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B2 Speaking IELTS Speaking • 30 Minutes

Awards, Prizes and Scholarships

💡 How to use this lesson

For Teachers:

Guide students through vocabulary and sentence patterns before speaking. Set 30 minutes total and review AI feedback after each recording.

For Learners:

Complete Module 1 warm-up exercises first. Record your responses in Modules 2 and 3 before checking the model answers.

Module 1

Build-up: Key Vocabulary & Sentence Structures

Build your vocabulary foundation and practise natural sentence patterns before you start speaking.

Task 1: Vocabulary Review

Choose the correct target word to complete each sentence.

1. The university offered her a full ___ to cover her tuition fees for four years.

____ a. plaque ____ b. bursary ____ c. nominee

2. Winning the international science competition brought great ___ to the small laboratory.

____ a. prestige ____ b. shortlist ____ c. recipient

3. Every Nobel Prize ___ is invited to deliver a formal lecture in Stockholm.

____ a. accolade ____ b. merit ____ c. laureate

4. Only applicants with an average score above 8.5 are ___ to apply for this grant.

____ a. shortlisted ____ b. eligible ____ c. nominated

5. Receiving the highest civilian ___ was the highlight of his long career.

____ a. accolade ____ b. recipient ____ c. bursary

Task 2: Collocation Matching

Match each topic collocation to its accurate explanation.

1. win a scholarship

____ a. gain financial support for higher education based on academic results ____ b. formally hand over an honor to a person at a ceremony ____ c. an admired standing or reputation in society

2. present an award

____ a. be worthy of praise or recognition for good work ____ b. formally hand over an honor to a person at a ceremony ____ c. a small selection of candidates chosen from a larger group

3. high prestige

____ a. a sum of money given to assist a student with study costs ____ b. be worthy of praise or recognition for good work ____ c. an admired standing or reputation in society

4. deserve merit

____ a. be worthy of praise or recognition for good work ____ b. gain financial support for higher education based on academic results ____ c. a sum of money given to assist a student with study costs

5. cash bursary

____ a. a small selection of candidates chosen from a larger group ____ b. a sum of money given to assist a student with study costs ____ c. formally hand over an honor to a person at a ceremony

6. final shortlist

____ a. an admired standing or reputation in society ____ b. gain financial support for higher education based on academic results ____ c. a small selection of candidates chosen from a larger group

Task 3: Useful Sentence Patterns

Study these natural ways to describe receiving honors, gifts, or official awards:

Pattern 1

She was given ...

"She was given a framed certificate at the annual school assembly."

Pattern 2

A prize was awarded to ...

"A prize was awarded to the most improved student in the class."

Pattern 3

... was handed a small gold plaque

"At the end of the evening, the youngest nurse in the room was handed a small gold plaque."

Pattern 4

It turned out that he was eligible for ...

"It turned out that he was eligible for a small cash bursary."

🏆

Task 4: Fun Fact Guessing Games

Fact 1: According to the official Nobel Prize website, how many times were the Nobel Prizes and the economics prize awarded between 1901 and 2026?

____ 369 times ____ 639 times ____ 936 times

Fact 2: How much is the prize money for 2026 for a full Nobel Prize?

____ 1.2 million Swedish kronor ____ 12 million Swedish kronor ____ 120 million Swedish kronor

Module 2

Part 2: Individual Long Turn

You will have 1 minute to prepare your talk, then speak for 90-120 seconds.

IELTS Speaking Candidate Card ⏱ 1 min prep | 90-120s speech

Describe a prize, a certificate or an award that you or someone you know received.

You should say:

what it was
why it was given
who gave it
and explain how the person felt about it.

Evaluated on: Fluency and Coherence Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy Pronunciation

[Bài tập luyện nói]

💡 View Model Answer & Key Phrases ▼

Well, to be honest, I’d like to talk about a small certificate my younger brother got last year at his school assembly. He had been working really hard on his reading, and at the end of the term, his teacher handed him a certificate for being the most improved student. It wasn't a huge national trophy or anything, but it meant a lot to him. My mom was sitting right next to me, and she was so proud that she actually cried a little. My brother was completely over the moon because he usually finds school pretty tough. When he walked back to his seat, he had this massive smile on his face. I think that tiny piece of paper gave him a huge boost in confidence, and, um, he still keeps it pinned on his bedroom wall today.

