IELTS Energy 1441: Band 9 IELTS Vocabulary for Advertising Questions
17:12 Share

This is an IELTS Energy Podcast, Episode 1441, Band 9 IELTS Vocabulary for Advertising Questions.

Welcome to the IELTS Energy Podcast from All Ears English, downloaded more than 22 million times with former IELTS examiner Jessica Beck and Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz. If you are stuck with a low score, our insider method will help you get the score you need to unlock your dreams. Get your estimated value of 22 million times.

band score now with our two-minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com forward slash my score. Are you drowning in ads? The way companies advertise has changed and you need to be ready for questions about it. Today, you'll learn three high-scoring phrases for IELTS speaking questions about advertising.

Quick shout out to our sponsors Toyota. Announcing the Toyota National Sales Event. Now is a great time to get a special deal on a dependable car. Check out the Camry, which is built for performance with available all-wheel drive. It also has heated seats and a multimedia touchscreen to keep you connected in comfort and style. Or have a look at the Corolla. It has a trim for every lifestyle.

From the hip and agile sedan to the sporty hatchback, there's a dependable Corolla built just for you. Don't forget, both the Camry and the Corollas are available in hybrid. So whatever your style is, you can drive efficiently and affordably. So visit your local Toyota dealer and check out amazing national sales event deals on Camrys, Corollas, and more.

when you visit buyatoyota.com. That's B-U-Y-A-T-O-Y-O-T-A.com. Toyota, let's go places. Hey, Aubrey, how do you feel about...

Advertisements. Oh, advertisements are the worst. We are trying out YouTube TV and some things I love about it, but there are ads for like movies and shows and I'm not used to it. I'm used to streaming on like Netflix and I don't get ads. I hate this. You know, this has been and remains such a common IELTS topic.

And the nature of advertising has changed so much that I think some students are confused about how to talk about it these days. You know what I mean? Because the format of the questions on IELTS, guys, can still be very old, even if they're new questions. They just, they stick to the old ways.

So today, guys, we are going to talk about some vocabulary and we're going to provide a sample part three answers about advertising. Now, this is something that's really interesting to think about, because like you said, Jessica, it's changed a lot very recently, right? The ads we saw as kids or where we saw ads has changed a lot. So the wording of these questions might throw you off and you might not see a ton of ads these days. So this might not be something you have to think about very often.

Exactly. And, you know, some people might consider the word advertisement as just being like TV commercials because that's that's all it used to be. You know what I mean? TV commercials and billboards and flyers in the mail, stuff like that. But these days, right, like really think out of the box because there are

Little and big advertisements absolutely everywhere. Yeah, good point. So we want to make sure to point you guys to our YouTube channel. Years ago, we used to make videos exclusively on YouTube. And there's one from eight years ago that got 20,000 views. It was called 7 Plus IELTS Part 3 Vocabulary Advertising. And these videos, you don't want to miss them. Even though they're older, they're still very applicable to the questions you're getting today.

Oh, yeah. There are so many vocabulary and speaking model answer videos on there that you don't get on the podcast. They're only on the YouTube channel. So, guys, make sure you subscribe to IELTS Energy TV. In addition to those extra videos, you also get to see us on camera doing every one of these podcast episodes.

Yes, exactly. So fun. So let's dive into our vocab here. First, we want to talk about jingles. This is the music you hear often with lyrics, right? Think about the music you just heard at the beginning of the IELTS Energy podcast, right? We've got this little jingle and then often they have lyrics. And so we sometimes call them catchy, right? If they stick in your head, I mean, there are...

There are advertising jingles from like the 1980s and 1990s that are still stuck in our heads because we saw these all the time, right? And this vocabulary, by the way, guys, is from that YouTube video. So we're gonna teach you three of the vocab phrases and then give you sample answers. But if you wanna see all the vocab phrases, make sure you go to IELTS Energy TV, 7+IELTS Part 3 Vocabulary for Advertising. All right.

