Are idioms useful in IELTS? Sure, they are. Especially if your aim is to push your score higher than 7.0.
They are absolutely applicable for the SPEAKING part, as here you are to demonstrate your fluency in English, your ability to speak like a native, be kind and lively. Moreover, they can make your speech more coherent.
On the other hand, idioms are not in favour in WRITING. Being typical for colloquial language, they are not welcome in essays, but could be used in letters (IELTS General, writing task 1) in semi-formal style.
So, as winter has finally come to Russia, I decided to share 3 relevant idiomatic expressions with you:
❄️ Snowed under (my favourite 😊) Быть заваленным делами, работой
When you have so much work that you don’t even know where to start.
“I’d love to go shopping with you, but I’m snowed under with housework”.
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☃️ Not a snowball’s chance in hell (Ни за что на свете!)
Usually, hell is known as a place that is extremely hot and fiery. A snowball in hell would melt right away! So, it means that something has no chance at all of happening.
“He does not know how to swim. He doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of being an Olympic swimmer”.
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🥶 Put something on ice (Отложить в долгий ящик)
It means delaying or pausing it until later. The idiom comes from the way you put certain foods (like meat) or ice to keep them fresh until you want to use them. The phrase is used when talking about ideas, tasks or projects.
“Let’s put this project on ice until we hire more people to work on it”.
Let's practise using these idioms in our own sentences, e.g.
Not a snowball's chance in hell I will go to the swimming pool today. I am absolutely snowed under, look at me! I'd better put my dreams on ice ...
Look forward to reading your sentences ❄️☃️🥶