Speaking IELTS tips by Trần Thanh Thủy Tiên

Speaking
tips
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GET IDEAS
Pattern #1 Use Wh- questions
How do you go to school?
What? Bus
How? Blue bus
Where? At bus station. My school is in District 7.
When? Every morning
Why? Cheap ticket
Who? With my friends

I must say that travelling to school is not a problem for me.
Every morning I get on the blue bus number 9 at the bus station
to travel to my school in District 7. The bus ticket is really cheap,
you know, just about 5,000 vnd.

Pattern #2 Reverse your thinking
Do you like football?
I LIKE
If I didn’t like football, I wouldn’t think of any other sport to play.
But to be honest, I can’t get enough of it. Football helps develop my
social skills and build confidence.
I HATE
If I like football, I would get injured very often. But to be honest,

I am not very good at playing sports. I prefer sleeping to playing
sports.

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What do you think when you travel?
So first of all, I have to think about my budget because I’m not
swimming in money. Before I go on the trip, I have to think of …
But personally thinking, money is not all about travel....

Pattern #3 Collect stories
Why did you choose the major?
Back in high school, I saw my father working very hard for his
job. I was inspired by …
When I was a little child, I saw my father working very hard for
his job.

How often do you send text messages?
I always send text messages to my friends. I remember that
about 15 years ago when there was no Facebook messenger, ...

Pattern #4 Benefits
How often do you play football?
Yeah! Playing football is definitely a way to improve health.
First of all, it does wonder for my flexibility.
Secondly, it obviously benefits my social skills.
-> Therefore, I spend most of my free time playing
football.
-> However, I am not a big fan of it and I have never

played it before.

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HOW TO SAY
1. I don’t know

I don’t know the first thing about history
I have no idea of history
I haven’t got a faintest idea
I am absolutely/completely clueless about history
I can’t dance to save my life
I can’t remember off the top of my head.
I can’t remember much about that, but…
I’ve never really thought about that.
That’s an interesting/tricky/good question but I haven’t considered ….
before
I don’t even know how I feel about … When I was a little child, my grandpa
used to take me to the park and there were.... there. It’s been so long. I just
don’t remember those …. often. Now I don’t see … often anymore.
2. Well

To be honest
Like
Actually/Basically/Seriousl
y
You see
You know

I guess/ I suppose/ I
would say that
Okay/so
Right
Anyways
Let me think.

Umm, you know,
Let me think about
that for a minute…

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I mean / This means that/
Hmm, that’s a tough one.
3. I think

As far as I can see,
As far as I’m
concerned,
It seems to me that
As you know,
A lot of people think
that… but I think
Personally, I think/
would say that…

I strongly believe that
I must say that

In my experience,
Everything but the
kitchen sink
To be honest,
To be totally upfront,
Without a doubt,
Undoubtedly,

In my opinion,
In my eyes,
In my view
I reckon
I suppose
I don’t know about
other people, but
personally I...
To the best of my
knowledge,

4. I choose

As far as I’ve concerned
I’d go for the first/ second idea because
Although ………………., I do believe that the idea of …. Sounds much
better.
Although a lot of people support the idea that…., it is not good at all. As for
me, ….
I prefer V-ing to V-ing
I am drawn to the idea that
If I had to choose between the two, I would …

I would consider myself as a foodie. If I had to choose one, I would go for ...
5. Same

Likewise,
Similarly,
Also
In the same way,
A and B have quite a lot in common
A and B are fairly similar in size

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6. Different

A and B are dissimilar in every way.
A and B are totally/ completely/ entirely/ quite different.
I don't entirely agree. It is true that......however...
7. But

I am not too fit. In contrast, I am a health food fanatic.
However, SV.
Although SV, SV
Nevertheless, SV
Nonetheless, SV
On the one hand, SV. On the other hand, SV
But SV, SV
Yet SV, SV
Alternatively, SV
Conversely, SV

By contrast, SV
On the contrary, SV.
Although/ Though/ Even though/ While SV, SV.
8. So

As a consequence,
As a result,
Consequently,
Hence,

Therefore,
Thus,
For this reason,
Accordingly,

9. Because

I work hard. One of the causes/The reason is that I can earn money.
Because/Since/ As I can earn money, I work hard.
Due to /Because of/Owing to/ Thanks to/Now that earning money, I work
hard.
I work hard on account of money.
I work hard for the sake of money.
I work hard through money.
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Working hard is generally attributed to earning money.
10. For example,

A good example of this is...
As an illustration,...
To give you an example,...
To illustrate this point...
11. To sum up,

In conclusion, SV.
To conclude, SV.
All in all, SV.
In general, SV.
Overall, SV.
In short, SV.
12. I like

I am fond of it
I am keen on
I am into it
It appeals to me
I can’t get enough of it
A is my cup of tea
I am a big fan of A.
I especially love
I particularly love
I eat, sleep and breath golf.
What I like most about it is that it’s so interesting. For example,…
To grow fond of something/ I've grown fond of something
13. In other words,

What I mean is...
To put it another way..

Perhaps I should make that clearer by saying...
14. Everybody says

In general,
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It is said that
It is widely known that
In most cases,
Most people accept/ claim that
15. I think it will happen.

