ADVANCED CONNECTORS AND NATURAL PHRASES FOR IELTS
SPEAKING
CONNECTORS AND PHRASES
1. Well,…
- I think = I suppose = I guess = I
reckon
2, Well , to be honest
 Chunk your question
 Use pauses to chunk your
answer
- To chunk = to put into small
pieces
3 , Between you and me , I think ...
 You’re telling a secret , you’re
sharing your opinion with
examiner.
4, Well it could be that ...
 Put possibility
5 , I have got mixed feelings about this QUESTION : how can we solve the
, i suppose ....
 Which means you’ve got
different feelings about it
6, But then again ...
= but on the other hand => introducing
a different idea
ON YOUR OWN EXAMPLE
Question : Why do you think some
people eat a lot of fast food ?
- Well , they’re addicted to it
because
…
- Well , I suppose they’re
addicted to it because …
- Well, I guess they’re addicted
to it because …
- Well , I reckon they’re addicted
to it because…
- Well , to be honest, I think
they’re addicted to it because
…
- Between you and me , I think
they’re addicted to it because
…
- Well it could be that they’re
addicted to it because ...
problem of noise pollution in big
cities ?
- I think we can solve this issue
by introducing regulations
limiting noise in certain parts
of town .
- I have got mixed feelings about
this , i suppose we can solve
this issue by introducing
regulations , but on the other

7 , i am in two minds about this ,....
 Chop up , mix up and mash up
the connectors !
8, First of all ,...
Like : festival
 Well , to be honest , first of all,
we can solve ...
9, For starters ,...
- Starter – in the meal
- Even you’re beginning an idea
- Spoonerisms are a problems for
me !
10. That’s quite a controversal
question . I think
- improvise : ứng biến , có gì dùng nấy school ?
= play something by ear
Eg : we can quickly improvise a shield
to protect your arm
11, I was mulling this over recently
and i think ...
- To mull over = to think about
- Ponder on : suy nghĩ về
12 , I’ve been thinking about this quite
a lot recently and i think ...
13, The way i see it
= in my opinion
= from my point of view
14, What i reckon is ,...
15, By and large
= overall / generally speaking
hand it might be better to ...
- I am in two minds about this , i
suppose we can solve this issue
by intoducing regulations , but
on the other hand ...
= i am in two minds about this
actually , i reckon we can solve
this issue by introducing
regulations but then again...
- First of all, we can solve this
issue by introducing
regulations,...
- Well , for starters , we can
solve this issue by introducing
regulations ...
QUESTION : should children be
allowed to use a mobile phone at
- It’s a bad idea because they
will just use it for playing
games
- I was mulling this over recently
and i think it’s a bad idea
because ...
- The way i see it , it’s a bad idea
...
- What i reckon is , it’s a bad
idea because they will just use
it for playing games
CHUNKING
By and large ,
i think it’s bad idea

16 . At first sight / glance ,...
17, mind you = but = that said
8, All in all = overall
= all said and done
9. At the end of the day ,..
10. Yes , we might as well , ....
( linking )
= there is no harm in doing this so it’s
a good idea
 Go for a snack or a coffee
because they will just use it
for playing games
- At first sight/ glance , it’s a bad
idea because they will just use
it for playing games, mind
you / that said it could be a
good idea because it can help
them learn more
Question : Should we encourage
chilren to participate in teams ?
- Yes , they need to get ready to
live in a competitive society
- All in all , i’d say yes
because ...
- At the end of the day , i’d say yes ,
because they need to get ready to live
in a competitive society
CHUNKING
At the end of the day ,
I’d say yes ,
Because they need to get ready
To live in a competitive society
- Yes , we might as well,
because they need to get ready
to live in a competitive society