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IELTS Speaking Part 2 Techniques

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.