Mat Clark ielts speaking

Part Three Question Type 4: Advantages 
 These questions sometimes appear in Part One, but they are much more common in 
Part Three. Look at the following question and answer: 
―What are the advantages of travelling by trains?‖ 
―I think there are  many advantages; for example it is quite cheap, it’s usually faster 
than  read  travel,  you  can  usually  take  a  train  to  any  destination  and  you  can  sleep  on  the 
train.‖ 
Although this answer describes some advantages, it does not use appropriate language 
to express these  advantages. In fact, the only word used ―advantage‖ is recycled from the 
question. Now look at a different answer to the same question: 
 ―Well,  I  suppose  that  there  are  quite  a  few  clear  benefits,  but  I  would  probably  say 
that  for  the  most  part,  the  one  thing  that  really  stands  out  is  that  trains  are  really  cheap, 
especially  for  long  distance  travel  –  you  can  travel  from  one  side  China  to  the  other  for  a 
few  hundred  yuan.  I  guess  that  another  obvious  plus  point  is  that  it  is  much  faster  than 
travelling by road – so you can save time by travelling on trains. Along with this, a further 
merit is that you can sleep quite comfortably on long train journeys.‖ 
In this answer, the candidate has used appropriate language to express ―advantages‖: 
clear benefits, obvious plus point, further merit. 
Now create your own ―advantages‖ structure. (You will build a structure that develops 
each  advantage.)  Begin  with  an  opening  linking  phrase  that  explains  that  ―there  are  many 
advantages‖. 
Well I suppose that there are quite a few clear benefits. 
Clearly there are a number of obvious merits. 
Sure there are few favorable aspects. 

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Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking 
 
 
178
 
Obviously there are a number of positive features. 
Now highlight the most obvious: 
But I would probably say that for the most part, the one things that really stands out is 
that… 
But it goes without saying that the most apparent would be that… 
Although I guess that the most visible would be that … 
However, I guess that the most evident would be that… 
Add a simple sentence which describes the advantage: ―…trains are really cheap…‖ 
Now develop this advantage with one of the following structures: 
This is obviously favorable because… 
This is undoubtedly positive for the simple reason that… 
This is without doubt beneficial because… 
Add a simple sentence to explain why it is an advantage: ―…you can travel from one 
side China to the other for a few hundred yuan…‖ 
Now introduce your second advantage: 
At the same time a second bonus might be that… 
Besides this, a second plus point could be that… 
As well as this a further favorable aspect would be that… 
Add  a  simple  sentence  to  explain  the  advantage  and  develop  it  with  one  of  the 
following: 
This is clearly advantageous because… 
This is definitely valuable since… 
This is surely a positive feature because... 
For  most  questions,  two  advantages  should  be  enough  to  produce  a  good  quality 
answer. There is no need to list every advantage. 
A common problem for this type of question  is when candidates also try to  describe 
disadvantages  in  their  answer.  This  is  unnecessary  because  usually  (now  always)  the 
examiner  will  ask  about  disadvantages  in  the  next  question.  Now  use  your  advantages 
structure to practice answering the following questions. 
What are the advantages of travelling by air? 
What are the advantages of having a private car? 
What are the advantages of zoos? 
What are the advantages of playing team sports? 
What are the advantages of being famous? 
What are the advantages of watching films in a cinema? 
What are the advantages of living in cities? 

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Mat Clark – IELTS Speaking 
 
 
179
 
What are the advantages of using a public library? 
What are the advantages of spending time in a foreign country? 
What are the advantages of getting news from newspapers? 
What are the advantages of online (Internet) shopping? 
What are the advantages of listening to the radio (compare with TV)? 
What are the advantages of advertising? 
What are the advantages of hand made products?