IELTS speaking band 8 – secrets of native speakers

This article will tell you two ways to go from a 7.0 band to an 8.0 band in IELTS speaking. It has some essential secrets that native speakers know that you don’t. But if you read the article and do the exercises, you will have the secrets within the next 20 minutes.

One of the differences between band 7.0 and band 8.0 IELTS speaking is being about using the right tone of expression when you are speaking. Non-native speakers often sound impolite or short and abrupt when they are expressing dislikes. I’m going to tell you how to avoid this in three easy steps.

Another thing is that in band 8.0 IELTS speaking, you need to express exact meanings. A band 8.0 candidate can say whether they dislike something only a little or you dislike it very much with a natural choice of words. I’m going to give you some different expressions to use in these situations.

Everything you learn in this article is about speaking; different rules, words and expressions are needed for the writing test.

Words can sound sad, angry, happy…argumentative

One thing to learn is that we use softeners to make our negative spoken statements less direct.  These softeners avoid us from sounding like we want to argue. When you don’t use them, the native speaker might think you are angry with them or want to pick a fight with them.

You have probably seen a list of language functions for expressing likes that goes something like this:

• It is my cup of tea
• I am into
• I enjoy

Here are two more expressions,

• I am a big fan of…
• I  am crazy about…

So do you think we can just put “not” with these phrases to make them negative?

It is not my cup of tea; I am not into; I do not enjoy…

Can we say them in this way?

The answer is going to be no, right? Or why would I be asking the question?

So, what are the first three rules for making yourself sound friendly and polite when expressing a dislike in English? These three rules can really help you get a band 8 in the IELTS speaking test.

1. Contract any not’s and auxiliary verbs
2. Add adverbs
3. Add discourse markers

Woah! Such technical language. Don’t worry; I’m going to show you in three easy steps with lots of examples.

Impolite: No, I do not enjoy swimming

1. Contract to make politer – adds informality	No, I don’t enjoy  swimming
2. Add adverbs to make politer still	No, I don’t really enjoy swimming
3. Add discourse markers to soften the tone	Ahh.  Well, no.
Polite version has all these things	Ahh.  Well, no. I don’t really enjoy swimming

 

Sometimes this is called hedging. To read more about this look at this article in the Cambridge dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/ja/grammar/british-grammar/hedges-just If you master hedges, you will be well on the way to a band 8 in your speaking test.

The following are all alternatives to “It is not my cup of tea” which are much more natural to say. I tell my students to avoid saying “it is not my cup of tea” because it sounds so old-fashioned. I hear people saying it, but those people are all over 65 years of age. These are all expressions that can help you score band 8 IELTS speaking.

• Oh, well, I’m not very much into nightclubs and dancing. Do you fancy a film instead?
• Ahh, no, I don’t really enjoy my job, but it pays the bills, I guess
• Actually, I’m not exactly crazy about the way people waste food.
• Hmm, I’m not really into zoos at all. In fact, they make me rather sad.
• Well, I have to say, I’m not hugely a fan of football stars earning so much money.
• Well, I don’t care too much for the way people throw litter on the street.

Can you put the words into columns according to which are discourse markers, contractions and adverbs? Work on paper – it will help you.

The first two rows are done for you:

contractions	adverbs	Discourse markers	expressions
I’m not	Very much	Oh well	To be into
I don’t	really	ahh	To enjoy

You might have just realised rule 4 for expressing dislikes. This is something Brits do – we are masters of understatement! An understatement uses softer words when the feeling is actually very strong.

Try the exercise again, and this time rate the feelings of the speaker. You can put dislike or “pet hate.” A pet hate is a hate that you keep close to your heart. Something you love to hate. The label them statement or understatement and see what pattern comes out.

As I promised earlier, here are some ways to express degrees of dislike.

IN Band 8 IELTS speaking expressing different degrees of dislike is essential.

Can you guess these?

Phrase	Absolute fear and hatred	Slight dislike or distaste	Indifference – not really care that much
Oh, zoos. Well, they’re not really my thing.
I’m an out and out bird hater. I can’t stand to be near them.
I think I’d rather cross the street than go near a dog.
Hmm, extreme weather. Well, it doesn’t really bother me; I’ve got used to it living in Moscow.
I wouldn’t say I’m a massive fan of Apple products because I don’t want to get locked in.
Iphones. I guess they are okay, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get one.
I’m not crazy about pizza.  Well, I try to avoid cheese in my diet.
I wouldn’t go near a jazz concert if you paid me.
Coffee? Well, as far as I’m is concerned, I can take it or leave it. I am a green tea person, really.