IELTS Speaking linking words:

Firstly:
Is it a good idea to always eat healthy food?
- Yes, it is. Firstly, it helps us to feel better but it can also help us live longer.
- Yes, I'd say so. To kick off (to begin / start with), a healthy diet helps us to feel better and It can
also help us live longer.
- First off, I'm inclined to agree(I more or less agree) but it depends on the situation. Like, it
takes a bit more effort when you don’t choose to stop by fast food restaurants.
- It’s necessary to develop a taste for different menus than you likely grew up with.
- You have to learn to enjoy cooking to avoid boredom due to fever food choices.
- From / At the outset, I'd say yes it is, but eating healthy food all the time, can also be a tall
order (to be difficult) sometimes.
Linking words meaning “Also”:
What are the benefits of eating healthy food?
- On the one hand, you feel better and also you can live longer.
- Well, obviously, you feel better. On top of that, you have more energy to spend time with family
and friends.
- Well, obviously, you feel better and come to think of it, it's a great way to lose weight.
Linking words meaning “But”:
Do you eat healthy food?
- Yes, I do, but I must admit (I must tell you the truth or to tell you the truth or to be honest), I
don't eat healthy food every day.
- Yes, I do, mind you, it's not always that easy, so I don't manage to eat healthy food every day.
- Well, I try to, but at the same time, I must confess I don't eat healthy food every day.
- Yes, I do, that said, it can be a real struggle (very difficult) if you're eating out with friends, so I
don't eat healthy food every day.
Linking words meaning “to be honest”:
Do you sometimes eat fast food?
- To be honest, I don't like fast food very much, though I might eat it with friends once in a while.
- Quite honestly, I'm not particularly fond of fast food. Mind you, I might eat it with friends once in
a while.
- To be totally upfront, I don't like fast food very much, but that said I might eat it with friends
once in a while.
Linking words meaning “In summary”:
Do you sometimes eat fast food?
- I might if I'm with friends, but not if I'm alone. Overall, I don't like fast food that much.
- I might if I'm with friends, but not if I'm alone. In a nutshell, I don't like fast food that much.
- I might if I'm with friends, but not if I'm alone. Basically, I don't like fast food that much.

Stop saying “I don’t know”

1. Do you think computers make life (our lives) easier?

- I’m not (too) sure, to be honest. I reckon (I think) they do make life easier. For example, it is
convenient to sit at home and do research on the Internet by the computer. Your computer is
open 24 hours a day, unlike a library or office. You can get the latest news right and get it more
quickly and conveniently.
- I can’t say for sure, but it seems to me (I think) that by and large (generally, in general), they
do make life easier. Let me give you an example, with computers, access to information has
become very easy. Computers also help students in a great way. Now, instead of going to
teachers, they can browse the information online. They can find multiple research papers and
discussion forum oneline.
2. Will we use computers more in the future?
- Off the top of my head (without thinking about it much before you speak), I would say, yes
we will. The reason I think is because now we are leaving in the computer age and they have
become a crucial part of our lives, also they have made it easier us to communicate and to do
many daily tasks.
- - It was the best I could think of off the top of my head.
3. Do you think computers make life (our lives) easier?
- As far as I can see / understand / tell, they do. For instance (for / as an example) they help us
do our work more effectively, especially when it comes to prepare reports or presentation.
4. Why do some people dislike computers?
- I’d hazard a guess (I think, I guess, I suppose) that it’s because of their age. That may the case
(it might be true / correct). I mean a lot of older people don’t like computers(them) because they
don’t really understand how to use them.

IELTS phrasal verbs:

