The way Aruna prepared and got Band 8 in IELTS

Aruna is a lovely Indian lady in her 30′s who speaks Telugu as a first language. When she won our monthly IELTS results competition with a great Band 8.0 overall score, we asked her to describe her exam preparation process.

Here is what she said:

“I would like to express my gratitude to your blog from the bottom of my heart for providing such useful information like daily broadcast exam updates which not only made me familiar with the IELTS test materials from around the globe, but also helped me always stay alert for my exam.

I would like to share my preparation tips for all the four modules:

Listening

Listening to the English radio stations helped me a lot. I used to listen to the world news or regional news every morning that helped in two ways: to get used to listening at fast pace and also to know the current affairs and what is happenings around me. Sometimes I also watched English documentaries on the Discovery channels to make myself familiar with the native speakers’ accent. Finally, when I just wanted to relax, I used to tune in and listen to English songs and try to follow the lyrics word by word. I would say that apart from practicing proper IELTS listening materials, it is good to look out for additional ways in the areas of your interest to add more excitement to your preparation.

Reading

The above tips also apply to Reading – choose the article or novel or story of your interest. It could be related to the events in your city or the biography of your favorite sports star or movie star or it could also be reviews of your favorite tourist locations on a travel blog or Facebook or just anything written in standard English. This helps us increase our reading speed and add new and uncommon words to our vocabulary bank.

Writing

IELTS Blog model essays are a great start for anyone to learn how different essays are graded and also the structure and types of essays. The best part is the comments written below each essay which give us insights into the merits and the drawbacks of different writing approaches. The model letters from the blog also guided me towards writing a well-structured letter with a complete task response in the least possible time. The last but not least is the spelling and grammar correction done to those essays which taught me to stay watchful while writing.

Speaking

For Speaking, practicing regularly on different topics published on IELTS-Blog.com has been very handy to me. It saved me the hassle of searching for the topics. Following those topics by either framing sentences in your mind or speaking aloud to friends or recording and listening to myself to dig out the repeated mistakes helped me get rid of the phobia of speaking openly.”

IELTS test in the UAE, India and Nigeria – July 2014 (General Training)

Listening test

Section 1. A conversation between a personal trainer and a student about different scheduled programs of physical exercises such as walking, yoga and so on.

Section 2. A lecture given by a university professor about history and evolution of sea horses.

Section 3. Don’t remember.

Section 4. A conversation between two students about their projects and subjects in their forthcoming educational year.

Reading test

Passage 1. About Yellow Pages and advertisements in it.
Questions: short-answer questions (no more than 1 word).

Passage 2. About 9 various types of advertisements given in a magazine.
Questions: information matching.

Passage 3. Don’t remember.

Passage 4. A text about different work models for 24/7 employment. Day and night shift workers, hazardous workers, permanent and temporary employees. Also about well-being and policies regarding night and day workers in the organization.
Questions: short-answer questions (no more than 3 words), matching headings to paragraphs.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

You have forgotten an important thing or document in a taxi on your recent trip. Write a letter to the taxi company manager and say

- Give details of your journey.
- Describe the importance of what you left in that taxi.
- What do you expect the taxi company manager to do?

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Nowadays many parents are sending their kids abroad to acquire good education. Discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of this trend. Give your own opinion.

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Which city are you living in now?
- Do you work or study?
- What kind of job do you do?
- Do you enjoy doing your job?
- Which day of the week is the busiest at work?
- Which is the slowest? Why?
- Do you use taxis a lot?
- When did you last travel by taxi?
- Are there traffic concerns in your city?

Cue Card

Talk about the first school you went to. Please say

- Where and when was it?
- What is the most important thing you remember about that place?
- What were the surroundings like in the school?

Discussion

- How good were the teachers in your school?
- Do you think young children have too much pressure in school today?
- Is it easy to make friends at school?
- Do teachers have a lot of influence on young kids?
- Have you had any negative experience in your school?

IELTS Speaking test in Venezuela – July 2014

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Tell me about the place you are living in now.
- Do you like it? Why?
- Is there something that you don’t like?
- Do you interact with your neighbours?
- Have you ever been on a train?
- When was your first time?
- How did you feel about it?
- Is there a train system in your country?
- What was your favourite subject in primary school? Why?
- What subject didn’t you like in secondary school?

