IELTS Speaking Lesson
Lesson 1: IELTS Speaking Part 2
In the IELTS speaking part 2, you will be given a topic by the examiner, and you
have to speak for two minutes.
The topic will be one that the examiner chooses and you cannot change it.
They are always things that you should have some experience of and be able to
talk about.
However, some students find it difficult to do because you only have one
minute to preparewhat you are going to say.
You may also be nervous having to speak for 2 minutes in front of someone.
You don't want to run out of things to say so in this lesson there are some tips
to help you extend your long-turn.
Let's imagine that you are given this IELTS speaking part 2 question:

Describe someone who has had an important influence
on your life.
You should say:
Who the person is
How long you have known him/her
What qualities this person has

Explain why they have had such an influence on you.

Firstly, you must talk about the topic on the card.
However, if you only talk about the specific questions on the card, you may find
that you finish too soon.
As long as you keep to the topic, it is ok to talk about other things.


Here are two things you can do in the minute you have before you speak to help
you find more to say for the IELTS speaking part 2.

1. Use other ‘question’ prompts
These are question prompts:
Who
What
When
Where
How
Why
When you prepare, write down the other question prompts that are not on the
list, and think of things you can say about those as well.
For example:
When - When did you meet?
Where – Where did you meet?

2. Think of a Story
You can also tell a story about the person, place, event or thing you are
discussing.
So in your one minute, think of and note down a quick and preferably interesting
story to tell about the topic.
You can tell the story anywhere in your IELTS speaking part 2, as long as it fits
in.

Example IELTS Speaking Part 2
The person I’m going to talk about today is my teacher from high
school. (who) Her name was Miss Chadwick and she taught quite a few
subjects at the school. She had been working there for quite a few years when
I met her I think. (where) We met for the first time in my English class. (more
about ‘who’) I remember this well because she was quite young compared to



most of the other teachers in the school so I was surprised that she was a
teacher! In fact she looked more like she could be one of the older students!
(How long) So I met her when I was 15, and that was 10 years ago. I don’t
actually know her anymore as we lost contact soon after I left the school, but I
still remember her very well for several reasons.(What qualities) Firstly, she
was very kind. She always treated all the students very well in the class, and I
can’t remember her ever shouting at anyone. Also, she had a really good sense
of humour. She would make jokes in the class which most of the other teachers
never did. The other teachers were very serious all the time. And she made the
classes a lot of fun and very interesting, something that I think is very important
otherwise you start to get bored. Oh, and also she explained things very well
and very clearly. Often teachers are not able to do this in a way that students
can understand, especially when it's complicated subjects.
So those are the qualities that she had. (why such an influence)The reason
she had such an important influence on me is because I was quite a shy person
at school and not very confident, but she helped me to change this. (tell a
story) Each year, there was a school play that would be held in front of all the
parents, and that year, when I was 15, Miss Chadwick was organizing and
directing the play. I really didn't want to be in it because I was so shy, but Miss
Chadwick insisted that I take one of the roles, and it was one of the main roles
which meant that I would have to do a lot of speaking! I was so nervous.
Anyway, I went ahead and did it, and on the night I did really well and really
enjoyed it. And that really boosted my confidence and this has helped me to this
day.
So my teacher Miss Chadwick is the person who has influenced my life and I will
never forget her.

Lesson 2: IELTS Speaking Questions and
Answers - Part One

This lesson is a quiz using IELTS speaking questions and answers to provide you
with some general tips on successfully answering questions for part one of the
IELTS speaking test.
In part one of the test, you are asked general questions about yourself follow this link to viewexample part one questions if you do not know what to
expect.


You'll be asked about 12 questions in part one of the test, and these will be
taken from three different sets of topics which the examiner will choose.
For example you could be asked about:

1. Your home town
2. Your favourite holiday destination
3. What kinds of books you like to read
So you'll have about four questions on each of these.
Now, take this 'IELTS Speaking Questions and Answers Quiz' to see if you
know what is the best way to respond in this part of the test.
Decide which answer you think is the best, then click on the letter to see if you
are right.

Part One IELTS Speaking Questions and Answers
- Quiz
1. How many people are there in your family?
There are four. We live in a large house in the north of my country. It gets
very cold there in the winter but it is really nice during the summer months. I
try to go back there often.
There are four. My brother and my parents.
There are four. There's myself of course. Then there's my younger brother,
he's fifteen years old. And I have my mother and father who are both in their
late 70s. I have two grand parents as well, but they don't live with us.


