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Did you know that using the wrong idioms in IELTS Speaking can lower your score? Idioms demonstrate your vocabulary and language skills, but using the wrong ones can impact your score. When used accurately, appropriately, and with the correct pronunciation, they add to your Lexical Score resource. On the other hand, using idioms that don’t fit the context or extremely casual or informal ones, might confuse the examiner. Utmost care should be taken while using idioms in IELTS speaking test. It is better to go for vocabulary or other alternatives if you aren’t sure about a particular idiom. In this article, we have listed 10 idioms to avoid in IELTS speaking and their alternatives.
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Why Some Idioms Can Hurt Your IELTS Score?
Demonstrating your ability to use a wider range of vocabulary can help you reach band 7 and higher in IELTS speaking test. Idioms help achieve this as they show language fluency and add flair to speech. Native speakers use idioms quite often as a part of their daily conversations. They are a part of their culture and they use it naturally.
Language learners are not used to some of these idioms and might be unable to use them in the right context. This can hurt your IELTS score. Some of the common pitfalls are:
- Certain idioms such as “It’s raining cats and dogs” or “It’s a piece of cake” may sound memorized and unnatural.
- Idioms that are too informal or slangy don’t sit well during IELTS speaking. Expressions like “bite the bullet”, and “kick the bucket” are not appropriate.
- Some idioms don’t sit well across cultures. Using them in the wrong context may confuse the examiner.
- Similarly misusing an idiom can confuse the examiner and lower your coherence score.
Hence, it is better to use natural, everyday expressions instead of forcing idioms into your speech.
10 Idioms to Avoid in IELTS Speaking
1: Most university students ........................ on campus in their first year.
| Idiom | Meaning | Problem | Alternative | Examples |
| Piece of cake | Something easy to do | Overused | It’s a breeze
It’s a child’s play |
“The puzzle was a breeze. I completed it in five minutes.” |
| Hit the nail on the head | To do or say something that is exactly right | Too informal and sounds rehearsed | Spot on Absolutely right |
“You’re absolutely right.” |
| Over the moon | Extremely happy or delighted | Too common | On cloud nine | “I was on cloud nine when I got the job offer.” |
| Burn the midnight oil | To work late into the night | Not commonly used by native speakers | Push the boat out
Stay up late |
“I stayed up late to complete the project.” |
| Hit the hay/ sack | To go to bed or got to sleep | Sounds too casual | Call it a night | “I am exhausted. Let’s call it a night.” |
| It’s raining cats and dogs | Raining heavily | Too unnatural | Raining heavily
Raining hard |
“It’s raining heavily.” |
| Break a leg | Good luck | Sounds unnatural in academic contexts | Good luck
Best of luck Give it your best shot |
“Give it your best shot.” |
| Break the ice | To relieve tension at a first meeting | Overused and informal | Kick off (informal)
Get the ball rolling (informal) Take the plunge (formal) |
“I kicked off the meeting with a team building game.” |
| Bite the bullet | to do something unpleasant or difficult even though you would like to avoid it | Too informal or slangy | Have no choice
Face the music |
“I had no choice, but to accept the offer” |
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Start Your IELTS Journey Today!Tips for Using Idioms Correctly in IELTS Speaking
- Learn idioms that are commonly used in English. Understand their meaning and the context in which these are used. Make sure they fit well in your response.
- Use idioms appropriately to avoid confusing the examiner.
- Learn idioms that are commonly used in formal and semi-formal contexts.
- Practice using idioms in your daily conversations to sound natural.
- Overusing may create confusion and lead to a lowering your score for lexical resources. Use only 1 to 2 idioms per speaking topic.
- Record yourself and analyse your performance.
- Practice by listening to native speakers. Understand how they incorporate idioms in their daily conversations
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using idioms correctly can enhance your IELTS speaking score, whereas inappropriate use can hurt your coherence and score. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
- Overusing or forcing idioms: Using a lot of idioms can make your speech sound forced and unnatural. Use them sparingly. Example: It’s better to say “It was raining heavily when I returned from work” rather than “It was raining cats and dogs”.
- Using idioms incorrectly: Using idioms in the wrong context or without understanding the meaning can confuse the examiner.
- Using idioms that are too informal or slangy: Avoid such idioms and stick to formal or semi-formal ones. Example: “The test was quite challenging” is better than “The test was a bummer”.
- Mispronouncing the idioms: This will make it hard for the examiner to understand.
Conclusion
Idioms, if used correctly, can enhance your fluency and impress the examiner. Some idioms can harm your IELTS Speaking score, so it’s important to use them wisely. Idioms that are too informal or slangy should be avoided. It is important to sound natural, so forcing idioms or overusing them will have a negative impact on your score. Find alternatives for the informal ones and practice using them in your daily conversations. By avoiding slang and informal idioms and using better alternatives, you can impress the examiner and achieve your desired band score!”
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