Up in the Air - Idiom of the Day for IELTS Speaking & Writing

The idiom ‘Up in the Air’ can help in showing your fluency and vocabulary range in both IELTS Speaking & Writing tasks. Before you use it, you need to not only get familiar with its meaning but also learn how to effectively fit it in sentences. This idiom is appropriate when discussing topics such as career choices, future plans, education, travel, government decisions, and personal goals. Remember that scoring a band 8+ in the IELTS Exam would require you to improve on your fluency, lexical resource, and coherence. With regular practice, using idioms would come naturally to you while you focus on boosting confidence, fluency, and overall band scores.

Meaning of the idiom ‘Up in the Air’

Comprehension of idiomatic meaning is a vital aspect for language use accuracy in the exam. The score for IELTS Vocabulary might get affected if you are not sure what they mean. Therefore, try to grasp the meaning of the idiom well so that it can be a part of your communication in both the IELTS Speaking & Writing contexts. Below is the table which will help you get familiar with the meaning of the idiom ‘Up in the Air’.

Check out the video below to learn 9 IELTS Speaking IDIOMS for BAND 9 SCORE!

When to Use the Idiom ‘Up in the Air’?

Using idioms correctly in both IELTS Speaking & Writing sections would help you in improving your lexical resources, especially when applied in appropriate contexts. As you learn the list of topics where you can fit in this idiomatic expression would guide you to express ideas more accurately and elevate the quality of your answers. The following are some of the list of topics where you can use the idiom ‘Up in the Air’.

• Future Plans

To express uncertainty about upcoming decisions

• Career Choices

To describe undecided job or career paths

• Education Decisions

To indicate unclear academic outcomes

• Travel Arrangements

To explain uncertain travel plans

• Government Policies

To discuss unclear or pending decisions

• Workplace Changes

To describe uncertain organisational decisions

• Personal Life Decisions

To express hesitation or lack of clarity

Exercise on the Idiom ‘Up in the Air’ for IELTS Speaking & Writing

Usage of contextual examples while learning idioms would help in increasing the lexical accuracy while decreasing the overuse or wrong usage of such expressions. This will result in a more coherent and natural answer for both the Speaking & Writing sections. The following exercise gives you an opportunity to check your understanding of the idiom ‘Up in the Air’.

1 During the meeting, Sarah told a funny story to __________ and ease the tension in the room.

2 Losing that job was really __________, as it encouraged me to venture into the business world and eventually succeed.

3 I was so that I __________ to get the research paper done before the deadline.

4 The new office location is still __________; the matters have not been confirmed yet.

5 You can pass the exam without any worries; it was __________ for someone to whom the material was not a surprise.

6 After ten hours of non-stop work, we had no choice but to __________ and carry on tomorrow.

Answer to the Exercise on the Idiom ‘Up in the Air’ for IELTS Speaking & Writing

Now, it’s time for you to check the correct answers and see how the idiom works in its specific context. This will help you to use it more accurately while focusing on increasing your vocabulary and your chances of achieving a higher IELTS Band Score.

1. break the ice
2. a blessing in disguise
3. burned the midnight oil
4. up in the air
5. a piece of cake
6. call it a day

Remember to use the idiom correctly so that you can communicate difficult ideas fluently while expressing something which is unsettling. In this way, your lexical resource can improve along with your proficiency in using vocabulary in both Speaking & IELTS Writing sections. Incorporating idiomatic phrases into your answers would add depth while strengthening your chances of getting a higher band score of 8+.

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Also Check: 

• Five Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary
• 1200 Common Words in IELTS Listening
• IELTS Vocabulary Words List for Band 8 or 9
• How to Build Vocabulary for the IELTS Exam: Practical Tips
• IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+