2. Do you know the people who live next door to you?
No, I've never met them. The reason for this is that I'm away most of the
time at university so I've never really had the opportunity. I know my family


has met them on a few occasions, just for a quick chat, but they don't know
them well. I think they like to keep their privacy.
No, I've never met them.
No, I've never met them. I think my parents have, but I don't know who they
are.

3. What kinds of books do you like reading?
I don't like reading. Books are boring. I much prefer to play on the internet or
just watch TV in my free time. Reading books just sends me to sleep.
Although I think books are great ways to learn, and I know some people love
to read, I've never been a great fan of them. I used to read books a bit when
I was younger but not much anymore. I read a lot on the internet actually,
articles on various topics. So I do read, but it's just not usually books.
I don't really like reading, but I did read a book once. I'll tell you the story. It
was set in the 1960's in London. It was about a poor family who were just
trying hard to make ends meet as they had so little money. If followed the life
of the boy in the family from when he was young until he grew up. The first
part of the book was about growing up with his family and his school
life...(candidate continues the story)

You should have learnt from these IELTS speaking questions and answers to:
Stay on topic
Listen carefully to the question and make sure you are answering it. Don't talk
about something completely different just so you can talk for longer.

Extend your answers
Give reasons for your answer. This can be a useful way to extend your
responses. Always explain WHY you have given the answer that you have.
Don't speak excessively
Extend your answers but don't go on too much. This will only mean the
examiner will have to keep interrupting you to move onto the next questions.
Be honest but positive


Try to remain upbeat and positive even if you are saying you don't do things or
don't enjoy things you are being asked about. You can always put a positive
slant on your answers.

Lesson 3: Speaking About Change
Questions that will involve you speaking about change are common in part 3
of the IELTS test.
Therefore you need to make sure that you are the grammar and phrases to be
able to do this.
Often you are asked to compare a situation now with the same situation in
the past.
Common time periods include; 20 years, 30 years, when your parents were
young and when your grandparents were young.
This lesson will provide you with some useful grammar for speaking about
change in the IELTS test, and how to spot these types of question.
Examples:


How are the eating habits now in your country different from eating habits in
the past?




Are the types of leisure activities that are popular today the same as those
that were popular when your parents were young?



How have shopping habits changed over recent years?



Have the types of transport people use changed much over the last few
decades?

_________________________________________________

Used to
One way of describing how things have changed is to use “used to”. We use it
to refer to facts or situations that were true in the past but are not true
now. When the change occurred is not important.


Example:
“Vietnam used to be a colony of France, (but now it is independent)”
“Jimmy Carter used to be the President of the United States, (but now he
isn’t.)”
This can, of course be used to give personal information.
“I used to smoke, (but I gave up 2 years ago.)”
“Mike used to be a detective in the CID, (but now he’s a teacher)”
_________________________________________________


Comparatives
In these types of questions the function being tested is “compare”, so using
comparatives is obviously a good way of answering the question and speaking
about change.
Example:
"Thirty years ago, the streets were much quieter thannow.”
“I think that reading was much more popular in the past.”
When talking about how things are different now, the present perfect is often
used as well as the present simple.
“The streets have become much noisier.” (Notice, a time is not needed)
“Reading is much less popular than it was in the past.”
_________________________________________________

Speculation
Particularly for some of the longer periods, you may not be sure of exactly how
things have changed and it is all right to speculate.


“Would” can be used for strong speculation.
Example:
“It would have been harder for my grand father to find out about international
news, because there was no radio or T.V in his village.”
“In the past, people would have traveled less often.”
When you are not so sure you can use other words. (perhaps, possibly, might,
may, etc.)
“I’m not sure but, perhaps, they might have studied less science thirty
years ago”
“Possibly, in my father’s day, people could have playedmore sport.”
_________________________________________________


Question types
Questions about changes tend to be phrased in ways like these:
“How do you think … is different from thirty years ago?”
“In what ways has … changed from when your parents were young?
“How is … different from twenty years ago?”
Of course, the examiner may choose to word the question in other ways.

Lesson 4:
Will and Going to
Usually in part 3 of the speaking test you will be asked to talk about the future
in at least one of the questions (some of the questions in part 1 may also be
about the future).
Will and going to are popular words to do this, so we will look at them, but
there are some other ways too.


It is important to notice when a question is about the future so you can make
sure that your response is also using the future tense.
Here are some example questions:



Do you think any new national celebrations will come into being in the
future?



How do you think the internet will change people's buying habits in the
future?




