IELTS Speaking part 1 | Colour

Everyone has a favourite colour, and the reason can be quite different for every individual. Also, you may have more than one favourite.

Think about the following questions –

1. Why do you like the colour?
2. Does the colour you have any special meaning to you?
3. Do you prefer dark or light colours?

Examples

I would say that white is probably my favourite colour. It might seem a bit bland, but I think white is a colour that goes with everything, so it is easy to match clothes.  I have a lot of white dresses that I like to wear in the summer and quite a few white blouses that I can just match with a pear of jeans.

I prefer light colours as they are a little more vibrant. My favourite colour would have to be orange although I don’t have many clothes in that colour.  Orange reminds me of the sun and the colour of the sky, I love to see the sun come up and set in the summer so that’s why I like it. 

Bland – (Adj) – UK /blænd/ US /blænd/ – not having a strong taste or character or not showing any interest or energy

Vibrant – (Adj) – UK /ˈvaɪ.brənt/ US /ˈvaɪ.brənt/ – energetic, exciting and full of enthusiasm

Some people stick with the same colours they like while others may become more adventurous when they get older particularly in the clothes they wear.

Look at these questions –

1. Why has your choice of colour changed?
2. Do you still prefer the same colour?
3. Has the colour changed because of fashion trends?

Examples

When I was you younger, I spent most of my time wearing dark colours as I had to wear a school uniform. However, now I prefer brighter colours as they can also make me feel good. For example, I painted my bedroom yellow as it makes the bedroom look much brighter and more spacious.

I still like natural colours like green, brown and blue. These are the colours that remind me of nature. I really like to spend time outdoors and these are the colours I tend to wear a lot.

Spacious – (adj) – UK /ˈspeɪ.ʃəs/ US  /ˈspeɪ.ʃəs/ – large and with a lot of space

Outdoors – (Noun) – UK /ˌaʊtˈdɔːz/ US /ˌaʊtˈdɔːrz/ – a place outside, away from buildings, where you can experience nature

Although many people may answer no to this question, we usually make a judgement about a person when we first meet them. We often try to evaluate what a person may be like by the style or colour of their clothes.

Think about the following –

Can we really tell what a person is like from the colours they like?

1. Can the colour tell us whether a person is outgoing or reserved?
2. Can the colour tell us anything about their emotions?

 Examples

I think you can tell a lot by the colours a person likes, for instance, if they wear bright colours, they are likely to be an extrovert and if they wear dark colours, they are probably an introvert. I sometimes see ‘Goths’ on the street and they look very reserved as if they do not want to speak to anybody, but I am not sure if that is just the look.

I think most people would say that if people like bright clothes the person is outgoing and if they like dark colours the person is more reserved. However, it is difficult to judge a person just by the colour of their clothes – ‘you should never judge a book by the cover’ people have different personalities whatever colours they like or wear.

Extrovert (Noun) (c) – UK /ˈek.strə.vɜːt/ US /ˈek.strə.vɝːt/ – an energetic person who enjoys being with others – outgoing (synonym)

Introvert (Noun) (c) – UK /ˈɪn.trə.vɜːt/ US /ˈɪn.trə.vɝːt/ – a person who is shy, quiet, and prefers to spend time alone rather than often being with other people – reserved (synonym)

‘Goth’ – (Noun) (c) – UK /ɡɒθ/ US /ˈɡɑː.θ/  – a person who likes gothic music (a type of rock music), wears black clothes and white make-up

‘You should never judge a book by its cover’ – (idiom) – you should never judge someone/something by its outer appearance alone

In some cultures, colours have a special meaning, for example in China red symbolises good luck but in other countries they may not have a colour with any special meaning

Look at the following –

1. Are there any special colours in your country?
2. What is the colour and what does it represent?

Examples

In my culture the colour red is special and symbolises good luck, happiness and is positive colour. When a bride gets married, she will often wear a red traditional dress called a ‘qi pao’ and this is supposed to be lucky. At Spring Festival children get ‘hong bao’ or red envelopes with lucky money inside. So, in my culture it is a very important colour.

I don’t think I can think of one particular colour that is important in my culture, but I know the colours on the flag of Pakistan represent a number of things. Firstly, the green represents the Muslim majority as most people in my country follow Islam. However, we also recognise other religions and the white stripe in the flag represents those. The white crescent moon shape represents progress and white star light and knowledge.

Symbolise (Verb) – UK /ˈsɪm bəl.aɪz/ US /ˈsɪm.bə.laɪz/.- to represent something