IELTS Speaking Exam: Useful Prompt Phrases

Introductory Prompt Phrases

Below are a selection of phrases that you can use to start your talk. Use these phrases
to lead into your introduction:

 Today, I’d like to talk to you about….

 In this talk, I’m going to describe to you how….
 I want to tell you about….
 Today, I would like to discuss…
 Good morning/Good afternoon. Today, I want to give you a short talk on…

Phrases to Begin the Main Body of Your Speech

Once you’ve introduced your topic you will want to move on to the main body of your
speech. Here are some prompt phrases to transition you from your introduction to your
main idea:

 First of all….
 And why do I like it so much? Well, it….
 To begin with….
 One of the most interesting things about….
 This is the most important day/thing in my life because…

Phrases to Help Develop Your Idea

Now that you are into discussing your idea your will want to give some background detail
and give some reasons and examples to develop your theme. There are lots of useful
phrases you can use here to link your ideas. Here are just a few:

 Another reason why I like …..

 Moreover it….
 One of the main advantages…
 For instance…..
 One of the consequences….
 This appeals to me, because…
 I get a a lot of pleasure out of….
 I am very fond of….
 Another unusual fact about….
 I like … more than anything else because….

Conclusion Phrases
 After discussing your topic, you will want to conclude your speech and give the examiner
a quick one line summary of what you just told him/her. To start this part of the speech,
you will want to begin with something like:

 In conclusion,…
 To wrap up,….
 To conclude,….
 To sum up,….

Introducing personal experiences

Here are some phrases you can use to vary your language when introducing
personal experiences:

 In my experience…
 I remember when…
 What happened was…
 One time (when)…
 Back when I was…
 Expressing personal opinion

Just as with introducing personal experiences, you should vary your language
when giving your opinion on a subject, instead of only using the phrase ‘I think’
over and over. Some alternatives you can use when giving your opinion
include the following:

 Speaking for myself…

 Personally…
 In my view…
 For me…
 As I see it…
 As far as I’m concerned…

If you feel very strongly about the topic in question you can use the following
phrases:

 I’m sure that…

 I’m convinced that…
 I’m certain that…
 There’s no way…
 Speculating and expressing possibility

Speculating can help you to give a more elaborate response, even when you
have no experience or strong views on the topic. For this, you can use phrases
such as the following:

 I suppose…
 It’s possible…
 I would imagine that…
 I’d say…
 Perhaps…
 I think it’s likely/unlikely
 Agreeing and disagreeing

Look at some of the phrases you can use to agree and disagree:

Expressing agreement

 I totally agree.
 I couldn’t agree with you more.
 You’re absolutely right.
 No doubt about it.
 Definitely / Absolutely / Precisely

Expressing disagreement

 I’m afraid I disagree.

 I see your point, but…
 That’s not always true.
 Not necessarily.
 That’s one way of looking at it. However…