Full list of discourse markers to use in the writing and speaking part of the ielts

 ‘hence’ 
are too formal even for the 
Writing test] 
21. Parallel Time
At the same time; Simultaneously; Meanwhile; In the meantime
 
22. Changing the Subject
(It is uncommon to suddenly and completely change the subject when you speak in 
the IELTS test.) 
By the way; Incidentally
“Yes, I had a good day at work. 
By the way
, I saw your friend, Jenny, at lunchtime.” 
 
23. Returning to a Previous Subject
 As I was saying; As I mentioned before
24. Gaining Time to Think
(Important for avoiding long pauses, which decrease 
your fluency score.) 
Let me see; Let’s see; Well; You know
 
(Do not emphasize the word “you” when you 
say this.
25.
Talking about the Beginning
First, Firstly, First of all, To begin with, In the first place,

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Avoid using, “
First and foremost
” in the speaking and writing tests because it usually 
sounds like a cliché
At first, Initially, Originally, In the beginning, At the beginning,
Note that “At first” 
does not mean the same 
as “First” or “Firstly”. 
 
26. Talking about the End
La
s
t
 
= 
Lastly
= 
Finally
These three are used for listing several things that happen in sequence: “First, ….. 
Next, …. Then, … Last/lastly/finally ….” 
Note 1: Beware of the following common error: 
At (long) last
= 
Finally
Many students write or say “at last” to mean “last” but this is a mistake. “At last” has 
the idea that someone has waited for a long time and it is usually used as an 
exclamation 
Examples: 
(After wandering in the desert looking for water.) “
At last!
Water!” = 
“
Finally! 
Water!” 

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Document Outline

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• FULL LIST OF DISCOURSE MARKERS TO USE IN THE LISTENING AND SPEAKING PART OF THE IELTS