Hypothetical Situation 

Lesson 7 
Sometimes in part 2 of the speaking test you are asked to describe things that involve a
hypothetical situation.

If something is hypothetical, then it is an unreal situation in the future. It is just an idea

or imagined.

The grammar for this is connected to conditional type II 'if clauses'. Take a look at this:

Question: If you won the lottery, what would you do?

Answer: I’d buy a large house in the countryside.

Of course the person has NOT won the lottery – so it is just an imagined or unreal
situation. 

In the ‘if’ part of the clause, you’ll notice that the past simple (won) is used, even
though the imagined future is being referred to. ‘Would’ is used in the second part.

For the IELTS task card, you'll just be seeing the 'would' part.

Take a look at this sample task 2 question:

Describe an interesting job you would like to have

You should say:

 What the job is

 Who normally does this job
 What skills are needed for the job
Explain why you would like this job.

So when you talk about a hypothetical situation, you need to make sure you use the
correct grammar.

Remember that ‘I would…’ is usually shortened to ‘I’d…” when we are speaking.

Take a look at this model answer. The uses of 'would' are in red.

Model Answer
I’m going to talk about a job I’d like to have.
Ok, if I could choose any job, it would be an air hostess. They are the people who take
care of customers who are travelling on planes - serving the food, making sure the
travellers board and depart the plane safely, and taking care of any other issues.

This type of job can be done by men or women, but there are usually certain
requirements. For instance, you have to be at least 19 years old in most cases when
you first apply and usually a certain height, not too small. Also, your weight needs to be
in proportion to your height.  So in other words, not overweight unfortunately.  They also
really prefer people who are younger. So not just anyone can do it. Those who do the
job usually want to travel as much as they can to see the world, or maybe to make
money as in some developing countries it is a lot better paid than many other jobs.

Regarding the skills, one of the most important things to be is outgoing.  I think you
need to be very confident and happy to chat with anyone! You also need to be patient
as I’m sure you can sometimes get passengers who complain, but you still have to
continue to be nice to them. For qualifications, you have to have good GSCE marks. I
think that is it. 

The reason that I’d like a job like this is because I’d really like to see the rest of the
world and I’d like to meet lots of new people from different cultures and countries. It’s
actually something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, since I was young, which is
why I know so much about the requirements. I’m quite a confident person and very
outgoing, so I think I have all the qualities that are needed for such a job.

If I was given the chance to do this job in the future, I’d be very happy. It’s my dream so
hopefully one day it will come true.

As you'll notice, only a few parts of this response are using 'would'. The amount you use
it will depend on what you are saying.

In much of the response the candidate is talking about facts regarding the job, which are
always true, so the present simple is being used. She's not referring to the future.

She only refers to a hypothetical situation a few times in her response.

Here are some examples for you to practice with:

Example Hypothetical Situation Speaking Card 1

Describe a beautiful place in your country that you would like to visit. 

You should say:

 Where it is
 Who you would go with
 When you would go
Explain why you would like to visit this place.

Example Hypothetical Situation Speaking Card 2

Describe a house you would like to buy in the future. 

You should say

 What kind of house it would be

 Where you would like it to be
 Who you would like to live there with
Explain why you would like to buy a house like this

Expressing Opinions in IELTS Speaking

Lesson 8
Expressing opinions or giving your thoughts is an important part of the IELTS
speaking test, especially in part 3 when you have a 2-way discussion with the examiner.

You will also need to justify your opinion or explain why you have that opinion.

By justifying your opinion you will be extending your response and making sure you
are having a proper discussion with the examiner which you need to do in part 3.

In this lesson we'll look at some ways to express your opinions and justify them. 

To do this we usually use adverbial phrases at the start of the sentence. 

