IELTS Speaking part 1 | Sky

There could be a number of reasons people look at the sky, but people probably don’t give it much thought. It is a little bit of strange question, however, there are a few strange questions in the test.

Think about the following questions –

1. When do you usually look at the sky?
2. Do you look at the sky to check the weather?
3. Do you like to see the sunrise/sunset?

Examples

•  I usually look at the sky every morning to see what the weather is like outside. If it looks like rain, then I know what I need to wear to go to work. Also, in the summer I like to see the colour of the sky as there are some beautiful sunrises.
•  It is not something I actually think about really. I do like to see sunsets in the summer as the sky is usually a lovely red colour. If I go on holiday, I like to get up early and see the sun come up, but here I don’t usually get up that early as I have to go to university.

Look at these questions –

1.  What is the sky like in the morning where you live?
2. Is it different in different seasons?
3. Can you see the stars at night where you live?

Examples

• I prefer to look at the sky at night because if it is a clear night you can see the stars. I love to look at the full moon as well, at certain times of the year it is really low in the sky and looks huge. If I am lucky, I might even get to see a shooting star.
•  Well, it depends on the season really. As we have daylight saving in the summer it gets light really early, so it is nice to look at sky when I draw the curtains and to see the sunrise. However, in the winter it is usually dark until around 8.30 in the morning so there is not much to see.

 Shooting star – (Noun) (c) – UK /ˌʃuː.tɪŋ ˈstɑːr/ US /ˌʃuː.t̬ɪŋ ˈstɑːr/

Daylight saving time – (Noun) (u) – UK /ˌdeɪ.laɪt ˈseɪ.vɪŋ ˌtaɪm/ US /ˌdeɪ.laɪt ˈseɪ.vɪŋ ˌtaɪm/ – the time set usually one hour later in the summer so there is a longer period of daylight in the evening

Curtain (Noun) (c) – UK /ˈkɜː.tən/ US /ˈkɝː.t̬ən/ – a piece of material, especially cloth, that hangs across a window or opening to make a room or part of a room private or dark

Have a look at these questions –

1.  Is there a hill or mountain that can give a good view of the sky?
2. Are there any high buildings that offer a good view of the sky?
3. Can you see the stars at night where you live?

Examples

•  Unfortunately, in my hometown you can only see the stars on rare occasions because of the pollution. If it is a good day you might be able to see them but in winter the pollution is bad, and the sky is usually smoggy.
•  There are a couple of hills where I take my dog for a walk and they offer good views of the sky. When it is very dark in winter you can see the stars very clearly and make out the constellations. However, in summer it stays light until late so it’s not possible to see the stars most of the time, but sometimes you can see the moon when the sun is still out.

 Smoggy – (Adj) – UK  /ˈsmɒɡ.i/ US /ˈsmɑː.ɡi/ – (related to or affected by smog) a mixture of harmful smoke, gases, and chemicals in the air

Constellations – (Noun) (c) – UK /ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/ US  /ˌkɑːn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/ – any group of stars in the sky seen from earth that seem to from patterns and have been given names

Look at the following –

1. Did you learn anything about astronomy at school?
2. Were you only taught the basics of the solar system?

Examples

•  I can’t really remember studying much about the planets or stars when I was at school. We studied the basics like the planets etc but not in much detail.  I would probably struggle to name the planets in the order of distance they are from the sun now, I have forgotten most of what we learned. 
• I remember my science teacher in middle school was really interested in astronomy. The middle school had an observatory at the time, and he took us over a few times to look at the stars. It was quite exciting at the time as I had never seen the stars and planets like that before.

 Struggle (Verb) – UK /ˈstrʌɡ.əl/ US /ˈstrʌɡ.əl/ – to experience and make a very great effort in order to do something

Observatory (Noun) (c) – UK /əbˈzɜː.və.tər.i/ US /əbˈzɝː.və.tɔːr.i/ – a building from which people can view the stars, planets and weather