Success and Failure: Common Idioms to Boost Your IELTS Score

Idioms are powerful tools to make your English more natural and impressive, especially in exams like the IELTS speaking tasks. Success and failure are two universal themes, and having a good command of success and failure idioms will not only enrich your vocabulary but also demonstrate fluency and confidence.

In this blog, we will explore popular idioms related to both success and failure, including their meanings, origins, and examples. Finally, we will explore how you can effectively utilize them to prepare for the latest IELTS Speaking topics with Part 2 & 3 questions.

List of Success Idioms for IELTS

These idioms capture moments of achievement, triumph, and effectiveness. Therefore, learning some common idioms in IELTS Speaking related to success is essential. 

Given below is a table of success idioms, each one with a definition, an example, and tips on when to use it in the IELTS Speaking test.

List of Failure Idioms for IELTS

Failure is just as important to discuss, especially when reflecting on challenges or setbacks. It is therefore essential to learn some useful idioms for IELTS Speaking to score band 8.0+. 

Here is a table of failure idioms, each with a definition, an example, and tips on how to use them in the IELTS Speaking test.

IELTS-Specific Examples Using the Success and Failure Idioms

In order to understand what IELTS examiners look for in the speaking test, especially in terms of lexical resources, it is important to go through some Band 7+ samples using the above-mentioned success and failure idioms for IELTS. The following are examples of how these idioms can be used naturally in IELTS answers.

Success Idioms in IELTS

IELTS Speaking Part 1

• Question: Do you enjoy working on group projects?
• Sample Answer: “I recently took part in a group project at university, and our presentation brought the house down. The professors were genuinely impressed.”

IELTS Speaking Part 2

• Cue Card Topic: Describe an achievement you are proud of.
• Answer Excerpt: “When I passed my entrance exam with flying colours, it gave me the confidence to pursue further studies abroad.”

IELTS Writing Task 2

• Topic: Some people believe that protecting the environment is the responsibility of individuals, while others think it is the responsibility of governments. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
• Answer Excerpt: “If governments introduce effective environmental policies, they could work like a charm in reducing pollution levels.”

Failure Idioms in IELTS

IELTS Speaking Part 1

• Question: Have you ever had an experience where something went wrong when you were cooking or preparing food?
• Sample Answer: “I once tried to bake a cake, but it went completely pear-shaped. It didn’t rise at all!”

IELTS Speaking Part 2

• Cue Card Topic: Describe a time when you faced a challenge.
• Answer Excerpt: “I attempted to organise a college event, but I fell flat on my face due to poor planning. Still, it taught me valuable lessons.”

Success and Failure Idioms for IELTS: Practice Exercises

In the exercises below, you will learn how to use the success and failure idioms for IELTS in the speaking context confidently. Try the idiom out on them and see if you got it right.

1 I’m sure you’ll pass your final exam with flying ­­­­­­____________.

1. flags
2. colours
3. sails

2 She guessed – and hit the ____________ on the head first time.

1. nail
2. board
3. hammer

3 It seemed like a good idea but I fell ____________ on my face.

1. down
2. belly-up
3. flat

4 I’m trying to learn Japanese but I think I’m fighting a losing ____________

1. fight
2. battle
3. face

5 That nail varnish remover you gave me worked like a ____________

1. charm
2. pear
3. trick

6 We’ve done the hard work – it’ll be ____________ sailing from now on.

1. plain
2. flying
3. flat

7 The plan went ____________-shaped almost from the very start.

1. belly
2. face
3. pear

8 All my work over the last year has just gone  ____________!

1. belly-up
2. down
3. flat

1 If a performance brings the house down, it is a complete failure.

2 If someone saves the day, they make it a success.

3 If something goes belly-up, it fails.

4 If something goes pear-shaped, it goes according to plan.

5 If you have to go back to the drawing board, you have to start again.

6 If something works like a charm, it doesn’t have the desired results.

7 If you hit the nail on the head, you are wrong about something.

8 If something is touch and go, the outcome is certain.

1. will win the final / we’re hoping / hands down / that our team
2. to go belly-up / the exporters / it looks like / are likely
3. for the launch of / all our arrangements / the new products / have gone pear-shaped
4. move up in the world / can expect to / a keen young politician / who knows the right people
5. be prepared to go / we have to / to fix these serious problems / back to the drawing board
6. would be / it was touch and go / finished in time / whether my manuscript

1 Our presentation started off well, but then it all went flat-shaped at the end.

2 That’s it! You’ve really hit the head on the nail.

3 Being a student is not all plain playing – there’s a lot of hard work to do.

4 He’s really come up in the face since his humble beginnings.

5 Our team was far better than the competition and we won hands up.

6 It was start and go as to whether he would survive the accident – but he’s made a full recovery.

1 Once I’ve done the research, writing the report will be ______________ .

2 I agree with you entirely. I think you’ve ______________

3 We started well, but it all ______________ and we lost five matches in a row.

4 The medicine ______________and my life has greatly improved.

5 I told myself I was going to try even harder and I would not __________again.

6 The newspapers ______________ to maintain their sales figures.

7 Mr Cheng’s secretary finally found the missing documents and ______________

8 The audience loved her dancing and her performance ______________

Answer Key for the Success and Failure Idioms Practice Exercises

After you have completed the above exercises, you should cross-check your answers with the answer key below to determine whether you understand IELTS help and encouragement idioms or not!

Exercise 1

 Exercise 2

1          F          5          T

2          T          6          F

3          T          7          F

4          F          8          F

Exercise 3

1 We’re hoping that our team will win the final hands down.

2 It looks like the exporters are likely to go belly-up.

3 All our arrangements for the launch of the new products have gone pear-shaped.

4 A keen young politician who knows the right people can expect to move up in the world.

5 We have to be prepared to go back to the drawing board to fix these serious problems.

6 It was touch and go whether my manuscript would be finished in time.

Exercise 4

1 went pear-shaped

2 hit the nail on the head

3 plain sailing

4 come up in the world

5 hands down

6 touch and go

Exercise 5

1 plain sailing

2 hit the nail on the head

3 went pear-shaped

4 worked like a charm

5 fall flat on my face

6 are fighting a losing battle

7 saved the day

8 brought the house down

Exercise 6

To sum it up, mastering success and failure idioms can make your English much more natural and impactful. Whether you’re talking about achievements, setbacks, or uncertain outcomes, these expressions allow you to communicate ideas vividly and memorably. Moreover, remember success idioms inspire confidence, while failure idioms show humility and realism - both are valuable in exams and real life! So, use these idioms in your daily conversation or IELTS speaking practice tests, and explore other IELTS Speaking Part 2 topics to prepare real examples to make your speech more convincing and memorable.

Useful Links:

• Help and Encouragement: Useful Idioms for IELTS Speaking
• IELTS Accommodation Vocabulary: Useful Phrases, Idioms & Questions in IELTS Speaking
• IELTS Work Vocabulary: Useful Phrases And Expressions in IELTS Speaking
• Useful Idioms for IELTS Speaking to Score Band 8.0+
• Latest IELTS Speaking Vocabulary to Boost Your Score: Topic-Wise
• Common English Words Used in IELTS Speaking Test