It’s highly likely that…
It’s probable that…
There is a possibility that ….
16. I hate

I can’t stand A
I can’t bear A
It’s not my thing.
I detest A.
I have the deep-seated hatred for A.
17. I am good at and bad at

I have a knack for A.
A is my forte.

I am hopeless at A.
I find it hard to wrap my head

around A.
When it comes to A, I’m a dead
loss.
I can’t make heads or tails of it.

18. Agree and disagree

I couldn't agree more.
I totally agree.
Absolutely.
Definitely.
I tend to agree with that

That’s not always true
That’s one way of looking at it/
however

19. I remember and forget

If my memory serves correctly,
If I remember correctly

I just lost my train of thought.
It’s on the tip of my tongue

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As far as I can remember,
As I recall, …

I have a vague recollection/ feeling
of.
It’s been on my mind.

It went in one ear and out the other.
I’d forget my head if it wasn’t
attached.
My mind went blank when it comes
to this question.
I fail to jog my memory.

20. In the past,

I mean back in school...
21. Easy and Hard

It is a piece of cake
It’s easy as pie
I can do it in my sleep
It’s easy as ABC
No problem is too big for me
It’s a breeze.

It’s a bit tricky
It’s quite tough.
It isn’t a walk in the park
It’s challenging.

22. Lazy and hard-working

I am a couch potato
I am slothful
I am just bone idle
I am passive
I am sluggish

I am an eager beaver.
I am a busy bee.
I am burning the candle at both
ends.
I have a bee in my bonnet about
healthy eating.
I dig my heels in.
I really get my teeth into healthy
eating.
I went the extra mile to ...

23. Cheap and expensive

It’s dirt cheap
It’s cheap as chips.
It is quite reasonable.
It is a real bargain.
I got it for a song.

It costs an arm and a leg
It costs a fortune.
I am paying through the nose.
It’s a bit pricey.

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24. Smart and stupid

I am a real bright spark
I have my head screwed on.
I am a smart cookie.
I don’t miss a trick.
I am nobody’s fool.

I am a bird brain
I am not the sharpest tool in the
shed.
I am a bit slow in the uptake.
I can’t put two and two together.
I am as dump as a post.

25. Active and tired

I am full of beans
I am having the life and soul of the
party.
I am alive and well/kicking.
I am as fresh as a daisy.
I am astir.
I have a spring in my step.
I arrive bright-eyed and bushytailed.

I’m exhausted

My bed is calling me
I’ve crashed and burned.
I’m dead on my feet.
I’m worn out.
I’m spent.
I’m knackered.
I’m on my last legs.

26. Relax

Take it easy
Let my hair down
Put my feet up
Take a breather
Take a chill pill
Recharge my battery
Chill out
Wind down
Unwind
Get away from it all
Take my mind off something
Slow down
Switch off

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27. Happy and sad

I’m over the moon

I’m in my element
I am on cloud nine
I am top of the world
I am in seventh heaven
I am like a dog with two tails
I am thrilled to bits
I walk on air
I get a real kick out of …
It makes my day
I am happy as Larry
I am happy as a clam

I am down in dumps
My heart sinks.
I cry my eyes out.
I reduce to tears.
I feel blue/ have the blues.
I lump my throat
My face is like a wet weekend
I take it very hard.
I fell to pieces.

28. For example,

Just
Like (this)
Such as
To illustrate
By way of illustration
Let’s say

For instance,
… is a case in point
29. Types of people

I am
all things to people.
- Who tries to please all
A party animal
- I love party
Behind the times
- I am out of date
A fat cat
- Rich and powerful
A couch potato
- Lazy and inactive
A dead loss

A know-it-all
A heart-of-gold
- Really good person
A slimeball
- A disgusting, horrible one
A worry wart
- often worry, especially about
unimportant things.
Social butterfly
- An extroverted person
Cheapskate

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- I cannot do anything
Go-getter
- Active and energetic, have a
plan to pursue things I want
Big cheese
- Have a lot of power and
influence in an organization
Armchair critic
- Sit on an armchair and pass
comments
A wet blanket
- Boring and unenthusiastic
Teacher’s pet
- Favourite student
whizz kid
- Young, smart and successful
A busybody/ A nosy parker
- who is overly interested in the
lives of others.
A wimp
- A weak person and lack
confidence
A early bird
- get up early in the morning
A family man
A party pooper
- I ruin all of the fun at a party
or get-together by not wanting

to participate in certain
activities or simply through
negativity.

- hate to spend much money
Penny pincher
- who is very careful about the
money I spend
A dark horse
- A secretive person, or that is
little to know about them
A goody-goody
- act good, sweet and nice, and
follow the rules.
Man of his word/ woman of her
word
- Who people can trust
A bad egg
- Who cannot be trusted
A big mouth
- Who is not able to keep a
secret
Mover and shaker
- Influential
A smart cookie/ A wise guy
- Smart
Jack-of-all-trades
- who can do several jobs
instead of only being
specialized in one.

A knock-out
- Extremely beautiful
A crybaby
- I cry a lot for no good reason
A trouble maker
Old as the hills
- Very old
Oddball
- A weirdo
A barrel of laugh
- Who is very funny
Nutty as a fruit cake
- A bit crazy

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Eg. Choose a word to describe yourself and one to describe your friend.

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