Speaking - Snacks

english
Sample
Author
Affiliation

Hung

Barron’s Writing for IELTS

Published

August 27, 2025

Topic: snacks

Themes: Diet, health, lifestyle, habits

Personal / Local: Present: These days, I usually snack on roasted peanuts or fruit because they’re healthier, but when I feel stressed with studying, I can’t resist ice cream with my girlfriend. I don’t eat any fast food or have sugary drinks at all.

Habits / preferences / like / dislikes:

I love chocolate, but I mostly eat dark chocolate because it has less sugar. If I do snacks, I have something protein-based or vegetable.

Past:

I used to snack a lot when I was working – especially in the afternoons. Back then, I could eat whatever I wanted without putting on weight, but eventually, it caught up with me and I gained weight, so I stopped.

Near future:

I don’t plan to change my current snack habits, but I know many people will still consume too much sugar to get a quick energy boost.

Key memories:

I associate that snack with my time spent with my girlfriend, sometimes we buy groceries in the supermarket and eat ice cream or French fries together.

When I was in high school, I often stayed up late playing computer games with friends. We always had chips and soda beside us, and at that time, I didn’t really care about health. Now when I see that brand of chips, it reminds me of those nights.

1 Language Gaps

1.1 Vocabulary

  • Snacks variety: chips, crackers, nuts, seeds, granola bars, yogurt, dried fruit, smoothies

  • Describing taste: salty, sweet, crunchy, chewy, greasy, refreshing, creamy

  • Health-related words: nutritious, balanced, sugar intake, processed food, junk food, energy boost, protein-based, wholegrain

  • Memory/emotion words: remind me of, bring back memories, nostalgic, comforting, guilty pleasure

try very hard to

think part of it

go through

phases of

health nut

plant-based

for a while

i haven’t found a way to really sustain that

a bit of a

kind of a

moved more towards

embracing

wholefoods

well-rounded

Wholefoods are foods that are not processed and are more natural; well-rounded’ is often used to talk about experience or education that includes a very wide range of different areas. With food, we usually talk about having ‘a balanced diet’ though well-rounded can be used too, meaning a diet that includes a wide range of foods.

I was nowhere near close to this before I met my wife.

I grew up eating 4 chocolate products a day.

every single day

i think I have a bit of a bad habit of … ## Structures - Contrast: I used to eat… but now I prefer…

  • Conditionals: If I feel stressed, I usually reach for ice cream.

  • Comparisons: Dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate because it has less sugar.

  • Frequency: I rarely / occasionally / often snack between meals.

  • Cause-effect: Eating too many snacks made me gain weight, so I decided to change my habits.

  • Opinion giving: In my opinion, people today rely too much on sugary snacks for energy.

  • Narrative past: When I was in high school, I often stayed up late with friends and ate chips.

Gap Simple Sentence Upgraded IELTS Sentence
Variety of snacks I usually eat peanuts. These days, I usually go for roasted peanuts or fruit, though occasionally I treat myself to something sweet like ice cream.
Taste words The snack is sweet. I enjoy dark chocolate because it’s slightly bitter yet still feels indulgent, unlike overly sweet candy.
Health vocabulary Snacks are bad. Many processed snacks are high in sugar and unhealthy fats, which can increase the risk of weight gain and low energy.
Contrast structure I ate snacks before but not now. I used to snack on chips and soda almost every afternoon, but now I’ve switched to healthier options like fruit or nuts.
Conditional When I’m stressed, I eat. If I feel stressed during study sessions, I can’t resist reaching for ice cream, especially when I’m with my girlfriend.
Comparison Chocolate is good. Dark chocolate is a better choice than milk chocolate since it contains less sugar and slightly more nutrients.
Frequency I eat snacks sometimes. I rarely snack late at night these days, but during high school I often stayed up with friends eating chips and drinking soda.
Cause-effect Eating snacks made me fat. Eating too many sugary snacks in the past caused me to gain weight, so I decided to cut back and change my diet.
Opinion Snacks are unhealthy. In my opinion, snacks aren’t necessarily unhealthy, but it depends on the type and the amount people consume.
Narrative past I ate snacks with friends. When I was in high school, I used to spend late nights gaming with friends, surrounded by bags of chips and bottles of soda.
  • In terms of your eating, what do you try very hard to do or not to do?
  • What food might tempt or entice you to break this rule?
  • Did your parents ever tell you not ‘spoil your appetite’ by snacking just before a meal?
  • Do you ’go through phases of doing something (e.g. trying to lose weight, trying to eat more of something)?
  • Have you moved away from something unhealthy (e.g. fast foods) and moved more towards something that is healthier (e.g. wholefoods)?
  • Do you eat a lot of wholefoods? Can you give examples?
  • Do you eat processed foods, or do you try to avoid them?
  • Is your diet ’well-rounded and balanced? Can you give examples showing that it is (e.g. the range of foods you eat) or should you note that your diet isn’t as balanced / as well-rounded as it could be (e.g. because you usually eat too much of a certain food type).
  • Have you ’embraced something new? (i.e. fully committed to it).
  • Would you say that you were ‘nowhere near as’ healthy as a child? Or are you ‘nowhere near as’ healthy now as you were when you were younger?
  • Is there a food habit from your childhood that you grew up doing - do you still do it now?
  • Is there something you eat or do several times a day? How many times a day do you do it?
  • Is there something you would want to emphasise that you do every single day?
  • Do you have a bad habit of doing something (that you shouldn’t)?

