IELTS Vocabs - Health

Health
Part 1-style questions
Examiner: Have you got a relation you’re particularly fond of?
Sinita: Yes  my granddad  he’s 94 years old but generally he’s as fit as a fiddle  we’re very close and see each other a lot  whenever he goes down with a cold or is under the weather I make a point of visiting him 
to go down with a cold: to become ill
as fit as a fiddle: to be very healthy
to be under the weather: (informal) to not feel well
Examiner: Do you do any sport?
Jon: Yes  I’m keen on skateboarding  but I haven’t done it for a while  I had a bad fall recently and pulled a muscle and had a few cuts and bruises  but I’m on the mend and hope to be doing it again soon 
cuts and bruises: minor injuries
to be on the mend: to be recovering after an illness
to pull a muscle: to strain a muscle
Examiner: Is there anything you’re particularly afraid of?
Davide: The dentist  I hate going to the dentist  I only ever go if I have a toothache so it usually means I have to have a filling or even have a tooth out  I really don’t like it 
to have a filling: to have a tooth repaired
to have a tooth out: to have a tooth removed
Part 2-style task
Describe a time when you were ill. You should say:
when this was
what your symptoms were
how long the illness lasted
and say how it affected your life at the time.
Pierre:  This is a tricky one really as I’m usually quite healthy  I’ve never been seriously ill  like everyone else I sometimes get a few aches and pains or catch a cold  I can remember a few months ago I had to have time off work with a heavy cold  I had the usual symptoms  a blocked nose  sore throat  it lasted quite a while  about 2 weeks I think though I didn’t have that much time off work  for a few days I remember feeling poorly but I was over the worst of it after a few days and went back to work  I always find it’s better to be active when you feel ill as it keeps your mind of your symptoms  I think my family get a little fed up with me when I’m ill though  I tend to feel sorry for myself and lie on the sofa all day as if I’m at death’s door  but as I said earlier  on this occasion it was nothing serious and didn’t really cause me any problems 
aches and pains: minor pains that continue over a period of time
a heavy cold: a bad cold
a sore throat: inflammation that causes pain when swallowing
to feel poorly: to feel ill
to catch a cold: to get a cold
to be at death’s door: (informal) to be very ill indeed
to be over the worst: to have got through the most serious or uncomfortable stage of an illlness
a blocked nose: when the nose has excess fluid due to a cold
Part 3-style questions
Examiner: What costs are involved when you are ill in your country?
Anya: Well  people have to pay prescription charges which can be quite expensive  but fortunately general healthcare is free  unless you want to go private of course and then  you can pay a fortune for your treatment 
to go private: to choose to be treated by commercial healthcare rather than by services offered by the state
prescription charges: money the patient pays for medicine authorised by a doctor
Examiner: In your experience are people too quick to take time off work when they’re ill?
Alicia: Yes .. I’ve got friends who have a day off work if they wake up with a runny nose  and in most cases they seem to make a speedy recovery after they’ve phoned in sick 
a runny nose: a nose that has liquid coming out of it
to make a speedy recovery: to recover quickly from an illness
to phone in sick: to call work to explain you won’t be attending work due to illness
Examiner: Do women pay more attention to their health than men?
Julie: I think so yes  women are more likely to see their GP for a check-up if they’re concerned about something  men tend to avoid facing up to any health problems they have  my dad always seems to have a very chesty cough but refuses to go to make an appointment to see the doctor 
GP: General Practitioner (family doctor)
to make an appointment: to arrange a time to see the doctor
a chesty cough: a cough caused by congestion around the lungs
a check-up: a physical examination by a doctor
Addition:
to be a bit off colour: to feel a little ill