February 20, 2011

2 Tips for Summarizing and Explaining in IELTS Speaking

In the IELTS speaking test, expect that you will have to explain certain topics and summarize your ideas. Remember the following:

1. When you encounter questions that require you to explain, carefully note the task which is required of you. For instance:

-If the task states, "Explain why...," then you should give a reason.
-If the task states, "Explain how/what/which...," then you should give additional information about a topic.

2. On the other hand, when you have to summarize or conclude your statements, use phrases such as "To cut a long story short," "The point is," "In a nutshell," "To get to the point." and similar others. Phrases such as "In conclusion," "To sum up," and "In summary" are not usually recommended because they are very formal.

Next week you will get to read some tips for discourse repair and fluency in the IELTS speaking module.

Cheers. :)

Other IELTS speaking tips: