Skip to main content

Tips For Maximizing Your Score on the IELTS Speaking Test.

You might be nervous about taking your IELTS Speaking test, but with these 10 tips, 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 IELTS on paper and IELTS on computer, 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 assess 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

Well, I hope that these tips help you with your preparation.

Good luck and good studying.



IELTS Writing Test Part 2: Everything That You Need to Know to Ace the Exam.

The Essential List of Academic Vocabulary For The TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, GRE, GMAT ect Exams. (Includes meanings and examples)




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 50 Most Important Idioms for Achieving a B2 to C2 Level of English.

  Due to the complexities of English, nobody, native or second language learner can honestly brag about having a proficient level of the language without a solid knowledge of Idioms.  Every day, in almost every conversation, native speakers will use idioms more than someone who is new to the language, simply because they are more familiar with them and know the context in which they should be used. Therefore, this means that when you, the second language learner uses an idiom in the correct context, that you have a more proficient level of English and therefore you sound more like a native speaker. Below is a list of 50 of the most important general idioms necessary for traveling the B2 to C2 language learning journey. With these idioms, you will be able to listen and speak more like a native speaker, therefore, enhancing your ability to communicate effectively. Study tips for how to learn idioms. The 60 most important phrasal verbs for achieving a B2 to C2 level of English. I...
9 comments
Read more

11 Strategies For Achieving and Maintaining a B2 to C2 Level of English

  As an Advanced Level English Teacher, one of the most common questions that I am asked by students is how to maintain, and/or improve their level of proficiency in the language. Today, more than at any other period in history, a single language has solidified itself into a position of undeniable relevance in our ever-changing globalized world. Be it for matters relating to government, commerce, education, or for the resolution of global issues, English has taken the lead in almost every facet of life and international affairs. This phenomenon, which has developed progressively over many years, has been responsible for a transformation in the way that English as a second language is now perceived in most parts of the world. Governments have found the necessity to embrace English on all levels, schools have attached new importance to its teaching, new institutes continue to spring up on almost a daily basis and universities are now making it a mandatory part of a student's graduati...
7 comments
Read more

The 100 Essential Metaphoric Expressions To Know.

  What is a Metaphor? Metaphor (Etymology: ‘ Metaphora ’ in Greek meaning “to transfer”) is an interesting way to emphasize and map certain descriptive qualities of two terms. They come under the branch of figures of speech in literature and poetry. Metaphors create a beautiful blend between concepts, to form comparisons between a particular behavior, concept or a feeling with something impractical or unrelated to it. The evolution of language has witnessed many metaphorical descriptions turn into a conventional language used today. However, metaphors can be used in abstract forms also. The best examples of abstract metaphors are seen in movies like the Oscar-winner Parasite where the characters are attributed to the quality of leaching off wealth. ADVANED ENGLISH: The Essentail Similies For Achieving a B2 to C2 Level of English Types of Metaphors Here are a few common types of metaphors: Implied  Metaphor An implied metaphor compares two things without naming one of the thing...
1 comment
Read more