IELTS Speaking: Useful Phrases

1. Expressing a Preference

I prefer A to B because...
If I have a choice, I will ....(a real possibility)
If I had a choice, I would...(not a real possibility...)
I would much rather do A than B...

2.Narrating

When I was a high school student, I went to...
After I graduated from high school, I ...
During my visit to Dhaka last year, I ...
Last year during the Spring Festival, I ....

3.Comparing and Contrasting

A is much better/worse than B.
When I compare these two items, it's clear that...

4.Suggesting

Another idea to think about is...
One possibility that I can think of is....

5.Expressing Opinions

It seems to me that...
After a lot of thought, I have come to the conclusion that....
This is only my opinion but...

6.Justifying Opinions

The reason I believe this is....
The most important evidence supporting my belief is....

7.Speculating

I am not sure what might happen,but one possibility is...
It is hard to predict the future, but I suppose we might....

8.Analyzing

There are several points to consider, first of which...
We can break this question down into several parts. First...
Let us look at this step by step.To begin with...

9.Summarizing

Altogether, there were..
Considering all of these ideas, maybe the best thing would be to...

10. Conversation Repair

Maybe I am not making myself clear, I want to say that....
What I mean to say is....
Another way to put it is....

Some ENGLISH sentence structure

Simple sentence

Pollution is a problem

Pollution is a serious problem

Air pollution is a serious problem

Air pollution is a serious problem in the city

Air pollution from cars is a serious problem in the city.

Compound sentence

The foundation stone was laid in 1834 and the theatre opened in 1837.

The theatre is small, but it is beautiful.

Complex sentence

Although the theatre has disadvantages, it has atmosphere.

When you stand in the middle of the stage, you can talk to everybody.

Others: which, that, because, after, where

They are trying to maximize the aperture of the house, which is how much sun you get.

The house is warm in winter, whereas most houses are cold in winter.

Hyphens and Showing contrast

out-of-towner

million-dollar investment ( a million dollars)

120-year-old pub (The pub is 120 years old)

two-storey house (The house has two storey)

Although/Despite

Although Margareta’s marks were low, she managed to get into law school.

Despite having low marks, Margareta managed to get into law school.

Although there was noise outside all night, I managed to sleep.

Despite the noise outside all night, I managed to sleep.

Despite the fact that the study English for IELTS has finished today, you can continue to practice your English skills.

Expressions for Agreeing and Disagreeing

Stating an opinion

In my opinion,

As far as I am concerned,

If you ask me…

If you want my honest opinion…

The way I see it….

Expressing agreement

I agree with you 100 percent.

That's exactly how I feel.

No doubt about it.

I was just going to say that.

I couldn’t agree with you more.

Expressing disagreement

I don't think so.

I'm afraid I disagree.

No, I'm not so sure about that.

Interruptions

Can I add something here?

Sorry to interrupt, but...

(after being interrupted) You didn't let me finish.

IELTS Speaking Tips

-->

Part 1

Expect question about you.

Expect question about what you do now.

Expect question on general topics.

Try to extend answer. Don’t provide only yes/no answer.

One word answer won’t show how well you speak. So, try to use full sentence when you speak.

Just relax and be natural.

Part 2

Use the minute at the start to think of a good story.

Should use an opening/beginning general statement and closing or summary or concluding statement.

Talk about your personal experience and it will be easier.

Make comparison.

Talk slowly and clearly.

A good conclusion makes a really good impression.

It is better to say naturally. Just say what you want to say.

Get used to talk about for 2 minutes to guess how long it is and prepare answers accordingly.

Get practice on a wide range of topics. Don’t just think about it – you need to practise.

Get used to speaking on a lot of topics for two minutes.

Record yourself and listen to yourself. Then check your grammar.

Part 3

Express your own opinions and you will be fine.

Don’t forget to use examples.

Give more than one reason or example if necessary.

Relate the question with your own experience. It is your opinion they are looking for.

Just say what you think and explain why.

There is no right or wrong answers. It is how you answer that matters. The examiner is just listening to your level of English.

In this part you can give more long answers. However, try to be logical and grammatically correct.

It is the way you express your opinions that matters.

It is a good idea to make every question of this section like individual Part 2 (General statement – describe/give reason/develop idea – conclusion)

If you do not have an answer, tell the examiner and move on.

Phrases to say in each section of the IELTS Speaking exam

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9a0RPYtLyPA&feature=youtu.be

Cohesion and Coherence

Cohesion
1. How you link to things you have just written.
2. Using referents and synonyms.
3. Referents: these, their, his, her, the, those etc.
4. Using referents helps to avoid using same words again.
Coherence
1. Organizing and developing your ideas logically.
2. Using paragraphs such as Introduction, 2or 3 body paragraphs, conclusion.
3. There should be a clear transition from one paragraph to the next, linking the ideas between paragraphs.
4. Link sentences with transition words.

IELTS Writing Task 2

3 grading criteria for the second writing test:

1. Content: addressing the question appropriately, supporting or justifying opinions, giving personal examples etc.
2. Cohesion and coherence: how your content is organised; whether it 'flows', paragraphs etc
3. Language :( grammar, variety and complexity of sentence structure etc.).

IELTS Sample Essay

Even though globalization affects the world’s economies in a positive way, its negative side should not be forgotten. Discuss.

In the present age, globalization is playing an increasingly important role in our lives. But in the meantime whether it is a blessing or a curse has sparked a heated debate. Some people argue that globalization has a fundamentally beneficial influence on our lives, while many others contend that it has a detrimental effect as well.

A convincing argument can be made about globalization not only playing a pivotal role in the development of technology and economy, but also promoting the cultural exchange between different countries. To start with, it is the globalization that impelled many corporate to become an international group, thereby making a contribution to the local technology and employment. Specifically, when a multinational group establish a factory in a developing country, the new equipment, the new management skills and the job vacancies are all in the best interest of the local society. Moreover, people worldwide can get to know each other better through globalization. It is easy to see that more and more Hollywood blockbusters show cultures different from American, some recent examples are ‘Kungfu Panda’ and ‘The Mummy’.

Admittedly, profit driven globalization has severely affected young people. Today, in the metropolises in different countries, it is very common to see teenagers wearing NIKE T-shirts and Adidas footwear, playing Hip-Hop music on Apple iPods and eating at KFC. The culture that took a thousand years to form just seems similar in these cities; it is looks like you can only distinguish them by their language. Meanwhile, in some developing countries, sweat workshops are always a concerning issue. For instance, reports show that some teenagers employed by NIKE’s contractors work in smelly factories over 14 hours a day, but are only paid fifty cents per hour.

In summary, I would concede that globalization does come with some adverse effects. Despite that fact, benefits created by it far outweigh the disadvantages. Overall, I am convinced that we should further promote globalization and meanwhile the local government should take measures to combat culture assimilation and sweat workshops.

This essay is extremely long (338 words instead of the advised 250-265). It has a sound structure, your position is clearly expressed, the information is well-organized, and structure-wise the sentences are fine. The vocabulary is impressive and there only were a few grammatical errors (see comments underlined in blue). Overall, looks like a band 7.5 + essay.

IELTS Speaking

Part One
1. Settle you down and get you used to the test situation.
2. General Questions such as on studies, travel, sports, family, foods, exercise etc.
3. Tests the candidate’s identifying skills, giving opinion, comparing, describing, expressing preferences and giving reasons.
4. Have to be conscious on using verb tense agreement.
Part Two
1. A prompt card to discuss on a topic for one or two minutes.
2. Will be allowed to spend one minute to take notes.
3. Should follow the order in which the topics in prompt card are organized.
Part Three
1. Discussion related to the issues on part two.
2. Will assess ability to develop ideas in depth.
3. Ability to expressing opinion.
4. Whether he can speculate.
5. How well he can compare.
6. Tests how well he can identify.
7. Should read current affairs, variety of language functions such as describing, explaining and comparing and practice discussing topics.
Some Tips
1. Fluency does not mean speaking quickly.
2. Fillers (Um, like, you know, I guess, Well) are necessary for fluency. Don’t use too much.
3. Fluency means to speak at an effective speed (a relaxed and natural pace).
4. Fluency is most important in part two.