Useful Phrases for IELTS Topic Place and Building

Subtopic Place

What would it be like when “Place” is your topic in your IELTS exam? Do you have enough vocabulary to confidently deal with this topic in your test? Don’t worry, this article will provide some phrases to help you confidently pass your upcoming IELTS exam.

PHRASE	MEANING	EXAMPLE
Inner-city slum	a very poor and crowded area of a city	Many people who move to the city from rural areas end up living in *inner-city slums*.
Poor housing	affordable housing, subsidized housing for people with a low income	Most people in Africa still live in poor housing.
Local facility	a public capital facility which, in the judgment of the board, is important primarily within a single city or the unincorporated area of the county	The government should upgrade local facilities* so that residents can benefit from better services.*
Coastal city	cities that are located on the interface or transition areas between land and sea, including large inland lakes	Danang is a beautiful *coastal city*.
Tourism city	the city which is the main destination and place of interest for multiple tourist activities	Hoi An ancient town is investing a large amount of money in becoming a *tourism city*.
Cosmopolitan city	the city where people from various parts of the world live, with different languages, cultures and customs live together	HCM is a vibrant *cosmopolitan city* in Vietnam
Sprawling city	a city which is covered with buildings across a large area, often ones that have been added gradually over a period of time	I’m going to visit a sprawling city* in Japan which is very beautiful and attracts thousands of tourists because of its beauty at night.*
To flock to a place = To swarm a place	to move or come together in large numbers to a place	When it comes to summer, thousands of tourists *flock to Sam Son beach* to escape the heat.
A horde of people	a large group of people	Sam Son used to be a beautiful secluded beach before the arrival of *hordes of tourists*. Now, it is full of garbage.
A swarm of people	a large group of people all moving together	*Swarms of visitors* jostled to get to the check-in point.
Nature’s beauty	the beauty of our nature	When you go to Sapa, one of the must-do things you have to do is take a cable car to appreciate the *nature’s beauty* of this area.
Natural wonder	a clearly defined natural site or natural monument that was not created or significantly altered by humans	Ice Mountain and Hanging Rocks are among its many natural wonders.
Sandy beach	a beach covered with sand	Da nang has lovely *sandy beaches*.
Stunning scenery	spectacular natural landscapes	The stunning scenery* and relaxed nature of the hotel will make you want to go back again and again.*
Unexplored wilderness	an unexplored place is one where people have not been to find out what is there	At one time, much of America was an unexplored wilderness* that was home to more animals than man.*
Quaint village	attractively unusual, esp in an old-fashioned style village	The quaint village* is surrounded by mountains, lakes and rivers.*
A stretch of sand	sand stretches over an area or distance and covers or exists in the whole of that area or distance	If you have a chance to go to Binh Thuan, you can witness intoxicating *stretches of sand*.
A mountain chain	a row of high mountain summits, a linear sequence of interconnected or related mountains, or a contiguous ridge of mountains within a larger mountain range	Truong Son is one of the longest *mountain chains* in Vietnam, which is 1100 km in length.
A historical site	any building, landscape, site or structure that is of local, regional, national, or global significance	Hoa Lo prison is a famous *historical site*, which welcomes many foreign tourists.
A place of great historical interest	a place which bears a significant testimony of history	Stonehenge is a place of great historical interest.
A place of worship	a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study	A place of worship is a building used for religious services, such as a church, temple, or mosque.
Place of interest	tourist attraction	I know many places of interest* in Ha Noi where you certainly like when you come there.*
Holiday destination	the place where someone spent their holiday time here	The town is primarily an isolated holiday destination, with nothing in the way of commerce or industry occurring in its bounds.
Uninviting place	not appealing or attractive place	The hotel was cold, empty and damp. It was the most uninviting place!
Boarded-up shops	shops that are no longer in business and that wooden planks have been nailed over its windows	There are a lot of boarded-up shops* near where I live.*
Interior/exterior design	interior design deals with the layout and decoration of indoor spaces, while exterior design is concerned with the face of a building that people see from the street	What impresses me most is its exquisite *interior design*.
Pedestrian zone	an area that has been concerted for the use of pedestrians only, by excluding all motor vehicles	Authorities in District 1 are seeking feedback from local authorities to turn Le Loi, one of the city’s busiest areas, into a *pedestrian-friendly zone* to boost night-time tourism.
Residential area	a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas	Craiglynn is situated in a quiet residential area* but within a short bus ride of the centre of Aberdeen.*
Heart of the city	the center of the city	I really want to live in heart of the city* because this is the place which happens the most important events.*
Public space	all places of public use, accessible by all and comprises streets and public open spaces	This use of public space* to mediate between the two groups of residents – new and old – is interesting.*
Chain store	(one of) a group of shops that belong to a single company, have the same appearance, and sell similar goods	One of the most well-known chain stores* throughout the world is Walmart.*
Upmarket shops	shops that sell expensive, of good quality products, and intended to appeal to people in a high social class	When you reach the nondescript Church Street area, the very heart of the city, you will find a few upmarket shops.
Pavement café	a café that has tables and chairs outside near the street	A pavement café* is an ideal place for those who want to hang out with their friends.*
Out-of-town shopping centre	the mall that is located outside the main central shopping area of a town or city and often having plenty of free car parking	My hometown has an out-of-town shopping centre* which attracts a number of visitors each year.*
In the suburbs = On the outskirts	in an area on the edge of a large town or city where people who work in the town or city often live	They live on the outskirts of/in the suburbs of* Ha Noi which has tons of people.*
Remote area = Isolated place = Distant region	an area/ a place/ a region is far away from cities and places where most people live, and is therefore difficult to get to	A woman scientist goes by herself to a remote area* for a year’s experimental work.*
To wander around	to walk around slowly in a relaxed way or without any clear purpose or direction	Kuromon Ichiba Market is an excellent place in Osaka to *wander around* and to get an edible introduction to the food and culture in Osaka
To be packed in like sardines	to be crowded tightly together in a small space	The space was so small that we were packed in like sardines.
Home away from home	a place where you feel as comfortable as you do in your own home	The hotel was a real home away from home.
To be out in the boonies	in a very distant or remote location, often one that lacks modern amenities	The place was all the way out in the boonies* and it took us hours to get there.*

