You might
be nervous about taking your IELTS Speaking test, but with these 10 tips from
our IELTS Experts, and plenty of practice, you will be well on your way to
building your confidence and getting the IELTS band score you need.
For both paper-based and computer-delivered IELTS,
the face-to-face Speaking test is made up of three parts. By understanding what
happens in these three parts of the Speaking test, you will be better prepared.
Part
1
In Part 1, you will have a 4 to 5 minute conversation with an
IELTS examiner about yourself. Topics might include:
·
Work
·
Family
·
Home life
·
Personal interests
Part
2
In Part 2 of the Speaking test, you will be given a card
with a topic. You will be given one minute to take notes on
the topic and will be given a pencil and paper to
prepare your response, you will then speak on the topic for two minutes.
Part
3
In Part 3, you will have a conversation with the IELTS examiner
around the topic given in part 2, discussing it in more detail. Part 3 should
take approximately 4 to 5 minutes to complete.
Tip 1: Don't
memorise answers
Don't memorise
answers, especially in Part 1. Memorised language doesn't give the examiner an
accurate measure of your English-language skills. The examiner will be able to
tell if you have memorised your answers and this may influence your final band
score.
Tip 2: Don't use
big and unfamiliar words
You may want to
impress the examiner with big and complex words in your Speaking test. But to
be safe, avoid using words you are not familiar with. There is a higher chance
of making mistakes by either mispronouncing words or using them in the wrong
context. Mistakes can affect your final band score.
Use a range of vocabulary that you
know which is relevant to the topic being discussed. Look at the topics
in Tip 10, making vocabulary
lists or mind maps to help you learn more words and phrases connected to these
topic areas.
Tip 3: Use a range of grammatical structures
When IELTS
examiners asses your speaking skills, they mark you against the following
assessment criteria:
·
Fluency and coherence
·
Lexical resource
·
Grammatical range and accuracy
·
Pronunciation
Try and use a range
of grammatical structures using complex and simple sentences to express what
you want to say. Know your own errors and practice speaking to friends in
English, or record yourself to see if you can spot errors. If you hear an
error, make sure to correct yourself. You are assessed on your ability to use
different grammatical structures accurately, so it's important to practise
speaking about the past, the present and the future using correct tenses.
Tip 4: Don't worry about your accent
With a face-to-face
Speaking test, the IELTS examiner understands a wide range of accents so will
be able to understand what you say, unlike an AI machine. If you can
communicate well, then there is nothing to worry about. But do be aware of
sounds that you have difficulty with and make sure to use stress and intonation
as English is a stress-timed language. Practice with friends and they will tell
you if they can't understand what you are saying.
Tip 5: Pause to think
There is no harm in
taking a brief pause to think about what to say. We all do it to process
questions. You can use phrases to give you time to think during the Speaking
test - phrases such as:
- That's an interesting question
- I have never thought about that, but...
- Let me see
- That's a good point
- That's a difficult question, but I'll try and
answer it
- Well, some people say that is the case,
however I think...
- Let me think about that for a minute
Tip 6: Avoid using fillers
Speak confidently and avoid using
filler words. We generally use fillers when we don't know what to say, however,
this shows the examiner that you can't access the appropriate language or ideas
so it's important to avoid them and to use the phrases we gave you in Tip
5.
Avoid the following
fillers:
- Like
- You know
- Umm...
- Ahh...
- Ehh...
- Well
- Yeah...
Tip 7: Extend your answers
Try and answer the
examiner's questions in full. Extend your answers and don't wait for the
examiner to prompt you with a question. When your answers are short, this shows
the examiner that you cannot talk in detail about a topic. If the examiner says
'Why?', they are prompting you to give a reason for your answer and to extend
more fully.
Tip 8: Smiling helps pronunciation
Smiling can help
calm your nerves which in turn helps your pronunciation. Make sure to enunciate
clearly, opening your mouth wide enough so that sounds come out clearly. When
we smile, our mouth is bigger and the tone of our voice is more friendly. Using
clear enunciation and tone will show the examiner that you can use a range of
pronunciation features.
Tip 9: Don't speak in a monotone
Sometimes when we
speak, we produce a flat sound, a monotone, with little variation. This makes
it more difficult to express what you say and makes it more difficult for the
listener to identify what parts of your message are important. Putting emphasis
on certain words and pausing at sections in your speech can make your
conversation with the IELTS examiner more engaging. When we emphasise certain
words it makes it easier to compare and contrast ideas by stressing key words.
It also increases the flow of conversation, so remember:
·
Don't speak in a monotone
·
Vary the stress and intonation to add emphasis
·
Use your hands to gesture and help the rhythm of the conversation
Tip 10 - Practice common IELTS topics
Part 2 of the IELTS
Speaking test requires you to speak on a given topic for about 2 minutes.
Practice common IELTS topics with friends, family or colleagues to improve and
to learn vocabulary associated with each topic.
Common topics you
can practice for the Speaking test include:
·
Tourism and travel
·
Education
·
Transport
·
Environment
·
Family life
·
Sport and recreation
·
Crime and punishment
·
The internet
·
Advertising and retail
