This is a great way to extend your answer for IELTS Speaking Part 2. You use a strategy to suit the question, you do well, but there is still too much time left. What do you do?
There are many options, but today we’re going to talk about when the topic reminds you of something, somebody, somewhere or a time.
It doesn’t need to be ‘it’, but it could be any pronoun, name, object or situation.
For example:
It reminds me of when I was at primary school.
Jessica reminds me of my mum.
That car reminds me of a guy I used to know.
In these sentences it, Jessica and that car are things in the present that make the speaker remember something or somebody, often from the past.
| re·mind [rɪˈmʌɪnd] (REMIND SOMEONE OF) cause someone to think of (something) because of a resemblance: “his impassive, fierce stare reminded her of an owl” SIMILAR: evoke, call up, make one think of, cause one to remember |
The smell in the bakery reminded me of my mum’s kitchen when she used to bake cakes.
The sound of the waves reminded me of when I used to live beside the sea.
The way she sang was so sad because it reminded me of when my dad died.
How to use this in IELTS Speaking Part 2
As you get to the end of your talk, you may need to talk for longer.
Using
(The topic) always reminds me of (something / somebody in the past) is a very useful way to keep talking because it takes you to another topic.
In the previous examples, these were:
My mum’s kitchen
When I used to live beside the sea
When my dad died
So long as you build a bridge like this, and it’s not the majority of your talk, then you can move the topic onto a secondary topic, such as these.
My mum’s kitchen
The smell in the bakery reminded me of my mum’s kitchen when she used to bake cakes. They were fantastic. I don’t know whether I’d be able to eat them now because they were so sweet, but at the time I couldn’t get enough of them. You can’t buy anything like that in supermarkets today.
When I used to live beside the sea
The sound of the waves reminded me of when I used to live beside the sea. Me and my friends used to go along the beach every day and find all sorts of stuff washed up on the tide. everything from dead seabirds to old fishing nets to unidentifiable objects that just had to be treasure.
When my dad died
The way she sang was so sad because it reminded me of when my dad died. Everyone was so careful not to say the wrong thing or upset my mum, my brother or me. It was a beautiful song.
Conclusion
Using a phrase like this when you are near the end of your IELTS Speaking Part 2 talk, can allow you to build a bridge between the topic and your memories, almost allowing you to change the subject. As ever, practice is necessary before your test. Give it a try!