IELTS Vocabs - Technology

Technology
Part 1-style questions
Examiner: Do you enjoy using technology?
Stephan: Well  I wouldn’t call myself a techie or a computer buff but I enjoy using computers  I’d like to find out more about  how they work  when my computer crashes I never know what to do.
a computer buff: an expert computer user
a techie: somebody who has an interest in technology
to crash: to suddenly stop working
Examiner: Do you use the Internet for your studies?
Sophie: Yes  I’d be lost without it  I do lots of video conferencing to practise speaking and social media like Facebook is a good way to meet up with other students  and I download podcasts that teach English vocabulary and grammar.
video conferencing: to see and hear people from different locations using the Internet
social media: media used to interact with other people such as Facebook or Twitter
download (podcasts): to save a copy of a file from the internet to your own device
Examiner: Do you have your own computer?
Tania: Yes  I have a Macbook Pro  I use it all the time  for word processing  browsing websites and catching up with TV programmes I’ve missed.
word processing; producing written texts on a computer
to browse websites: to look at websites
Part 2-style task
Describe an item of technology you have that is very important. You should say:
what the technology is
when you got it
how often you use it
and say how different your daily life would be without it.
Mattie: I don’t have many gadgets  just a computer  a laptop and my mobile phone  but I’ll talk about my computer as it’s so useful  it’s funny really  2 years ago I was still learning to use computers  how to use email  send attachments how to access websites  then I decided to do a digital editing course for video and photography  and so I bought the laptop when I started the course    my husband had a desktop PC but it was very slow so I decided to upgrade to a powerful one because we do a lot of video editing on the course  it’s a high-spec laptop  very fast  the latest operating system  it boots up really quickly and it’s  fun to use so it makes working a pleasure  I’ve become a competent computer user now  if I didn’t have it I daresay I’d have to spend more time at college using their computers  but on the positive side I suppose I’d read a lot more if I didn’t have it    I probably waste a lot of time surfing the web  but hopefully I won’t have to be without it 
to access websites/email: to locate
a gadget: a technological tool like a mobile phone or camera
send an attachment: send an email with an accompanying file
a desktop PC: a computer that isn’t portable and remains in situ on a desk
digital editing: to edit digital materials like audio or video files
to upgrade: to obtain a more powerful or feature-rich computer or piece of software
to boot up: to start a computer
high-spec (laptop): powerful computer with top quality components
operating system: the software that tells the computer how to work
to surf the web: to look at a series of websites one after the other
Part 3-style questions
Examiner: What do you think are the important things people need to learn when they start using computers?
Alejandro: Well  there are things like how to use the Internet   how to enter a web address  how to navigate websites  that kind of thing but it’s also important to know how to back up your files in case your computer crashes  and all about Internet security.
to back up files: to make a copy of files in case of a computer problem
to enter a web address: to type the address of a website into the address bar of your browser
Internet security: Internet safety
to navigate a website: to find your way around a website
Examiner: What kind of technological developments have made the biggest impact on our lives?
Faydene: In my lifetime it has to be the Internet of course but I also think wifi has made a huge difference to how we interact with the Internet  wireless networks at home and public wifi hotspots mean we can go online easily  access our mail  log into our work intranet and basically be connected wherever we are.
wifi hotspot: a public place where you can access the Internet
wireless network: a network where users can access the Internet without the use of fixed cables
to go online: to start using the Internet
intranet: a network of connected computers within an organisation that is not accessible by unauthorised visitors
Examiner: Do computers make it much easier to study?
Jane: Definitely yes  researching information is much easier with the Internet .. you can bookmark webpages for future reference and writing essays is much easier  being able to cut and paste sections of text means you can experiment with organisation  so yes  compared to years ago when you had a pile of books on your desk and a pen and paper  it’s now much easier.
to bookmark a webpage: to mark a webpage for future reference
to cut and paste: to move text or images from one place in a document to another place