Example
drive someone up the wall
People talking loudly on the phone in the library drive me up the wall.
Part 1 often asks what annoys you about traffic, noise or neighbours. "A pet hate" and "it drives me up the wall" are perfect there. Keep the stronger ones ("see red", "blow a fuse") for stories with real anger in them.
The labels tell you how each one lands with a listener. Natural idioms are safe in any Speaking part. Informal ones suit relaxed Part 1 and Part 2 answers. Overused ones are correct but examiners hear them constantly, so use them once at most. Avoid means dated, slang or a cliché that sounds memorised. None of these belong in Writing Task 2.
14 idioms
annoy someone very much
People talking loudly on the phone in the library drive me up the wall.
Very natural for Part 1 questions about what annoys you.
irritate someone, often over time
My flatmate's habit of leaving dishes in the sink gets on my nerves.
Everyday and safe in any Speaking part.
something that particularly annoys you (British; "pet peeve" in American English)
One of my pet hates is people who don't say thank you when you hold a door.
Ideal for Part 1. Follow it with a quick reason.
suddenly become angry
I rarely lose my temper, but that day I did.
Neutral and accurate, so it also works in Part 3.
become very angry suddenly
When the driver blamed me for his mistake, I saw red.
Strong. Use it for a moment of real anger.
having no patience left (British)
After three hours on hold to the bank, I was at the end of my tether.
Natural British English and fairly uncommon in exam answers.
the final problem that makes you lose patience
The bus was late every day, and when it skipped my stop, that was the last straw.
Useful at the climax of a Part 2 story.
suddenly become very angry, often too quickly
My boss tends to fly off the handle over small mistakes.
Casual. Good for describing someone else's behaviour.
lose your temper completely
Dad nearly blew a fuse when he saw the electricity bill.
Casual and a little humorous.
annoyed or embarrassed
He got quite hot under the collar when we asked about his exam result.
A mild, slightly humorous way to describe irritation.
speak angrily to someone without a good reason
Sorry I bit your head off earlier; I was tired.
Common in apologies. Natural in everyday stories.
trying again and again with no result
Explaining the problem to customer service was like banging my head against a brick wall.
Expresses frustration rather than anger. Good for Part 2 problems.
be in a bad mood all day for no clear reason
I think the receptionist got out of bed on the wrong side this morning.
Familiar and a bit worn. Fine once, said lightly.
extremely angry
My uncle was hopping mad about the parking fine.
Sounds dated or childish to many listeners. "Furious" is better.
Part 1
Here is a sample answer we wrote to show how a few of these idioms fit into natural speech. Notice that it uses only a handful, spread out, with plain English around them.
Yes, the traffic noise in the evenings. There's a main road behind our building, and the constant horns honestly drive me up the wall, especially when I'm trying to study. Another pet hate of mine is people who park across the entrance. Most of the time I just shrug it off, but last week a car blocked our gate for an hour and that was the last straw, so I finally complained to the building manager.
Yes for Speaking. It is everyday British English and fits Part 1 questions about likes and dislikes perfectly. Do not use it in Writing.
Of course. Speaking is about real opinions and experiences. Idioms like "it gets on my nerves" let you express mild irritation politely, which sounds more natural than repeating "angry".
No. Idioms belong in Speaking. Writing Task 2 is a formal essay, so idioms and contractions make it sound too casual. Use precise, neutral vocabulary there instead.
One or two, only where they fit what you want to say. Forced idioms sound memorised and can lower your score. On this page, be careful with "get out of bed on the wrong side", "hopping mad": examiners hear them often or they sound dated.
Keep going
More idiom themes:
Practise them on real questions:
Written by Fizza Butool Zaidi and Ali Zaidi. Lexical Resource is one of the four Speaking criteria in the public IELTS scoring guide on ielts.org. BandLadder is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council or IDP, and no list of idioms guarantees a band score.
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