Describe a building in IELTS Speaking

Describing a place is a common task in the IELTS Speaking test.

Here are four suggested steps and common sentence structures for an IELTS Speaking about places.

1. First, you name the building and its address with some simple sentences:

- The impressive/unforgettable building that I've seen is + name of the building, which is located in (location) - The impressive/unforgettable building that I've seen is (name of building), located in (location).

- One of my favorite buildings of all time is...

- A building that I like is ... (The building that I love is ...).

Relative clauses like "which is located in..." or "that I like" in the example above are used to expand sentences. The phrase "of all time" also shows your rich vocabulary.

2. After the introduction, give some important information about the building, such as its history and function, for example:

- This building was constructed in the 19th century when... (This building was constructed in the 19th century, when...). Here, you can use a time clause with when to give more information about the context in which the building was built.

- These days, the building is used as a place for tourists to visit and learn about... In this sentence, after the phrase "is used as a place for someone to do something", we add a verb to show what activities can be done there.

3. Describe in detail the features of the building.

Chatham University Library, USA. Photo: Chatham University fanpage — Chatham University Library, USA. Photo: *Chatham University fanpage*

- Talking about the exterior of a building, you can describe its architecture like: It was built in the colonial/traditional/Gothic/Victorian/Roman/ elaborate/contemporary style with.... You can use different adjectives to describe the style and use the preposition "with" to expand the sentence.

- To add, you describe the height (e.g. 30 stories high), shape (looks like a spaceship), roof (with a rainbow roof) of the building; surrounding features (In front of the building are two big lion statues)...

- In addition, you describe in detail the materials and colors of the building. Some suggestions:

+ When you first enter the building, you'll see a large lobby taking you to... (When you first enter the building, you will see a large lobby leading you to...). Here, the use of an -ing phrasal verb like "taking you to..." is to expand the sentence.

+ The floor is made of marble/ brick/ colorful stone...

+ The wall is painted red/ blue/ ...

With these examples, it is important to note the use of the passive voice.

4. Finally, you can end your speech with why you like the building and what you usually do or like to do there.

For example: Overall, I truly appreciate this building because of its rich history and interesting characteristics year-round. Whenever I have visitors, I bring them to visit it and take pictures together.

Linh Phung (Chatham University/Eduling, USA)

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