So a catchy jingle. Aubrey, can you think of an example of a catchy jingle that may be stuck in your head? I often think of phone numbers. There are so many ads I've heard where it's like a law firm or something and it'll be like 8, 6, 7, 9, 2, 3 and that will be stuck in my head all day. That's so old. I don't think that

don't think that happens anymore like people don't advertise with phone numbers they just advertise with like websites you know what I mean curious right I feel like I have heard a couple on the radio still recently which seems nuts that it's still you're still hearing them but I think a lot of the ones stuck in my head are old they're from a long time ago and they're that catchy that they still pop up in there sometimes totally there was this one um like McDonald's jingle from the 80s or 90s I don't know where they gave like all of the ingredients for the Big Mac or

Do you remember that? And we all had it memorized and it was really long, but I can't remember it now. Anyway, I do remember it, but I don't want McDonald's to sue us if I, who knows, but I totally remember it.

All right, guys, here's another phrase drowning in ads. Like we could say my newsfeed is drowning in ads lately. I mean, yeah, anytime you go on to especially like Facebook, I think has changed in recent years. Like there are a ton more advertisements in the feed than there used to be. Right. So we could say, you know,

I don't really like to use a lot of social media sites anymore. I used to be on Facebook all the time, but these days I don't go on there. It's just it's drowning in ads and it's not interesting to me. Yeah, it's so tricky. It makes sense because if this is where our eyes are, this is where marketers, advertising agents, companies want their ads to be. Right. But then it makes us not want to look at Facebook anymore.

I know. All right. So the third and final phrase before we get into the example answers, target market. Now, this is a phrase, guys, you could use not just for questions about advertising, but any questions about business, right? And this is very formal. So it's great for writing task two. What is a target market? Yeah, this is whoever the advertisement is aimed at.

So if the target market is middle-aged women, then that's me. I'm the target marketer. It might be youth, it might be older, it might be based on age or there's all kinds of things that marketers are thinking about when they're trying to target specific people. So, man, it's really funny though to me when the target market is wrong. I don't know what they did on their end.

But sometimes I'll see advertisements where I'm like, this is definitely not for me, you guys. I do not watch the NFL on Sundays or whatever it is. Or sometimes I feel I am target marketed because I'm getting old. There's like old lady supplement ads. AARP mailers. Like, really? I'm not that old yet.

I know sometimes I'll say that I'm not the target market for this. Exactly. Exactly. Okay. So let's do a sample answer. I am going to ask you first. Are you ready? I am ready. All right. So again, guys, this is speaking part three questions about advertising. All right. Aubrey, do you think, uh, do you think advertising influences what people buy?

Absolutely. I think we're all susceptible to this myself as a case in point. Whenever I'm on Amazon, I have in mind what I want to purchase. And inevitably, I end up with three extra things in my cart because of ads I've either seen recently or ads that will pop up as I'm shopping. And I know I'm not alone. I think a lot of us are in the same boat. Oh my gosh, that was perfect. That was seriously perfect. No notes. That was amazing. Guys, some of the

the vocabulary, you could learn from that answer. Notice how high level and formal her vocabulary is, right? Because this is speaking part three. So she used the adjective susceptible. I am susceptible to this. It means I am open to this, right? I take this in. I pay attention to this. And the transition phrases, as a case in point.

to use myself as a case in point. Remember, guys, not every part three question is appropriate for personal examples, but this one definitely is. And again, it's still formal. Myself as a case in point. Inevitably is a great adverb. It means like unavoidably, like this always happens. And then last one.

Like, I know I'm not alone in this, right? That's a great way to apply your personal answer to the wider world, which again is something that you're asked to do in speaking part three. - Yeah, it's really interesting 'cause I wasn't asked if it affects what I buy, what people buy, right? So yes, I can use myself as an example, but I need to make sure to do that to answer the question. It's not just about me, does it affect what others buy as well? - Exactly.

The national sales event is on at your Toyota dealer, making now the perfect time to get a great deal on a dependable new car, like a legendary Camry built for performance and available with all wheel drive. You can count on your new Camry to get anywhere you need to go.

And with available features like heated seats and a multimedia touchscreen, you can stay connected in comfort and style. Or check out an affordable and reliable Corolla with a trim for every lifestyle. From the hip and agile sedan to the sporty hatchback, there's a dependable Corolla built just for you.

Plus, both Camrys and Corollas are available in hybrid models. So no matter your style, you can drive efficiently and affordably. So visit your local Toyota dealer and check out amazing national sales event deals on Camrys, Corollas, and more when you visit buyatoyota.com. Toyota, let's go places.