Cue Card

Talk about money that you have saved for something special. Please say

- What was it?
- How long were you saving for it?
- How did you feel when you eventually bought it?

Discussion

- Do you think advertisements make people spend more? Why?
- Do you buy products online?
- Who do you think spends more, women or men? Why?

IELTS test in Australia and Cambodia – July 2014 (Academic Module)

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given multiple line graphs showing the percentage of people in the USA using different internet search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and others between 2009 and 2011.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Some say that young people are not suitable for decision-making positions in governments; others, however, disagree. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Can you tell me where you live?
- Do you like the place you live in? Why?
- What TV programs do you like to watch? Why?
- What has changed on TV over time?
- Did you watch TV more as a child than now?
- Do your children watch TV?
- Do you like them to watch it?
- What do you think about advertisements on TV?
- Is it a good thing or not?

Cue Card 1

Describe one advertisement that you liked the most. Please say

- What was it about?
- When did you see it?
- Why did you like it?

Discussion 1

- What is good and bad about advertisements in your view?

Cue Card 2

Talk about an important email that you have sent to someone. Please say

- Whom did you send it to?
- When did you send it?
- What was the email about?
- Please tell about the importance of this email.

Discussion 2

- Did you send an email to anybody recently?
- Do you think people will write or communicate via internet only in the future?
- What is the effective way of communication in your view?
- Why do sometimes people write a message rather than call somebody?
- When do you think there should be personal communication?

IELTS Speaking test in India – July 2014

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Tell me about the place you are living in now.
- Is this a good place to stay with children?
- Lets talk about taxis.
- Do you travel by taxi often? Why?
- When did you travel last by taxi?

Cue Card

Talk about a city you have recently visited. Please say

- Which city was it?
- When did you visit it?
- What did you do there?

Discussion

- What type of people live in big city?

- Are people migrating to big cities in your country? Why?
- Do you think there are more problems in a big city compared to a small town?
- What are these problems in your opinion?
- How can we overcome these problems?
- What can be done to solve them permanently?

IELTS test in India – July 2014 (General Training)

Listening test

Section 1. A discussion regarding a wedding reception.

Section 2. Directions for getting around some facility.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Section 3. Don’t remember.

Section 4. A discussion about mining in Canada.

Reading test

Passage 1. About traveling by train.
Questions: True/False/Not Given.

Passage 2. Information about clubs in a certain area for easy selection.

Passage 3. Don’t remember.

Passage 4. A text about an autistic person named Tammy.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

Write a letter to a friend who stays in another country that you are planning to visit and say

- What do you plan to see?
- Ask his/her opinion on where to stay.
- Suggest some activities you can do together.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Some people believe that cell phones should be for personal use only; others, however, feel cell phones should be used mostly for work. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Is there a park in your area?
- When did you visit a park?

Cue Card

Describe an important letter that you have received. Please say

- When did you receive the letter?
- Who was it from?
- Why was it important?

Discussion

- What does ‘effective communication’ mean to you?
- What do you think about the use of pictures in communication?
- How will communication change in the future?

IELTS test in the UK, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia – July 2014 (Academic Module)

Three IELTS test takers from the UK, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia sent information about their exams and it looks like these countries had the same exam. No one remembered the Listening or the Reading, only the Writing and Speaking questions were shared.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a line graph showing the number of cell phones, telephones and internet users between 1995 and 2005 in China.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Nowadays children have too much freedom, some people say. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give your own opinion and examples.

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Do you use public transport often?
- Do people use trains in your area? Why?
- Do you prefer to use a train and not your car? Why?
- Is it raining often where you live?
- Do you like rain? Why?

Cue Card 1

Describe a picture of you that you like, taken by somebody. Please say

- Who took the picture?
- Where and when was it?
- What is shown on it?

Discussion 1

- Do you think people are taking many photographs these days?

Cue Card 2

Talk about a beautiful place that you would like to live in. Please say

- Where is this place?
- How did you know about it?
- Why do you like it so much?

Discussion 2

- Why do some people prefer to live in a big city?
- What can be done to stop people from moving to cities from rural areas?