Key Vocabulary & Spoken Features:

to be honest - natural filler to start an answer smoothly
handed him - informal way of saying gave or presented
over the moon - idiom meaning extremely happy and thrilled
boost in confidence - collocation for feeling more self-assured

Module 3

Part 3: Discussion Questions

Give extended answers with explanations and examples for each question below.

Q1 Why do people like to receive an award, even when the prize itself is small?

Evaluated on: Fluency and Coherence • Lexical Resource • Grammatical Range and Accuracy • Pronunciation

[Bài tập luyện nói]

💡 View Model Answer ▼

Well, to be honest, it depends, but I reckon it's mainly about feeling recognized. Even if the actual prize is just a cheap plastic trophy or a printed piece of paper, it shows that your hard effort was noticed. Like, my cousin once got a tiny wooden medal for a local running race, and he was so happy because it validated his effort after weeks of training. So, yeah, the physical object isn't the main thing; it's really about the sense of achievement that comes with it.

Useful Expressions:

feeling recognized - being acknowledged for one's effort
validated his effort - proved that hard work was worthwhile
sense of achievement - feeling proud of accomplishing something

Q2 Should a school give prizes only to the best students, or to students who work hard as well?

Evaluated on: Fluency and Coherence • Lexical Resource • Grammatical Range and Accuracy • Pronunciation

[Bài tập luyện nói]

💡 View Model Answer ▼

I think I'd go for the second option, and, um, I've always felt that way. If schools only reward the top scorers, other kids might feel discouraged and just give up trying. Rewarding diligence encourages progress across the whole class. For instance, when I was in secondary school, my teacher gave an award to a classmate who improved his grades significantly, which really boosted his morale. So rewarding hard work keeps everyone motivated, not just the naturally gifted ones.

Useful Expressions:

go for the second option - clear way to state a preference
encourages progress - helps students keep improving
boosted his morale - made someone feel much more confident

Q3 Is it fair to choose only one winner when several people did excellent work?

Evaluated on: Fluency and Coherence • Lexical Resource • Grammatical Range and Accuracy • Pronunciation

[Bài tập luyện nói]

💡 View Model Answer ▼

That's a tough question, but I guess it can feel a bit unfair sometimes. When everyone puts in maximum effort, picking just one winner might make others feel like their work was worthless. However, in official competitions, having a single winner is necessary to maintain standards. A good compromise is offering runner-up certificates so that other strong contenders still get recognized. That way, the main prize stays special without completely ignoring other great performances.

Useful Expressions:

maintain standards - keep quality and competitive rigor high
runner-up certificates - awards for second or third place
strong contenders - people who performed very well

Q4 Do famous prizes change the way people think about the person who wins them?

Evaluated on: Fluency and Coherence • Lexical Resource • Grammatical Range and Accuracy • Pronunciation

[Bài tập luyện nói]

💡 View Model Answer ▼

Yes, absolutely. Winning a major award often gives a person instant credibility. People automatically assume that the winner is an expert or a top leader in their field. For example, if a writer wins a prestigious book prize, readers immediately take them seriously and buy their work without hesitation. On the downside, it can create immense pressure because public expectations suddenly go through the roof for everything they do next.

Useful Expressions:

instant credibility - immediate trust and respect from others
take them seriously - treat them with high respect
go through the roof - increase dramatically to a high level

IELTS Speaking: Awards and Prizes

Awards, Prizes and Scholarships

💡 How to use this lesson

Build-up: Key Vocabulary & Sentence Structures

Task 1: Vocabulary Review

Task 2: Collocation Matching

Task 3: Useful Sentence Patterns

Task 4: Fun Fact Guessing Games

Part 2: Individual Long Turn

Part 3: Discussion Questions

Q1 Why do people like to receive an award, even when the prize itself is small?

Q2 Should a school give prizes only to the best students, or to students who work hard as well?

Q3 Is it fair to choose only one winner when several people did excellent work?

Q4 Do famous prizes change the way people think about the person who wins them?

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