How to Talk About News and Information — Finding & Accessing Information
"I watch the news" tells the examiner what you do, but not how, how often, or whether you'd trust it. This guide gives you the full toolkit for talking about finding and accessing information: naming a specific source instead of a vague category, using the verb phrases native speakers actually use, judging how reliable a source is, and covering both sides properly when you're asked to compare two ways of finding things out.
In a hurry? See the quick-fix version →1. Why This Skill Matters
Information questions reward three things: a specific source (not just "the news"), a natural access verb plus a frequency detail (so it sounds like a genuine habit), and a trust judgement (showing you can evaluate information critically, not just list where it comes from).
2. How IELTS Tests This Across All Three Parts
- Part 1: How do you find out about current affairs? Where do you get your news? Short questions that reward a specific source and a natural verb.
- Part 2: you may need to describe a source of information you find particularly useful, sustaining the source-plus-verb-plus-judgement pattern across a longer answer.
- Part 3: discussion moves to media reliability and misinformation more broadly — Why do people trust some sources over others? Is social media making people less informed? — needing the same skill in a more evaluative, abstract register.
3. The Core Toolkit: Structures for Finding and Accessing Information
3.1. Name a Specific Source, Not a Vague Category
Swapping "the news" for something concrete shows a wider vocabulary and sounds far more like a genuine answer:
- newsstands, newspapers, magazines, blogs, reviews, features, advertisements, events listings, current affairs
❌ I watch the news. ✅ I usually surf the Internet every morning to check the latest current affairs, and I also browse through a couple of blogs to see different opinions on the same story.
3.2. Use a Natural Verb Phrase for How You Access It
Native speakers rarely say "I use the Internet." Match the verb to the medium:
- surf the Internet / browse through magazines/newspapers/websites
- watch the news reports / listen to the radio broadcasts
- find out by word of mouth
❌ I use my phone to check things. ✅ I mostly browse through news apps and websites on my phone, and I check them a few times a day just to stay on top of what's going on.
3.3. Add a Frequency Detail
A frequency detail — borrowed from the habits-and-routines toolkit — turns a flat statement into something that sounds like a genuine daily habit rather than a fact:
- every morning / a few times a day / most evenings
Grammar note: media is technically the plural of medium (one medium, several media), though in everyday speech "the media" is normally treated as a singular collective noun (the media is/are, both heard in practice). Medium on its own still works fine for a single channel: podcasts are a great medium for long-form interviews.
3.4. Explain Why You Stay Informed
Beyond how you access information, native-sounding answers often explain why it matters to you:
- keep one's finger on the pulse / stay informed about / stay abreast of / stay up-to-date with / stay on top of what's going on
I don't like to be ignorant about world news, so I try to keep my finger on the pulse.
3.5. Judge the Source's Reliability
Naming a source isn't enough on its own. Add a short judgement so the examiner hears you evaluating information, not just listing where it comes from:
- Trustworthy: objective / impartial / well-respected
- Untrustworthy: biased / one-sided / untrustworthy / unreliable
❌ I get the news from social media, it's good. ✅ I get a lot of my news from social media, but I try to stay careful because a lot of it is quite biased — I usually check a well-respected newspaper as well to get a more objective view.
3.6. Contrast a Reliable Source With a Less Reliable One
Mentioning one source you trust and one you're more careful with — borrowed from the comparing toolkit — makes the answer sound balanced rather than one-sided:
- whereas / on the other hand / though
3.7. Cover Both Sides When Comparing Two Ways of Finding Information
A "compare X and Y" question needs both sides. Say something about each option, then add a clear contrast, rather than just describing the one you prefer:
❌ I just use the Internet, it's faster. ✅ The Internet is much faster — you can surf a few websites and find an answer in seconds — whereas going to a library takes longer, though the books there are often more well-respected and carefully checked.
4. How These Words and Structures Relate to Each Other
This is the "relationships" map, and two connections here are stated directly in the source material.
- surf the Internet ↔ browse through magazines/newspapers/websites ↔ watch the news reports ↔ listen to the radio broadcasts ↔ find out by word of mouth — a near_synonym cluster of access verbs, each matched to a different medium; using "use" for all of them is the single most common flattening error.
- keep one's finger on the pulse ↔ stay abreast of ↔ stay up-to-date with ↔ stay on top of what's going on — a near_synonym cluster explaining motivation rather than method; rotating through them avoids repeating one phrase.
- objective ↔ impartial ↔ well-respected ↔ biased/one-sided ↔ untrustworthy ↔ unreliable — a degree_scale running from full trust to full mistrust; picking the right word shows you can grade a source rather than just labelling it good or bad.