1. To knuckle down: to start focusing on your work/study.

Ex: I work as a teacher and we’ve got exams coming soon, so we all need to knuckle
down. – It’s time to knuckle down to work.
2. To get round/around to: to do something you have intended to do but not had time.
(useful for “Can you ..” questions)
Ex: I would love learn how to cook but I just haven’t got round to it. I’ve been too busy.
3. To while away: to spend time in a relaxed way because you have nothing to do. (useful
for talking about hobbies)
Ex: I love to while away the afternoon watching movies. Let’s while away the hours
swapping stories. How do you while away the afternoon?
4. To brush up on: to improve a skill you haven’t practiced for some time.
Ex: I love playing the guitar but I need to brush up on it because I haven’t played for
some time. If you’re going to the United States, you should brush up on your English.
5. To bank on: to expect something will happen (almost like you are investing) (useful for
future questions [How will shopping/news/economy/.. change in the future?)
Ex: I’m banking on the Covid situation getting better next year. Many governments are
banking on the economy improving in the future. Can I bank on your support?
6. To be in for: to be about to have or experience something unpleasant very soon.
Ex: How do you think shopping will change in the future? – I think, we are in for a few
surprises in the future. Many real shops are in for a hard time next year, as most people
will choose to shop online. – The weather forecast says we’re in for heavy rain this
evening.
7. To pan out: to result or develop in a certain/successful way.
Ex: I think things will get better but we will have to see how things pan out. We hope
things will pan out as we expect.
8. To run up against: to face problems/difficult situations.
Ex: I think we are going to run up against a lot of problems in this area. We may run up
against some difficulties but we are confident of overcoming them.
9. To mull over: to think about something carefully for a long time. (useful for ‘what do you
think of ..’ Qs)
Ex: I’ve been mulling over this / mulling this over a lot recently and I think …. I need
a few days to mull things over before I decide if I’m taking the job. I’ve been mulling
over what you said last night.
10. To figure out: to find the solution: Ex: It’s complicated and it’s not easy to figure out a
solution.
11. To get on with: to start/continue doing something. Ex: “Do you agree that the
government should …? The government talks about reducing the crime rate but they just
need to get on with it. Be positive about your future and get on with living a normal life.
Stop playing around / talking / gossiping and get on with some / your work.
12. To buckle down: to start working hard. Ex: “Do you agree that the government should
…? It’s time the government buckled down and found a solution. Now let’s buckle
down to the new project.
 Describe a thing / a person:
13. To stumble upon: to find by chance (uses for things). I’d like to tell you about great book
/ restaurant that I stumbled upon recently.
14. To bump into: to meet someone by chance/accident (uses for people). Ex: And who
knows but we might bump into each other ... eh? We bumped into Amy when we were
in town last week.
15. To turn out: to happen in a certain / an unexpected way. Ex: It was a difficult time but in
the end everything turned out well/fine.
16. To think on your (one’s) feet: think and react quickly, make a quick decision and give
an answer. Ex: When you’re called on in class, you have to be able to think on your
feet. Making this “I don’t know” quite long, I’m giving myself time to think on my feet.
17. More often than not(adv): much of the time, usually. Ex: More often than not, I stay
home instead of going out. Above all, however, staying in backpacking hostels is, more
often than not, a great deal of fun.
18. Take a leaf out of (one’s) book: learn by copying one’s, to copy / do something that
someone else does because it will bring you advantages. Ex: don’t take a leaf out of my
book, I don’t do it well. Maybe I should take a leaf out of my brother’s book and start
going for a run first thing in the morning.

Part 1 Speaking dialogues:

Health
Prompt: Does processed food have a negative impact on our health?
Yes, I think it does. Nowadays, people eat a lot of junk food and carbohydrates which have
a negative impact on our health.  Let’s first look at sugar.  Processed foods usually have
high levels of sugar which play a key role in things like heart disease, rising rates of obesity,
and diabetes. When we eat junk food, we get a rapid rise in blood sugar which can make
you first feel good and then later you will have a crash. These fluctuations in mood and
energy are bad for your health and demonstrate the harmful effects of sugar and
processed food on our bodies.

Education
Prompt: Are you taking any courses right now?
Yes, I am taking a course right now. Currently, I am working full-time but I think it’s
important to always continue your education. For this reason, I’m taking a course on
website building. I’d like to start my own online business and I think the first step is creating
a website, so I’d like to learn how to do that. It’s a little hard because I’ve got a full schedule
but I try to make time on the weekends for the course. So far, I’m really enjoying it

Technology
Prompt: What are some of your favorite websites?
Well like most people I spend a lot of time on the internet. I use it for both work and free
time so I end up looking at a lot of different websites. Some of my favorites are BBC so that
I can practice my English but I also spend quite a lot of time on social media platforms like
Facebook or Instagram.
 Language learning
Prompt: How long have you been learning English?
I’ve been learning English for quite a long time, probably about twenty years. I started
learning English at school, but to be honest I didn’t really like it when I was younger. It
wasn’t until I was a teenager and I spent a summer abroad in Ireland, that I began to really
appreciate learning English. Since then, I’ve made it a priority to always work on my English
and I tend to join a lot of language exchange events in my city.

