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IELTS Band 9 Phrases for School Experiences

4,249 views · Published 16 December 2017 · 4:05 · Indexed 27 October 2026

Channel: IELTS Energy TV · 2017 · Education

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Today you’ll learn IELTS band 9 phrases for school experiences to sound more like a native.

Visit ielts.allearsenglish.com for the simplest and most effective IELTS strategies.

On your IELTS Speaking Exam, the way to increase your vocabulary score is to sound like a native speaker.

Of course! You know that already!

But, what do native speakers say? What vocabulary and phrases do we use, that you probably don’t learn from a textbook or list of idioms online?

In this video, you’ll learn 3 idioms and 3 specific vocabulary words that your average, band score 6 IELTS candidate does not use on his or her Speaking test.

Band 9 IELTS School Vocabulary:

Put your nose to the grindstone- work hard, completely focus on getting your work/project/studies done

In high school, I always put my nose to the grindstone to get the best grades.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy- if you only work or study, you’ll be a boring, and a bored, person

I always completed all my homework, but, you know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so I also watched a lot of movies and partied with my friends on the weekends.

dweeb/dork/nerd- a person who only studies and is not cool

This used to be a negative thing, but, these days, being a nerd has become cool! Being smart is now a good thing, and not looked down on by others as much.

Nerd out on something- read articles/watch videos/have a conversation about one specific topic for a long time

In high school, I would nerd out on soccer highlights videos for hours.

Practice using these phrases to answer these Speaking Part 1 questions:

Were you a good student in high school?
What kind of student were you in university?

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