- The frequency detail (§3.3) ↔ the general "add a frequency or time detail" move used for habits and preferences — the source material states this connection directly: it's the same technique borrowed wholesale from the routines-and-frequency toolkit.
- Contrasting sources (§3.6) ↔ covering both sides (§3.7) ↔ the whereas/on-the-other-hand cluster in Comparing & Contrasting — also stated directly: both techniques here are explicitly borrowed from the comparing toolkit, just applied specifically to information sources rather than things or opinions in general.
5. Part 1 in Practice: Short Answers Across 5 Topics
Topic — News & Media
Weak: I watch the news. Upgraded: I usually surf the Internet every morning to check the latest current affairs, and I also browse through a couple of blogs to see different opinions on the same story.
Topic — Technology & Communication
Weak: I use my phone to check things. Upgraded: I mostly browse through news apps and websites on my phone, and I check them a few times a day just to stay on top of what's going on.
Topic — History
Weak: I read books about history. Upgraded: I usually browse through history magazines and documentaries, and I also find things out by word of mouth — my grandfather tells me stories about events he actually lived through.
Topic — Reading & Books
Weak: I read articles online, they're accurate. Upgraded: I read a lot of articles online, but some blogs are pretty one-sided, so I usually cross-check with a source that's well-respected and known for being fairly objective.
Topic — Education & Study
Weak: I look things up online for assignments. Upgraded: For assignments, I mostly browse through academic websites and journal databases, though I also cross-check with a well-respected textbook, since not every website I find is particularly objective.
6. Part 2 in Practice: A Full Model Monologue
Cue card: Describe a source of information you find particularly useful. You should say what it is, how you access it, how often you use it, and explain how reliable you think it is.
I'd like to talk about a current affairs podcast I've been listening to for the past couple of years, which has genuinely become one of my main ways of staying informed. I usually listen to it on my commute, so I catch a new episode most weekday mornings — it's become a proper habit at this point, almost like keeping my finger on the pulse before the day even starts.
What I really like about it is that the presenters are fairly well-respected journalists who make a real effort to stay objective, even on controversial stories — they'll usually bring on people with opposing views rather than just pushing one angle. That said, I don't rely on it completely; I also browse through a couple of newspaper websites during the day, partly because a single source, however well-respected, can still end up feeling a bit one-sided if you never check anything else.
If I'm honest, I think this mix works well for me — the podcast gives me a fast, digestible way to stay up-to-date with the big stories, whereas the newspapers give me a more detailed, carefully checked version if something turns out to be more complicated than a twenty-minute episode can properly cover.
7. Applying the Skill at Part 3 Register
The same source-naming, verb, and trust-judgement pattern climbs to a more evaluative register for discussion.
Q: Why do you think some people trust certain news sources more than others?
I think trust in a source usually comes down to a combination of track record and perceived objectivity. A well-respected outlet that has been consistently accurate over a long period earns a kind of default credibility, whereas a source that's been caught being one-sided or factually wrong tends to lose trust quickly, even if it later improves. That said, trust isn't always rational — people often gravitate toward sources that confirm what they already believe, regardless of how genuinely impartial those sources actually are, which is arguably a bigger factor than most people would like to admit.
Q: Do you think social media has made people better informed or less informed overall?
I'd say it's a genuinely mixed picture rather than a simple improvement or decline. On one hand, social media lets people stay abreast of breaking stories far faster than traditional media ever could, and it gives ordinary people access to firsthand accounts that used to be filtered entirely through professional journalists. On the other hand, the same speed that makes it useful also makes it considerably more vulnerable to biased or outright false information spreading before anyone has time to verify it. Ultimately, I think the technology itself is neutral — whether it makes someone better or worse informed depends heavily on whether they take the extra step of checking a source's reliability, rather than just accepting whatever appears first in their feed.
8. Academic Words (AWL) for Finding and Accessing Information
| Word | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| medium (n) | a means by which something is communicated (pl. media) | Podcasts have become a popular medium for news. |
| access (v/n) | to obtain or reach information | It's never been easier to access information instantly. |
| verify (v) | to check that something is true or accurate | It's worth verifying a claim before sharing it. |
| authentic (adj) | genuine; not false or copied | It's harder to tell whether a source is authentic online. |
| objective (adj) | not influenced by personal feelings or bias | A well-respected outlet tries to stay objective. |
| perspective (n) | a particular way of viewing something | It helps to read a source from an opposing perspective. |
| consensus (n) | general agreement among a group | There's a broad consensus that fact-checking matters more than ever. |
| context (n) | the circumstances surrounding a piece of information | A quote can be misleading without proper context. |
| comprehensive (adj) | complete and including everything necessary | A comprehensive source covers more than one point of view. |
| considerable (adj) | fairly large in amount or degree | There's considerable variation in how reliable different outlets are. |
| factor (n) | one of several things influencing a result | Speed is a major factor in why misinformation spreads. |
| ultimately (adv) | in the end, after everything is considered | Ultimately, it's up to the reader to verify what they read. |
9. Idioms for Finding and Accessing Information
- get the full picture — to gather all the relevant information before judging something: You need more than one source to get the full picture.