Do you think it will be more or less important to have a good education in
the future?
Here is an explanation of will and going to and some other useful structures
for discussing the future

Will
There are various uses of ‘will’, but in IELTS part 3 we can use it when we want
to talk about future events that we believe are certain.
‘Will’ is followed by verb 1, or the infinitive.
Education will be more important in the future because as populations increase,
there will be greater competition for jobs.
If you use ‘will’ on its own, this means you believe in what you are saying 100%,
or you have 100% evidence to back up your claim.
You can add in a word like ‘definitely’ if as well if you want to emphsize your
certainty even more:
Education will definitely be more important in the future because as
populations increase, there will be greater competition for jobs.
If you are less certain (which is often the case as we usually don’t have evidence
with us) then we use words such as 'maybe','perhaps', 'possibly', 'probably'
and ‘likely’.
Education will probably be more important in the future because as
populations increase, there will be greater competition for jobs.


Going to
Will and Going to are used in similar ways. We can use ‘going to’ to talk about
a plan we have, but in the IELTS test part 3 we usually use it when we are

making a prediction based on evidence we know of, often from what we can see
in front of us.
‘Going to’ is followed by verb 1, or the infinitive.
The sky is very black (the evidence we can see). I think it’sgoing to rain. (not
an IELTS example)
The internet is getting much easier to use and safer (the evidence), so I think
it’s going to be very popular for buying clothes in the future.
The climate is going to become warmer and warmer because the government
is not doing enough to prevent global warming.

Will or going to?
‘Will’ is more common for giving predictions about future events, so if you are
unsure of the difference between them, just use ‘will’.
However, we often use will and going to inter-changeably. For example, in
the sentences above we can swap them without affecting the meaning:
The climate will / is going to become warmer and warmer because the
government is not doing enough to prevent global warming.
Education will probably / is probably going to be more important in the
future because as populations increase, there will be greater competition for
jobs.

Modal Verbs
In addtion to will and going to, another way to talk about the future is to use
modal verbs such as ‘may’ and ‘might’.
Again, these are used when you are not certain about something. They have the
same meaning.
I think education may become more important in the future, but it really
depends on what happens to the job market.



The climate might get cooler in the future if we manage to restrict CO2
emissions.

Present Continuous
This is also used to talk about the future.
It is often used when we want to talk about what has been arranged for the
future, so it may be less common for part 3 and more common for part 1, but it
is still possible for some things you may want to say:
Our president is meeting the president of the USA next year, so hopefully
they will discuss the problems of our country.

Will and Going to - Sample Answer
Here is a sample answer to a question:
How do you think the internet will change people's buying habits in the
future?
Buying from the internet is becoming more and more popular. For example,
we’ve seen many book shops close down because people can buy online at
cheaper prices from sites such as Amazon. It makes life much easier if products
can be delivered direct to our door, especially with our busy modern lifestyles.
I think this will only increase in the future as more people feel safe to buy
online and online shops make it easier to purchase this way. Also, I think our
lives are onlygoing to become busier, so more people will choose to shop
this way.

IELTS Mind Map - Speaking Part 2

This lesson introduces you to the idea of using an IELTS mind mapto help you
with your speaking for part two.



There are different methods and techniques you'll come across for preparing for
this part of the speaking test, so you really need to decide which way suits you
best.
Mind maps are a way tovisually organize information. A single idea is placed
in the middle, with ideas associated with that word around the edge.
A mind map can be useful for IELTS speaking in part two because you can place
the main topic from the cue card in the middle and then brainstorm ideas around
it.
You can use other question words such as 'why', 'when', 'who', 'where' etc to
help you think of ideas.
As well as question words you can also add a story as this is a useful way to
extend your answer - click here to view a lesson on how to extend your answers
for part 2 and using a story to help you do this.
You can also add in any useful vocabulary that you think of.
Look at this example cue card, and then look at the mind map that someone has
done in order to answer the question.
Cue Card

Describe a lake, a river or a sea you have
visited.
You should say:
Where the lake, river or sea is
How often you have visited it
What activities you do there

Explain why you like this particular place.
Mind Map


As you can see, a story has been added in, and some extra information about

'who', plus some interesting vocabulary
Its up to you in what order to answer the question. You don't have to follow the
card, but you should try to cover all the points that are on there and your talk
must be organized and coherent.
The mind map or following the card will help with this, plus giving cues to which
section you are on. For example, "I've visited it many times because..." tells the
examiner you are talking about the 'How often' part.
Here is a sample answer. Note how all the points are covered, plus some extra
information that is not on the card but is on the mind map.

Sample Answer using a Mind Map - A Lake You've
Visited
I’m going to talk about a lake that I’ve visited.


The lake is in the Lake District area which is in the North West of England. As you
can guess by its name, it’s very famous for its many beautiful lakes. The area is
also known as ‘The Lakes’ and it is a National Park.
I’ve visited it many times because I live only a few hours from there. I usually go
every summer, and I’ve been going for many years now – probably since about
1998. We used to go a lot in my summer holiday when I was at school. Now I’m
working I still go, but I’ll go at weekends. I usually go with my family – that’s my
two brothers and my Mum and Dad. Sometimes we might go with our cousins as
well. I have also been with friends quite a few times.
There are loads of thing to do there. At this lake we go to there are a lot of water
sports and I really like those. There’s jet skiing, sailing and kayaking for
example, but you don’t just have to do those things – there’s plenty to do even
if you don’t like those kinds of activities. You can go walking around the lake or
further out into the areas around the lake because there are many areas which
are really beautiful. There are also some great places to eat good food.

One of the best things I have done is a Kayaking trip. It wasn’t actually on the
lake, but in a river close by. There are some white water rapids, so I went on
those with a friend. We started it with a group of others at a calm part of the
river, with a guide as well to make sure everyone was safe. Some parts then got
quite rough with the water and strong currents. It was scary but really
exhilarating as well. I’ll definitely try and go again one day.
The reason why I like this place so much is that although there are lots of
exciting activities that you can do, it’s also surrounded by lots of breathtaking
scenery, with stunning views of the hills and rivers. So it’s still really tranquil
and relaxing and a really good way to unwind if you have had a difficult week at
work and just want to get away.
So that’s the lake that I’ve visited and I’m sure I’ll continue to visit there in the
future.
_______________________________
Try practicing this method of using a mind map to see if it helps you with your
answer. Here are some cue cards you can practice with.

Lesson 6: IELTS Speaking Tone
When you do your speaking test, it is important that you get thespeaking
tone correct.


In this lesson we'll look at how linking phrases can affect the tone.
You are basically having a conversation with someone, so you want to sound
natural. Some candidates think they have to sound very formal and academic.
You obviously do need some good vocabulary to get a higher score on the test,
such as that from theacademic word list (used correctly of course!), but
language that you would hear naturally if you had a conversation with your
friends is also as important and will get noticed by the examiner.
Take a look at this question and then the answer by a candidate:


When do you think it is acceptable to be late for appointments?
You should always try to be on time. However, there are some
occasions when it is ok to be late. Firstly, in my country the traffic is
terrible, so sometimes you cannot help but be late because of that.
Furthermore, if you are very ill, this may be another reason that makes
you late. You can’t really help that. Moreover, if an emergency arises
because of, for example, a problem with your child, you will need to
take care of that first of course.

What do you think is the problem with the speaking tone? Click to see below.
Show/Hide Answer
The problem with this response is the words linking the ideas, or the transitions.
It is not that they are 'wrong' as such. In theory they can be used as the
meaning is clear, but they are very formal.
They are suitable for an academic essay, but you will not often hear someone
use these words when they are speaking with you.
So if you use these it will make what you say sound very forced and unnatural.
Here is the same answer but the speaking tone is more natural:

You should always try to be on time, but having said that, there are
some occasions when it is ok to be late. A particular problem in my


country is the terrible traffic jams, so sometimes you cannot help but
be late because of that. Also, if you are very ill for an unexpected
reason, again there is nothing you can do about that. Another good
reason is if an emergency arises because of, for example, a problem
with your child, you will need to take care of that first of course.


As you can see, this sounds more natural and will sound more fluent. It will also
seem less 'mechanical'.
So get into the habit of improving your speaking tone by forming linking phrases
that are not too mechanical or formal.

Lesson 7: Hypothetical Situation
Sometimes in part 2 of the speaking test you are asked to describe things that
involve a hypothetical situation.
If something is hypothetical, then it is an unreal situation in the future. It is just
an idea or imagined.
The grammar for this is connected to conditional type II 'if clauses'. Take a look
at this:
Question: If you won the lottery, what would you do?
Answer: I’d buy a large house in the countryside.
Of course the person has NOT won the lottery – so it is just an imagined or
unreal situation.
In the ‘if’ part of the clause, you’ll notice that the past simple (won) is used,
even though the imagined future is being referred to. ‘Would’ is used in the
second part.
For the IELTS task card, you'll just be seeing the 'would' part.
Take a look at this sample task 2 question:

Describe an interesting job you

would like

to


have

You should say:


What the job is



Who normally does this job



What skills are needed for the job
Explain why you

would like

this job

So when you talk about a hypothetical situation, you need to make sure you use
the correct grammar.
Remember that ‘I would…’ is usually shortened to ‘I’d…” when we are speaking.
Take a look at this model answer. The uses of 'would' are in red.

