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ielts.magoosh.com
Can you tell me…?
This is an alternate way to start an IELTS question, rather
than starting it with a
wh-word or
“describe.” To give a couple of examples, “”What is your name?” can
be rephrased as “Can you tell me your name?” and “Describe your family” could
also be asked as “Can you tell me about your family?”
I need
to know…
This form of questioning can be easy to miss because it sounds
like a statement
rather than a quest
ion or request. “I need to know”
is commonly heard in IELTS
Listening. The phrase is often said by a person who has contacted a company or
teacher to get information about something.
Confirming You’ve Gotten Information
I got it.
This sentence is used when a listener wants to confirm that they understand the
information they’ve just heard. You can use this phrase in IELTS Speaking to tell
your interviewer that you understand the instructions they’ve given you.
We’ve been talking about…
Like “I got it,” the phrase “We’ve been talking about…”
is used to confirm that
information is understood, and to move on to new questions. In an Speaking
IELTS interview this phrase introduces new questions on the same topic. For
instance, if you’ve been talking about a person who has influenced you, a follow-
up question might be “We’ve been talking about influential people in your life.
Would you say you’re more influenced by family members or friends?”
You mentioned…
This phrase is very similar to “We’ve been talking about,”
but references a
specific fact that has just been discussed, rather than a general topic. A typical
example would be “You mentioned that you plan to study engineering. What are
your plans for after you graduate?”
You say that…
This is another common way to confirm information and introduce a follow-up
question on the IELTS. For example, in an interview about someone’s
hometown
(possible in both the Speaking section or on a Listening track), you might hear
something such as “You say that your hometown is very beautiful. Does it have
any popular tourist attractions?”