CAE & CPE useful language for the speaking exam. Part 4 – discuss abstract questions

Using ‘fillers’ to have time to think, then responding

Let me think about that …

That’s a good / an interesting question! Just a second. Well, what I think is …

I’ve never really thought about it before, but what I would say is …

What I think about that is …

It seems / appears to me that …

This question is really interesting because …

I’ve actually thought about this before, and I feel that …

Developing an answer

So if I really think about it, I could also say that …

It also occurs to me that …

What I said doesn’t mean that …

To add to what I’ve already said …

It’s true that …, but I think that …

To go into it a bit further, I’d say that …

CAE & CPE useful language for the speaking exam. Part 3 – discuss with your partner

Agreeing

You made a good point when you said …

Well, that’s an interesting point!

I take your point.

Disagreeing

Potentially offensive

I can’t see how that’s relevant to the question.

I can’t see what you’re getting at really

Softened

In my opinion, the point that you have just raised does not seem to relate to the topic at hand.
I'm sorry, but I am having difficulty in understanding the point that you are making. 

I'm having some trouble seeing the relevance of that, can you explain how it applies?

IMPORTANT NOTE: The effect that a disagreement provokes in your peer relies mostly on the tone in which it is said. For more information, visit this thread where I asked for help.

Suggesting

Why don’t we think about …?

This seems to me to be a good idea to discuss.

We could link this to …

Justifying and clarifying

I’m sure that’s right, because …

What I meant by that is …

What I said was …

So what you really mean is …

So when you said …, you meant …

Asking for opinions

What do you think?

Are you with me on that one?

Anything to add?

Do you think/feel the same?

CAE & CPE useful language for the speaking exam. Part 2 – compare two pictures

Comparing the pictures

Whereas the people in the first picture are … , those in the second picture are …

The first picture shows a workplace. Conversely, the second …

The people in the second picture are … more than those of the third picture, who …

Both pictures show people who are …

To find similarities and differences, I’d say that …

Expressing opinions

It seems to me that …

What I think is…

I think it’s quite clear that …

I feel quite strongly that …

It appears to me that …

Speculating

What I would probably say about the people is that …

The people seem to me to be …

Perhaps they are feeling … because …

It’s possible that they are … since …

I’m really not sure / I’m not completely sure, but I think that …

They appear / seem to be …

Organizing your talk

To add to what I said about …

On top of that, I’d say …

Against that is the fact that …

CAE & CPE useful language for the speaking exam. Part 1 – personal topics

Likes:

I really / truly enjoy ... because … (always give an explanation about your likes / dislikes)

I’m into ... / I’m keen on … / I’m fond of … (CAUTION with their respective prepositions)

My favourite food / programme / whatever is … because …

Polite way to explain a dislike:

I’m afraid I don’t really like … because …

Talking about plans

My plans for the future regarding this issue are… / In the future, I’d really like to…

Putting emphasis in your opinion in comparison with others

I think my friends / my parents / my siblings might say … but in my opinion …

Getting time in a nice way

I don’t know what to say – it’s a difficult question, but probably I’d say that …

Making a choice ad hoc

I don’t think I really have a preference, although if I had to choose …