This week focuses on a very common topic in IELTS: your home! (For more training about common topics like this, this English shadowing website lets you view lessons by category. Click here to try it out!)

Step 1: Tune in to this week’s podcast episode (audio and video version available below).

Part 1 Questions Where are you from? Describe the house or apartment you are living in now. Do you have a favourite room? Is there anything you would change about your home? Let’s talk about your hometown. Are there any old buildings in your hometown? Can you describe any old buildings in your hometown?

🧑‍🎓Target language: near and dear to my heart -something you treasure and consider very important “It also houses my collection of vinyl records which is near and dear to my heart.”

Step 2: Listen to the sample a few times to get more familiar with the language.

Step 3: Engage this week’s full speech shadowing lesson.

Step 4: Below is Monday’s speech exercise. Post yourself saying this excerpt to your Whatsapp group. Exercises for Tuesday to Friday will be posted in the group by your instructor.

Post yourself saying this into your Whatsapp group!🗣️📲 “I live in a relatively small flat. It has two bedrooms, a bath, a living area and a kitchen. There is a park in front of the building, so I get to enjoy the view of trees and flowers from the window.”

Step 5: It’s very important that you note any new language items or pronunciation points from this week’s lesson in your journal to help you chronicle your improvement.📝

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Transcript

Where are you from?

I am originally from a city two hours away from here, but for the last 20 years I have called this city home.

Describe the house or apartment you are living in now.

I live in a relatively small flat. It has two bedrooms, a bath, a living area and a kitchen. There is a park in front of the building, so I get to enjoy the view of trees and flowers from the window.

Do you have a favourite room?

I would say the second bedroom is my favourite because that is where my computer is and where I play video games, listen to music – it is where I go to unwind. It also houses my collection of vinyl records which is near and dear to my heart.

Is there anything you would change about your home?

I do enjoy my view but I have always wanted a house along the sea, so I would probably change the location of my home, if anything. Fortunately, the sea is only a few minutes away from my flat, so I’ve managed to make do.

Let’s talk about your hometown. Are there any old buildings in your hometown?

There are quite a few actually, and they are recognised by UNESCO as having historical significance. Some of these buildings date back to Roman times. I guess you could say my hometown is an open museum and tourists from all over the world flock to the city to see its sites.

Can you describe any old buildings in your hometown?

Well, the famous walls of the city are some of the oldest structures where I live. There used to be seven kilometers of stone wall, but now only four remain. Soldiers would watch from the fortresses to warn of any invaders coming from either land or sea. Nowadays, locals and tourists visit the walls to see the site but also to enjoy breathtaking views of the city and the sea below.

Thank you.