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Search concise B2 First grammar, vocabulary, functional phrases and exam strategy — without leaving the course to hunt through past lessons.
Practise this languagePart 2 register and task languageLong turn — extra comparison promptsCollaborative task & discussion promptsExtra Practice
Giving Opinions
both
- In my view, …
- As far as I'm concerned, …
- From my perspective, …
- It seems to me that …
- I'm convinced that …
- I'd argue that …
- Personally, I think / feel …
- If you ask me, …
- There's no doubt that …
- I'm not entirely sure, but …
Agreeing & Disagreeing
speaking
- I couldn't agree more.
- That's exactly what I think.
- You've got a point there.
- I see what you mean, but …
- I'm afraid I have to disagree.
- I'm not so sure about that.
- That's true up to a point, however …
- I take your point, but …
- I'd go further and say …
- We seem to be on the same page.
Comparing & Contrasting (Speaking P2 / P3)
speaking
- Both pictures show … whereas …
- The main difference is that …
- Unlike the first photo, the second one …
- What they have in common is …
- In contrast to A, B seems to …
- While in the first picture …, in the second …
- Compared to A, B looks more …
- One similarity is that …
- The most striking difference is …
Speculating about Photos (Speaking P2)
speaking
- It looks like / as if …
- She might / could be …-ing because …
- They appear to be …
- I'd say they're probably …
- Judging by their expressions, …
- It's hard to tell, but maybe …
- I imagine that …
- There's a strong possibility that …
- My guess would be that …
Decision-making (Speaking P3 — Collaborative Task)
speaking
- Shall we start with this one?
- What do you think about …?
- That's a good point — and on top of that …
- I see what you mean, but I'd say …
- Let's move on to the next one.
- So, are we agreed that …?
- Just to sum up our ideas …
- I'd go for … because …
- On balance, I think the best option is …
- Let's go with that, then.
Essay Linkers (Writing P1)
writing
- It is often argued that …
- On the one hand, … On the other hand, …
- A further point worth considering is …
- However, this view is not shared by everyone.
- There are several reasons why …
- As a consequence, …
- To illustrate this, …
- In conclusion, while both sides have merit, …
- All things considered, …
- Taking everything into account, …
Article Openers & Hooks (Writing P2)
writing
- Have you ever wondered why …?
- Picture this: …
- We've all been there — …
- It's official: …
- Let's be honest — …
- If you think … think again.
- Few things in life are as … as …
- Why is it that …?
- Imagine a world where …
Informal Email / Letter (Writing P2)
writing
- Hi Sam, thanks for your email!
- Great to hear from you.
- Sorry it's taken me ages to reply.
- Guess what? …
- You asked about … — here goes.
- Anyway, that's about it from me.
- Drop me a line when you can.
- Take care, / All the best, / Love,
Formal Email / Report (Writing P2)
writing
- I am writing in response to …
- I would like to enquire about …
- I would be grateful if you could …
- Please find attached …
- I look forward to hearing from you.
- Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
- Yours sincerely, / Yours faithfully,
- The purpose of this report is to …
- It is recommended that …
Asking for Clarification / Buying Time
speaking
- Sorry, could you repeat that?
- I'm not sure I follow — do you mean …?
- Let me think about that for a second.
- That's an interesting question …
- Well, it depends, really.
- Hmm, how should I put this …
- Could you give me an example?