- straight from the horse's mouth — information from the original, most reliable source: I heard it straight from the horse's mouth.
- hear it on the grapevine — to learn something through informal rumour or word of mouth: I heard on the grapevine that they're closing the office.
- spread like wildfire — describes news or rumours spreading extremely fast: The story spread like wildfire on social media.
- front-page news — something considered highly significant or newsworthy: It was front-page news for weeks.
- breaking news — a story that is happening right now and is being reported as it unfolds: We interrupt this programme for some breaking news.
- take it with a pinch of salt — to treat a claim with some scepticism rather than accepting it outright: I'd take that statistic with a pinch of salt.
- read between the lines — to notice a meaning a source implies without stating directly: You have to read between the lines with some press releases.
10. Native-Speaker Ways of Saying It
- keep tabs on — to monitor something closely and regularly: I like to keep tabs on what's happening in politics.
- in the loop — kept informed about something ongoing: I try to stay in the loop with local news.
- word on the street is... — an informal way to introduce an unconfirmed rumour: Word on the street is they're launching a new app.
- it's all over the news — describes a story that's being widely reported: It's all over the news at the moment.
- I caught wind of... — learned about something, often indirectly: I caught wind of the changes before they were announced.
- fact-check it — to verify a claim before trusting or sharing it: I always try to fact-check anything I see online before sharing it.
11. Common Mistakes at a Glance
| ❌ Mistake | ✅ Correction |
|---|---|
| I watch the news. (bare, vague source) | I surf the Internet every morning to check current affairs. |
| I use the Internet. (wrong, flattened verb) | I surf the Internet / browse through websites. |
| I get my news from X, it's good. (no reliability judgement) | I get my news from X, but I try to stay careful because it's quite biased. |
| I just use the Internet, it's faster. (one-sided compare question) | The Internet is faster, whereas the library is slower but more well-respected. |
| I read the news. (no frequency detail) | I check the news a few times a day. |
| It's very reliable. (vague trust word) | It's fairly objective and well-respected. |
12. Exercises
A. Fill in the gap with the correct word from the box. (surf / browse through / well-respected / biased / stay up-to-date with)
- I usually ___ the Internet every morning.
- I like to ___ a couple of magazines at the weekend.
- Some social media posts are quite ___.
- I read a ___ newspaper to get a more objective view.
- I check the app to ___ current affairs.
B. Correct the vague or flattened answer in each sentence.
- I watch the news.
- I use the Internet.
- I get the news from social media, it's good.
C. Choose trustworthy or untrustworthy for each word. (objective / one-sided / impartial / unreliable / well-respected / biased)
D. Match the idiom to its meaning.
- spread like wildfire a) an original, reliable source
- straight from the horse's mouth b) spread extremely fast
- hear it on the grapevine c) learn through rumour
E. Choose the correct contrast word for comparing two sources.
- The Internet is fast, ___ the library is slower. (whereas / because)
- Social media is quick, ___ it can be less reliable. (though / for example)
F. Part 3 discussion practice. Answer each question aloud in 3–4 sentences, using at least one AWL word from §8 and one trust/mistrust adjective from §3.5.
- Should social media companies be responsible for fact-checking content?
- Why might older and younger generations trust different news sources?
- Is it becoming harder to find objective information online?
13. Answer Key
A. 1. surf 2. browse through 3. biased 4. well-respected 5. stay up-to-date with B. 1. I surf the Internet every morning to check current affairs. 2. I browse through websites / surf the Internet. 3. I get the news from social media, but I try to stay careful because it's quite biased. C. Trustworthy: objective, impartial, well-respected. Untrustworthy: one-sided, unreliable, biased. D. 1–b, 2–a, 3–c E. 1. whereas 2. though F. Open answers — check for one AWL word and one trust/mistrust adjective.
14. Glossary
- Access verb — a verb naturally paired with a specific medium (surf the Internet, listen to the radio).
- Frequency detail — a phrase stating how often something happens, turning a fact into a habit.
- Near-synonym — a word or phrase close in meaning to another but different in strength or register.
- Register — the level of formality of language; it should rise from Part 1 to Part 3.
- Trust judgement — a word evaluating how reliable a source is, rather than just naming it.