Question
Answer
Signal a strong personal opinion (Speaking)
Honestly, I feel strongly that ... / If you ask me, ...
Wrap up an Integrated Writing response
In summary, the lecture challenges the reading by ...
Explain a benefit
One major advantage of this is ... / This is beneficial because ...
Explain a drawback
One downside of this is ... / A possible drawback is that ...
Introduce a general statement/thesis
It is often said that ... / Nowadays, ...
Give a reason using 'because'
This is important because ... / I think so because ...
Describe a process step
First, ... Then, ... Finally, ...
Express agreement while adding nuance
I agree to some extent, but ... / While I see your point, ...
Introduce a personal preference (Writing)
Personally, I would choose ... because ...
Signal the most important point
Most importantly, ... / Above all, ...
Introduce statistics or data
Studies show that ... / Research indicates that ...
Explain the purpose of something
This is used to ... / The purpose of this is to ...
Describe a cause
This is caused by ... / One reason this happens is ...
Close a Speaking response smoothly
So that's why I think ... / That's basically my view on this.
Introduce your final thought
All things considered, ... / Taking everything into account, ...
State your opinion (Independent Writing)
In my opinion, ... / I firmly believe that ... / From my point of view, ...
Introduce your first reason
To begin with, ... / First of all, ... / One reason for this is that ...
Introduce a second point
In addition, ... / Furthermore, ... / Another important reason is that ...
Give an example
For instance, ... / For example, ... / A good example of this is ...
Introduce a contrasting idea
On the other hand, ... / However, ... / In contrast, ...
Show cause and effect
As a result, ... / Consequently, ... / This leads to ...
Conclude your essay
In conclusion, ... / To sum up, ... / Overall, ...
Agree with a statement (Speaking)
I completely agree that ... / I share the same view because ...
Disagree with a statement (Speaking)
I don't really agree with that because ... / I see it differently; ...
Introduce a personal example (Speaking Task 1)
For example, when I was ... / A specific instance from my own life is ...
Summarize a reading passage
The passage explains that ... / According to the reading, ...
Summarize a lecture
The professor explains that ... / In the lecture, the speaker points out that ...
Explain how a lecture challenges a reading
The lecture casts doubt on the claim that ... / This contradicts the reading's point that ...
Transition between reasons in Speaking
The first reason is ... / Secondly, ... / Lastly, ...
Paraphrase someone else's idea
In other words, ... / What this means is ...
Express a preference between two options
I would rather ... than ... / Given the choice, I'd prefer ... because ...
Add supporting detail
This is mainly because ... / What's more, ...
Introduce a hypothetical situation
Suppose that ... / If this were the case, ...
Restate the question before answering (Speaking)
The question asks whether ... / Talking about ..., I think ...
Signal you're almost out of time (Speaking)
To wrap up, ... / In short, ...
Introduce a counterargument in Writing
Some people might argue that ... / It could be said that ...
Refute a counterargument
However, this view overlooks ... / While this may be true, ...
Describe a trend or change
Over time, ... has increased/decreased. / There has been a gradual shift toward ...
Emphasize importance
It is crucial that ... / What matters most is ...
Introduce a definition
This refers to ... / By this, I mean ...
Compare two things
Similarly, ... / Just like ..., ... also ...
Contrast two things
Unlike ..., ... / Whereas ..., ...
Express uncertainty
It's possible that ... / This may suggest that ...
Introduce evidence from the reading
According to the passage, ... / The text states that ...
Introduce evidence from the lecture
The professor mentions that ... / As explained in the lecture, ...
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