IELTS Speaking Vocabulary: News, Newspapers & Magazines with Sample Questions

In the IELTS Speaking test, questions related to news, media, and publications are common, especially in Parts 1 and 3. To help you respond confidently, this guide provides useful vocabulary, collocations, idioms, and practice questions with sample answers. Expanding your vocabulary in this topic area can improve your lexical resource score and help you sound more fluent and natural during the IELTS Speaking exam.

Let us start with one of the biggest industries that deals with the written word: Literature and Media.

Vocabulary for Types of News, Newspapers, and Media

Mastering media-related terms boosts your ability to discuss news topics with ease in the IELTS Speaking. Here's a list of words often used when talking about newspapers, magazines, and media types.

Newspapers, Magazines, and Media Content Vocabulary

Given below are some IELTS Speaking Vocabulary that are meant to be used for some specific purposes. Check them out!

Vocabulary for Personal News Habits

Use these expressions to discuss your relationship with reading or watching news in IELTS Speaking Part 1 or 3.

• Follow a story
• Subscribe to a publication
• Track the news
• Peruse a column

People in the News Industry

When asked about media careers or journalism, use these professional titles appropriately.

• News anchor
• Broadcaster
• Journalist
• Reporter
• Columnist
• Photojournalist
• Unscrupulous reporters

Idioms & Phrases About the News

Adding idioms and advanced phrases makes your speaking more native-like. These idioms are especially useful in Part 2 and Part 3.

• The gutter press – tabloids focusing on scandal and gossip
• Yellow journalism – sensational reporting lacking facts
• Information overload – receiving too much information
• Invasion of privacy – media overstepping boundaries
• A slow news day – a day with few notable stories

IELTS Speaking Practice Questions

Prepare for all parts of the speaking test with sample questions on the topic of news and media.

IELTS Speaking Part 1 Questions:

• Do you often read the news?
• Which magazines and newspapers do you read [Why?]
• What kinds of articles are you most interested in? [Why?]
• Have you ever read a newspaper or magazine in a foreign language? [When / Why?]

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card:

Describe a newspaper or a magazine that you like to read. You should say:
– What the publication is
– What kind of information it contains
– How often you read it
And explain why you read it

IELTS Speaking Part 3 Follow-up Questions

• Why is it important to read the news?
• Do you prefer to receive yours by reading it, or by listening to the news on the radio, TV or the internet?
• Do you think newspapers and magazines might one day disappear?
• What qualifications should a person have to work in a news corporation?
• Would you say the media presents us with more good news than bad news, or vice-versa?
• Should the government control what is in our newspapers?
• Which news medium, TV, the internet, or mobile devices, do you think is best for broadcasting the news?
• What kind of person can become a good journalist?
• Is it easier to share news today than it was in the past?
• In general, how do people share or communicate (good) news with others?
• Which do you think is better for communicating (good) news, telling someone face-to-face or telling them on the telephone?  
• How has modern technology affected the way people share information with others?

Practice with Newspaper Vocabulary

Fill in the following sentences with the word(s) from the above lists. Words can be adapted to make the sentences grammatically correct.

1.  I can’t understand why people buy ……………….. because they don’t contain real news, just gossip.
2. Famous people deserve the right to privacy and the government should do more to control and limit ……………
3. There are so many mistakes in that article with information that they’ve got wrong. They really should employ a …………….
4. I’m not keen on the …………… of some newspapers. It seems to me as though they are trying to fill the pages with pictures and big words to get people’s attention but I just think it’s messy.
5.  Did you read about that amazing hero in WWII that recently died? There was a wonderful article about her life in the …………….. today.
6. The reason that many people only glance through the papers to read the ……………….. is that they are so busy and don’t have time to read the details in the articles themselves.
7. Although we live in a global world, where international news is important to follow, it is still vital that people read their ……………… newspapers in order to learn about the community in which they live.
8. I quite like reading …………… because it’s interesting to read the views of the editor on particular issues.

Answers

Error Correction

Find the mistakes in the following sentences. There is one mistake in each sentence.

1. The paparazzi, who work freelance, are notorious for hound celebrities.
2. Gutter press focuses on mainly sensational news.
3. Tabloid are not popular newspapers among the educated people in my country.
4. Fact checkers do important work and are responsible to make sure that people are quote correctly in articles.
5. The recent article about marine environmental problems is hot of the press.
6. For my research, I had to go through a lot of back issues of various newspapers to find the articles relate to my degree thesis.
7. I’m pleased that newspapers are starting to include some colour photographs and pictures because it makes the articles more interesting and eye-catch.
8. One of my favourite parts of a newspaper is the comic strip because I find the message in the cartoons so relevent to the major issues of the day.

Answers