IELTS speaking lesson

IELTS Speaking Lesson Lesson 1: IELTS Speaking Part 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 because you only have one minute to preparewhat you are going to say You may also be nervous having to speak for 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 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 in the minute you have before you speak to help you find more to say for the IELTS speaking part 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? 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 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 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 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 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: Your home town Your favourite holiday destination 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 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 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 What kinds of books 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 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 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 of the IELTS test Therefore you need to make sure that you are the grammar and phrases to be able to 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 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 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 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 may also be about the future) Will and going to are popular words to 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 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 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 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 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 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 those things – there’s plenty to 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 it Those who 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 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 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 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 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 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 in part In this lesson we'll look at some ways to express your opinions and justify them To 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? , people get married quite late in my country , we must try and lift people out of poverty to improve standards of living , I don't think climate change is caused by human actions , crime is increasing in my city because the government did not increase the number of police like they said they would , many children are unable to get the education that they need so they end up in low-paid work as adults In the next 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? Predictably, temperatures are continuing to rise a lack of action by governments Sadly, more refugees are fleeing the country is continuing the war Obviously, the failure rate in schools is high the low numbers of teachers 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 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 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 you think? the examiner) What's your view / opinion? What are your views on ? How you feel about ? That depends Saying your opinion could vary according to the situation I think it really depends That depends on how you look at it Could you please explain what (word) means? Sorry, I don't understand the question Could you explain? Asking for clarification (part only) Sorry, I'm afraid I didn't understand the question Sorry, can I just clarify what you mean Are you asking me (say what you believe you have been asked) Sorry, would you mind repeating the question? Asking for repetition Sorry, I didn't quite catch that Could you repeat the question? So all in all Summing up To sum up To conclude When I use these phrases? Saying something in another way People use these phrases to further clarify what they have said In other words, to make it clear exactly what they mean So you are saying the same thing you have just said but in a different way Maybe you felt you did not explain something properly to the examiner and it is better to say it again but differently Getting asked an opinion / agreeing with an opinion / disagreeing with an opinion You may use these phrases if the examiner asks you for your opinion on a topic For example: Examiner: Some people think that children should not be allowed to watch anything they like on television because some programmes can negatively affect their behaviour What you think? Candidate: I wouldn't say that is necessarily true Most children are mature enough to understand that television is not real and so I don't believe that it causes them any harm I think children should be given the freedom to decide what is right for them to watch and not be told by parents what they can and cannot see Partially agreeing with an opinion You may not fully agree with the opinion and wish to explain this further Examiner: Some people think that children should not be allowed to watch anything they like on television because some programmes can negatively affect their behaviour What you think? Candidate: I don't entirely agree It is true that some programs cause harm to children For example, programs with very violent behaviour, so parents must ensure children don't watch these kinds of programs too much However, there has to be a balance Children have to be given some responsibility to make their own decisions to and it is simply not possible for the parents to monitor their children's TV habits all the time Saying your opinion could vary according to the situation It is very often the case that an opinion is never that simple or straightforward that you can just 'agree' or 'disagree' It usually depends on the context, particular situation or person It is common to say 'depends' when this is the case Examiner: Some people think that children should not be allowed to watch anything they like on television because some programmes can negatively affect their behaviour What you think? Candidate: I think it really depends on the way the child has been brought up Some children are brought up well by their parents and they know what is right and wrong and I don't think watching some programmes that have violence or similar things will change that Other children aren't given the care or attention they need by their parents and they may have personal problems Watching violence on TV may make them even worse if they already have a bad behaviour, so they probably need to be monitored Answering part questions using 'depends' is quite effective as it shows you can analyse a situation well rather than simply agreeing or disagreeing, and it also gives you a chance to say more than if you just agree or disagree [...]... 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... _ 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... 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... 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. .. 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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 ... 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 cue cards you can practice with Lesson 6: IELTS Speaking Tone When you your speaking test, it is important that you get thespeaking tone correct In this lesson we'll look at how linking phrases... 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