Subtopic Building

In the IELTS exam, “Building” is a topic that you may encounter, and thorough preparation with vocabulary related to this topic will aid you in achieving the best results. Below are some suggested phrases for this topic.

PHRASE	MEANING	EXAMPLE
Sophisticated taste	a refined and discerning sense of taste or appreciation for something	Our restaurant is a true haven for gourmets with even the most *sophisticated taste* in food.
Cozy ambiance	comfortable and warm atmosphere	“We wanted to create a *cozy ambiance* because you really have to entice weekenders out of their houses,” Mrs. Jean said.
To be beautifully decorated	to be decorated in a very attractive or pleasing way	Rooms are *beautifully decorated* and have panoramic views of the city and the sea.
Intricate patterns	a lot of different parts and small details that fit together	The pelt was richly decorated with an *intricate pattern* of swirling stripes, blotches, curls and fine-line traceries.
Vivid colors	very bright colors	The art and *the vivid colors* have impacted a great deal into modern design.
Overall theme	the main subject of the whole place, etc.	The plants and trees you choose should reflect the *overall theme* of your landscape design while also promoting sustainability.
Shades of colors	a hue or mixture of pure colors to which only black is added	Different *color shades* and length is available with us for our laces.
Delicate scent	pleasing to the sense of taste or smell especially in a mild or subtle way	Young Harcourt stood beside Grace, brushing against her soft shoulder, and made faintly aware again of the *delicate scent* she used
Low-rise apartment	an apartment has a few floors – typically four or fewer	In a *low or mid-rise building*, elevators are not necessary for access since residents can use the stairs
High-rise apartment	an apartment has more than 7 stories	One of these conditions is living in a *high-rise apartment* far away from land, soil, trees and plants.
Multi-storey car park	a large building with several floors for parking cars in	The practical side to serve these things is a new *multi-storey car park.*
Office block	a large building designed to provide office accommodation	Many old buildings in the city are being demolished to make way for smart new *office blocks.*
Detached house	the building does not share walls with other houses	The Association has recently purchased a large, detached house* in a residential area of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.*
Semi–detached house	a house that is joined to another house on one side by a shared wall	It is located in the back garden of an existing *semi-detached house* and is partially buried in the ground.
To fall into disrepair	to be in bad condition	The cinema used to be a beautiful building but has become a bit of an eyesore since it *fell into disrepair.*
Public building	a building that belongs to a town or state, and is used by the public	Many *public buildings* are quite old and cost a lot of money to maintain
Commercial building	a building where commercial activities take place	Most of my architect friends design houses but I much prefer working on *commercial buildings.*
Prefabricated building	a building that is manufactured and constructed using prefabrication	*Prefabricated buildings* were popular after the war when many new homes had to be built quickly but are coming back into fashion with new technology and modern designs.
Historic building	a building or structure that has some kind of ‘historic value	We are fortunate in my country to have many magnificent *historic buildings*.
Iconic building	a building representing nations, religions and economies	Today the city hosts some of the largest and most iconic buildings* in the world.*
A unique architectural style	a set of unique characteristics and features that make a building or structure notable or historically identifiable	Developing *a unique architectural style* isn’t the most natural thing in the world, even if numerous professors might tell you otherwise.
Planning permission	the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions	It’s very difficult to get planning permission* to make alterations to a historic building.*
To be destroyed and replaced by …	to be demolished to make way for …	The younger Dionysius had been allowed to retire to Corinth; his island fortress was destroyed and replaced by* a court of justice.*

azVocab hopes that these phrases for the “Place” and “Building” topics will help you easily approach and overcome these challenging subjects. Don’t forget to follow azVocab to stay updated on more new and helpful IELTS vocabulary lessons!

Useful Phrases for IELTS Topic Language and Communication

In this article, azVocab has compiled IELTS phrases related to the “Language and Communication” topic, which you can easily apply to IELTS Writing…