IELTS Topic: Food
March 6, 2017Belle LIELTS, Test Prep
VOCAB & IDIOMS
Go over the following vocabulary and expressions with your tutor. Read the
word/expression and definition out loud, and your tutor will go over anything you do
not understand. Practice creating a sentence or two to make sure you know how to
use the word/expression properly.
Vocabulary/ Expressions
Spoil + possessive adj + (expression) – You will spoil your appetite if you eat snacks before
appetite dinner. (ruin your hunger or appetite)
Late night snack (phrase) – eating something late at night before you go to bed
Picky eater (n) – someone who is very selective about what they eat
Microwavable food (n) – food that can be cooked in a microwave; already prepared
Home-cooked (adj) – food that is made and eaten at home
Eat out (a(phrasal verb) – to go out to eat; in a restaurant
Eat in (phrasal verb) – to eat in the home
takeout/takeaway (phrasal verb) – to buy food in a restaurant and eat it somewhere else
Pig out (idiom) – to eat a lot or too much
To have a sweet tooth (idiom) – a desire to eat sweet food, like pastries, cakes, chocolate,
and candy
PART 1 QUESTIONS
Here are possible questions that might come up during the test. Go over them with
your tutor.
Topic
What is your favorite food?
What kind of food did you eat as a child?
Do you enjoy cooking?
PART 2&3 QUESTIONS
Here are possible questions that might come up during the test. Go over them with
your tutor.
Sample A
Part 2 Questions
Tell me about a time when you ate a type of food for the first time. You should say:
o when you had it
o where you ate it
o what was it
o and how did you like it.
Part 3 Questions
Do you like to try new food?
Is it expensive to eat out in your country?
Sample B
Part 2 Questions
Talk about a recent restaurant you ate at. You should say:
o what’s the name of it
o where it’s located
o who did you go with
o and what did you eat and do there.
Part 3 Questions
Why do some people enjoy eating out?
Do you prefer home-cooked meals or eating out?
Sample C
Part 2 Questions
Tell me about a time you had guests over for a meal. You should say:
o what was the occasion
o who were the guests
o what you ate
o and how you felt about the occasion.
Part 3 Questions
Is it common to invite guests over to eat in your country?
Why do some people order take out food?
SAMPLE ANSWERS
Here are some sample answers. Go over them with your tutor.
Part 1 Questions
What is your favorite food?
o Oh, that’s difficult to say because I love food in general. If I had to pick one favorite dish I
love to eat, I would say BBQ pork ribs with french fries and coleslaw. It makes my mouth
water just thinking about it!
What kind of food did you eat as a child?
o When I was younger, I can honestly say, umm, I was a picky eater. I hated to eat fruits
and vegetables, although I did eat bananas, umm, as if they were going out of style.
Having said that, I ate a lot of cereal and pop tarts also.
Do you enjoy cooking?
o Absolutely not! I have a tendency to burn food when I cook. This is why I like to eat out a
lot instead of eating a home-cooked meal, but if someone else cooks for me, I’m grateful.
PART 2&3 ANSWERS
Here are some sample answers. Go over them with your tutor.
Sample A
Part 2 Questions
Tell me about a time when you ate a type of food for the first time. You should say:
o when you had it
o where you ate it
o what was it
o and how did you like it.
Since I’m a world traveler, I often eat different food that I never tried before. I’m going tell
you about the first time I ate ceviche.
Ceviche is a common dish made and served in Latin America, but I would have to say the
Peruvians make the best. I would have to say it’s how they prepare it with fresh ingredients
to include herbs and spices.
When I was living in Chile and Peru between 2010 and 2012, I ate ceviche for the first time
at a Peruvian restaurant in Chile. I can honestly say, I fell in love with this dish. I ate a
particular type of ceviche called ceviche mixto or mixed ceviche that consists of fresh
octopus, squid, shrimp, and fish. In addition, it has red onion, sweet
potato….umm….cilantro, and a kind of hot pepper called aji. I was a happy camper as I
pigged out on this delicious food.
Since living in these two countries, I have tried other Ceviche dishes in other Latin
American countries and in some restaurants in the USA. Compared to other ceviches I ate
in these other Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Argentina, and…
umm….Colombia, there are no comparisons. The Peruvians are the masters at preparing
this heavenly dish. I would highly recommend trying this dish, if and only if, you are in Peru.
