Hey, you are about to learn 15 useful phrases that can impress the examiner in your IELTS Speaking Part 1. Let's do it. Hello, this is Keith from English Speaking Success and also, if you don't know, I run the website Keith Speaking Academy. Go and check it out.
Helping you speak better English, give better answers and getting a higher score on IELTS speaking. Now, IELTS speaking part one is all about first impressions. You want to make a good first impression, especially with your English, right?
To pave the way for the rest of the test. So you need to be calm. in control and well prepared.
The great thing about the phrases we're looking at today is that you can use them in all sorts of topics, different topics. We're going to be looking at some very common question types. To talk about things you like, talk about things you're good at, talk about how often you do things, different adverbs.
Connectors and the question, would you... da da da Would you like to be a scientist? Maybe I would.
I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about it. Those are the different kinds of questions we're going to look at. Now, a very important point, right? I don't want you to try and take my phrases.
I... don't want you to try and squeeze them into your answers at all costs. No, doesn't work. Learn them, practice them and try and use them naturally in your speaking. That is so important.
How can you practice using them naturally? Well, that's a very good question and I'm very glad you asked me. Here are some ideas. First, number one, you could get a list of questions, get a list of my phrases and have a look. Where could you use these phrases in which answers?
And then practice answering. Number two, you could do the same activity, but with a speaking partner. Do it together.
Two heads are better than one, right? Number three is you could find a teacher and just. practice answering questions with your teacher.
The great thing about that is that you get feedback, quality feedback, that will guide you and help you give better answers. Now, one place I strongly recommend to find a teacher is Cambly. Cambly is an online platform. They've got native English-speaking teachers.
You can find out about Cambly in the description below. There are links there to sign up. I'm going to tell you more about that later.
Right now, let's get into these useful phrases for IELTS Speaking Part 1. Okay, so the first area we're going to look at is things you like, right? Which is a common kind of question in IELTS Speaking Part 1. So the examiner may ask you questions like the following. Do you like music? Do you like art?
Do you like social media? Do you like coffee? Now, of course, you could say, yes, yes, I like it. Yes, I love it.
But you can also say, yes, I can't get enough of it. I can't get enough of it. Which means that you want more and more because you like it so much.
It's a great phrase. I can't get enough of it. Repeat with me. I can't get enough of it.
I can't get enough of it. Lovely. Great. Do you like music? Lovely.
Now, do notice we're talking about a thing in the singular. If the question's in the plural, Right, then it changes. So if the question is, do you like cakes? Or do you like books?
Or do you like cars? Yes, I can't get enough of them. Them, right? You must change it to the plural.
Do you like books? That's it. Let's move on.
Okay, now we're still talking about things you like. And the next phrase is what I like most about it. It's a lovely phrase.
Again, if the examiner is asking you, you know, do you like art? Do you like social media? Do you like coffee?
Or... And do you like science? Now, of course, you could say, yes, I do.
It's great. It's very interesting. Not great, right?
But what about the following? Do you like science? Yes. What I like most about it is it's so interesting.
For example. Last week, I read an article about solar panels and how we can use them to protect the planet. So it's a lovely phrase. It's a complex chunk.
What I like most about it. And it leads into a longer answer. Very naturally, you're going to say what you like most. So there's adjectives and then an example. It's a beautiful, natural progression, right?
Lovely. Do you like science? Nice.
Let's move on. Okay. The next phrase, still talking about things you like, is I love that it allows me to, right? I love that it, the thing we're talking about, science or coffee, allows me to do something. Pronunciation, I love that it allows me, that it allows me, I love that it allows me to do something.
Right, so the examiner may ask you the following. And do you like, um, science? Yes, I love that it allows me to understand the world around us. Do you like social media?
Yes, I love that it allows me to connect with my family and friends at the press of a button. Do you like coffee? Yes, I love that it allows me to wake up quickly and be on the ball at work. That's a nice expression, be on the ball. Idiom, idiomatic, to be on the ball is to be alert, clever, sharp in any situation, right?
To be on the ball at work. Let's move on to the next group of phrases. Okay, the next group, we've got two phrases and we're talking about things that you are good at or not good at.
The examiner may ask questions like the following. Do you cook? Do you swim? Do you play sports? Or are you good at cooking?
Are you good at swimming? Are you good at playing sports? I've said, are you good at playing sports?
So if the examiner asks you, do you cook? Are you good at cooking? You can say, yes, I do.
Yes, I'm good at it. Good at. I'm good at it.
Or yes, I have a knack for it. I have a knack for something. It means I'm good.
at. I have a special talent for it. Yes, I have a knack for it.
Or yes, I have a knack for cooking. Yes, I have a knack for swimming. Right? Means you're good at it. I wonder what sport do you have a knack for?
If you like sport. Now that's a positive thing. The next phrase.
is when it's less positive. So if the answer's no, you can say, no, I'm hopeless at it. I'm hopeless at it. Instead of I'm bad at it, I'm hopeless at it.
Pronounce with me, I'm hopeless at it. Exactly. Good. Are you good at cooking? No, I'm hopeless at it.
Or, no, I'm hopeless at cooking. Great. Good.
Are you good at singing? Interesting. Great.
Let's move on. Right. So moving on.
In the next section, we're looking at five phrases which are talking about how often you do things. Now. There are very common questions that the examiner may ask are like this.
And do you play football? And do you sing at all? Do you look at the sky? And to give adverbs of frequency, how often you do it, it's perfectly fine to say yes, sometimes, or yes, usually. or no, never, that's fine.