Here are some ways of expressing opinions or saying what you think about a topic:

Expressing Opinions
Expression Meaning Example
Easy to Clearly, the
Clearly
 economy is not
Obviously understand or
going to improve
see
this year.
Personally, I don't
Showing that think the legal
Personally it is your drinking age should
opinion be reduced. Others
may disagree.
Generally, the trains
Usually, or in
are a lot more
Generally most
reliable than the
situations
buses in my country.
Surprisingly, the
government
Unexpectedly prohibited smoking
Surprisingly or in a way in all public places
that is unusual last year. I never
thought this would
happen.
I didn't study
In a way that
much. Inevitably, I
Inevitably cannot be
didn't get the score I
avoided
needed.
Predictably,
problems are now
Predictably As expected occurring in the city
because of
overpopulation.
Frankly, I wish I'd
To be honest waited before taking
Frankly
and direct the IELTS test as
I'm not ready!
Regrettably, my
Sadly Unhappy, sad family could never
Regrettably or sorry about return to their
Unfortunately something country because of
the civil war.
And after expressing your opinions, here are some ways that you can justify them:

 
Justifying Opinions
Across one sentence
 + Subject Verb:
...as the government has
invested a lot of money
into the system.

...because the
government has...

...since the government
has...

...due to the fact

that the government
has...

Generally, the trains are + Noun Phrase:

a lot more reliable than ...because of the
the buses in my government's investment
country... of money into the
system.

...due to the
government's investment
of...

...as a result of the

government's investment
of...

...as a consequence
of the government's
investment of...

Across two sentences

Generally, the trains are + Subject Verb:
a lot more reliable than
The reason for this is
the buses in my country.
that the government...

This is because the
government has...

This is due to the fact

that the government
 has...

+ Noun Phrase:
This is due to the
government's investment
of...

This is because of the

government's investment
of...

This is as a result of the

government's investment
of...

This is as a
consequence of the
government's investment
of..

Speaking Questions for IELTS

You can get various types of speaking questions for IELTS so it is important to
understand how to reply to them properly.

This lesson is particularly important if you are at a lower level of English, as those with
weaker speaking skills often show that they have misunderstood the question when
they give their answer.

Giving the wrong answer could also come from not concentrating properly.

This could be due to nerves, so you miss exactly what the examiner has asked. So you
have to listen carefully.

Take a look at this example question:

IELTS Examiner: How important do you think it is to learn English language?

Candidate: Oh, I really like learning English. I think it will really help with my
career.
This candidate has shown that they did not listen properly, or
simply misunderstood the question.
These are the kinds of answers that would be expected.

 It's very important because...

 It's extremely important...
 It's fairly important because..
 It's quite important because...
 I don't think it's very important because...

So in this case it is an adverb of degree that would be expected as they commonly

follow how questions that ask for an opinion about something.

That is not to say that there are not other possibilities, but this directly answers the
question, unlike the other reponse which was incorrect.

Now try this speaking questions for IELTS exercise to see if you know the meaning of
other common question phrases.

Link the question phrase to its correct meaning.

Of course you have to be careful how you answer each question.

There can be many different types of question using these phrases and many different
answers, but below are some examples on the topic of food based on part 1 of the test.

Note how the answers, though, to these speaking questions for IELTS directly relate to
the question.

Also, notice how the answers are extended by giving reasons, which is important for
part 1.

Examples of Types of Speaking Questions for IELTS

Food
How important is having breakfast to you?

Not very important really. I often miss it as I never feel that hungry when I first wake up.
Lunch is often the first meal of the day for me.

Would you rather eat out or eat at home?

I prefer to eat in as I like home cooked food. You know for sure what is in the
ingredients, whereas at a restaurant you can never be sure of what is in the food and
whether it is healthy or not.

How often do you eat out?

About once or twice a week. Mostly I eat in because I get back from work late and don't
have time to get to a restaurant.

What kind of restaurants do you like to go to if you do eat out?

Usually it is small family run places. They have a better atmosphere than those big
chains and often the price if more reasonable too. You can also get to know the owner
which is nice.

When did you last go to a restaurant?

Oh, it was probably about a week ago, last weekend. I went to a place called Chino's,
down the road from me. It does great Italian food.

Where is the best place to shop for groceries?

I think the supermarkets are good to get cheap things, such as the everyday items like
tinned food and toiletries, but local stores are better for meat and vegetables because
they are always fresh.

How do you get to the shops when you go for food?

I usually go by car, but occasionally by bike if the weather is ok and I don't need to buy
too much. The car can obviously be better if it's the weekly shopping and you need to
purchase a lot.

Why do you think there is a problem with obesity in many countries?

I think it is principally to do with diet and time. People don't have a lot of time so they eat
fast food. The lack of time also means that people don't do enough exercise.

Who should be dealing with obesity?

The government should do something, such as making producers label food packaging
clearly, but individuals also have to take responsibility for their own weight and life-style.