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Environment: Sample Answers


and Topic Vocabulary for IELTS
Speaking Exam
Downloadable pdf with list of words, useful phrases and resources plus Anki ashcards

 

 
CONTENTS

Sample answers
Sample questions and
answers  from speaking part
1, 2 and  3

Key vocabulary
Words and terms frequently
used  when talking about
environment

Word formation
Learn how to use  wide
variety of parts of speech,
such as nouns, verbs,
adjectives

Collocations
Find out groups of words that
usually used together by
native speakers

Useful resources
References to teaching and
authentic materials related to
this topic: IELTS blogs,
podcasts, videos and articles

Downloads
Download this article in PDF.
Download ANKI flashcards
and take advantage of spaced
repetition method

 
 

Mindmap: ENVIRONMENT topic for IELTS SPEAKING

Environment: Sample
questions and answers for
IELTS speaking exam
 

Part 1
1. Which country are you from?

– I am from the Philippines, an archipelagic country that is comprised


by many islands. The country has 7,107 islands and that is why people
who live there have a diverse set of culture and languages.

2. Where is this country located?

 
– The Philippines is located in Southeast Asia situated in the Western
Pacific Ocean.

3. Which part of the country do most people live in?

-I The bulk of the country’s population is in Metro Manila, a region


which houses the primary business centers and the seat of
government.

4. What are the main industries in your country?

-The Philippines is traditionally an agricultural country, but the


economy has been transitioning into industries that emphasizes on
services and manufacturing.

5. What kind of weather do you dislike?

-I do not like the extreme heat of summer, but do you know what I
disliked more? A humid weather; at least in the summer you could
sweat off the heat, but in a humid environment, the effectiveness of
sweating in cooling the body is reduced by reducing the rate of
evaporation of moisture from the skin.

6. Would you prefer to live in a hot or cold country?

-I was born in a tropical country, my body had adapted to it. Well, at


least in a hot country, I could enjoy eating ice cream.

 
7. What is the best/worst weather for traveling in?

-In my opinion, the best weather to travel is in a slight rainy season.


Why? Because it is the off season, less traffic jam, lower prices for
tickets and food and you don’t have to compete with other tourists in
terms of time by falling in line on order to enjoy a tourist site.

The worst weather to travel in is of course the typhoon season. Because


it is safe to stay indoors and to avoid flooded areas, establishments are
closed and flights get cancelled.

Part 2
Describe an environmental problem that has occurred in your country.
You should say:

The cause of the problem

What effect it has had on your country

The steps, if any, that have been taken to solve this

Explain why you think this problem is so important to solve.

If there is an environmental problem that I would like to talk about, it


would be the excessive pollution of waterways, rivers and canals. It
was caused by the irresponsible disposal of wastes by the factories,
industries and the people who live near the bodies of water.

The pollution of the rivers was the effect of prolonged abuse and
neglect. The rivers were considered biologically dead, which means no
fish left to catch and less food to eat. Boats could not travel because of
the density of the debris of floating plastic wastes; the rivers emit a foul
stench and the waters are toxic which house a number of bacteria that
could cause different diseases.

In the 90’s, the government started to create a rehabilitation program


for the rivers and waterways, unfortunately they failed to displace the
main polluters-the illegal settlers near the river, simply because they
have their “human rights”.

The problem is important to solve simply because water is life. It is the


circulatory system of the world, water enabled life forms to survive
and we need other life forms in order to survive.

Part 3
1. Do you think it is the responsibility of governments alone to protect
the environment?

Of course not! I think it is everyone’s responsibility to protect the


environment. Sure, the government has the power to enact laws and
craft policies but how good is the law if nobody respects it.

We simply could not go on with our lives throwing our wastes


irresponsibly and expect the government to just clean it up. There is
nothing left to clean up in the first place if only we dispose things
properly, it wastes both time and resources.

2. What measures can individuals take to protect the environment?

 
There are a lot of ways on how individuals can do to protect the
environment some of them are:

Turn off appliances when you are not using them.

