In this tutorial, we discuss functional language to pass the IELTS speaking exam with an ex-IELTS examiner, Robert.

You will learn:

What is functional language?

Why functional language is important for IELTS

How to use functional language in speaking part 3

Examples of functional language to use in the speaking test

What is functional language and why is it important for IELTS?

Functional language consists of words frequently found together in specific contexts for a reason. 

In the speaking test, especially in Part 3, when you’re asked to compare, discuss advantages or disadvantages, express opinions, predict or speculate on the future, you’ll need to use a lot of good functional language to stand out from the crowd.

Because it’s not enough just to give simple, straight answers. That sounds far too much like those TV dramas on police investigations.

“Where were you last night between 7 and 11 pm? ..No comment.”

A good IELTS test taker would answer:

Last night? I’m glad you asked me that because usually on a Wednesday, I meet up with a few friends and we have dinner together but last night I wasn’t feeling so well so I stayed at home.

We see there how the speaker starts with a polite kind of personal touch, an expression to establish that the question has been understood and is welcome (I’m glad you asked me that..), and goes on to contrast what is normal with the facts (usually on a Wednesday but last night, no) together with an explanation, a kind of cause – consequence (so I stayed at home).

There’s nothing remarkable here. A story is being told. We have a sequence of verb phrases contrasting the norm, the custom with the exception (usually meet, have dinner, wasn’t feeling well, stayed at home). This sequence is made even clearer by linking cohesive devices (usually on Wednesday, and, but, so). The overall meaning is that the speaker is presenting an explanation for something and does this by comparing two situations (the customary Wednesday with last night).

Now, this may or may not help you when you are interrogated by the police but it will help you in IELTS.

How to use functional language in IELTS

Here are some common ways you can establish contact with the person who has asked you a question by expressing your thanks for the question. It’s a great way to start a reply. Here I used “I’m glad you asked me …..” where we have a basic pattern of:

S + (be) + adjective (glad) + you + V (past tense) + me (optional) + (that question/that/-)

We have variations of course: I’m (so) (glad, happy, pleased) you asked me that (asked me, asked me that question)

Why glad? We can also be “surprised” or even “shocked”, although perhaps not in the IELTS exam.

Of course, another common way to make immediate contact with the examiner is when we say something like:

That’s an interesting (difficult, hard) question (because ….)

But what of the ways to express differences? In the example above, it was a custom compared to the exception which meant a change in the verb tenses, from present to past. In IELTS Part 3, we often get questions asking us to compare or offer contrasting views.

Can we also find some “functional” expressions to do this that we could incorporate into our speech? Let’s look at an example. There is an IELTS Part 2 topic that asks you to Describe a time (a situation) when you had to be polite” with the customary, when, where, who with, why and how did you feel bullet points to help us. Now, in Part 3, a very likely follow-up question from the examiner would be along the lines of:

Many people say that people were more polite in the past. To what extent is that true?

Here you are asked to make a comparison between now and then, some indeterminate point in the past.