Rivers & Lakes

IELTS Speaking – Part 2 & Part 3 Topic – May 2022

 

Part 2 Question:

Describe an important river/lake in your country. You should say:

Where it is located

How big/long it is

What it looks like

And explain why it is important

Advice

• This is a fairly challenging question, because it requires some knowledge about rivers or lakes. If you don’t have that information, you’ll need to do some research.
• It can be a river/lake in your home country, or in the country you are living if you are currently abroad.
• You can make this answer easier by including some personal details such as a time that you visited the river/lake. Talking about that kind of trip is much easier and will help you fill the time.

Vocabulary & Sentences

• The river that I would like to talk about, which is important in the country where I live, is + river
• River + passes through + area/detail + before emptying into the + sea/ocean
• It’s a historically important river, because + reason
• The birthplace of the early Chinese civilization
• Wrought havoc
• Led to the deaths of millions of people
• It has changed course
• At the behest of + someone
• I remember first visiting the + river + as part of a trip with + people
• It was a fascinating tale
• Talking everyone’s ear off about + topic

Answer:

The river that I would like to talk about, which is important in the country where I live, is the Yellow River.

It’s one of the most famous rivers in the world, and is the sixth-longest river in the world, measuring approximately 5500km. The Yellow River starts life in Qinghai province in the west of China, and passes through 9 provinces before emptying into the Bohai sea.

It’s a historically important river, because it was the birthplace of the early Chinese civilization, and for a long time, it was the most prosperous area of China and, by extension, the world. It has also suffered terrible floods which have wrought havoc and led to the deaths of millions of people throughout history. The river is also out of the ordinary because it has significantly changed course multiple times during its history – sometimes due to natural causes, and other times at the behest of rival military factions.

I remember first visiting the Yellow River as part of a trip with my university class a few years ago. I hadn’t been particularly interested in the river beforehand, but as part of the trip, the entire history of the river and its effect on China was explained – and it was a fascinating tale. I came back to university talking everyone’s ear off about what we’d heard – I think most of my friends found it pretty tedious, to be honest!

So, that is the Yellow River, an important river in China.

Part 3 Questions

• How can rivers and lakes benefit local people?
• Are rivers and lakes good for transport?

Vocabulary & Sentences

• Drinking water
• The prerequisites for life
• Tourism hubs
• A polluted waterway
• A leisurely dip in a clean lake
• Idyllic
• Generating electricity
• Artificial dams
• Harness hydroelectric power
• Turbines
• Large bodies of water
• Renewable energy sources
• A climate catastrophe
• Canoeist
• Commercial purposes
• Getting stranded
• Few and far between
• Smuggle
• Natural wonders

Answers

Q: How can rivers and lakes benefit local people?

A: They can benefit local people in a number of ways. Firstly, they can provide drinking water, which is one of the prerequisites for life – so, pretty important! Rivers and lakes can also be tourism hubs, as long as they are well-maintained. A polluted waterway is no-one’s idea of a relaxing day out. But a leisurely dip in a clean lake could be an idyllic start to a day of leisure.

There’s another way that certain lakes and rivers can provide a service to the local community, and that is through generating electricity. Artificial dams have been created in many countries around the world to harness hydroelectric power from the water falling through the power plant’s turbines. That of course is limited to large bodies of water, not a little stream, but it is an important part of the world switching to renewable energy sources in order to avoid a climate catastrophe.

Q: Are rivers and lakes good for transport?

A: Well, it depends what you want to transport. If you are a canoeist trying to travel a few miles downriver, purely for enjoyment and exercise, then they can be useful! But rivers, in most cases, are not especially useful as transport links for commercial purposes. The water levels and flow of smaller rivers are unpredictable, meaning that boats would often not be able to travel for weeks at a time for fear of getting stranded. Larger rivers like the Mississippi are more dependable, but they are few and far between!

Lakes, again depending on the size and location, can be more useful for transport purposes. Large lakes that border countries, such as the Great Lakes in the northern United States and southern Canada, have been used for transporting goods for centuries. They were even used to smuggle alcohol into the United States during the prohibition era. They also provide means of transport for tourists who want to visit natural wonders like Niagra Falls.