Recycle and segregate your biodegradable and non-biodegradable


waste or better yet avoid creating trash by avoiding disposable
products.

Minimize your water and electricity consumption.

Use a fuel-efficient car or if you are traveling in short distances, take


a walk or ride a bicycle.

These are just small things we can do to change our lifestyles, imagine
millions of other people doing the same thing. It can gradually make a
difference.

3. Do you think large companies and business organizations should be


more environmentally friendly? Why? How?

Development is good; sometimes it is a necessity to survive in today’s


world. Businesses need profit, but they should not do so at the expense
of the environment. Sustainable development is the key, the needs of
the present has to be met without compromising the ability of future
generations to sustain life in this planet.

Key vocabulary: De nitions


and examples
 

 
 

 WORD DEFINITION EXAMPLE

   

to recycle to use objects or It is possible to recycle


matrerials cardboard into lower
again after grade materials, such
processing by as paper
converting
waste into
reusable
material

to  contaminate to make The incentives strongly


something encourage oil
poisonous as a companies to not
result of adding contaminate the water
waste or supply
chemical

to endanger
put (someone It is a criminal offence
or something) to  endanger the lives
at risk or in of the public by
danger allowing the
introduction of a
 
contaminate into the
mains supply.

air pollution bad air quality According to a recent


that usually study, air pollution in
caused be Russia causes the death
harmful gases of approximately 4000
citizens per day or 1.6
 
million people per
year.

soil pollution the presence of Plastics do contribute


toxic chemicals to soil pollution.
or man made
waste in soil

water pollution
the presence of Water pollution causes
harmful marine life to die.
materials in
water, such as
dissolved
metals, waste
from farms

to protect keep safe from For more than 15


harm or injury years, the nonprofit
volunteer-run center
 
has worked to educate
the community to
protect wildlife and
their habitats.

conservation The protection I’ve decided to dedicate


of a natural the rest of my life to
resource, environmental
usually by conservation.
planned
management, to
prevent its
depletion or
destruction

toxic waste waste products All of the military


that are activity has left it a
hazardous to toxic waste hazard
the
environment,
people, animals

greenhouse gas a gas that Here is a list of habits


contributes to each one of us can
the greenhouse form to help reduce
effect by greenhouse gas missions.
 trapping heat
above the Earth

environmentalist
a person whose Environmentalists
lifestyle, often encourage us to
political etc buy our foods from
choices are local sources. They say
designed to it is good for the
minimise environment
human impact
on the natural
environment

Word Formation
 

WORD PART OF EXAMPLE


SPEECH

depletion noun  The combined effects


of overpopulation,
resource depletion,
and environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.
 

to deplete verb The clearance of trees


and vegetation
depletes the soil ,
resulting in decreasing
agricultural yields .

contamination noun There is no danger of


long-term
contamination.

to contaminate verb The incentives strongly


encourage oil
companies to not
contaminate the water
supply

contaminated adjective He is ill as a result of


eating contaminated
food

endangered adjective There are a few


different ways that
helping endangered
species can be
profitable

to endanger verb There are a few


different ways that
helping endangered
species can be
profitable

to recycle verb It is possible to recycle


cardboard into lower
grade materials, such
as paper

recycling noun Recycling is not only


good for environment
but it also creates so
many jobs across many
levels

recyclable adjective Most businesses


generate more
 recyclable waste then
residual waste.

 
emission noun Drastic carbon
emission reductions
would undoubtedly be
better for the
atmosphere and
climate

to emit verb The new car emits less


than 160g/km CO2

degradation noun More and more


farmers move to the
city as deforestation
and agricultural
 degradation become
ever more widespread
.

to degrade verb Freshwater ecosystems


have already been
severely  degraded.

biodegradable adjective Most plastic is not


biodegradable.

degradable adjective
Even the  degradable
plastics may break into
fragments that litter
the soil.

