IELTS Speaking - Better Connectors, Better Fluency

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Hello my dear friends, this is Keith from English Speaking Success, as always it's fantastic to see you again.

When you are answering IELTS Speaking questions, do you sometimes ramble, go round in circles, get lost or even forget the question…

Structure and coherence is key to your fluency.

In this video I will show you natural and more advanced fillers and connectors that will up your fluency and impress the examiner…

If you want a band 7, 8 or 9 in fluency, this video is for you.

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Topics covered in this video:

00:00:00 Introduction
0:02:39 IELTS Speaking
0:03:28 Giving opinions
0:06:50 Beginning an answer
0:08:06 Adding Information
0:10:05 Adding Emphasis
0:10:32 Giving Examples
0:11:23 Clarifying
0:12:46 Contrasting
0:14:12 Concluding

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Practice speaking English with italki (I will give you ＄10 towards your first lesson):

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Fluency is 25% of your score in IELTS Speaking

It includes…

How much you hesitate (errr,)

Repetition (I, I want…)

Your range of Connectives and discourse markers

(First and foremost I love deserts, but that sad, I only eat them now and again….)

These Connectives and discourse markers are fancy words ‘Fillers and signposts’

IELTS Speaking

Opinions - I think
Add information - also -
Emphasise - I really think…
Clarify - I mean…
Compare and Contrast - but / however
Conclude - in conclusion…..

All of these are good, but you need a RANGE….

GIVING OPINIONS

Do you like going to museums?

Well….to be honest…I am not a big fan of museums
Honestly …

Wow - Without a doubt …I am a big fan of
Absolutely …I’m really into museums

Do you think history is important?

SURE
Yeah, I reckon it’s essential
For sure, in me eyes, it’s really important because without it…
Yep I’d say it’s pretty important because without it…

NOT SURE
I guess so. I suppose history gives us a sense of identity and…
I suppose so. I guess history shapes our present-day culture and identity…

MISTAKE
I think yes…
I think so. Yes, it is important.

[sajidamoin]

Keith, I got 8.5 in speaking and whenever someone asks me for tips, I recommend watching your videos! Very helpful!! Thanks a lot! ❤️

[ojayandthe]

Thanks for your help, Keith. I got L= 8.5, R= 8.5, W = 7.5, S = 8.0... Ov = 8.0

Please keep up the good work.

[hk]

I'm going to talk about
Talking about....
First and foremost...
That said ... (=but)
Well, to be honest, ....
Honestly, ...
Without a
Yeah. I reckon ....
For sure, in my eyes/view, ....
I guess so
I think so. Yes, ....
.
Well, first of all, ...
Well, to kick-off, ...
For starters, ...
.
Another thing is ...
On top of that ...
As far as I know ...
To my knowledge ...
.
I'd go as far as to say, ...
As a matter of fact, ...
And here's the thing, apparently,
.
For instance, ...
You can see this with ...
.
If we are talking about, ... . If we are talking about, ...
.
However
That said
At the same time, ....
.
To summarize,
In a nutshell,
To sum up,

[catherinepham]

His voice is so addictive. We absolutely need more English like him

[jankichaudhary]

Keith, this channel is the best I’ve come across yet. I religiously devoured 2-3 videos per day for a week leading up to my test day and practiced accordingly. Received my result yesterday, and it’s a smashing 9 on speaking!!! (8.5 overall) So grateful for all that you do to keep your content fresh, creative and fun. I remember throwing in idiomatic expressions that you’ve covered, on test day, with a newfound panache and confidence🙈 Thoroughly satisfied :)

[johnmarkdereal]

Connectors for:
1. Opinion: (Opposing answer) Well to be honest, I'm not a big fan of; Honestly... (Agreeing)Wow! without a doubt; Absolutely; Yes, I reckon it's essential...; For sure, in my eyes, it's really important; Yes, I'd say it's pretty important..; (Not sure on your opinion-speculating) I suppose so, i guess... (Beginning an answer) Well, first of all, ...; Well, to kick off, ..; For starters, ...;
2. Adding information: Another thing is; On top of that; As far as I know (To my knowledge);
3. Adding emphasis: I'd go as far as to say, hands down (for sure/undoubtedly); Actually, ...; As a matter of fact, ... In fact, ...; And here's the thing, apparently...;
4. Giving examples: For example; For instance; Take X as an example; You can see this with X...
5. Clarifying (open-ended questions): If we're talking about young people (old people, parents, workers, unemployed), I suppose...
6. Contrasting: But, However, That said, Mind you, (But) at the same time...
7. Concluding/Winding Up: Finally, To summarize, In conclusion; (Common in speaking) In a nutshell, Overall, All in all, At the end of the day, ...

[youngpope]

Many thanks Keith! Your videos are a must for all IELTS takers. I had my IELTS GT three weeks ago and I have got 7.5 for speaking. Thx for your job, it helps a lot !

[natashanambiar]

I love watching your videos even after passing Ielts, twice !!! General and Academic both :) just because your videos are very informative when it comes to spoken English and also because of the way you TEACH ! I always love listening to the way you talk . Keep doing the good work . This world needs a teacher like you !

[jashanbajracharya]

i only got 6.5 in my last speaking test and was wondering why i didn't get 7+ despite of being fluent. Your teaching has given me more ideas and confidence to attend for my next exam, therefore, I am looking forward to it. Thank you so much Sir. You are simply awesome.

[luked]

I am a speaking examiner right now, but one day I hope to be able to tutor others as well as you do!

[manpreet]

Brilliant tips! Thanks so much. :-). However, I did notice a mistake in the text displayed @8:22. Point number 3 under 'Adding information' should not have 'a' after the 2nd 'as'. So, the correct text is 'As far as I know'.

[foxilight]

Love his dedication to the point that while answering he is wearing a different formal outfit. Haha

[alihakamov]

Even my teacher has never tought me like that. What a lesson! Briliant...Thanks very much👍👍👍

[hatemibrahim]

In IELTS, I scored 8.5 in both speaking and listening. I highly recommend Mr. Keith's videos so as to avoid any adverse ramifications of a mental block during the test day. Highly appreciate ur superb work, sir.

[malai]

You look so friendly. Your presentation is amazing! I hope to get 7 or even higher.

[drcharlesamadi]

Tips on speaking simplified. Apt teaching! Now I got my confidence back. Speaking 8.5 and above loading.

[mrs-hamzo]

Keith you are the most amazing teacher out there, thanks to you I scored 8.5 on speaking!

[skylerbarrida]

Hi Sir Keith! I'm an avid viewer of your very interactive videos. I got band 7.5 in speaking.🙏 Your tips and insights totally helped me a lot! I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you so much!💜💜

[sajikg]

Nice speaking... He speaks in such a stunning way that whenever I listen to him I think I too can speak like a native speaker.

[mizanurrahman]

Thank you sir' for such a good lesson

Mizan
Dhaka, Bangladesh