Describe a river, lake or sea which you like.
You should say
what the river, lake or sea is called
where it is
what the land near it is like
and explain why you like this river, lake or sea.
Here’s my example description from the video lesson. It took me exactly 2 minutes, and I simply
followed the points above. I’ve highlighted the good language that I think an examiner would
notice.
I’m going to describe the best known river in England, the river Thames.
The river Thames is in the south of England, and it’s famous because it flows right through the
centre of London. It goes winding through all of the most iconic, famous tourist attractions
and landmarks of the city. For example, it goes past the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament,
with Big Ben, and it goes under Tower Bridge, probably the most famous bridge in London.
So the land around this river, or on either side of this river is hectic, thriving, city-centre London.
It’s right in the heart of the city, and of course it’s a cosmopolitan mix of cultures, business,
tourism all around. It’s where everyone goes to do sightseeing in the centre of the capital, and it’s
got a lot of the history and heritage of London based around that area, in close proximity to the
river itself.
The reason I like this river, the river Thames, is because it’s such an iconic location. It’s a great…
it’s a backdrop to these great landmarks of the city: the historic buildings and famous tourist
sites in the city. And I’ve got good memories of being there on a New Year’s Eve one year
recently. In London, New Year’s Eve celebrations are all focused on the river, with the river and
some of the landmarks as the backdrop to a big fireworks show. And so the river’s all lit up,
and there’s a spectacular fireworks display put on, and lots of tourists and local people all watch
it there together. That was really an unforgettable experience, and the river was central to it.
Notice that here is a lot of ‘content’, but I don’t worry about linking. Your focus should be on the
task: describing the place using good ideas and vocabulary. Examiners are not impressed by
memorised linking phrases.
With regard to grammar, I’m not trying to use any ‘special’ structures. My focus is on answering the
question. But of course we should try to avoid making grammar mistakes!
Notice also that I tell a story in the last paragraph. This helps me to keep speaking for the full 2
minutes.
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