Avoiding Pauses and ‘I don’t know’
I have to admit I’m not really an expert on that
(topic x) is not really my forte
(topic x) is not really my strong suit
A game to help
The rules of BBC Radio 4’s popular comedy panel show ‘Just a Minute’ can help with IELTS preparation:
– Speakers must speak on a simple topic (for example: bananas) for 1 minute
– They must not repeat words
– They must not deviate (start talking about non-related topics)
– They must not hesitate (say ‘err…umm…’)
If the speaker does do one of these then his/her turn is finished (in the radio show the person who points out a speaker’s failure gets a point and takes over the topic with the remaining time; whoever is speaking at the end of the minute also gets a point).