Colours: IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 Sample Answers

Janice Thompson

4 min read

Updated On Jun 01, 2021

Describe a place you remember well that full of colours

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Describe a place you remember well that full of colours

Related Cue Card:

Describe a garden or park you visited and liked.

You should say:

where it was
what it looked like
what you did (or, were doing) there [or, what people were doing there]
and explain why you liked it.

Model answer:

I want to share my impressions of a garden that I visited last summer, which was full of colour: Claude Monet’s house and garden in Giverny, France.

As a big fan of Monet’s paintings, especially the famous “Water Lilies,” I had always dreamt of seeing it in real life. So, when some friends suggested a visit last year, I jumped at the chance. After a journey of about an hour by train from our hotel, we arrived at Giverny. The garden was precise as he had painted it – it was a riot of colour, from the peaceful white of the water lilies to the striking reds and oranges which filled some of the flowerbeds. The two parts of the garden complemented each other perfectly. We first admired the array of bright flowers and fruit trees in the Clos Normand, but my favourite part was the water garden, and we enjoyed a stroll, taking in all the colours, smells, and bird songs. Monet had avidly collected prints of Japanese gardens. These inspired the Japanese bridges covered with wisterias, the water lilies in the pond, and the bamboo and weeping willows which he planted.

It was like a wonderland of colours and a dream come true after so many years.

Part 3 questions:

Is color important for clothing?

Yes, I think that colours play a vital role in clothes since that is how we appear to other people. Sometimes the colors of your outfits express your feelings. For example, when I’m not in a good mood, I will choose a black outfit. It will be dull if a person wears the same colours daily.

Should course books be colourful?

Absolutely. I believe that course books should be lively. Using illustrations helps in learning and may be more effective than just describing something. For example, kids are usually fond of books with colourful pictures rather than those with only words. If coursebooks include colourful contents, they are more likely to sell faster than others.

Useful Vocabulary & Expressions:

impression: feeling or feelings (in the plural) about the garden (impressions)

Eg: “His impression of the meeting was that it didn’t go very well.”

fan: although the word is often used in the context of football nowadays, here it means a person who admires [ Monet’s paintings].

Eg: “She is a huge fan of Maroon 5.”

jumped at the chance: I enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to visit the garden.

Eg: “He jumped at the chance to go to Las Vegas with his boss.”

a riot of colour: a collection of many different colours.

Eg: “Sandra’s rose garden is a riot of colour.”

striking: very attractive and unusual.

Eg: “The woman he was with was wearing a striking outfit last night.”

flowerbeds: a piece of a garden or park in which flowers are grown.

Eg: “He loves digging in his flowerbeds.”

complemented each other: each part of the garden added something different to the other part so that the garden as a whole became more attractive.

Eg: “The wine and the dish complemented each other to form a perfect meal.”

the array of bright flowers: the large and impressive collection of flowers.

Eg: “The array of bright flowers in her garden surprised everybody. They didn’t realize she had planted so many varieties.”

stroll: To walk about in a leisurely manner.

Eg: We could stroll into town if you like.

taking in all the colours: our eyes noticed all the colours and features of the garden.

Eg: “We were taking in all the colours of his garden when all of a sudden we heard a large crash outside the garden. Two cars had just bumped into each other.”

avidly: Monet collected prints of Japanese gardens enthusiastically.

Eg: “He studied English avidly, from morning until late in the evening.”

prints: copies of original drawings or paintings.

Eg: “The artist offered her prints for $100 each.”

wisterias: white or purple flowers which cover walls, bridges or trees.

Eg: “The wisterias in the garden were in full bloom.”

pond: a small area of still water, usually in a garden.

Eg: “There are many beautiful fishes in the pond.”

bamboo: tall tropical plants which have hollow stems [the long, thin part of the plant] used for building or furniture.

Eg: “Pandas love to eat bamboo.”

weeping willows: trees which grow near water and have branches which hang downwards.

Eg: “There are two weeping willows on the property, but we should cut one down.”