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IELTS Sports Vocabulary

 

Part 1-style task

Examiner: Do you do any sports?
Student: Not really … no … I always say I’m going to take up exercise and try to get into shape but I never seem to get started … I sometimes wonder whether  I should get a personal trainer … someone who will sort out a fitness programme for me and make me train hard ….

Examiner: How do you spend a typical weekend?
Student: I’m a big football fan and weekends always centre around a football match … I support FC Utrecht and have a season ticket so I go to most of the home games and quite a few of the away games too  … I’m really looking forward to the new football season starting soon …

Examiner: Have you got any hobbies or interests?

Student: Yes … I’m really keen on sports … I do judo once a week and play tennis in the summer … I think it’s really important to keep fit … it makes you feel good and energised for work and your studies ….

Part 2-style task

Describe a place you like going to in your leisure time. You should say:

• what this place is
• when you go there
• what you do there

and say why you enjoy it there so much.

I’d like to talk about my local sports centre … it’s a place I spend a lot of time in  … it’s a new building with all the latest sports facilities … I probably go there at least twice a week … sometimes more often … it’s a huge place … there’s an outdoor athletics track and some football pitches … I play football so I’m often out there … there are several indoor squash and tennis courts that I use occasionally … a big swimming pool … although I don’t use that very often … I’m not a very strong swimmer … there’s a gym … lots of things really … why do I enjoy going there … it’s just a really fun place to be … there’s a good social side to it all … you can enter competitions … meet up with other people who want to do the same sports … and because there are so many activities on offer it gets you interested in different things … for example I was listening to some people talking about training to run the marathon and I’ve decided I might even think about that … I go jogging a couple of times a week so it would give me something to aim for … so yes … the sports centre … that’s the place I really like to visit …

Part 3-style questions

Examiner: Should people be encouraged more to take up sport?
Student: I think young people should be given the chance to discover which sport they might like … watching sport is sometimes a good way to get people started … not on TV but actually getting out … take athletics for example … they could go to an athletics meeting … there are so many different sports on show one might interest them …

Examiner: Why do some people enjoy participating in sport more than others?
Student: That’s a good question … I suppose some people are more concerned about their health … they can’t stand the thought of being out of condition … other people might be driven to excel … they want to set records or get personal bests …

Examiner: Which sports do you think are best for people who aren’t used to physical activity?
Student: Well … I think people like this should avoid strenuous exercise so things like circuit training are definitely out of the question … maybe just doing a brisk walk every day … or swimming is always a good way to get started …

Definitions

• an athletics meeting: an event where various athletics sports are held
• an athletics track: a running track
• an away game: a football match played in the opposing teams stadium
• a brisk walk: a fast walk
• to do judo: (not go or play)
• a football fan: someone who likes football
• a fitness programme: a schedule of activities to keep fit
• a football match: a game of football
• a football pitch: the surface on which you play football (as opposed to a stadium, which is the building)
• a football season: a period in the year when football is played
• to get into shape: to become fit
• to go jogging: to run around the streets
• a home game:  a football match played in the teams own stadium
• to keep fit: to stay in good physically condition
• to be out of condition: to not be physically fit
• a personal best: to achieve the best personal result so far in a sport
• a personal trainer: a sports coach that helps you on a one-to-one basis
• to play tennis/football: (not do or go)
• to run the marathon: to run a distance of 42.195 Kilometres
• a season ticket: a ticket that gives you entry to most of a team’s home games during the sporting year.
• to set a record: to achieve the best result in a sport
• a sports centre: a public building where people can do various sports
• sports facilities: the equipment and services needed to do a sport
• a squash/tennis/badminton court: the surface where you play these sports
• strenuous exercise: exercise that needs a lot of physical effort
• a strong swimmer: a good swimmer
• a swimming pool: the place where you swim
• to take up exercise: to start doing exercise
• to train hard: to train with a lot of effort