I feel if you eat ceviche in another country besides Peru, you are not eating authentic
ceviche.
Part 3 Questions
Do you like to try new food?
o As I mentioned before, I love to try food I never ate. I’m not afraid to try something new
even if it tastes bad. However, there are some types of food I will not try like internal
organs such as heart and liver. Actually, I tried liver before, and I almost threw up.
Is it expensive to eat out in your country?
o I would have to say it depends on what type of restaurant you are going to and where it is
located. If you are eating at a restaurant in the big city, yes, it’s definitely going to cost you
an arm and a leg. While in a smaller town you can probably find some mom and pop
places with cheap prices, but also cheap quality.
Sample B
Part 2 Questions
Talk about a recent restaurant you ate at. You should say:
o what’s the name of it
o where it’s located
o who did you go with
o and what did you eat and do there.
Since I’d rather eat out than eat in, I want to tell you about one of my experiences dining
out just the other day.
There’s this local pub near my house that I frequent almost every week. The chef prepares
the tastiest kebabs around! You can say that they are out of this world. Anyhow, I went
there with my best friend who was back in town for a short visit.
We met at the restaurant around 6:00 pm on a Friday, and I must say it was crowded. This
was probably due to several reasons, but I’m sure it was mainly due to the happy hour
crowd was in full swing. Unfortunately, there were no empty tables, umm, not even a seat
at the bar so we had to wait for approximately 30 minutes. During this time, we were able to
order a cocktail at the bar. Once we were seated to eat, my mouth started watering thinking
about the savory kebabs I was going to eat.
We both ordered the kebabs along with an appetizer to share. As we were waiting for our
food, it gave us a chance to catch up with our daily lives.
After we were finished with dinner, my friend asked me if I was, umm, interested in dessert.
Being that I have a sweet tooth, I was most certainly up for a slice of the decadent peanut
butter cheesecake. It is to die for!
Part 3 Questions
Why do some people enjoy eating out?
o I think most people prefer to eat out rather than eat in. Personally speaking, I find it
convenient and once in awhile affordable. I say every now and then because there are
not a lot of cheap places to eat. It depends on what you are hungry for such as Mexican
food. In general, some people like that some restaurants offer take out and sometimes
delivery, which makes it quick and easy for them.
Do you prefer home-cooked meals or eating out?
o By far, I love home-cooked meals over eating out. There’s nothing like a good old
homestyle meal cooked by your mom. My mom makes the best homemade lasagna and
cheesy garlic bread. Being that I live alone, umm, I must say this is the only time I get a
home-cooked meal because I normally eat microwavable meals.
Sample C
Part 2 Questions
Tell me about a time you had guests over for a meal. You should say:
o what was the occasion
o who were the guests
o what you ate
o and how you felt about the occasion.
I’m not sure how to answer this question because I never had people at my apartment to
share a meal. I do remember a time that my parents had some guests over for a cookout,
umm, so I’m going to talk about that instead.
When I was still studying at the university, I used to go home on weekends to visit and stay
with my parents. Was I in for a surprise this particular weekend.
It’s typical for my parents to have neighbors over to socialize. On this occasion, they had
two of their neighbors over for a BBQ. I must say, I came home on the right
weekend because they had a spread of BBQ chicken, potato salad, baked beans, and
fresh sweet corn on the table; umm, not to mention fresh homegrown strawberries. I was in
heaven!
Just before arriving at my parent’s home, I had eaten a foot long meatball sub, a bag of
chips, and drank a 32 oz soda. Even though I was full, I didn’t let it spoil my appetite.
Seeing my parents, neighbors, and the table filled with delicious food was the highlight of
my day! There’s nothing better than family, friends, and food. Three of the most important
things in life.
Part 3 Questions
Is it common to invite guests over to eat in your country?
o Yes, it’s a part of everyday life here in the USA. If it’s not with family, it’s usually with good
friends. Over the summer, it’s more common because people have cookouts just about
every weekend unless the weather is bad. When the weather is bad, we take the party
inside.
Why do some people order take out food?
o As I see it, lots of people like to order take out. The biggest reason is the convenience.
On top of that, sometimes restaurants are full and the wait time is long. For me, I like to
have a late night snack. For this reason, I order takeout from Taco Bell.
Late night snack
Picky eater
Microwavable food
Home-cooked
Eat out
Eat in
takeout/takeaway
Pig out
To have a sweet tooth
Spoil + possessive adj + appetite
