OVERVIEW

GIVE OPINIONS
1. Well, as far as I’m concerned, I’m of the opinion that the Internet has not shortened the
technical gap between the developed and the developing countries.
2. I’d like to point out that there should be more strict censorship on the Internet.
3. From my point of view, e-commerce may be a major form of shopping in 20 years’ time.
4. In my opinion, the government should invest more on infrastructure construction.
5. Personally/Frankly, I think young people should be given more opportunities.
6. I’d say that I’ve made a very important decision in my life.
7. Don’t you agree that the present economic situation is quite promising?
8. As I see it, the investment is not very reasonable.
9. To be honest, I think your decision is not very sensible.

ASK FOR REPETITION

1. I didn’t quite follow what you were saying about “globalisation”. Would you mind
repeating it?
2. Sorry, I don’t see what you mean. Can you say that again, please?
3. Sorry, I don’t quite follow you.
4. I’m sorry, would you mind saying that again?
5. Sorry, I’m not quite sure what you mean.
6. I beg your pardon?
7. Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.
8. Sorry, I’m not exactly sure what you mean. Could you repeat the question, please?

ASK FOR CLARIFICATION

If you are looking for clarification, ask the interviewer to confirm what you think was asked:
1. I wonder if you could explain “economic globalisation” in greater detail.
2. Could I ask you a little more about “e-commerce” in greater detail?
3. I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand what you mean by “status”.
4. I’m afraid I’m not quite clear about what you mean. Would you please explain it?
5. I didn’t quite follow what you were saying about “redundancy”.
6. I’m sorry, but could you explain what you mean by “possession”?
7. Sorry, I don’t know what you mean by “status”.
8. Excuse me. I’m not quite clear about what you mean. Would you please put it another
way?
Hopefully, these simple questions will get the interview back on track, and you will also have
impressed the interviewer with your conversation skills.

USE HESITATION DEVICES

1. That’s an interesting/a difficult question. I suppose/guess ...

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 2. Well, I think/guess ...
3. Let me see ...
4. How shall I put it? Let me put it in this way ...
5. As a matter of fact,...
6. In fact,...
7. You see/know,...
8. Actually,...
9. It’s like this, you see.

INTERRUPT PROPERLY
When you want to stop someone interrupting, do not pause for too long, do not lower your voice,
and (if you want) you can refuse to be interrupted. Conversely, you can use the following phrases
to interrupt the examiner politely:
1. I’d like to add something here, if I may.
2. Can I interrupt (you) for a moment?
3. Sorry to interrupt, but...
4. I’d just like to say that...
5. By the way,...

MAKE CLARIFICATIONS
When you want to clarify your thoughts and straighten out everything you are thinking, there are
three different techniques you can try. Use the following expressions:
1. What I meant to say was there is a need for a return to morality.
2. What I meant by “revolution” is to carry out a reform in the system.
3. That’s not quite what I meant. What I was trying to say was that we should carry out a
reform in the state-run enterprises.
4. Let me put it another way.
5. Well, the point I’m trying to make is that the inflation is going up fast.
6. Sorry, let me explain further.

EXPRESS AGREEMENT
Wait until it is your turn to speak, and use expressions of agreement, such as:
1. Yes, exactly.
2. Yes, I agree.
3. I agree entirely.
4. I think/suppose so.
5. That’s what I want to say.
6. That’s just what I was thinking.
7. I couldn’t agree more.
8. That’s a good point.

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EXPRESS DISAGREEMENT
Calmly express your disagreement. These are examples of how to remain polite in expressing
your disagreement in English.
1. I’m afraid I cannot agree with you when you said ...
2. I agree with you to some extent, but I think I’m not sure I quite agree ...
3. Well, you have a point here, but...
4. Perhaps, don’t you think that...?
5. I see what you mean, but...

FINISH ANSWERING QUESTIONS

1. I think that is all I can tell you about...
2. I’m afraid that’s all about... as much as I know.
3. I think that’s about it.
4. I can’t think of anything else right now.
5. Would you like me to tell you more about...?
6. Is that all you’d like to know?

EXPLAIN WHY YOU CANNOT ANSWER A QUESTION

The IELTS assesses your language ability, not your knowledge. So, do not hesitate to talk wrong
things. Using the following expressions appropriately can show your speaking ability.
1. Sorry, I have very little idea of ...You see ... (but I guess ...)
2. That’s a rather difficult question, but (maybe) I can answer you by saying ...
3. I’m not quite sure how to answer that question, but (perhaps)...
4. I’m afraid I cannot give you a satisfactory answer because ... But I will try my best to ...
5. I don’t have much experience of ... because ... (but I guess...)
6. Actually, to be frank, I really don’t know very much about...

QUESTION TYPES AND HOW TO DO WELL

All the questions will be open questions rather than closed questions. A closed question is one
that can be answered by a single word or a couple of words; namely, those are questions
beginning Have you Do you ..., Is it..., etc. which can be answered by Yes or No or couple-of-
word answers. In fact, you will not get a question like:
Have you got any children? (This is a Yes/No question which a candidate could just answer Yes
or No.)
An open question asks you to give an extended answer. Example:
Can you tell me about your family?

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Here you have to give an explanation, and of course the examiner hears plenty of English which
will help him or her evaluate you. So, make good use of the opportunity to show how good your
English is.

HOW TO DO WELL
a. Avoid giving short, uncommunicative replies.
Give a direct answer and then, expand your answers. Remember to give reasonably short
answers, just enough to answer the question.
b. Offer examples to help you explain a statement.
An open question gives chance for the candidate to give an extended answer, so give more
information by describing and explaining.
c. Use correct connectors and adverbs.

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