IELTS test in Buenos Aires, Argentina – July 2014 (General Training)

Listening test

Section 1. A women was calling a sport club to get some information about it.
Questions: short-answer questions (no more than 3 words).

Section 2. A ranger was talking about the main attractions of the park.
Questions: multiple choice, match descriptions to paragraphs.

Section 3. A conversation between two students about new models of submarines.
Questions: information matching.

Section 4. About a new software company.
Questions: short-answer questions (no more than 3 words).

Reading test

Passage 1. Advertisements of different hotels.
Questions: short-answer questions.

Passage 2. A survey of a telephone company regarding the advertisement of their services.
Questions: True/False/Not Given.

Passage 3. A test of intelligence of sheep.
Questions: short-answer questions, True/False/Not Given, match headings to paragraphs.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

Write a letter to a rental agency asking for information about available rental accommodation.

- Describe yourself and your family.
- What kind and size of accommodation do you need?
- What area would you like to live in?

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Nowadays companies and other organisations are requiring their employees to wear a uniform. Think about jobs where uniform is important. What are the advantages and disadvantages of wearing a uniform?

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Describe a normal day at your work.
- Did you always want to do this job?
- Do you prefer to work in the morning or in the afternoon?
- Do you like going shopping?
- Which shops do you like in particular?
- What is your favourite TV channel?

Cue Card

Talk about a good experience that you had as a teenager. Please say

- What was it?
- Why was it good?
- Who was there with you?

Discussion

- What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a teenager?
- Do teenagers get on well with old people? Why?
- Do children watch more TV now than in the past?
- Do you think that today’s TV programs are better or worse than in the past? Why?
- What are the disadvantages of being a timid person? Why?

IELTS Speaking test in India – July 2014

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What kind of job do you do?
- How did you get this job?
- What are your responsibilities there?
- Do you find this job interesting? Why?
- Are you happy with your job?
- What is the value of time in your life?
- Do you wear a watch?
- When is the most productive time for you: morning or afternoon?

Cue Card

Talk about the most intelligent person that you know. Please say

- Who is this person?
- How did you meet him/her?
- Why do you think he/she is intelligent?
- Describe any incident showing his/her intelligence.

Discussion

- Do you like to meet intelligent people? Why?
- What can you learn from them?
- Do you think intelligent people are the happiest people in the world?
- Let’s talk about computers. When did you see a computer for the first time?
- Do you have a computer at home?
- How is it important for you? Why?
- When do you use a computer and for what purpose?

IELTS test in Pakistan and Iran – June 2014 (Academic Module)

   

Reading test

Passage 1. The text was about museums and how they are changing to suite customers and new trends.
Questions: filling in blanks, multiple choice, match information to paragraphs.

Passage 2. The text was about an extinct animal, that lived 65 million years ago.
Questions: short-answer questions with words given in a box, multiple choice, True/False/Not Given.

Passage 3. About various methods used by people to find the way when they are lost. A few different navigation methods including guide, path route, map usage and so on.
Questions: True/False/Not Given, match statements to method types.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a map of the mountain in one of the national parks showing the location of the facilities, such as sunrise and sunset viewing platforms, culture gallery and climbing and walking tracks, roads, car park, first aid booth and toilets.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Nowadays movies and computer games containing violence are very popular. Some people believe that they have negative effect on the society and should be banned, others, however, believe that it is harmless entertainment. Discuss both vies and give your own opinion.

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What subject are you studying?
- Why did you choose this field for your study?
- Do you prefer to study in the morning or afternoon? Why?
- What TV program do you watch regularly? Why?
- How often did you watch TV as a child?
- Will you allow your children to watch TV?
- Do you like shopping?
- Did you buy some product online?

Cue Card

Describe an occasion when you met an old friend whom you didn’t see for a long time. Please say

- What did you feel when you met?
- What were you talking about?
- Did you enjoy meeting him/her? Why?

Discussion

- Do you believe in friends’ reunions? Why?
- Would you like to reunite with your old friends?
- What will you talk about with them?
- Why do some people cut off old friendships?
- Do you think old friends are more long-lasting than new friends? Why?

