IELTS Speaking Part 2: Useful Language

In the individual long-turn part of IELTS Speaking, you have to talk for one to two minutes on a topic
chosen by the examiner. This is the only part of the Speaking module in which a time limit applies, so
there’s more pressure to speak quickly and without hesitation. However, it’s also the easiest part to practice,
as answers tend to follow a similar pattern regardless of the topic. The useful language below will help you
structure a response in Part 2. How you use it depends on the question.

Beginning your response

 I’m going to talk about …
 I’d like to tell you about …
 I’ve decided to speak about …
Indicating a time in the past
 I think it was when I was around (age) years old.
 When I was a (school) student, …
 In my (school) days, …
Speaking hypothetically
 If I could choose any (repeat topic), I’d choose …
 Given a choice of any (repeat topic), I’d rather …
 If money were no object, I’d …
Describing a book/film/story
 It’s about a (person) who …
 The story concerns a (person) who …
 The main character is a (role) played by (actor) who …
Omitting some details
 Briefly, …
 I won’t go into detail here but …
 There’s no time to explain fully here but …
Avoiding hesitation
 What else can I say?
 What else is there to say?
 I suppose I should also mention that…
Signalling the next part of the question
 As for …
 When it comes to …
 Moving on to …
Giving reasons
 The reason I …
 … for two/several reasons.
 There are two/several reasons I’ve chosen to talk about …
Adding your own impression
 It was the most memorable/remarkable (repeat question topic) of my life.
 For me, it was a truly memorable/remarkable (repeat question topic).
 I’ll never forget (it/him/her) as long as I live.
Concluding your response
 Anyway, that’s (repeat question topic).
 So, that’s why I chose to speak about …
 Thank you for listening.