IELTS Speaking Lesson: Art – Keith Speaking Academy

When you have to talk about IELTS topics like art, you may feel fear!

I think this might be because you believe you need to

• be an art expert
• speak like an ‘Artist’
• give some examples of art 😄

The first 2 are absolutely false!

You do not need to be an expert, nor talk like an artist.

However, you will need to have 1 or 2 examples to talk about. For this topic, having at least 1 picture and 1 exhibition you can talk about is important.

If you have never visited an art exhibition, don’t worry, in this live lesson, (when you watch the video of the lesson), you can experience a virtual art tour and this is something you can talk about.

When it comes to describing a picture or painting, there are 3 things you can talk about:

1. The Picture
2. Your Feelings
3. The Artist

1. The Picture

It’s a painting of a house / cafe / street

There are some tables / a lot of people / some stars in the sky

2. Your Feelings

😁 / 😅 / 😲

It makes feel _______ (adj.)

It makes me feel warm / happy  / curious / inspired

It gives me a feeling of __________ (n.)

It gives me a feeling of warmth / happiness  / curiosity / inspiration

3. The Artist

It is not necessary to know the name of the painter, the name of the painting in English, nor when it was painted and what it means.

I mean, if you love art and you know all of that, then great, but it is not necessary.

You can just explain that you don’t know that information and then simply describe the painting and / or your feelings.

Look at the two examples below. The first one is fine, but the second one is even better, showing off a wider range of vocabulary and grammar.

FIRST:

I like one painting called Guernica and it’s by Picasso and it was painted in 1937.

SECOND:

I like one painting that has chopped up bodies, I am not sure who it was painted by, nor when , but it gives me a feeling of sadness.