Useful IELTS Interview Expressions
Lesson 10
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 for clarification 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 you agree or disagree, or partially agree. Or
maybe you think it depends 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 speaking and
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 To put it another way...
another way
What I mean is...
Perhaps I should make that clearer
by saying...
Yes, I agree...
Agreeing with an That's my view exactly.
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
That is partly true, but...
with an opinion
I agree with that to an extent.
However...
Getting asked an What do you think?
opinion (by the
What's your view / opinion?
examiner) What are your views on...?
How do you feel about...?
That depends...
Saying your opinion
could vary according I think it really depends...
to the situation
That depends on how you look at it.
Could you please explain what ...
(word)... means?
Sorry, I don't understand the
Asking for question. Could you explain?
clarification (part 3 Sorry, I'm afraid I didn't understand
only) 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 do I use these phrases?
1) 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 or you just want to emphasize your
point, as in this 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 do you think?
Candidate: I tend to disagree. 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. In other words, it's up to the child, not the parent.
2) 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 do 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.
3) 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 do 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.
4) 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 do 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 do need to be monitored.
Answering part 3 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.
