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IELTS Speaking Part One- Board Game & Useful Language

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Students work their way around a board by using typical phrases for communicating in IELTS Speaking like checking phrases and filling silence phrases, then brainstorm useful phrases and vocabulary for Speaking Part One.

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Lesson Plan Content:


IELTS Speaking Part One functions board game

will + be + v + ing

would like

your area

your dream…

START abroad

when you were

 Place a counter or write your name on the START square. Someone in the group will ask you an IELTS Speaking Part One question about the topic or using the word(s) in the square that you are on. As you speak, they will tick off the functions below that you use while you are speaking, as long as you use a different phrase from what was said before. When you finish, you will be able to move one square for each function that you used (e.g. six squares if you used six functions, to a maximum of eight squares).

 

Kinds of phrases that you can get points for:

Checking/ clarifying phrases

Commenting on the question phrases

Vague answers/ Weak answers

Strong language/ Strong answers

Thinking aloud/ filling silence phrases

Giving reasons phrases

Explaining (more) phrases

Ending (long) answers phrases

 

In the real exam you should tell the truth and only do those things if you have to, but in this game just concentrate on using as much of that kind of language as you can. The winner is the person who has moved furthest around the board when the teacher stops the game.

 

After you finish, work together to brainstorm different phrases for each of the functions above.

accommodation/ home

what sort/ kind of

day(s) off/ weekend

TV

 

art/ media

transport/ travel/ holiday

sport/ exercise/ keep fit

recent past

 

change

near future

ambition/ goal/ plan

distant past

 

desires/ wants

distant future

 

dish/ food

festivals/ celebration(s)

going out

school/ studies

 

family/ friend(s)

routines

 

retire

reading

 

films

prediction(s)

 

first/ last

now/ at the moment

going to

next

 

green space(s)

name

 

have been + ing

music

 

health/ healthy

likes/ preferences

hobbies/ interests

hometown

free time/ leisure

language(s)

 

how long

job/ work

 

is/ are + ing

in… years

if

IELTS

 


List for the person asking the questions and listening

Tick off any phrases below which are used for the first time, or put a tick in the blank space for any other phrases with the same function which are used (even if they are only a little different).

1 Checking (again) what the question means

Can I just check…?/ Just to check what the question is,…

Should I talk about… or…?/ Do you want to know… (or…)?

So, you’re asking…?

Could you repeat the first/ middle/ last part of the question?

Could you say that another way?

Do you mean…?

I’m afraid I didn’t understand the last word/ part of the question.

If I understand correctly, you want me to tell you…

What does… mean?

Sorry, I still don’t understand./ I’m still not quite sure what the question means.

Other phrases with that function:

 

2 Commenting on the question/ Filling silence while pausing for thought/ Dealing with difficult questions

Let me think./ Let me see.

I’m just trying to remember.

Hmmm./ Weeeeeell,…

I’ve never really thought about that before…

No one’s ever asked me that before.

That’s an interesting question.

It’s funny you should ask me that, because…

Other phrases with that function:

 

3 Commenting on the match or possible (mismatch) between the question and the answer

If… means…, then…

I guess you want to know…, in which case…

I don’t know if this is what you are asking, but…

I don’t… exactly, but…

Actually (in my case),…

I can’t exactly answer that question (because…) but…

Other phrases with that function:

 

4 Vague language/ Saying you are not sure (e.g. you can’t remember exactly)

I can’t remember… (exactly) but…

I don’t remember… but I can remember…

The only thing I can recall is…

… or something like that (anyway).

… or something of that sort.

more or less/ approximately/ something like…

Other phrases with that function:

 

 

5 Changing your mind halfway through/ Correcting wrong information

Sorry, I meant to say…

Ah no, that’s wrong. It’s actually…

Other phrases with that function:

 

6 Explaining things that the examiner might not know or understand (e.g. names of things which are specific to your country)

There is a word in my language…

There is something in my country which we call…

which can be translated as…

The usual/ direct/ word for word translation is...

which is a kind of/ a bit like…

which looks/ smells/ tastes/ feels (something) like….

Other phrases with that function:

 

7 Giving reasons

This is because…

The (main) reason for that is…

I’m not sure why exactly, but…

for some reason or the other

in order to…

so that…

Other phrases with that function:

 

8 Different (past, present or future) time expressions

the day before yesterday/ a couple of days ago

in a year or two

by the time…

when I was a… student/ in… school/ in my late teens

in the late 90s

later this afternoon

first thing tomorrow morning

the week after next

at the moment/ currently/ presently/ now

nowadays/ these days

once every two or three weeks

Other phrases with that function:

 

9 Different tenses/ Verb forms to talk about different times

is/ are going to

is/ are + ing

has/ have + been + ing

will + be + ing

will + have + PP

plan to/ be planning to

want to/ would like to/ would love to                 

Other phrases with that function:

 

Brainstorming stage

Without looking above, try to think of or remember at least three phrases for each of these categories of language that you were listening for and trying to produce during the game.

1 Checking (again) what the question means

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Commenting on the question/ Filling silence while pausing for thought/ Dealing with difficult questions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 Commenting on the match or possible (mismatch) between the question and the answer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Vague language/ Saying you are not sure (e.g. you can’t remember exactly)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

5 Changing your mind halfway through an answer/ Correcting wrong information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6 Explaining things that the examiner might not know or understand (e.g. names of things which are specific to your country)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 Giving reasons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 Different (past, present or future) time expressions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 Different tenses/ Verb forms to talk about different times

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brainstorm similar phrases for these categories of useful language for your answers

Vocabulary related to accommodation

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary related to family

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary related to festivals and celebrations

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary related to transport and travel

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary related to food and drink

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary related to socialising

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary related to TV and films

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary related to music

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary for talking about reading

 

 

 

 


 

Vocabulary related to other arts and media

 

 

 

 

Other vocabulary related to free time

 

 

 

 

Ways of talking about likes and dislikes

 

 

 

 

Ways of talking about now

 

 

 

 

Ways of talking about the past

 

 

 

 

Ways of talking about plans

 

 

 

 

Ways of talking about desires/ wants

 

 

 

 

Ways of talking about predictions

 

 

 

 

Other ways of talking about the future

 

 

 

 

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