Example
back to the drawing board
The app kept crashing, so it was back to the drawing board.
Part 2 cards like "a time you made a mistake" need a story with a clear lesson. Idioms such as "put my foot in it" and "a wake-up call" give you both the mistake and the lesson in natural English.
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
start again because the plan failed
The app kept crashing, so it was back to the drawing board.
Natural for projects and plans.
try to do more than you can manage
I bit off more than I could chew by taking three evening courses.
Very natural for time management stories.
make a mistake by not doing something you should
I dropped the ball and forgot to book the restaurant.
Common in everyday and work English.
say something embarrassing by accident (British)
I put my foot in it by asking about her ex-boyfriend.
Natural and great for funny Part 2 stories.
go wrong (British)
The trip went pear-shaped when we missed the last ferry.
Casual British English.
lose an opportunity by being too slow
I didn't apply in time and missed the boat.
Natural and clear.
do something that harms your own chances
By arguing with the interviewer, he really shot himself in the foot.
Natural for Part 3 too.
something likely to go badly wrong
Leaving everything until the night before is a recipe for disaster.
Useful in Part 3 when you warn about a habit.
be received very badly (British)
My suggestion to work on Saturday went down like a lead balloon.
Humorous and very British.
be forgotten
Sorry, your birthday completely slipped my mind.
Polite and very common.
fail at the beginning of something
Many start-ups fall at the first hurdle because of money.
Good for Part 3.
not as bad as it seems
Failing one test is not the end of the world.
Useful for advice and reassurance.
an event that makes you realise you must change
Failing that exam was a wake-up call for me.
Perfect ending for a mistake story.
my mistake (slang)
Oh, my bad, I sent it to the wrong person.
Slang. Too casual for the exam; say "that was my mistake".
Part 2
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.
In my second year at university I bit off more than I could chew. I took a part-time job, joined the debating team and signed up for an extra course, all in the same term. For a few weeks it was fine, but then I dropped the ball on a group assignment and our whole team lost marks. It was a real wake-up call. Since then I've learned to say no, and I check my calendar before I agree to anything.
No. Examiners assess language, not character. A mistake story with a clear lesson is easy to organise and gives you natural reasons to use past tenses and idioms.
Avoid it. Speaking can be informal, but slang can sound careless. "That was my mistake" or "I dropped the ball" is natural without being slang.
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 "my bad": 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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