Using Idioms for IELTS Essay

In the IELTS Speaking Test, use Idiomatic Language naturally and accurately. The correct use of idioms in English conversations is the way to separate native English speakers from those that learn English as a foreign language. Idioms can help you score higher on the IELTS speaking test if used correctly. However, if you don't use them correctly, it can lower your score.

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What is an Idiom?

Idiom - A collection of words (or a single word) with a meaning that cannot be deduced from the standard definitions of the individual words (though that meaning may sometimes be inferred).

Idioms are a style or form of (often artistic) expression that is unique to a specific language, group, subculture, school of thought, generation, or medium (for example, movies and television).

Idioms, like analogies and metaphors, can convey that the current situation being described bears a resemblance to past events. Learning some key idioms and their applications can help you score higher on the IELTS writing and speaking tasks. It is recommended that you do not use more than two idioms in a 250-word essay. However, this is a difficult statement to make with authority because some idioms are used so frequently that we do not recognize them as idioms, and thus they are unlikely to be counted as such by an examiner.

Many of these most common idioms are probably familiar to you, even if you are unaware that they are idioms. An idiom may be so widely used that it appears to you and the native speaker to be a second definition.

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Task 1: Using Idioms in Writing (Academic)

Task 1 of IELTS Academic Writing requires you to write a report. Because you must write a report for this task, you should never use idioms or quotes to describe any given details.

Task 1: Using Idioms in Writing (General Training)

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 asks you to write a letter that can be formal, semi-formal, or informal. Idioms are acceptable in informal letters, but they should be avoided as much as possible. The examiner may be able to appreciate something more if you write about it in your native language.

Task 2: Using Idioms in Writing (Academic and General Training)

The IELTS General Training and Academic Writing Task 2 assesses your ability to write essays. It is not appropriate to use informal language in Writing task 2, just as it is not appropriate in report writing or formal letter writing. It is preferable to use your own language to convey your thoughts and ideas, or if you must use quotes, paraphrase them.

Why is it recommended to use idioms, proverbs, and quotes in the IELTS Speaking section?

Proverbs and some idioms are best suited to the Speaking section because they are not formal. Idioms and proverbs can help you improve your IELTS speaking score if you use appropriate, natural language, but they can also hurt your score if you don't. As a result, avoid using idioms or proverbs in your responses. Use an idiom in an IELTS task only if you understand it and can use it correctly. It is easier to do this when writing an idiom than when speaking it. If you're going to use it in a speaking task, you should be able to use it with proper inflection (pitch, tone, modulation, emphasis). It is critical to consider the context of who or what the idiom is addressing.

The idiom's target must be appropriate for the way the words are spoken, as well as the speaker's body language. This extra nonverbal message is implicitly understood in a writing task as if the reader heard the emphasis and understood the body language and facial expressions. To truly master idioms, you must first understand them intellectually (perhaps by first reading) and then hear them used correctly by native (or near-native) English speakers.