IELTS Speaking test in the Russian Federation – June 2014

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What do you do at work?
- How do you relax?
- Do you think it is easy to relax nowadays?
- Are street markets popular in your country?
- Do you like to do shopping there? Why?
- What do you usually buy there?

Cue Card

Describe a law in your country. Please say

- What law is it?
- How did you know about it?
- What effect does it have on the society?

Discussion

- Was it important to introduce this law?
- Do you know any police officers personally?
- Is it a popular occupation in your country? Why?
- Why do people choose to become a lawyer more often than a police officer?
- What personality traits should a police officer have?
- Would you like to become a police officer?

IELTS test in Pakistan – June 2014 (Academic Module)

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a bar chart showing the percentage of young people at universities in six different European countries (the UK, Poland, Finland, Italy, Spain, and Norway) in 2000 and 2007.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Some people give more importance to artists (painter,writers, musicians) in the current age of rapidly developing technology and science. What do you think? Do people prefer arts to technology in your view?

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What do you study?
- Why did you select this subject?
- What type of weather do you have in your country?
- Do you like rain?
- When does the rainy season come in your country?
- Is there too much or too little rain? Why?

Cue Card

Describe a work that you do at home with an elderly person. Please say

- What is it?
- When did you start doing it?
- How often do you do it?

Discussion

- Are family gatherings important in your view?
- On what occasions do people gather in your country?
- What advantages do family gatherings have?
- How much is gathering outside of home important?
- What impact does it have on the family?
- How do working parents affect their children’s lives?
- What are the solutions for working parents to accommodate children in their absence?
- How does it affect children’s lives when both parents are working?
- Does it have any advantages?

IELTS Speaking test in Melbourne, Australia – June 2014

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Are you a morning or an afternoon person? Why?
- Did you enjoy your high school? Why?
- What was your favourite subject? Why?
- What subject learnt in school was helpful later in life? Why?

Cue Card

Talk about a historical building in your country or city that you know. Please say

- What and where is it?
- When was it built? Why?
- What is it known for?

Follow-up question: Do you like it? Why?

Discussion

- Is it important to conserve old buildings? Why?
- Is the history useful for the coming generations? Why?
- What is the difference between houses built in the past and now?
- What are the differences in sizes of houses? Why?
- Do you prefer a big or a small house? Why?

IELTS test in Brazil – June 2014 (Academic Module)

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a table showing the percentage of internet access by adults for the period between 2006 and 2010. We had to describe the main features and to make comparison.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

Some people think that certain things taught in school are a waist of time, but others don’t agree with this statement. Discuss both points of view and give your own opinion based on your personal experience.

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- What is your favourite gift? Why?
- Do you like to give or receive gifts? Why?
- Do you like parks?
- How often do you go to parks?
- When was the last time you went to a park?
- Do you prefer parks with open spaces or facilities? Why?

Cue Card

Talk about a language other than English, that you would like to learn. Please say

- What language is it?
- Why do you want to learn it?
- How would you do that?
- What difficulties would you have while learning it?

Discussion

- Is it important to know a language other than your own?
- Do cultures have influence on languages?
- How does it happen?

IELTS test in Australia – June 2014 (General Training)

Reading test

Passage 1. How and when to purchase tickets to a theatre.
Questions: short-answer questions (no more than 2 words).

Passage 2. About the cafeteria, souvenir shop and disability facilities at the theatre.
Questions: True/False/Not Given.

Passage 3. A letter from the manager to a sick employee who hasn’t attended work for a long period of time. About a meeting that needs to be arranged.
Questions: short-answer questions (no more than 3 words).

Passage 4. A recruitment agency advertisement.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Passage 5. About shipwrecks and how to preserve them under water.
Questions: True/False/Not Given, match headings with their description, choose appropriate sub-headings.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a letter)

Your friend is coming over from a different city to attend your relative’s wedding and you cannot meet him/her at the airport. Write a letter to him/her and say

- Apologise about the situation.
- Explain why you can’t meet him/her at the airport.
- Give directions to the hotel that is already booked for him/her.

Writing Task 2 (an essay)

Nowadays more people choose to move out from the area where they grew up, in a search for a better job. Do you think there are more advantages than disadvantages to this development? Why?