pollution noun Water pollution causes


marine life to die.

pollute verb Intensive use of


pesticides and
fertilisers seriously
 pollutes water, soil
and air0

polluted adjective  People are becoming


more and more aware
of the detrimental
effects of living in
heavily polluted areas

conservation noun Energy conservation is


important for many
reasons

conserve verb Our aim is  to minimise


energy consumption
and  conserve natural
resources.

disposal noun The creditors declined


the  offer, preferring to
realize the estate
themselves. 

to dispose verb The best way to


dispose of the cell
phone battery is to
recycle it

disposable adjective Disposable razor


blades get dull from
water corrosion.

hazard noun One of the most


widespread natural
 hazards is flooding.

hazardous adjective Hazardous waste


disposal can be a
complicated process.

threat noun
This could save the
world from one of its
biggest environmental
threats.

to threaten adjective Always look for


hazards that threaten
the environment.

sustainability noun Energy conservation is


important for many
reasons.

sustainable adjective Cities offer a far more


sustainable lifestyle
than suburban or rural
areas.

Collocations
 

 COLLOCATION EXAMPLE

 
ozone layer The combined effects of
overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

toxic waste The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

endangered species The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

genetically modified The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

breeding in captivity The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

organic farming The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

fossil fuels The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

 
solar power The combined effects of
overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

natural resources The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

wildlife conservation The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

global warming The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

conservation program The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

to get serious about The combined effects of


climate change overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

genetic engineering The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

 
to get serious about The combined effects of

climate change overpopulation, resource


depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

to observe natural The combined effects of

behaviour overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

animal rights activists The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

environmentally The combined effects of


friendly overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

sustainable energy The combined effects of

sources overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

fossil fuels The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

carbon emissions The combined effects of


overpopulation, resource
depletion, and
environmental
degradation will cause
great economic losses.

 
 

easily adverb+ recyclable


completely

potentially

air adjective+ pollution


environmental

marine

water

industrial

nuclear

nitrate

noise

vehicle

soil

cause verb+ pollution


avoid

prevent

combat
control

bring (in) verb+ profit


earn

generate

make

realize

reap

fight verb+ pollution


tackle

cut

limit

minimize

reduce

monitor

level pollution+noun pollution


control

prevention

reduction

standards
 

a risk of pollution phrase pollution


a source of pollution

preserve verb+ environment


protect

safeguard

save

damage

harm

pollute

policy environment+nounenvironment

protection

issues

conservation of the phrase environment


environment

protection of the
environment
damage to the
environment

harmful to the
environment

pollution of the phrase environment


environment

have an impact on
environment

dangerous  adjective+ waste


harmful

hazardous

poisonous

toxic

non-toxic  adjective+ waste


recyclable

industrial

domestic

household

nuclear
 

produce  verb+ waste


dispose of

dump

get rid of

bury

process

recycle  adjective+ waste


reprocess deal with

handle

manage

cut down on

reduce

disposal  waste+noun waste


processing

recycling

reprocessing

treatment

management

minimization

reduction
 

Useful resources
 

This topic on  IELTS blogs


 

IELTS Speaking Part 2: environment problem [ielts-simon.com]

IELTS SPEAKING part 1, 2 and 3 sample questions


[ipassielts.com.com]

IELTS Environment vocabulary [ieltsspeaking.co.uk]

Podcasts
 

Star Talk Radio – Protecting Our Environment, with Gina McCarthy


[Soundcloud]

Yale University – On The Environment [Soundcloud]

BBS Radio UK – Britain’s Environment: The Debate[BBC Website]

Articles
 

Is it too late for us to do anything about global climate change?


[quora.com]

Everyday Things You Aren’t Recycling, But Should Be


[HuffingtonPost.com]
 

Videos
 

Johan Rockstrom: Let the environment guide our development [TED


TALKS]

James Hansen: Why I must speak out about climate change [TED
TALKS]

Downloads
 

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