Model Answer
I’m going to talk about a job I’d like to have.
Ok, if I could choose any job, it would be an air hostess. They are the people
who take care of customers who are travelling on planes - serving the food,
making sure the travellers board and depart the plane safely, and taking care of
any other issues.
This type of job can be done by men or women, but there are usually certain

requirements. For instance, you have to be at least 19 years old in most cases
when you first apply and usually a certain height, not too small. Also, your
weight needs to be in proportion to your height. So in other words, not
overweight unfortunately. They also really prefer people who are younger. So
not just anyone can do it. Those who do the job usually want to travel as much
as they can to see the world, or maybe to make money as in some developing
countries it is a lot better paid than many other jobs.
Regarding the skills, one of the most important things to be is outgoing. I think
you need to be very confident and happy to chat with anyone! You also need to
be patient as I’m sure you can sometimes get passengers who complain, but
you still have to continue to be nice to them. For qualifications, you have to have
good GSCE marks. I think that is it.
The reason that I’d like a job like this is because I’d really like to see the rest of
the world and I’d like to meet lots of new people from different cultures and


countries. It’s actually something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, since I
was young, which is why I know so much about the requirements. I’m quite a
confident person and very outgoing, so I think I have all the qualities that are
needed for such a job.
If I was given the chance to do this job in the future, I’d be very happy. It’s my
dream so hopefully one day it will come true.
___________________________________________
As you'll notice, only a few parts of this response are using 'would'. The amount
you use it will depend on what you are saying.
In much of the response the candidate is talking about facts regarding the job,
which are always true, so the present simple is being used. She's not referring
to the future.
She only refers to a hypothetical situation a few times in her response.
Here are some examples for you to practice with:

___________________________________________
Example Hypothetical Situation Speaking Card 1

Describe a beautiful place in your country that
you would like to visit
You should say:


Where it is



Who you



When you

would go

with

would go

Explain why you

would like

to visit this place


Example Hypothetical Situation Speaking Card 2

Describe a house you
future.
You should say

would like

to buy in the




What kind of house it

would be



Where you

it to be



Who you

would like
would like


Explain why you
this

to live there with

would like

to buy a house like

Expressing Opinions for IELTS Speaking
Expressing opinions or giving your thoughts is an important part of the IELTS
speaking test, especially in part 3 when you have a 2-way discussion with the
examiner.
You will also need to justify your opinion or explain why you have that
opinion.
By justifying your opinion you will be extending your responseand making
sure you are having a proper discussion with the examiner which you need to do
in part 3.
In this lesson we'll look at some ways to express your opinions and justify them.
To do this we usually use adverbial phrases at the start of the sentence.
Here are some ways of expressing opinions or saying what you think about a
topic:
______________________________________________

Expressing Opinions
Expression

Meaning

Example


Clearly
Obviously

Easy to
Clearly, the economy is not going
understand or see to improve this year.

Personally

Showing that it
is your opinion

Personally, I don't think the legal
drinking age should be reduced.
Others may disagree.

Generally

Usually, or in
most situations

Generally, the trains are a lot more
reliable than the buses in my


country.
Surprisingly, the government
Unexpectedly or
prohibited smoking in all public

Surprisingly in a way that is
places last year. I never thought
unusual
this would happen.
Inevitably

In a way that
I didn't study much. Inevitably, I
cannot be avoided didn't get the score I needed.
Predictably, problems are now
occurring in the city because of
overpopulation.

Predictably

As expected

Frankly

Frankly, I wish I'd waited before
To be honest and
taking the IELTS test as I'm not
direct
ready!

Sadly
Unhappy, sad or
Regrettably sorry about
Unfortunately something


Regrettably, my family could never
return to their country because of
the civil war.

And after expressing your opinions, here are some ways that you can justify
them:

Justifying Opinions
Across one sentence
+ Subject Verb:
...as the government has
invested a lot of money into the
system.
Generally, the trains are a lot ...because the government
more reliable than the buses in my has...
country...
...since the government has...
...due to the fact that
government has...
+ Noun Phrase:

the


...because of the government's
investment of money into the
system.
...due to the government's
investment of...
...as a result of the

government's investment of...
...as a consequence of the
government's investment of...

