Post 2: Sharing your opinion -alternatives to ‘I think …’ for Cambridge Exam Prep classrooms. (Speaking Part 2, 3 & 4 as well as Writing Part 1 tasks)

Throughout the Cambridge Speaking and Writing Exam (for the B2 First, C1 Advanced and Linguaskill exams), you will be asked to express your opinion or perspective on different topics and ideas. More often than not, candidates fall back to the common ‘I think’ or ‘I believe’. Simple phrases like these are not doing you any favours in terms of language – both grammatically and lexically.

Sharing your opinion in the Speaking exam: Speaking Part 3 and 4 for both the B2 First (or First for Schools) and the C1 Advanced exam, focus on giving and sharing opinions on a specific topic. So, why not practice and prepare a number of useful phrases and expressions that support you with this task? At the same time, you can also get points for good grammatical structures and higher-level lexical resources. What better way than to practice and develop these phrases while in a controlled, and safe Cambridge Exam Prep classroom.

Sharing your opinion in the Writing exam: Both writing tasks allow you to express your thoughts and opinions on various topics. Here we need to be able to express our perspective in both a formal and informal manner, which can be a little more tricky.

Whether you want to practice doing it verbally or in written form, let’s make practicing this fun and engaging for any Cambridge Exam Prep class!

Useful Phrases for expressing your opinion when you don’t want to use just ‘I think’:

Expressing a strong, and often, formal opinion:

Expression / Phrase:	Example Sentence:
In my opinion ...	In my opinion, renewable energy should be prioritised over fossil fuels.
From my perspective, ...	From my perspective, globalisation has both benefits and drawbacks.
It is my firm belief that ...	It is my firm belief that education is the key to social mobility.
I am of the opinion that ...	I am of the opinion that public transport should be subsidised by governments.
As far as I am concerned, ...	As far as I'm concerned, social media does more harm than good.

Expressing a balanced or diplomatic opinion:

Expression / Phrase:	Example Sentence:
It seems to me that ... (expresses a well-thought out point of view)	It seems to me that remote work has permanently changed office culture.
I would argue that ... (expresses a polite yet strong stance)	I would argue that governments should do more to tackle climate change.
One could say / argue that ... (expresses another perspective while giving your own opinion)	One could argue that fast food is tasty, but its health effects are concerning.
I tend to believe that ... (softens your opinion slightly so it sounds more balanced)	I tend to believe that students should be encouraged to take gap years.
There is a strong case for ... (good for evidence or fact-based opinions)	There is a strong case for banning single-use plastics.)

Expressing a well-balanced opinion (Great for the concluding paragraph of the formal essay):

Expression / Phrase:	Example Sentence:
While I understand the opposing view, I still believe that ...	While I understand the opposing view, I still believe that stricter regulations on pollution are necessary.
Although there are strong arguments on both sides, I am inclined to believe that ...	Although there are strong arguments on both sides, I am inclined to believe that technology cannot enhance but only hinder education.
On the one hand, ... On the other hand, ... However, I tend to believe ...	On the one hand, social media connects people. On the other hand, it can be highly addictive. However, I tend to believe that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
Having considered both perspectives, I firmly believe that ...	Having considered both perspectives, I firmly believe that space exploration is a worthwhile investment.
While there is a strong case, I am not entirely convinced that ...	While there is a strong case, I am not entirely convinced that AI will replace human workers completely.
While this may be true in some cases, it is not always the case that ...	While this may be true in some cases, it is not always the case that automation leads to job losses.
I acknowledge the advantages, yet I remain sceptical of/about ...	I acknowledge the advantages, yet I remain sceptical of cryptocurrency replacing traditional banking within the next 5 years.

Note to Teachers:

Instead of trying to teach these phrases from this post, I have prepared a worksheet that includes all these useful phrases for both the speaking and written exam. The worksheet includes all the structures, all the example sentences, as well as a board game and communication cards.

You can download the worksheet and work through the exercises with your B2 and/or C1 Exam Prep & General English classes. The board game and communication cards allow students to use the structures in a controlled and monitored manner; while increasing engagement and productivity.

Downloadable Link: (This is a FREE resource!)

'I Think' Alternatives: Worksheet, Board game & Communication Cards

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Let me know how it goes and if you have any feedback!