Free Time
Prompt: What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I try to balance my time by doing tasks around the house with getting
some exercise and spending time with friends. This means that my weekends are usually
pretty full, but I try to make time to do some yoga and go out for drinks or dinner with my
friends. Yoga is important to me because it helps me reduce my stress and make a strong
body-mind connection, and going out with my friends is important because I believe
everyone needs to have strong social connections.

Family
Prompt: Tell me something about your family
I have quite a small family actually. There is just myself my husband and my two children.
We don’t live close to any of our extended family so it’s mostly just us on a daily basis and
even on holidays. This is one reason why we are a tight-knit family and we really enjoy
spending time together. I think one thing that we really love to do is going to the beach
together on the weekends. We try to get up early on Saturdays and spend time together
there before it gets too crowded. This makes for great family memories.

Hometown
Where is your hometown?
My hometown's in Hanoi, which is the capital city of Vietnam. It's located in the north
of the country, not really that far from the southern Chinese border.

Is there much to do in your hometown?

Oh yes, there's certainly lots to do there as it's a fairly big city. If you like going out in
the evening there are a lot of good restaurants and bars. If you prefer cultural
activities there are museums and art galleries. But if you like nature there are lots of
other things outside of the city which are easy to reach.

What are the people like in your hometown?

They are mostly quite friendly, but as with most big cities everyone is often busy so it
may seem as if they are not interested in speaking or having a chat. But if you live
there you know that most people are quite happy to have a chat if they have time and
will help you if needed.
 Studies
What are you studying at the moment?
I'm studying history at university. It's a four year course, and I started it three years
ago, so I have just one year left. I'm enjoying it a lot so it will be sad to finish.

What do you like most about your studies?

We learn about many things from the past such as politics and wars, but I like
learning about how people lived in the past the most. It's amazing to see how our
lives have changed so much from the past up until now. In some ways our lives have
got much easier now, but in other ways the simplicity of life in the past made people
much happier. Learning about all that is fascinating.

What do you hope to do in the future when you have finished?

I'm not sure at the moment, but I may go into teaching. This is why I'm doing the
IELTS, as I intend to carry on and do a Masters in a specific area of history. I'll
probably decide for sure what to do when I have completed that.

Work
What is your job?
I currently work as an office manager at a large marketing company. I've been in the
job for about five years now. I'm usually assigned to work with a specific business in
order to improve their sales through various marketing strategies.

Do you have to work with other people?

Oh yes, all the time. It's a big office and we all have to work as a team if we want to
achieve results. I have colleagues I need to liaise with such as the graphic designers
and I also have administration staff who work under me. And of course I also have to
work alongside the companies that we provide marketing for. So yes, I definitely have
to work with other people.

Do you think you will change jobs in the future?

Well, that's not something I'm thinking about at the moment as I really enjoy what I do
and it's a really good company to work for. The pay is good and they have other good
benefits such as flexi-time and end of year bonuses. But that said, change is always
a good thing, so I can't see me being there forever. I'm sure I will change one day.

Leisure time
What do you like to do in your free time?
I do quite a lot of sport actually. I play football mostly - on Wednesday nights and
Sunday afternoon with a local team. I also play tennis and squash when I can but I
don't really get the time to do them as well every week. I work quite hard at the
moment, so I don't get a lot of free time unfortunately.
Have your leisure activities changed since you were a child?
Not a great deal actually. I used to love playing football when I was young as well - I
played a lot at school. Though of course I did all the other things kids loved to do
such as going out on bike rides after school and things.

Do you prefer to spend your free time alone or with other people?
It depends on my mood really. I think most people need some time on their own.
Sometimes my work is quite stressful and I spend a lot of time there with others, so
it's good to just get home and relax and read a book or something. But I get bored if I
am alone too much so I like to go out and meet friends in the evening or play football.

