Useful Expressions for the IELTS Speaking Test

One of the most challenging issues a non-native speaker faces at the IELTS speaking test is on how to make their speech more natural. As fluency is one of the areas in the marking criteria, it is vital for the candidate to pause with natural hesitations using fillers and signpost with appropriate discourse markers.
Use the following fillers to fill in the gaps of your speech.
  • er..
  • erm...
  • mmm...
  • ah...
  • uh...
  • hhh...
  • Well...
  • You know...
  • Actually...
  • I mean....
  • What I meant was...
  • Like I said before...
  • Literally speaking....
  • Frankly speaking...
  • As I said before...
Expressions to give your opinion:
  • I think...
  • I believe...
  • In my opinion...
  • From my point of view...
  • As far as I am concerned...
  • To my knowledge...
Expressions to agree with a statement:
  • Of course...
  • I think so too...
  • Yes,I agree...
  • Yes,I agree with you entirely...
  • So do I...
  • Exactly...
  • Absolutely...
  • I don't think so... (agreeing with a negative statement)
  • Neither do I... (agreeing with a negative statement)
Expressions to disagree with a statement:
  • I don't agree with you....
  • That's not entirely true...
  • I'm afraid I have to disagree with you...
  • It's unjustifiable to say that...
  • I'm not so sure about that...
  • Yes, but don't you think...
Expressions to support both sides of a statement:
  • I would say 'yes and no'...
  • I sit on the fence in this case...
  • I would take both sides in this case...
Expressions to request the examinar to repeat the question:
  • Could you repeat the question please?
  • Can you repeat the question once more please?
  • I beg your pardon.
  • Sorry, I didn't get the question properly.
Expressions to request the examiner to retell the question in a different way:
  • Could you rephrase the question please?
  • Can you put the question in a different way please?
  • It's a hard question. Can I think for a moment? (Use this expression to take time for the most difficult question in part three.Take a few seconds only)


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