IELTS SPEAKING - DISCOURSE MARKERS
How to be more natural?
SAMPLE CONVERSATIONS
Conversation 1: Discussing Hobbies
Examiner: Could you tell me about your hobbies?
Candidate: Absolutely, I've always felt that hobbies are essential for relaxation. I'm quite
passionate about painting. It's a way for me to express my creativity and unwind after a long
day. Adding to that/plus, I also enjoy hiking. There's something about being in nature,
exploring new trails, that I find incredibly rejuvenating.
Examiner: How often do you engage in these activities?
Candidate: Well, with painting, I try to set aside some time every weekend. It's almost
certain that you'll find me with a brush in hand on a Sunday afternoon. As for hiking, it's a bit
more sporadic, I guess. I'm somewhat convinced that I need to be more regular with it, but it
usually depends on the weather and my schedule. So, I'd say once a month, possibly more
during the summer.
Conversation 2: Discussing Daily Routine
Examiner: Can you describe your daily routine?
Candidate: Sure, let me paint a picture for you. My day typically starts early; I'm totally sure
I'm more productive in the morning. First off, I begin with some light exercise—nothing too
strenuous, just some stretching and a short jog. Following on from that, I have breakfast,
which is usually something quick like oatmeal or a smoothie.
Examiner: And what about the evenings? How do you usually spend them?
Candidate: In the evenings, I'm inclined to believe that it's important to wind down properly.
After dinner, I might read a book or, if I were to give you an example, last night I spent
some time sketching. It helps me relax and prepare for the next day. Wrapping this up, I
generally try to be in bed by 11 p.m. to ensure I get enough rest for the day ahead.
Category Phrasal Examples/Expressions
I tend to think..., It seems to me that..., I'm inclined to believe..., From
Introducing my point of view..., In my opinion..., As far as I'm concerned, As far
Opinions or as I know..., I've always felt that..., The way I see it is..., To my mind...,
Personal Views If you ask me/Should you ask me, I will/would say that..., I can't help
thinking that..., My perspective is that…, well for one thing
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That's an interesting point… I'm glad you brought that up… Oh, I'd love
to talk about that… Let me see how best to answer that… Sure, I've
Welcoming/
considered this before… That's quite a topic, isn't it?... Hmm, that's
Reacting to the
thought-provoking… I appreciate this question because… It's a
questions
pleasure to discuss this with you… That certainly gets me thinking…
Ah, this is a subject I'm keen on...
On top of that..., In addition to this..., What's more..., Furthermore...,
Elaborating or
Not to mention..., Plus..., Adding to that..., Another key point is..., Let
Adding
me build on that..., Echoing what I said earlier..., This ties in with..., It
Information
also goes without saying that…, Oh I shouldn’t forget to mention that…
For instance..., To give you an example..., Such as..., Like...,
Providing
Specifically..., Including..., To illustrate..., Let me paint a picture...,
Examples or
Imagine this..., Take for example..., One example that comes to mind
Clarifying
is..., If I were to give you an example. I wold say ...
First off..., To begin with..., Moving on..., After that..., Subsequently...,
Sequencing Ideas
Finally..., Before I go any further..., Let's start with..., Next up...,
or Points
Following on from that..., Then comes..., Before we wrap up...
On the one hand... on the other hand..., Unlike..., While...,
Comparing and Conversely..., Similarly..., In contrast to..., Compared to..., In the same
Contrasting vein..., Yet..., But at the same time..., Just as..., However, in
comparison...
Even though..., Despite..., While I admit that..., It's true that...,
Conceding or
Granted..., Although..., I can see why you might think that...,
Making
Admittedly..., It's worth noting that..., I wouldn't dispute that..., It's fair
Concessions
to say that..., Accepting that point…,However…..
Summarizing or In a nutshell..., To wrap up..., In summary..., To sum up..., All in all..., In
DAVY LANGUAGE HOUSE Email: info@[Link]
Address: No. 06, Alley 1, Pham Tuan Tai Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi Website: [Link]
Hotline: 0332 555 188
conclusion..., Looking back on what I've said..., To bring it all together...,
Concluding
Let me sum this up..., Drawing all this to a close..., Reflecting on these
Thoughts
points..., Considering what we've discussed...
Without a doubt..., Certainly..., It's likely that..., There's a chance...,
Possibly..., It could be the case that..., I'm absolutely convinced that...,
I'm totally sure..., It's almost certain that..., I'm somewhat convinced
that...,
It's up in the air..., I'm on the fence about…
Expressing
I'm a bit uncertain, but I'll try… That's not straightforward, is it?...I
Certainty or
suppose it could be seen in different ways… There's no easy answer,
Uncertainty
but perhaps… It's a little hazy, however… I'm split on this, to be
honest… It's not clear-cut… The line is a bit blurred there...This requires
a bit of thought… I'm weighing my words carefully…
This hasn't crossed my mind before...It's not a topic I'm well-acquainted
with...
Once..., I still vividly remember when..., There was a time..., In my
Introducing case..., Speaking from experience..., I've noticed that..., Let me tell you
Personal about a time..., I'll never forget when..., One memorable experience
Experiences is..., I had this one experience..., This reminds me of the time..., I've
had a similar experience...
Actually, I meant to say... What I should have said is... I'd like to
rephrase that... Let me correct myself... That didn't come out right, I
mean... I misspoke, let me put it another way... To clarify, my point is...
Self-correcting
That's not quite right, what I wanted to say is... I've just realized I should
have said... On second thought... I might have been mistaken about...
What I was trying to say is...
Signaling the End To cut a long story short..., In short..., So..., That's pretty much it..., To
DAVY LANGUAGE HOUSE Email: info@[Link]
Address: No. 06, Alley 1, Pham Tuan Tai Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi Website: [Link]
Hotline: 0332 555 188
put it simply..., Hence..., Wrapping this up..., Just to finish off..., Before I
of a Response forget..., Just to round off..., Before we move on..., Let me conclude by
saying...
How do you spend your free time? (30s)
+ Discourse markers
+ Trả lời bằng ít nhất 2 câu.
DAVY LANGUAGE HOUSE Email: info@[Link]
Address: No. 06, Alley 1, Pham Tuan Tai Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi Website: [Link]
Hotline: 0332 555 188
