Prepare for {IELTS}

Describe a school that you went to in your childhood

You should say:

• Where it was
• What it was like
• What you learned there
• And explain how you felt about it

I was in two minds whether to talk about my primary school or my

secondary school, but I have fond memories of my time in junior school
so I’ve decided to talk about that place.

The school was located in my hometown so I was able to walk there

every day. I can remember my classroom quite clearly/vividly because
there was an explosion of colour. The walls were painted pale blue – I
think I heard recently that this colour has a calming effect on the body
so this is probably why it is used in schools. Red is not a good colour to
use because it is regarded as an angry and aggressive colour and can get
you too excited and it would not be good to have a class full of
overenergized and hyper* kids!

*hyper = short for ‘hyperactive’ and it means they are very excited and have too
much energy

All the chairs and tables were different colours and we used to fight over
who could sit on which chair because everyone wanted to sit in their
favourite colour. Mine was blue, I always tried to get the blue chair.
As for what I learned there, well a ton of stuff that went in one ear and
out the other*, but also loads of useful info that I still use to this day such
as the basics in maths, for example, times tables and suchlike.

*to go in one ear and out the other = to forget immediately

The main reason why I have positive memories of this school is that the
teachers were incredibly warm-hearted and caring and they left a lasting
impression on me. Secondary school/high school was a depressing,
miserable place and all we did was prepare for exams and the teachers
couldn’t care less about you**, to be perfectly honest. That’s probably a
bit harsh, but it was definitely a colder, unfriendlier place and I didn’t
enjoy it anywhere near as much. I couldn’t wait to leave.

**I/he/she/we/they couldn’t care less = If a person says, “I couldn't care less” about
something, it means that the amount of care and concern they have about
something could not be any less, any lower.