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- How many seasons are there in your country?
- What are they?
- What season do you like the most?
- Do you have a laptop?
- Do you use it a lot?
- What do you mostly use it for? Why?

Cue Card

Talk about your favourite sport. Please say

- What is it?
- Explain the rules of this sport.
- What clothing and equipment are needed for it?
- Why do you like it so much?

Discussion

- What other sports do you like?
- Do you like to watch international sport events?
- What do you think about advertisements during sport events?

IELTS Speaking test in the UK – June 2014

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Do you work or study?
- Describe the place where you live now.
- Do you like it? Why?
- Do you know many people around you? Why?

Cue Card

Describe the first mobile phone that you have got. Please say

- When and where did you get it?
- What did you mostly use it for?
- What difference did it make to your life? Why?

Discussion

- What age group do you think is interested more in mobile phones? Why?
- Do you think the technology will make international travel unnecessary? Why?
- Do you think translation applications on mobiles will make learning another language unnecessary?
- How often do you use maps? Why?
- Do you know how to use them well?
- What do you prefer, using maps or asking people for directions? Why?

IELTS test in Oman, Bangladesh and the UK – June 2014 (Academic Module)

Listening test

Section 1. A conversation between two people about Art.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Section 2. A discussion between a student and a lecturer about a research on bridges in the UK.
Questions: multiple choice, matching statements to people.

Section 3. About different types of tea.

Section 4. About a tea tree growing in Australia that is used in oil production.
Questions: filling in blanks.

Reading test

Passage 1. About the “Potbelly Hill” ruins, an archaeological site at the top of a mountain ridge in Turkey.
Questions: filling in blanks, True/False/Not Given.

Passage 2. A discussion about intelligence, whether it is a quality people are born with, or an acquired one.
Questions: True/False/Not Given, statements completion.

Passage 3. Don’t remember.

Writing test

Writing task 1 (a report)

We were given a table showing the income and expenditure from a public building (BOCKLEY HALL) hire over a period of three years. The total income was divided into a few sections: rooms hire, income from cafeteria, funding from the town council and funding from other bodies, then expenditure on maintenance and services. The last two rows were showing the total profit.

Writing task 2 (an essay)

In the near future it is expected that the proportion of older people will be higher than that of young people in many developed countries. What are the positive or negative effects of this development?

Speaking test

Interview

- What is your full name?
- Can I see your ID?
- Where are you from?
- Is it suitable for living with family and children?
- How do you spend your weekends?
- Do you spend all weekends in the same way?
- What is your favourite day of the week? Why?
- What day is the busiest for you? Why?
- Are there many street markets in your country? Why?
- Do you like buying at street markets? Why?

Cue Card 1

Talk about a beautiful place where you would like to have your dream home. Please say

- Where and what is this place?
- Describe the place.
- Why would you like to live there?

Cue Card 2

Describe a famous person outside of your county. Please say

- Who is this person?
- How do you know him/her?
- What is this person famous for?

Discussion 2

- Is he/she popular in your country?
- Is it good to be famous? Why?
- Are there any advantages or disadvantages to being famous?
- Why do some people like to stay famous as long as they can and others don’t?

IELTS Speaking Lessons

Speaking Lessons

Lesson 1:
IELTS Speaking Part 2 - Extending Your Answer

Lesson 2:
IELTS Speaking Part 1 - Improving your Responses

Lesson 3:
IELTS Speaking Part 3 - Describing Changes

Lesson 4:
IELTS Speaking Part 3 - Talking about the Future

Lesson 5:
IELTS Speaking Part 2 - Mind Map: Structuring your talk

Lesson 6:
IELTS Parts 1-3 - Formality & Getting the tone right

Lesson 7:
IELTS Speaking Part 2 - A hypothetical situation

Lesson 8:
IELTS Speaking Part 3 - Giving & Justifying Opinions
Lesson 9:
IELTS Speaking Part 1 - Types of Speaking Questions for IELTS

Lesson 10:
IELTS Speaking - Useful IELTS Interview Expressions

Lesson 10: IELTS Speaking - Useful IELTS Interview Expressions

Useful IELTS Interview Expressions

In this lesson we will look at some useful IELTS interview expressions.
You need to make sure that you have adequate vocabulary and phrases to explain your position in the speaking test.

