these are some of the most common question types in IELTS Speaking each test a specific language
skill today I'll show you 6 easy techniques that can help you give beautiful extended answers the
examiner would love to hear from you it's Asiya here let's get started [Music] the first question
is did you it invites you to speak about your past and the technique you could use is using different
ways to talk about the past let me show you two sample answers pay attention to the different
ways I'm talking about the past the question is did you see a lot of films about robots when you
were a child well yes I've always been a great fan of Sci-Fi movies and when I was a kid I watched as
many as I could my favorites were the Terminator films especially the first four in this series
I would watch them with my friends again and again I also used to like some animated films
about Roberts like Wally now the second answer for someone who wants to say no again listen to
the ways I'm talking about about the past no not really it's strange because uh I saw one of the
Terminator films on TV the other day and I quite liked it but when I was a child I was more into
movies like Finding Nemo or Happy Feet I used to watch them all the time with my youngest siblings
I guess it was because my parents would always make sure that we never saw anything scary or
violent so how can we talk about the past first of all let me note that both sample answers start
off by answering the question directly well yes no not truly and then extend with some examples
in both answers we can see three different verb forms the first is of course the past simple
was so could were and so on the next is used to plus verb to talk about regular habits from the
past that are no longer true I used to like some animated films I used to watch them all the time
this structure is extremely useful when you want to talk about past habits or opinions which are no
longer true today here are some simple examples I used to play basketball I used to sleep until
midday another interesting structure here is the wood plus verb to show repeated actions from the
past I would watch them with my friends again and again our parents would always make sure we often
use wood when we talk about something we did regularly that we're nostalgic about like at
school I would spend all my evenings with friends good old days just one word of warning if you use
some of these structures in your exam it would be great for your score but only if you can continue
speaking reasonably fluently and without a lot of mistakes so learn the grammar I'm showing
you and then apply what's suitable for your level don't over complicate your answers let's move on
to the second question will hhm in the future this type of question is about the future as
you've probably guessed and the technique for the answer is similar to the previous question
use various verb tenses pay attention to the verb tenses in this answer the question is how
important were robots be in the future well I guess they'll become more and more important I
mean they've already been used in industry for years in car manufacturing for example a doctor
friend of mine told me recently that robots can be used and are being used in surgery such as
heart operations so I think yes robots will play an increasingly important role in our lives this
type of question where you asked to predict the future future doesn't mean you must talk only
about the future yes we have at the beginning and end and we use the future simple to make
predictions they'll become more and more important robots will play a role but in the middle we have
a way to extend the answer by referring to what we've read or learned from somewhere and to do
that we can use a mixture of verb tenses like present perfect have been used present continuous
are being used as well as the mod of verb can be used but look again at these examples what
do you notice that's right the passive voice if we make robots our subject then this grammatical
structure is very useful and don't forget that the examiner will be paying attention to the variety
of complex structures you use using a wide range of structures correctly and appropriately is
important the next question is would you prefer H or H and it's all about preference and choice
and the technique I want to show you is adding conditions listen for if and unless and we have a
new topic would you prefer to use a online map or a paper one an online one definitely it's so easy
to follow on my phone unless I'm somewhere where I can't get a signal to be honest even if I had
a paper map I'm not so sure I would be able to use it properly I think people of my generation are so
used to trusting their smartphones for everything the question is asking you to make a choice an
online map or a paper map at the beginning we see that choice and online one definitely direct
question direct answer to extend this answer I mention two conditions it's so easy to follow
on my phone unless I can't get a signal so the condition is we need the signal unless there is
no signal the second is Imagining the condition if I had a paper map I'm not sure I would be able to
use it this is an unreal situation because right now I don't have a map I'm imagining it with the
past simple if I had and would I would be able one form examiner I'm working with loves them I mean
the conditional sentences because he says it's a good sign that the test taker can handle a range
of complex structures another example if I go somewhere for the first time I will always check
how to get there on my phone first in this case we have the present simple if I go in the condition
and the future simple in the main Clause I will always check another classic question with the
word would is would you do this I know we think of would you as a kind of conditional or hypothetical
situation but it can also be a chance for you to tell a short personal story would you take
a map with you on holiday I think for me I really should and I always do after what happened to me
a couple of years ago I remember trying to find my way around London on on my first trip there I
was looking for the British Museum and I forgotten to bring my street map with me so I had to keep on
asking strangers for directions they were all tourists like me and had no idea in the end I
stopped to ask a police officer for the way but by the time I got there it had closed speaking part
one is all about us our experiences and opinions and one way to share our experiences is by telling
a little story but one word of warning or actually two first don't forget that you have around 25
seconds per answer so keep your story short second give a direct answer to the question at the start
then when the examiner wants to move on to the next question no problem and if they stop you in
the middle of your story and ask the next question that's fine too in our story notice the use of the
verbs remember and forget I remember trying to find my way when we talk about our memories and
our recalling past events we use the gerant the verb plus ing for example I remember remember
playing video games with my friends after school or I'll never forget going to the cinema for the
first time but when we use these same verbs to talk about what we need to do or a reminder to
do something we use to plus verb I must remember to take my camera with me I forgot to answer that
email last night now let's move on to the and explain why do you know where this question is
used let's look at this quite challenging part two topic describe a historical period that you
interested in you should say what the historical period is how you learned about it what happened
during this period and explain why you find it interesting so our question is used as the very
end of each part two task and it's key to this task because it allows you to use more complex
ideas vocabulary and grammar here is a technique that can help you develop your ideas and indeed
extend your part two answer over all it consists of several steps express your opinion give
examples qualify and clarify and summarize the main points so let me show you what it means we're
not going to look at the full twom minute answer just at the explain why part what I find most
interesting about the 1920s is how dramatically the role of women in society changed during the
decade it was in the 20s when they were able to vote for the first time in the USA and the UK and
not only that uh more and more women entered the workplace having said that it's true that most of
those jobs were in low paid office work yet what is clear is that it was a time when young women
started to become more independent and to play a role in society outside of their households
what I would say is that they were Pioneers Paving the way for us in the 21st century this
part alone is already around a minute plus you talk about the first three bullet points before
and you get to your 2 minutes notice here the phrase having said that it's a great way to
introduce a counter argument and it's commonly used when we speak and alternative at the same
time there is one more interesting aspect of spoken English we can use in our answers cleft
sentences we use them to emphasize certain important parts or ideas in our sentences
and we had as many as four of them what I find most interesting about the 1920s is how the RO
of women or it was in the 20s when they were able to vote what is clear is that it was a time what
I would say is that they were Pioneers when we want to emphasize something when we speak we put
it at the beginning compare this they were able to vote for the first time in the 1920s it was
was in the 1920s when they were able to vote for the first time there are many ways to start your
sentences like this here are some what interests me is what surprises or annoys me is what is clear
is that what happened was that or with it it was in 2005 when it was was Alex who these techniques
can help you show a wider range of grammar which is great for your grammar sco while also extending
answers and speaking naturally which should help with your fluency so try to incorporate
them into your practice and see which ones you can use without harming your accuracy or causing
a lot of hesitation these are the features for your exam day another technique that would be
really useful for you is to learn how to answer challenging part two tasks when it seems like
you have nothing to say and you can learn it in this video here and see you for part two answer
thank you so much for watching me today good luck with your preparation and your exam bye