Do you know how to prepare yourself for the IELTS Speaking Paper? Follow these tips and learn this vocabulary and you will improve your confidence (and score) on Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking Exam.

First, three useful tips . . .

Vocabulary and Tips for IELTS Speaking Part 1

#1: Be able to describe where you are from and your job with 100% confidence.

Imagine this: A student works in the Human Resources office of a department in her government. When she comes to the U.S., she is not sure if the U.S. has the same department. She also is unsure of the translation of her government department into English. When she takes the IELTS exam, she cannot confidently talk about her career.

What a shame! Avoid this by making sure you can describe where you are from and what you do.

#2: Anticipate questions about your career and hometown and then use impressive phrasal verbs and idioms.

Saying where you are from and what you do for a living takes 5 seconds. What happens when you do not have the vocabulary to say more than “My name is _____. I am from _______. I am a ______”?

Before the test, make sure that you can speak about your hometown, describe it confidently, and talk about yourself using natural expressions. For example:

“My name is Amina. I was born in Lebanon but I grew up* in Germany. I am sort of the black sheep** of my family because I’m the only one who came to the U.S. to study: the rest of my siblings*** studied in the UK.”

*grew up: advance to maturity
** black sheep: something that is different within a group of things that are the same
*** siblings: brothers and sisters

#3: Use natural expressions

Sometimes, students say that they feel like a robot during the speaking test. This is common when you do not have the small words and expressions that you use in your native language(s). The vocabulary below will help you speak more naturally.

Vocabulary for IELTS Speaking Part 1

Talking about yourself

Your past. I grew up in (place), which is . . .
Your job. I am (currently/presently) . . .
Where you live now. I’ve been living in (place) for (blank years/month).
Current plans. At the moment, I’m taking classes at . . . and . . .
Future plans. I’m hoping to . . .
Future plans. I’m planning on . . .

Asking for repetition

Could you please repeat the question?

One more time?

I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Would you mind repeating?

Inserting natural phrases

Well, I’d have to say that . . .

It’s tough to say, but I’d . . .

In my opinion, . . .

Negative statements

I’m not so sure that . . .

I’m not convinced that . . .

To be perfectly honest, I . . .

Between the two of us, . . .

Examples

For example, . . .
As an example, . . .
For instance, . . .
Perhaps you’re aware of . . .

Expressions

What’s weird is . . .
Something surprising is . . .
One thing I never expected was . . .
Never in a million years did I . . .
I’m not ashamed to admit that . . .
Many are surprised to hear that . . .
It’s common knowledge that . . .