Hi, Teacher Luke here! 👋

In my DET Ready VIP Speaking Lesson yesterday, one of my students asked:

“What’s the best way to start my answers on the speaking test?”

So, I looked through dozens of responses from students scoring 120+ to find some great examples for you. 👇

👉 But first—some great news!

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5 Top Sentence Starters (With DET Question Examples)

“I’d say I generally…”

👉 “I’d say I generally admire people who stay calm under pressure—that’s a quality I’ve been working on myself.”

(Used for: What do you like about your personality?)

“Actually, in my opinion…”

“Actually, in my opinion, Nelson Mandela is someone we can all learn from because of his courage and forgiveness.”

(Used for: Talk about a person from history you admire.)

“Well, I remember ..... I…”

👉 “Well, I remember last month I gave my best friend a book about photography—it really made her smile.”

(Used for: Talk about a gift you gave recently.)

“Back in .... , I had a moment when…”

👉 “Back in high school, I had a moment when I helped a friend through a hard time. That really showed me the importance of empathy.”

(Used for: What personality trait helped you be a good friend?)

“I used to think that, but now…”

👉 “I used to think giving gifts was only for birthdays, but now I enjoy surprising people just to make them feel appreciated.”

(Used for: Talk about a gift you gave recently.)

These openers might sound simple—but used right, they can get your speaking answers off to a great start.

Are you struggling with DET speaking? Watch this YouTube video where I show you the mistakes my top students are making 👉 https://youtu.be/f4QkK15fgBM

See you in the next lesson!

— Teacher Luke 👨‍🏫

DET Ready | Helping 1,000+ students pass the test every month