All right, now it's my turn. I'm ready. I'm ready. Hit me. What factors should be taken into account when making advertisements?

Well, I mean, I'm no marketing expert, but, you know, I do miss the catchy jingles from the 80s and 90s. And I'm such a 90s kid that I honestly am not aware of a lot of catchy jingles now, but I do think that should be part of ads because...

as it's catchy it sticks in your mind right and that should make the product therefore stick in your mind and that's the goal of advertisements um i think other factors of course should be considered for the creators of this type of commercial content i mean

I think they have a sort of ethical responsibility, honestly, and I really hate to see false claims and ads that target susceptible markets that might be a little more gullible, you know, like the elderly or children, right? That might not have the full information and therefore might make the wrong choices based on the false advertising.

Amazing. Oh, I'm excited to dive into this vocab. What a great answer. You noticed she used catchy jingle, that phrase that we taught to say that she feels ads should have catchy jingles if they want to stick in our minds. And that phrase to stick in your mind just means to be memorable. Right. But much of this is band nine vocabulary because it's very idiomatic and it's also creates an interesting image.

so easier to remember there but i want to point out how you started that answer just to say i'm no marketing expert but this is a great way to begin any ielts speaking answer if you're going to share an opinion but you're not an expert right so use this chunk you know i'm no fashion expert but whatever it is you're talking about plug it in there great way to start an answer

And I want to note there that that is a bit on the informal side, which again, guys, it's fine for speaking even in part three. We are going to mix some informal and idiomatic phrases among the formal language because that is the nature of spontaneous speaking. And that is higher scoring saying I'm no expert in advertising, but that is higher scoring because it's more natural than saying,

"Well, I do not create advertisements, so..." Right. "I do not work as a marketing agent, but..." Yeah, exactly. It's just more natural. It's more how we actually speak. Exactly. And then you did get more formal with the vocabulary. Toward the end, you were saying other factors should be considered as well. And then you were talking about false claims in advertisements that are targeting those who might be more gullible.

All of this vocab. So first of all, to say other factors instead of other things or other stuff, more formal, right? And then false claims is anything an advertiser might say that isn't true or maybe they're exaggerating in order to trick people or convince them more. And then gullible is this amazing adjective that means likely to believe something, whether it's true or not. Great vocabulary, Jessica. You know what? I hate to admit this, but I...

I am gullible. I am a gullible person. Like,

I'm also a critical thinker, so I'm not gullible to everything, but my gullibility, oh, there's a good word. My gullibility comes in handy because it allows me to get into stories more, I feel like, than some other people that aren't gullible. It's true. We're able to suspend reality and really get into the book or the movie we're watching, but then that also sets us up to believe maybe advertisements that have false claims. Oh!

I've been fooled before. All right, guys. So it is the ability to speak naturally and to use sophisticated vocabulary like this that really gets you the true seven and higher on IELTS, right? It's that

That overall English fluency, and it is said that a C1 level is something that you need to get a 7 or higher on IELTS. So I just want to remind you guys real fast before we summarize what you need to learn about speaking part 3 and advertisements today. I do want to remind you that we have a new amazing C1 course. It is available right now.

And it has all four skills, reading, listening, speaking, writing. So check that out, guys. allearsenglish.com slash C1. All right. What do you think is the most important thing to remember about today's part three advertising lesson?

Well, first of all, a variety of vocabulary in your answers, right? There will be some formal and informal vocab in your part three answers. You can use personal examples as long as you're actually answering the question. But also a big takeaway here is you guys should subscribe to IELTS Energy on YouTube. There are great videos there specific with vocabulary for certain questions. And then, of course, all of the podcast episodes you can find there as well.

Yes, and we're so fun to watch as well as listen to. All right, guys, thanks for listening today. We'll see you over on IELTS Energy TV on YouTube, and we'll also talk to you on Friday. Awesome. See you Friday. Bye. Thanks for listening to IELTS Energy. Hit subscribe now and don't forget to find your estimated band score at allearsenglish.com slash myscore.

When it's PCS time, you know the drill. Pack, research to new base, get the kids in school, because family supports family. At American Public University, we support military families with flexible, affordable online education that moves with you. As a military spouse, your tuition rate is the same as your partner's, just $2.50 per credit hour. American Public University, education that moves with you.

Learn more at apu.apus.edu/military