting people online
- Virtual reality = a computer-generated environment with objects that appear to be real
- Virtual headset = special headset with a pair of glasses used to se a virtual world
- Augmented reality = when we superimpose virtual objects onto our vision of reality
- Remote working = working from home
Idioms to talk about the virtual world
The following idiomatic expressions can be used to talk about the virtual world
These all mean they are very different
They’re poles apart
They’re worlds apart
It’s a different ball game
It’s a far cry from….
______
Buying online is a pain in the neck (=not enjoyable)
It’s easier said than done (=not as easy as you think)
Useful Links
Here are some links if you want to study further about the topic of The Virtual World in IELTS Speaking.
Try chatting to a digital human
https://digitalhumans.com/digital-einstein/
A great podcast about our Digit Human lives
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n7094/episodes/downloads
More Free IELTS Speaking Lessons
If you liked this lesson, leave a comment below!
There are more lessons you can follow in the links below too.
TV SERIES in IELTS Speaking. Vocabulary you need to describe different kinds of Television Series.
SOCIAL MEDIA in IELTS Speaking. Improve your listening and speaking skills for the topic of social media.
OLYMPICS in IELTS Speaking. Essential vocabulary and idioms to talk about Olympic events and athletes, as well as your feelings about them.