But you can also be a bit more colourful and creative if you like, and if you're feeling confident. So if the question is, for example, do you play football? You could say, instead of sometimes, how about the following? Yes, from time to time. Yes, now and again.
Yes, every once in a while. That's a nice one. Every once in a while, meaning sometimes. Another way of saying usually is the following.
Do you play football? Yes, I play football on Saturdays more often than not. More often than not.
Lovely. More often than not. Yes, I sing in the shower.
Do you sing? Yes, I sing in the shower more often than not. Just means usually.
Lovely. Finally, if you want to say never, another way around that could be, for example, do you sing? No, I'm not in the least bit interested in that. I'm not in the least bit interested in that. Great.
Do you cook? No, I'm not in the least bit interested in that. Lovely expression.
All of these ways to talk about how often you do things. Let's move on. Right.
Next up, oh, how's it going? Listen, if you're enjoying the video so far, please do subscribe, turn on the notifications. I'd like to take a moment to tell you about Cambly, who have so kindly sponsored this video. If you don't know, Cambly is an online platform where you can learn and practice your English. There are many platforms out there nowadays, but for me, Cambly is one that stands out from the rest, head and shoulders above the rest.
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after the class to watch the recording again so you can review and consolidate what you've learned and they've got packages to meet all kinds of students. They've also got actually IELTS courses that are included. Once you sign up for Cambly you can use and enter their IELTS courses.
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With that, let's Sip up and move on. In the next category, I've got three phrases which are all about connectors, sometimes called discourse markers. If they come at the beginning of a sentence, I call them signposts because they're kind of showing the examiner what's coming next.
Now, we're going to look at three different ones and they can be used quite flexibly. And we're looking at situations where the examiner is... asking your opinion of something.
There are two common question types that come up here. One of them is, do you prefer A or B? For example, do you prefer hot weather or cold weather?
Do you prefer TV series or films? Another is, what's your favourite? For example, do you prefer TV series or films? What is your favourite kind of weather?
So the first expression or the first connector, signpost, if you like, is without a doubt. Without a doubt. Doubt.
I know it's got a B, but you don't pronounce it. Without a doubt. And this is where you're very sure about your answer. So you may say, Do you prefer hot weather or cold weather. Without a doubt, I prefer cold weather because in the hot weather, if it's sunny, my skin burns so easily.
The next phrase is in all seriousness, which means you're taking a more serious tone. It doesn't mean that you're deadly serious, but it means you're a bit more serious. But notice. how we can use it in the same way.
Again, if I'm asked, do you prefer hot weather or cold weather? In all seriousness, I prefer cold weather because in the hot weather, if it's sunny, my skin burns so easily. And the final phrase is to be totally upfront, to be totally upfront.
To be upfront means to be honest. So this expression means, you know, to be honest, to be completely honest, to be totally upfront. Can you say that?
To be totally upfront. And again, we could use it similarly if I'm asked, do you prefer hot weather or cold weather? To be totally upfront, I prefer the cold weather because if it's hot and sunny, my skin burns so easily.
Great. You'll notice, right, that these signposts or fillers are a little bit idiomatic. They don't have to mean exactly what it says.
If you say, well, to be honest, it doesn't mean everything else you said was a lie. All my past answers, I was lying. But now, to be honest, no, it doesn't mean that.
It's really just a filler. It's just a way of starting your sentence in a nice way. So as you've seen, I've used all three for the same context.
So they're very flexible, can be used. They're powerful. Signposts help your coherence and your fluency. Lovely.
Let's move on. Right. The next and final category is the would question. So sometimes in part one, you may be asked, would you? Ba ba ba ba.
Would you do something or would you like to do something? For example, would you like to be famous? Would you give shoes as a present? So I'm gonna give you two phrases.
One is a yes answer and the other is a no answer. So if you're asked, for example, would you like to be famous? Yes, I wouldn't think twice about it.
and then develop your answer. But yes, I wouldn't think twice about it. Meaning, I wouldn't think a lot.
I would just do it. Of course. Yes.
Yes, absolutely. Without a doubt. I wouldn't think twice about it. Great.
The opposite or the negative answer, no. So for example, same question. Would you like to be famous? No, not for the love of money. Not for the love of money.
So even if somebody gave me lots of money, you know, I wouldn't do it. So no, not for the love of money. There is a similar expression.
No, not for all the money in the world. You can imagine. But I like.
No, not for the love of money. Great. So what about you?
Would you like to be famous? Tell me more. Actually, don't tell me more.
We're moving on. Now, remember what I said about using these phrases and not squeezing them in, but to use them naturally. How do you speak naturally?
Well, to be honest, to be totally upfront, it doesn't happen overnight. In all seriousness, you have to practice every day. You really need to turn up every day.
Step by step, you slowly get towards that goal, speaking more and more naturally. So put in the time, put in the energy, have fun, but put in time to do it. As I say to my students, every day that you practice, the door to opportunity opens a little bit more. So practice, do remember.
Go and check out Camberley, where you can practice with a native English speaker. Teacher, you've got discounts. In fact, if you go on as a first-time user, you can get a 10-minute lesson for free to see if it works for you, if it's what you want. If it is, you can use the code in the link below, keith-yt, get a 40% discount on their 12-month plan. It's a long-term investment, but you're speaking natural English.
is a long-term investment. Great. It's been wonderful, as always, chatting to you. Go ahead, start practicing, and I will see you very soon in the next video.
Take care, my friend. Bye-bye.