IELTS SPEAKING A SONG THAT YOU LIKE

 

IELTS Speaking A Song That You Like, learn how to talk about your favorite song in a more interesting way. Add collocations and topic vocabulary words of music and make your story more organized. This is one of the recent topics in IELTS exam, so prepare as you might get this topic on your exam. Study this post and check how the ideas are presented and organized. Practice and aim for band 9.0!

 

PART 2

 

A SONG THAT YOU

 

LIKE/FAVORITE SONG

 

 

 

Describe a song that you like

 

You should say:

• What the song is about
• When you listened to it for the first time
• How you feel about the song
• And explain why you like it

 

 

 

A N S W E R

 

 

Honestly, this topic is not really complicated but choosing just one particular favorite song is extremely challenging as I have more than one on my list. Well, I’ve just made up my mind to talk about Elton John’s ‘Your Song’.

LEXICAL RESOURCE

 

More than one in my list [expression] – too many favorite songs to choose from

Made up my mind [phrase] – have decided

 

Tip: The way the speaker starts his answer makes him sound so natural. To be natural is what you need to do in order to show the examiner that you are comfortable using the English language.

 

This is a pop song which was written in 1967, to be exact, by Elton John’s friend Bernie who at that time was only 17. The lyrics of the song express the naivety of a man being so in love with someone. In the intro, the man was making wishful thinking that if he had so much money he would buy a huge house for his lover so they could live happily together. In the chorus, it talks about how wonderful the life he had with his life partner and that he made that song to manifest his undying love.

 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

 

Pop song [noun] – a type of song that is mainstream; a song that the majority of people listen to

Naivety [noun] – being naive or lack of experience

Wishful thinking [noun] – an imagination done by someone who wishes that something could come true

Intro [noun] – the beginning of the song

Chorus [noun] – a part of the song that is repeatedly sung after each verse

Synonym: refrain

Manifest [verb] – express; show; demonstrate

Tip: In this part, the speaker uses topic vocabulary words like ‘pop’, ‘intro’, and ‘chorus’. This is a must since he is talking about a song. Using these will help him get a better mark in the criterion, Lexical Resource.

 

 

For me, the song is an all-time favorite by many, and I’m not an exemption. At some point in our lives, we have experienced what has been expressed in the song – that we all want nothing but the very best of the love of our lives.

 

I remember, I first heard this song when I was only a grader but I couldn’t care less about its meaning since I didn’t know what love was at that time. And now that I’m capable of understanding what love is, I realized that this ballad is making everyone falls in love over and over again.

 

LEXICAL RESOURCE 

 

All-time favorite [expression] – a favorite among other choices and during all times

Couldn’t care less / could care less [expression] – to not care at all

Ballad [noun] – a song narrating a story in stanza

 

Tip: In order to make the story longer and more spontaneous, he uses the ‘recall technique’, which means remembering what happened in the past. This is a very good way to develop your story longer.

 

No wonder, why this has been a chart-topping song in many countries and as far as I know it’s the very first single of Elton John to reach the top 10 on the Billboard chart. What is more interesting is that because of this song Elton John and John Lennon from the Beatles forged a friendship, Lennon affirmed that Elton John had been the first new thing that happened since his band’s existence.

 

As this song became a commercial success in the music industry, many artists covered this endearing song. Who would’ve thought that this song would pave the way to making Elton John a music icon?

 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

 

No wonder [phrase] – it is not surprising

Chart-topping [adj.] – refers to songs that reach the top of music charts

Single [noun] – a song from an album that has been given the most promotion

Billboard chart [noun] – music chart in the US that tabulates popular songs

Forge (friendship) [verb] – make friendship

Affirm [verb] – declare; state

Cover [verb] – to record a song, especially one that has been commercially successful by the original artist

Endearing [adj.] – lovely; adorable

Who would have thought… [phrase] – is used to express a surprise

Pave the way [phrase] – to create a situation that makes something possible

 

Tip: Again, the speaker uses a good amount of topic vocabulary related to music such as single, chart-topping, Billboard chart, and cover. Using these shows that he has good knowledge about music, and that makes him sound really natural.

 

 

 

PART 3 

 

 

What kinds of music are popular among young people in your country?

Well, it’s undeniable that younger generation nowadays have a keen interest in chart music. This is simply because they can always hear this on the radio, also this type of music can be accessed effortlessly through Youtube or Spotify as it is too mainstream. Here in Korea, Korean pop or Kpop is incredibly famous that even a three-year-old child cannot get enough of listening and dancing to the music of Kpop idols. Aside from pop, rap music is also common most especially to teenage boys, I believe it is their outlet to express their feelings in a subtle way.

 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

 

Chart music [noun] – pop music

A keen interest in something [phrase] – to be very interested in

Mainstream [adj.] – popular among people

Incredible [adj.] – unbelievable

Can’t get enough [phrase] – to love or enjoy something much

Outlet [noun] [expression] – a way or method to express one’s emotion

Subtle [adj.] – being clever or skillful

 

 

Why do you think pop music is often played in radio stations?

 

I suppose that is what the majority of listeners want to listen especially in this generation. In the first place, radio stations will avoid playing music in which they cannot attract audience as it means no profit. Music like that of pop is profitable to radio stations and in order to keep their business afloat, they have to feel the pulse of wider audience always. Another reason would be, major record labels like Sony or Warner are pouring a lot of money to create pop music as a result other genres like independent or folk music is completely left out of mainstream and become unknown by many.

LEXICAL RESOURCE

 

Keep business afloat [phrase] – to have more money to operate

Feel the pulse of [phrase] – to learn or understand

Record label [noun] – record companies that market music recordings and videos

Pouring money [phrase] – to provide a lot of money for future gains

Genre [noun] – type

Left out [phrase] – excluded

 

Has your preference in music changed over the years?

 

To be honest, not at all, my taste in music remains the same. I am still fond of listening to pop, rock, and new wave. I was born in the late 80s and when I started to learn about music, those genres were often played on the radio and I fell in love listening to them. They have continued to stick in my mind even now. Well to be specific, the music of several favorite bands such as A-ha, Ambrosia, Sting, Tears For Fears, and many others is just close to my heart. I believe I am old-fashioned but not necessarily dismissing pop or rock artists in this generation, I just feel more attuned to the music in the past.

 

LEXICAL RESOURCE

 

Taste in music [idiom] – preference in music

Fond [adj.] – like

New wave [noun] – style of rock music popular in the 70s or 80s

Stick in my mind [phrase] – to be memorable; cannot be forgotten

Dismiss [verb] – disregard; treat as unworthy

Attuned (to) [adj.] – being able to understand or deal with




Tip: The speaker is giving the different kinds of bands to make his answer longer and to support the types of music he listens to. In this way, his answer becomes more descriptive, thus, making the examiner understand better.

Note: Take note of the question ‘preference in music’ so don’t talk about specific songs, focus on the genre of music.

 

Don’t you have enough Vocabulary knowledge about SONG or MUSIC? Don’t worry, check the previous post about words or expressions related to music on this link https://ieltsdragon.com/music-ielts-vocabulary/topic-vocabulary-collocation/



Learn how to answer the RECENT TOPIC IN PART 1 ABOUT SAVING MONEY on this link https://ieltsdragon.com/ielts-speaking-topic-part-1-saving-money/ielts-recent-topic-with-answers/

 

And that’s all about IELTS Speaking A Song That You Like, recent topic! Now, develop your confidence to be able to speak more spontaneously. Good luck! 

 

Meaning of Words and Phrases Sources:  Macmillan, Cambridge, Oxford

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