Linking words for IELTS Speaking: spoken markers by job, not by list

Linking in speech is a different job from linking in an essay. A listener cannot look back up the page, so the markers you use have to be short, easy to say and easy to follow, and they have to match the shape of what you are saying. This guide sorts spoken markers by the job they do, shows how to signpost the Part 2 long turn and the Part 3 discussion, and explains why the written linkers many candidates learn sound out of place in speech. The criterion itself is explained in the answer on how to improve IELTS Speaking fluency. The written counterpart of this page is the guide to linking words for IELTS Writing.

What the criterion says about linking

IELTS.org’s Speaking assessment guidance, which this site last checked on 17 September 2026, names Fluency and Coherence as one of four criteria. The Speaking band is the average of the four, reported as a whole or half band. Under Fluency and Coherence, the public descriptors ask whether you mark the stages of a story or an argument clearly, whether your sentences stay relevant to the topic, and whether you link ideas with connectors and pronouns.

This site’s Speaking band descriptors explorer puts those descriptors in plain words. At band 5, a small set of linking words does all the work and is leaned on too often. At band 6 there is a decent range of linking and signposting expressions, though some land in the wrong place. At band 7 the same expressions get used more flexibly and where they actually fit. The direction is not “more linkers”. It is “the right one, in the right place, without effort”.

IELTS publishes no list of linking words, no number of them per band, and no phrase that earns a band. Everything below about which phrase does which job is advice on spoken English, not an exam rule.

Spoken markers by job

All the examples here are invented. Notice how short they are: in speech, a marker is often one or two words.

Giving a reason

• “I like cycling mainly because it clears my head.”
• “The main reason is that the roads near me are quiet.”
• “That’s partly why I moved.”

“Because” is the workhorse, and nothing is wrong with using it often, as long as the sentences around it vary. “The main reason is” signals that you are about to give the key idea and not a minor one.

Adding a point

• “And on top of that, the trains are cheap.”
• “What’s more, I can read on the way.”
• “Also, there’s a park right next to the station.”

Most spoken adding is “and”, “also” or “plus”. Use “what’s more” or “on top of that” when the second point is stronger than the first. Do not add a point that has nothing to do with the last one just to keep talking.

Contrasting

• “I enjoy it, but it can get tiring.”
• “It’s convenient. Having said that, it’s expensive in the city centre.”
• “On the other hand, my brother prefers working from home.”

“But” is natural in speech, even at the start of a sentence. “Having said that” lets you turn round after praising something. “On the other hand” needs a first hand: say what the first side was.

Giving an example

• “For instance, my last job was forty minutes away.”
• “Say you have an exam on Monday: you can’t leave revision to the weekend.”
• “Take my street, for example.”

“Say” and “take” are very spoken. “For example” and “for instance” are fine and interchangeable. After any of them, give something concrete: a person, a place, a moment.

Concluding a point

• “So that’s why I walk.”
• “So in the end I stayed.”
• “Which is why I’d recommend it.”

A speaker rarely needs “In conclusion”. A short “so” followed by the point, said with falling intonation, tells the examiner you have finished that thought and are ready to be asked something else, or to move to the next idea.

Signposting the Part 2 long turn

The Part 2 long turn is one to two minutes of speaking by yourself, after one minute of preparation, according to IELTS.org. Nobody interrupts you, so you are the only source of structure. Three signposts do most of the work.

Opening

Say what you are going to talk about in a sentence, using the cue card’s wording loosely: “I’m going to talk about a teacher who changed how I studied.” One clear sentence tells the listener what the whole turn is about.

Moving between the cue card’s points

The card gives you three or four prompts, and the usual advice is to treat them as a route. A short marker helps the listener know which one you have reached:

• “As for how we met, it was at a summer course.”
• “And what she taught me was mostly about planning.”
• “The reason I remember her is…”

You do not have to cover every prompt in the order printed, and IELTS does not require it. What matters is that the listener can tell when you have moved on. The post on Part 2 cue card strategy covers how to use the minute of preparation.

Closing

Finish with one sentence that ties back to the topic: “So that’s the teacher I’d pick, and I still use her method.” Then stop. A sentence that signals the end is enough, and it avoids the trailing “yeah, so, that’s all” that makes a good turn sound unfinished.

Part 3 markers

Part 3 is a discussion of four to five minutes. The questions are more abstract, and the answers often need some care. These markers are natural in conversation and suit the part:

• “It depends. For younger people, I’d say yes, but for older ones, not always.”
• “I’d say it’s mostly a good thing.”
• “It’s hard to generalise, but in my experience…”
• “That’s a fair point, though I’d put it differently.”
• “In some ways, yes. In others, I’m not so sure.”

“It depends” is not an evasion if you say what it depends on. “It depends” followed by a silence is a stall. “I’d say” softens a claim, which is both polite and accurate in a discussion about society. Compare this to the advice in the post on Part 3 discussion questions.

Why written linkers sound learned by heart

“Moreover”, “furthermore”, “in conclusion” and “firstly… secondly… thirdly” are good tools in an essay. In conversation they sound like a paragraph being read out. People simply do not say “furthermore” over coffee, and a listener who hears one stock phrase may suspect the rest of the answer is stock too.

Look at two invented answers to the question “Do you like your neighbourhood?”

• “Firstly, my neighbourhood is quiet. Secondly, it is close to my workplace. Moreover, there are many parks. In conclusion, I like it very much.”
• “I do, mostly because it’s quiet. It’s also close to work, which saves me an hour a day. And there are parks, so it’s easy to get out.”

The second version has fewer big linkers and more connection. The ideas link through “because”, “which” and “so”. It also sounds like the speaker.

The Speaking test is a conversation, as the answer on formal or informal speech explains, and conversational markers suit it better.

Overuse and the wrong linker

The same marker every time

The band 5 wording on the explorer describes a small set of linking words doing all the work. “And then” and “so” are the usual suspects. If your recording shows the same marker four times in thirty seconds, replace two of them with a full stop and a fresh sentence.

The wrong marker

“On the other hand” before an idea that is not a contrast, “so” after a reason instead of a result, and “for example” followed by another general claim are the usual slips. A wrong marker misleads the listener, which is worse than leaving it out. If you are not sure, use “because”, “but” or “so” in their plain senses.

Practise it on your own recordings

1. Record a two-minute answer on any cue card from the cue card hub.
2. Listen once for markers only. Write down each one and the job it did.
3. Mark any you used more than twice, and any you could not name the job of.
4. Record the answer again, changing only those.

For a routine that works without a partner, see the guide to practising IELTS Speaking alone. Hesitation sounds are a separate matter, covered in the guide to fillers, pauses and self-correction, and the way you shape words and stress belongs to pronunciation features.