Across two sentences
+ Subject Verb:
The reason for this is that
government...
This is
has...

because

the government

This is due to the fact that
government has...
Generally, the trains are a lot
more reliable than the buses in my
country.

the

the

+ Noun Phrase:
This is due to the government's
investment of...
This is because of the
government's investment of...

This is as a result of the
government's investment of...
This is as a consequence of the
government's investment of...

Expressing Opinions - Practice


Now it's your turn.
In questions 1-5, choose which adverbial phrase should go in the gap. Look
carefully at the rest of the sentence. Is it something surprising? Sad? Obvious?
Predictable? Typical?
________________________________

1.

, people get married quite late in my country.

2.

, we must try and lift people out of poverty to improve

standards of living.

3.

, I don't think climate change is caused by human actions.

4.


, crime is increasing in my city because the government did

not increase the number of police like they said they would.

5.

, many children are unable to get the education that they

need so they end up in low-paid work as adults.
________________________________
In the next 5 questions, choose the correct justifying phrase to go in the gap.
Again, look at the sentence.
You need to decide which one will fit grammatically. Is it followed by a noun or
a subject and a verb?
________________________________

6. Predictably, temperatures are continuing to rise

a lack of

action by governments.

7. Sadly, more refugees are fleeing the country
is continuing.

the war


8. Obviously, the failure rate in schools is high


the

low numbers of teachers.
9. Generally, people are having children later in
life.

many more women are now working.

10. Personally, I don't believe that unemployment will
fall.

the unwillingness of companies to hire

new staff.

Lesson 9: Speaking Questions for IELTS
You can get various types of speaking questions for IELTS so it is important
to understand how to reply to them properly.
This lesson is particularly important if you are at a lower level of English, as
those with weaker speaking skills often show that they have misunderstood the
question when they give their answer.
Giving the wrong answer could also come from not concentrating properly.
This could be due to nerves, so you miss exactly what the examiner has asked.
So you have to listen carefully.
Take a look at this example question:
IELTS Examiner: How important do you think it is to learn English language?
Candidate: Oh, I really like learning English. I think it will really help with my
career.
This candidate has shown that they did not listen properly, or
simply misunderstood the question.

These are the kinds of answers that would be expected.


It's very important because...



It's extremely important...



It's fairly important because..




It's quite important because...



I don't think it's very important because...
So in this case it is an adverb of degree that would be expected as they
commonly follow how questions that ask for an opinion about something.
That is not to say that there are not other possibilities, but this directly answers
the question, unlike the other reponse which was incorrect.
Now try this speaking questions for IELTS exercise to see if you know the
meaning of other common question phrases.
Link the question phrase to its correct meaning.
___________________________________________________


Useful IELTS Interview Expressions
In this lesson we will look at some useful IELTS interview expressions.
You need to make sure that you have adequate vocabulary and phrases to
explain your position in the speaking test.
You may need to ask forclarification if you don't understand something, or for
something to be repeated if it was said too fast for you.
It is also good if you have a variety of phrases to give your opinion. It is
common in part three of the IELTS test, for example, to be given an opinion or
view and to say what you think about it.
So you will need to say if youagree or disagree, or partially agree. Or maybe
you think itdepends on the circumstances.
Or you may need to give yourself some thinking time before you can answer a
question.
Knowing and practicing some useful phrases will help you in this respect.
Below are a list of phrases to help improve your IELTS speakingand under
the table is some further explanation for some of the phrases.
Most of these phrases and the examples below are more relevant to part 3 of the
speaking test because this is where you are asked your opinion more than part


1, and you are more likely to misunderstand a question or need further
clarification because the questions are more difficult.

USEFUL IELTS INTERVIEW EXPRESSIONS

What I'm trying to say is...
In other words...
Saying something in another To put it another way...
way


What I mean is...
Perhaps I should make that clearer by
saying...
Yes, I agree...
That's my view exactly.
Agreeing with an opinion

I would tend to agree with that.
I couldn't agree more.
No, I disagree.
I'm afraid I disagree.
I see things rather differently myself.
Disagreeing with an opinion

I wouldn't say that is necessarily
true.
I tend to disagree.
I'm not so sure about that.
I don't entirely agree. It is true
that......however...

Partially agreeing with an
That is partly true, but...
opinion

I agree with that to an extent.
However...
Getting asked an opinion (by What do you think?
the examiner)