IELTS SPEAKING PART 2:  DESCRIBE AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM
In this lesson, you will review speaking part 2 tips, learn some key vocabulary related to the environment and read a sample answer for an IELTS speaking part 2  question related to the environment. 

01 IELTS Speaking Part 2 Tips
  1. Use an opener.
  2. Answer the question by paraphrasing.
  3. Use different tenses/structures.
  4. Include fluency markers and linking words. 
  5. Use some less common vocabulary (as seen below) 


02 Useful Vocabulary: The Environment
  • Global warming (n)– the gradual warming of the earth’s temperature. Eg. Global warming is a serious problem. 
  • A century (n) – 100 years. Eg. A century ago, we didn't have the internet or even televisions. 
  • Carbon dioxide – a gas released from burning things. Eg. Factories release a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 
  • A pollutant (n)– a substance that makes land, water, air, etc., dirty and not safe or suitable to use. 
  •  Eco-friendly (adj)– not harmful to the environment. Eg. Electric cars are eco-friendly. 
  • Renewable energy– energy that we can create and will not run out. Eg. The sun is a source of renewable energy. 

03 Sample Question & Answer

Describe an environmental problem.
You should say:

  • What the problem is. 
  • What the cause of it is.
  • What the effects of the problem are.
  • How we can solve this problem.

Although there are a multitude of environmental issues, I think global warming is one of the most concerning so I’m going to talk that. 

First of all, as you probably know, global warming refers to the warming of earth’s temperature. I’ve heard that temperatures could increase by over 10 degrees over the next century. It’s certainly a worrying issue for scientists and the general population. 

Honestly! I’m not an expert on this topic but as far as I know, carbon dioxide contributes greatly to this problem. Carbon dioxide and other pollutants are released by vehicles and factories on a daily basis. As a result, heat from the sun becomes trapped. If I remember correctly ,this is called the greenhouse effect. 

As a consequence of global warming, glaciers are melting, resulting in rising sea levels and flooding in some areas. Supposedly, it also considerably affects weather conditions too, making storms significantly more dangerous. I’ve even read that in some countries people have died due to rising temperatures. 

It is a tough issue to tackle as we rely on cars and motorbikes to get from place to place. However, I guess a possible solution is technology. Recently, various car manufacturers have begun designing and producing eco-friendly vehicles. Furthermore, using renewable energy instead of fossil fuels could help to reduce pollution levels considerably. 

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