Trains
Do you like to travel by train?
Yes, I quite like them. If you are on a train you can relax and look out the window,
read, use your lap top - it's all quite comfortable. On the bus it's more difficult to do
those things because there is less space and the movement can make you travel
sick too. The only problem with trains in my country is that they are often delayed or
late. That can ruin your journey.

Where do you usually go by train?

It's usually on long trips across the country if I want to visit friends or I have an
appointment somewhere. For short journeys around where I live or to work it's much
easier to drive or take the bus. As I said before, you can do things such as read on
the train so it's good for long journeys.

When was the last time you travelled by train?

Er....I'm not quite sure, let me think. It was a while ago now. I think the last time was
last year when I went up to see some friends I had not seen for a while in the north of
the country. Yes, that was it. It was a journey of about 3 hours and I had to change
trains once during the journey. The first train was a bit crowded and noisy as I think
there were people on there going to a football match, but it was an ok trip most of the
way..

Time
Are you good at managing your time?
Actually I'd say I'm not too good! I don't really have a system in place to organize
things. I know some people have an electronic organizer or use some device to plan
what they are doing but I don't do that. But I always make sure I am on time for
appointments and things like that, and I meet deadlines and get things done.

How do you manage your time?

As I said, I don't have any specific system in place to manage my time. For example,
if I am at work and I have a lot of cases, I just go through them each day and decide
which I need to tackle first. At work we do have an online diary which I guess I use,
so in that sense I do manage my time to an extent.
When is it most important for you to manage your time?
I think it is probably when you are at work. When out of work, it's not really going to
affect things too much, or at least only yourself, if you are late to meet friends or for
an appointment, or if you are getting things done in your house. But at work, it will
cause problems if you don't manage your time effectively because you could miss
deadlines or miss appointments. You could lose your job. So at work is when it is
most important to manage your time.

Books
What kind of books do you like to read?
I mostly like to read biographies. I'm not sure why but it is interesting to read about
people's real lives, especially when they have had interesting lives and have had to
deal with many problems. I do read fiction as well, but I often find it difficult to get
hold of a book that I really like. I also like reading about books to do with current
affairs.

Do you read the same kind of books now that you read when you were a child?
Not really, no. Actually I didn't read that much when I was a child, but if I did it was
mainly fiction books, such as fairy tales. Things like The Lion, The Witch, and the
Wardrobe. Fantasy things.

When do you think is the best time to read?

I think any time is ok, but when I read I like to concentrate, so I can't read for a short
time like on a bus ride like some people do. I like to put time aside to enjoy it. So if I
have some free time at the weekend I might read for a few hours. And I nearly
always read before I go to bed - this really helps me to sleep.

Art Galleries
Are there many art galleries where you live?
No, not that I know of. I live in a small town so I don't think there are any, though we
do have a few museums and other cultural institutions. In our capital city there are
quite a few art galleries, however.

Did you like to go to art galleries when you were a child?

I've never been that interested in art to be honest, so not really. We were taken to
one as part of a trip when I was at school. It has a lot of paintings from famous artists
from our country. It was quite interesting to see I guess but I've not been to any
since.

Should people have to pay to go to art galleries?

I think it depends really. If possible they should be free because if people do have to
pay they are less likely to go and see it. But on the other hand these things cost
money so a small fee may be necessary if it can keep the art gallery going and keep
it open. Ideally though the government should pay for this as I believe this kind of
thing is paid for by our taxes.
 Swimming
Can you swim?
Yes I can. I learnt at school when I was about 7 years old. Swimming lessons were
compulsory at our school, like most schools I think.

Are there many places to swim near you?

Yes, there are a few public swimming pools. There is the main indoor one at a big
sports complex in the center of town. There are also a couple of outdoor ones, but
you can only use them in summer as it is too cold in winter. One is a big one in a
park, the other is a much smaller one.

Do you think everyone should learn to swim?

Of course, I think it's very important. Firstly, you spend much of your life on holiday
by water, for example, when you go to the beach on holiday, so you won't be able to
enjoy yourself with your friends if you can't swim. Also, for safety reasons it's very
important. You often hear about sad accidents involving young children so it's very
important.