IELTS Part 3: Functional English

IELTS Functional English: Speculating

If you're aiming for a higher level grade in your IELTS Speaking exam you will of course need to express yourself using more advanced language. One area of English which can demonstrate your English proficiency is your ability to speculate or hypothesize.

When imagining a situation, try using a wide range of expressions to speculate.

Functional English to Speculate

Look through this list of functional expressions commonly used to speculate. How confident are you that you could use them in response to a question?

I daresay ...
I doubt whether ...
I get/have the impression ...
I suppose/expect/imagine ...
There’s a chance ...
It looks as if ...
It seems to be ...
I daresay ...
I get/have the feeling ...
It's very likely that …
In all likelihood/probability ...
I wonder ...
It’s unlikely that ...
May/Might/Could ...
Perhaps/Maybe/Possibly ...
No doubt ...
There’s no way ...
I don’t suppose ...
I’d be surprised if …

Practise Speculating

Click the play buttons below and try answering the following questions by speculating. The questions are random and not on a particular subject.

IELTS Functional English

Now try these exercises to practise comparing.




 

 

 

 

 

Current functions
Using fillers
Expressing opinions
Speculating
Comparing
Likes and dislikes

" ... a remarkable opportunity to get more fluent and confident in English."





Testimonials

"When the exam came, I was perfectly calm and self-assured, because I had done it before, and the hands-on training had taught me practically the right strategy, which I applied making my speaking paper a great success… If it were not for your help, it would have been at least one grade lower.
Thanks Flo-Joe!"
Andrzej Pyka, English Language student, Poland

"The Splendid Speaking strategies are a remarkable opportunity to get more fluent and confident in English. Thanks to Pete and Fiona for creating so splendid way of learning Speaking skills."
Daniela do Vale, English Language student, Brazil

"I really believe that a good speaker is made and not born, so the tips Splendid Speaking provides are really helpful. Using the 'Spontaeous Talks' techniques it provides really helped me to achieve more fluent communication of the message."
Corina Bold, English Language student, Romania

"Splendid Speaking is giving me the tools and the confidence to improve my speaking skills, providing explanations and tips on the best approaches to answering a question."
Solange, English language student, Brazil

"What to say more than: absolutely helpful!…Excellent preparation for the speaking part of an exam."
Vukosava Narancic, English Language student, Portugal