Hmmm, I would say…
“I would say” is a great way for candidates to sound more natural and avoid repeating the verb “think” too many times. It can be used to express an opinion about a topic or subject, so is perfect in all parts of the speaking paper.
Practice for part 1 of the speaking paper of the B2 First exam by watching the video below which contains eight common questions that examiners might ask in the exam. In each answer try and use “I would say” rather than “I think”.
It is also very common to use some adverbs to give more information about your opinion:
- I would probably say (not certain)
- I would definitely say (certain)
NOTE: I would can also be contracted to I’d, which is common to do when speaking
Practice Questions
Each answer should be around 15 seconds long, and will usually consist of two or three sentences. A timer will appear on the screen indicating how long you should be speaking for. Candidates should practice answering these questions repeatedly until they are confident and comfortable using “I would say” in each answer.