1.1.1 1. In terms of your eating, what do you try very hard to do or not to do?

  • Sample Answer: I try very hard not to eat late at night, because I used to snack heavily during high school. These days, I focus on eating more fruit or nuts instead of processed snacks.

  • Useful Phrases: I try very hard to avoid… / I make a conscious effort to… / I discipline myself not to…

1.1.2 2. What food might tempt or entice you to break this rule?

  • Sample Answer: Ice cream is my biggest weakness. Even if I plan not to eat after 9 p.m., if there’s ice cream in the fridge, I can’t resist.

  • Useful Phrases: I can’t resist… / I’m easily tempted by… / My weakness is…

1.1.3 3. Did your parents ever tell you not to “spoil your appetite” by snacking just before a meal?

  • Sample Answer: Yes, my mom often reminded me not to snack before dinner, especially when I was younger. But I often ignored her and grabbed a bag of chips anyway.

  • Useful Phrases: My parents used to warn me… / They always reminded me not to…

1.1.4 4. Do you go through phases of doing something, like trying to lose weight or eat more healthily?

  • Sample Answer: Definitely. I often go through phases where I try to cut sugar completely, but I usually last only a few weeks before going back to sweets.

  • Useful Phrases: I go through phases of… / I sometimes commit to… but I don’t always sustain it.

1.1.5 5. Have you moved away from something unhealthy and towards something healthier?

  • Sample Answer: Yes, I used to eat a lot of fried snacks and fast food, but now I’ve moved towards eating more fruit and whole grains.

  • Useful Phrases: I’ve gradually shifted from… to… / I’ve moved away from… towards…

1.1.6 6. Do you eat a lot of wholefoods? Can you give examples?

  • Sample Answer: I do try to eat wholefoods regularly. For example, I eat oatmeal, bananas, and boiled eggs for breakfast.

  • Useful Phrases: I regularly eat… / Some examples of wholefoods I include are…

1.1.7 7. Do you eat processed foods, or do you try to avoid them?

  • Sample Answer: I try to avoid them, but realistically, I still eat instant noodles once or twice a week because they’re convenient.

  • Useful Phrases: I try to limit… / I occasionally indulge in… / I can’t avoid… completely.

1.1.8 8. Is your diet well-rounded and balanced?

  • Sample Answer: I think my diet is fairly well-rounded because I eat vegetables, protein, and fruit every day. But I know I eat too much meat compared to other food groups.

  • Useful Phrases: I’d say it’s fairly balanced… / My diet could be more balanced because…

1.1.9 9. Have you embraced something new?

  • Sample Answer: Recently, I’ve embraced intermittent fasting. At first it was tough, but now I feel more energetic and less reliant on snacks.

  • Useful Phrases: I’ve fully embraced… / I’ve committed to…

1.1.10 10. Would you say you were nowhere near as healthy as a child, or are you nowhere near as healthy now?

  • Sample Answer: I’d say I’m much healthier now. Back in high school, I was nowhere near as health-conscious — I lived on chips and soda.

  • Useful Phrases: Nowhere near as healthy as… / Much healthier than before…

1.1.11 11. Is there a food habit from your childhood you still do?

  • Sample Answer: Yes, I still enjoy drinking milk before bed. It’s something I grew up with, and it feels comforting.

  • Useful Phrases: One childhood habit I’ve kept is…

1.1.12 12. Is there something you eat or do several times a day?

  • Sample Answer: I drink green tea three times a day, usually in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

  • Useful Phrases: I usually… several times a day / I have the habit of… three times daily.

1.1.13 13. Is there something you would emphasise that you do every single day?

  • Sample Answer: I make sure to drink at least two liters of water every single day. It’s the one rule I always follow.

  • Useful Phrases: Something I never fail to do is… / Every single day, without exception, I…

1.1.14 14. Do you have a bad habit of doing something?

  • Sample Answer: I do have a bad habit of eating snacks while watching YouTube, even when I’m not hungry.

  • Useful Phrases: A bad habit of mine is… / I know I shouldn’t… but I often do it anyway.