Top 12 IELTS Speaking Idioms and Phrases with Band 9 Examples

To score high on IELTS speaking, you need to use idioms and phrases. Idioms are specific combinations of words that mean something other than what they actually say. They show that your English is very advanced, so they make your band score go up like this. In this video, you will learn 12 idioms and phrases you must know to score high. By the end of this video, you will know how to use these idioms so you can impress the IELTS speaking examiner. If you're going to take your IELTS soon, check out my IELTS courses. There, I teach you everything you need to score high. I show you step by step how to give high scoring answers. And of course, we do many practice tests together, so you will feel confident for your test. You can find the link to the IELTS courses in the description box. And now, let's get started. In my opinion, might be the most useful idiom for the IELTS test, because you have to talk about your view during every speaking section. The best part of this idiom is that it's easy to use. Just start a sentence with it anytime you want to give your point of view. It shows that you are giving your view and not a fact that you heard somewhere else. For example, I might say, in my opinion, should be free to all students. You can put it at the end of a sentence too, like, universities should be free to all students, in my opinion. Bring up is also common because it means to introduce a topic. I can say, it's interesting that you brought up that question. Bring up is a phrasal verb and also an idiom because it doesn't mean what it says. So, you can use phrasal verbs to boost your vocabulary to a band nine. Another great phrasal verb that examiners will notice is come up with. It means think of the thing that follows, though it includes a bit of planning, not just a quick idea. For example, I came up with a new idea for my report. That means I thought of an idea, but maybe that it wasn't just something that popped into my head. It gives the examiner the impression that I was thinking carefully about it and decided the best of several options. I'm only going to bring up one more phrasal verb, get along. On the aisles, you're often asked about friends and family or you have to talk about things like hobbies. Well, get along is a casual, really natural way to show your relationship with other people. It's a great idiom that helps you improve your score. I can say I get along well with my sister. Notice that the way you get along happens after the verb. Here I use the word well. The sentence changes completely if I say I get along poorly with my sister. If you place words like well and poorly correctly in a sentence, you show the IELTS speaking examiner that you have great grammar skills and this will make your band score go up. In IELTS speaking you will be asked about what people do in your country, what you do for hobbies and so on. Try starting your description with generally speaking to show that you are discussing the usual situation. I could say generally speaking people in my country have cake for their birthdays. Not everyone has cake and I've shown that because I mean that people in general, but not all people do this. In other words, you are summarizing the most popular trend. It's an awesome phrase to avoid making your statements sound too absolute. By the way, if you want more vocabulary videos, hit the like button and write yes in the comments. If you want something else, tell me your video wish in the comments so I know what you would like to see on this channel. Now let's take a look at seven more idioms that help you get a night on IELTS speaking. Here's a great idiom for making comparisons. You can use in the same fashion to link two ideas together by highlighting their similarities. I could say in my country many women no longer wear the traditional dresses. In the same fashion the men usually wear suits. You may also hear in the same way. These idioms mean the same thing, such as the new test will be conducted in the same way as the old test. You can use in the same way and in the same fashion instead of similarly to improve your IELTS speaking score. Sometimes you have a lot of reasons for something. It's really hard to summarize all of them in the short time you have for an answer in IELTS speaking. For example, if you are asked why you play a sport, you can give reasons related to your health, spending time with friends and the happiness at winning. But it's hard to make a good answer that way because there are too many things that aren't related well. So summarize all of them using to put it simply. I can answer the question by saying to put it simply soccer is fun. Then I can add one reason and it's fun and my response is complete. This idiom is especially useful when you're asked about something with complex reasons such as global warming, cultural trends or personal goals. When you want to give another reason for something, you may use the linking word second or third. Well, here's a great idiom that means you're introducing a second point. On top of that, it's so easy to use too. For instance, I would like to live in a big city because I can use public transportation. On top of that, I enjoy eating at different restaurants. When you're summarizing a point, use all things considered. It lets the IELTS speaking examiner know that you are giving your opinion about a topic with many different sides. How does it work? Try it like this after a couple examples. I don't have a car, so need to use public transportation. I also like eating at different restaurants. All things considered, I want to live in the city. A point can also be against the topic such as I like living in the country. I don't have a car though. All things considered, I want to live in the city, so I don't have to buy one. Learning idioms is great because they show that you went the extra mile studying for your IELTS test. Go the extra mile means that you did more than you had to. It's a really positive phrase that indicates extra work and effort that you appreciate. For example, you could also say my teacher went the extra mile helping me register for the test. Note that you have to change the verb to fit the subject. Therefore, using this idiom shows that you don't just know an idiom but that you understand irregular verbs too. This will increase your band score. One more common idiom is learn by heart. It just means memorize. I might say I learned these 12 idioms by heart. Note that the thing that you learn comes after the learn like I learned the poem by heart. This structure is a bit more complex but it will certainly boost your IELTS speaking score if you use it correctly. Finally, let's check out a super modern idiom 24-7. It means all the time. It stands for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. How do you use it? You can say I studied for the IELTS 24-7. That shows you studied a lot. You can also use it in a sentence like my mother cared for me 24-7 when I was a baby and I really appreciate it. This idiom makes you sound like a native speaker which is awesome. That's it. That's 12 IELTS speaking idioms and phrases that help you get a band 9 on IELTS speaking. I hope you like this video. Don't forget to like, subscribe to the channel and hit the bell icon so you're notified when the next video comes out. Also share this video with your friends so they can improve their IELTS score too. See you in the next video.