Speaking Plan Ben Worthington IELTSPodcast.

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VERY IMPORTANT

These set phrases are a rough guide if you are starting your preparation for
the IELTS.

-Try to incorporate them into a normal conversation, with a tutor or fellow

student, try to use one at least five times TODAY. It will be committed to
memory almost over-learnt, and will sound more natural when spoken.

-Go through each sentence and personalise it to your world, this will also help
you remember them.

-Putting your life in English and making the English language your goal will
benefit you more in the long term.

Part 1: Introduction and Interview

Generalising

If the examiner asks you your opinion about your home / studies / job /
country you can add these 'generalising' phrases to show a different aspect
of your language ability.

To some extent the weather is poor but I do love the city centre, especially
the...
On the whole I do enjoy living in Manchester..
By and large Manchester United was a wonderful club.

More than likely the examiner will ask you some questions regarding your
opinion or yourself, in this situation you could 'enrich a normal answer' with
something a little more impressive.

I’m pretty sure that…

In my case…
I personally believe/ think / feel…
It’s my opinion that…

Restating

If you see a funny expression on the examiners face, and you feel they aren't
following you, first slow down then use one of these:

What I meant was…

To put it in other words...
Let me explain it to you...
What I’m saying is…
Let me put it another way...

Correcting mistakes

If you make a mistake, and you know you did, you can either ignore it or
acknowledge it with a perfect sentence:

Sorry, what I would have liked to say was...

Let me rephrase what I just said...
Don’t misunderstand me, what I wanted to say was...

Off topic?

If you do find yourself off topic, which is possible due to exam nerves, here
are some phrases to get back on track:

Where was I? Anyway,…

In any case,… To get back to what I was saying,…

Giving examples.

Take Valencia for example... To illustrate this...

A case in point is... To show you what I mean...
Part 3: Two-Way Discussion

In Part 3 of the IELTS interview, which lasts between 4-5 minutes, you will
participate in a discussion with the examiner based on the topic in Part 2.

Starter sentences

Here are some universal sentences to get you going in the right direction

I once read an article about ... I once watched a film about.... It

said...

Similarity Sentences

If something is similar use these (be careful some require practise to be used
correctly):

In the same way, In the same way as Manchester

industrialised so did Liverpool.
just as, Just as United used to win trophies,
so did Inter Milan.
Similarly, Similarly, we also studied via the
internet.

Expand / Develop points.

If you want to further develop reasons or explanations use these:

what is more, furthermore (formal),

besides, in any case,... moreover (very formal),
as well as that, in addition,

To explain a logical consequence

Within this part you may want to explain a logical consequence in a formal
manner:

therefore,
consequently
as a result

Final last words

The examiner will very likely be from an Anglo Saxon country, in these
countries manners are paramount, sometimes it is even excessive. So start
with a big warm smile and remember to say please and thank you at all the
appropriate times.