You may need to ask for clarification if you don't understand something, or for something to be repeated if it was said too fast for you.

It is also good if you have a variety of phrases to give your opinion. It is common in part three of the IELTS test, for example, to be given an opinion or view and to say what you think about it.

So you will need to say if you agree or disagree, or partially agree. Or maybe you think it depends on the circumstances.

Or you may need to give yourself some thinking time before you can answer a question.
Knowing and practicing some useful phrases will help you in this respect.
Below are a list of phrases to help improve your IELTS speaking and under the table is some further explanation for some of the phrases.

Most of these phrases and the examples below are more relevant to part 3 of the speaking test because this is where you are asked your opinion more than part 1, and you are more likely to misunderstand a question or need further clarification because the questions are more difficult.

USEFUL IELTS INTERVIEW EXPRESSIONS
Saying something in another way	What I'm trying to say is... In other words... To put it another way... What I mean is... Perhaps I should make that clearer by saying...
Agreeing with an opinion	Yes, I agree... That's my view exactly. I would tend to agree with that. I couldn't agree more.
Disagreeing with an opinion	No, I disagree. I'm afraid I disagree. I see things rather differently myself. I wouldn't say that is necessarily true. I tend to disagree. I'm not so sure about that.
Partially agreeing with an opinion	I don't entirely agree. It is true that......however... That is partly true, but... I agree with that to an extent. However...
Getting asked an opinion (by the examiner)	What do you think? What's your view / opinion? What are your views on...? How do you feel about...?
Saying your opinion could vary according to the situation	That depends... I think it really depends... That depends on how you look at it.
Asking for clarification (part 3 only)	Could you please explain what ...(word)... means? Sorry, I don't understand the question. Could you explain? Sorry, I'm afraid I didn't understand the question. Sorry, can I just clarify what you mean. Are you asking me ...(say what you believe you have been asked)...
Asking for repetition	Sorry, would you mind repeating the question? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Could you repeat the question?
Summing up	So all in all... To sum up... To conclude...

When do I use these phrases?

Saying something in another way
People use these phrases to further clarify what they have said. In other words, to make it clear exactly what they mean.
So you are saying the same thing you have just said but in a different way. Maybe you felt you did not explain something properly to the examiner and it is better to say it again but differently.

Getting asked an opinion / agreeing with an opinion / disagreeing with an opinion
You may use these phrases if the examiner asks you for your opinion on a topic. For example:

Examiner: Some people think that children should not be allowed to watch anything they like on television because some programmes can negatively affect their behaviour. What do you think?
Candidate: I wouldn't say that is necessarily true. Most children are mature enough to understand that television is not real and so I don't believe that it causes them any harm. I think children should be given the freedom to decide what is right for them to watch and not be told by parents what they can and cannot see.

Partially agreeing with an opinion
You may not fully agree with the opinion and wish to explain this further.

Examiner: Some people think that children should not be allowed to watch anything they like on television because some programmes can negatively affect their behaviour. What do you think?
Candidate: I don't entirely agree. It is true that some programs cause harm to children. For example, programs with very violent behaviour, so parents must ensure children don't watch these kinds of programs too much. However, there has to be a balance. Children have to be given some responsibility to make their own decisions to and it is simply not possible for the parents to monitor their children's TV habits all the time.

Saying your opinion could vary according to the situation
It is very often the case that an opinion is never that simple or straightforward that you can just 'agree' or 'disagree'.
It usually depends on the context, particular situation or person. It is common to say 'depends' when this is the case.

Examiner: Some people think that children should not be allowed to watch anything they like on television because some programmes can negatively affect their behaviour. What do you think?
Candidate: I think it really depends on the way the child has been brought up. Some children are brought up well by their parents and they know what is right and wrong and I don't think watching some programmes that have violence or similar things will change that. Other children aren't given the care or attention they need by their parents and they may have personal problems. Watching violence on TV may make them even worse if they already have a bad behaviour, so they probably do need to be monitored.

Answering part 3 questions using 'depends' is quite effective as it shows you can analyse a situation well rather than simply agreeing or disagreeing, and it also gives you a chance to say more than if you just agree or disagree.