IELTS Speaking Useful Phrases and Tips-1

IELTS Speaking:
Useful Phrases
and Tips
KEITH O'HARE
About the Author
Keith runs The Keith Speaking Academy. He has

been working in international education for over
20 years as a teacher, teacher trainer, and
education manager.

He has helped over 40,000 students prepare for

their IELTS Speaking test with his online courses.
COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

This is a lovely IELTS Speaking conversation with a student from
Bangladesh, Abir Ahmed.
It will give you phrases and tips to make your IELTS Speaking answers
more effective.
In this conversation I ask exactly the kind of questions you would get in
an IELTS Speaking test.
I present this to you as a conversation, rather than a mock test,

because I want you to think of IELTS Speaking as a conversation.
Thinking of it as a conversation, rather than a formal interview, will help

you relax.
If you relax you will do better.
If you can talk freely, and use informal, conversational English, you will
do much better.

Conversation Topics
01 Introductions
02 Transport (Part 1 and 3)
03 Technology (Part 3)
04 Business (Part 3)
05 How to be a confident speaker
06 IELTS Tips

1. Introductions
Questions
What do you do?

Why did you choose that subject?
Do you enjoy your classes?
Useful Phrases
I’m really passionate about that
To be passionate about something = to love something
Similar expressions:
I like that
I am into that
I am passionate about that
I am mad about that
It fascinates me
Down the road I have a plan to set up a business

Down the road I want to be an entrepreneur
Down the road = In the future
An entrepreneur = a person who starts their own business

2. Transport (Part 1 and 3)
Questions
What kind of public transport do you have?

How do you get around your city?
How will public transport change in the future?
Useful Phrases
If I need to get away from it all
To get away from it all = to escape the noise and activity
TIP: Use Adverbs
It’s really comfortable to take the train
Really comfortable
Pretty affordable
Fairly affordable
Quite affordable
Reasonably affordable

TIP: Use Adjectives
It’s a bustling city
bustling = vey busy and active city (positive)
A bustling city
A buzzing city
A vibrant city
It’s a noisy and crowded city (negative)
I have been mulling over this a lot recently
To mull over something = to think about something
The government should impose strict laws
To impose strict laws = to establish/implement strong laws
The government has taken some initiatives
To take an initiative = begin an action (to solve a problem)

3. Technology (Part 3)
Questions
Have there been many changes in technology in recent years?

How do you hone your skills around technology?
Do you think the technology makes our lives easier or harder?
Do you think the technology poses challenges for older people?
Useful Phrases
We have been running up against great difficulties in terms of

education
To run up against (a problem) = to face a problem
You can run up against a problem, a difficulty, or a challenge

TIP: Use a variety of tenses
Present Perfect Continuous

Describes an activity that began in the past and continues up to the
present
We have been + verb ING
We have been doing ___
We have been running up against great difficulties in terms of

education
They are working to skill up
To upskill = to improve your skills
To hone (a skill) = to improve (a skill)
I take some online courses to brush up on my skills
To brush up on something = to refresh and improve (something learnt

but forgotten)
Due to the blessings of technology = thanks to the help of technology

4. Business (Part 3)
Questions
Is it better to work for a company or to be an entrepreneur?

Are there many family businesses in your country?
What kind of family businesses are there?
Useful Phrases
People are laid off
To be laid off = to lose your job (in hard economic times)
To be fired = to lose your job (because you worked badly)
They are working their butt off to learn something new
To work you butt / ass off = work very hard
I consider them a minority = I think they are a minority
I think it’s important = I consider it important
These businesses are run by families
To be run by = to be managed by

TIP: Use Word Stress
Stressing key words in a sentence will help your communication and

make you sound much more English.
They are not that likely to start something on their own
To do something on your own = do it without help from others
TIP: Use a variety of tenses
Passive Voice
Subject + to be + past participle (+ by someone)
The businesses are run by families
It’s a family legacy, I would say
A family legacy = Money, assets, values you pass down to the next
generation

5. How to be a Confident
Speaker of English
I think the following three things make Abir a confident speaker of
English.
He uses a wide range of resources
Youtube
Podcasts
English seminars
He is highly motivated
He has a clear goal about wanting to speak in public.

He also wants to teach and help others.
He is strongly driven to learn English.
He practices a lot
He practices with a partner every day

He takes part in competitions
He practices until the language becomes automatic

6. Tips for IELTS students
The following are the 5 main tips Abir gives for IELTS Students.
Create an English environment
Learn from things you love
Practice a lot
Don’t care too much about grammar - just speak out your ideas
Don’t learn a huge amount of vocabulary - learn a little but use it!
Watch this video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=PrKNeBrdU80
If you have enjoyed this, check out more information here
WWW.KEITHSPEAKINGACADEMY.COM

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IELTS Speaking:

Keith runs The Keith Speaking Academy. He has

He has helped over 40,000 students prepare for

COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

I present this to you as a conversation, rather than a mock test,

Thinking of it as a conversation, rather than a formal interview, will help

If you relax you will do better.

COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

02 Transport (Part 1 and 3)

05 How to be a confident speaker

COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

What do you do?

I’m really passionate about that

To be passionate about something = to love something

Down the road I have a plan to set up a business

Down the road = In the future

An entrepreneur = a person who starts their own business

COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

What kind of public transport do you have?

If I need to get away from it all

To get away from it all = to escape the noise and activity

TIP: Use Adverbs

It’s really comfortable to take the train

COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

It’s a bustling city

bustling = vey busy and active city (positive)

It’s a noisy and crowded city (negative)

I have been mulling over this a lot recently

To mull over something = to think about something

The government should impose strict laws

To impose strict laws = to establish/implement strong laws

The government has taken some initiatives

To take an initiative = begin an action (to solve a problem)

COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

Have there been many changes in technology in recent years?

We have been running up against great difficulties in terms of

To run up against (a problem) = to face a problem

You can run up against a problem, a difficulty, or a challenge

COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

Present Perfect Continuous

We have been + verb ING

We have been doing ___

We have been running up against great difficulties in terms of

They are working to skill up

To upskill = to improve your skills

To hone (a skill) = to improve (a skill)

I take some online courses to brush up on my skills

To brush up on something = to refresh and improve (something learnt

Due to the blessings of technology = thanks to the help of technology

COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

Is it better to work for a company or to be an entrepreneur?

People are laid off

To be laid off = to lose your job (in hard economic times)

To be fired = to lose your job (because you worked badly)

They are working their butt off to learn something new

To work you butt / ass off = work very hard

I consider them a minority = I think they are a minority

I think it’s important = I consider it important

These businesses are run by families

COPYRIGHT © 2023, KEITH SPEAKING ACADEMY

Stressing key words in a sentence will help your communication and

They are not that likely to start something on their own

To do something on your own = do it without help from others