Overview
The Speaking section of the IELTS assesses a candidate’s fluency, lexical resource knowledge, grammatical range, pronunciation, and many other skills. Working on all of these fronts is vital! When you can work on every Speaking module criterion at once, why only focus on one?
This blog will provide a thorough explanation of the IELTS Speaking module’s operation, score standards, and IELTS Speaking advice. One may say that this is an ideal resource for aceing the Speaking section of the IELTS exam.
What is IELTS, then? And why do the four modules—speaking, writing, reading, and listening—all have the same weight?
A brief overview of the IELTS
Candidates are graded according to their level of English language proficiency on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. There are two categories for the exam: IELTS General Training and Academic.
Those who want to study abroad take the Academic version of the IELTS exam. Numerous academic institutions in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States accept the IELTS score as evidence of English language proficiency.
However, applicants must take the IELTS General Training exam if they intend to work or relocate abroad. This score is accepted for work-related, non-academic, and immigration-related profiles.
How does the IELTS work?
The Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking modules of the IELTS exam serve as a gauge for candidates’ actual use of the English language in the workplace. For both IELTS Academic and General Training, the speaking and listening portions are the same; the reading and writing portions change.
How does the IELTS Speaking Test rank among its peers?
Out of all the modules on the IELTS exam, the Speaking test is the shortest. However, by taking into account “average scores despite a good performance,” the candidates view this module as a point of controversy. However, why is it the case?
You are fully aware that the remaining tasks do not involve direct evaluation. However, you are taking the Speaking portion in-person with the examiner. That is significant for someone who struggles to communicate in English or who may not be fluent in the language.
Still, hey! Let’s examine the more promising area. The entire time of the IELTS Speaking test is limited to 11–14 minutes. You have to talk in a natural tone the entire time.
The Speaking Exam has three components and a nine-band scoring system. Let’s examine each of these areas in-depth so that we can respond to them appropriately.
Speaking Sections of the IELTS
1. OVERVIEW AND QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW
After making their introduction, the examiner asks the candidate questions on subjects they are familiar with. This section’s IELTS Speaking Topics are rather basic and introductory. Think of this portion as a warm-up to help you become acquainted with the test.
Typical questions for the IELTS speaking introduction include:
- How do you proceed?
- From where are you?
- Why choose a specific area of study?
- Which pastimes do you enjoy?
- What are your plans for your leisure time?
- What town do you hail from?
- What sort of location is it?
- Why and whether it’s a nice area to live?
- How much time have you spent there?
- What appeals to you most about it?
You can prepare your responses to these questions in advance so that you are well aware of what you are going to say. However, you should always include a two- to three-sentence response that elaborates on your points of view, regardless of the topic posed. They should be succinct but comprehensive. Speak in a calm, collected manner.
The inquiries will come up on their own. Common inquiries concern places of employment, educational institutions, residences, etc. But when necessary, you should improvise your answers. Be completely knowledgeable in your field so that you can respond to any questions the examiner may have. Once more, these are simple questions.
2. TASK CUE CARD
You have roughly a minute to get ready to speak on a specific topic in the IELTS Speaking Cue Card task. Examiner instructions to ‘direct your conversation’ are printed on a card that they provide you. You may refer to your discussion as an extempore, and it should last for two minutes, or until the examiner asks you to stop.
Here’s an illustration:
IELTS Speaking Question: Name an admired family member.
Provide a timely response and a rationale for the person’s background and relationship to you first. In addition, mention your earliest recollections of the concerned individual, how frequently you encounter them, and what makes them unique from other people.
You might also attempt to depict their occupation, character, demeanor, disposition, past interactions with them, etc.
In this instance, stay on topic and don’t deflect your response to other family members when you talk!
Generally speaking, highly dynamic subjects are chosen for the IELTS Speaking section. in order for candidates to speak on a certain topic with ease.
Start by writing down the most important points on the page. Writing is important because it gives you a clear understanding of the tone and flow you should have when speaking in your second activity. Your speech needs to get quite long, and your ideas need to flow naturally.
Cover every topic listed on the cue card, speak for two minutes, and provide more detail on the points you wrote down for the IELTS Speaking test.
To ensure that the listener understands every word you say, project your voice, speak loudly, and speak with assurance. But don’t yell!
3. REPLY QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS
The examiner will pose follow-up questions to you based on the results of the second exercise, which is the Cue Card task.
You will be asked questions relevant to the topic of the Cue Card in this task, and you will need to respond with a few sentences for each question. Don’t leave the statement open-ended; instead, address the question and terminate it correctly (grammatically and accurately).
Do you recall a question we asked you about your family earlier? Here are a few potential rebuttals that could be asked now:
- What are the family values in your nation?
- How is happiness related to family?
- Which kind of family are you partial to? Joint or nuclear?
- What alterations have values and familial ties undergone throughout time?
Recognize that a little blustering on the subject is OK. You are assessed on the accuracy, grammatical range, pronunciation, and fluency of the response rather than the morality or veracity of the response.
Be certain that your opinions and the ideas you provide will not be used to evaluate you by the examiner. Your score is unaffected by whether your material is positive or negative.
A few criteria that will be used to evaluate you are your speech pattern, level of ambiguity, clarity, and idea expression.
You need to comprehend the IELTS Speaking standards and scoring criteria across different band descriptions now that you know how to approach the test. This is a criterion for assessment:
Fluency and Coherence: Fluency is just speaking at a normal tempo, without pausing, and with typical speed. Coherence is the ability to organize your thoughts and phrases logically. Recall that speaking correctly and without any mistakes is what defines fluency—not speaking quickly.
Lexical Resource: It evaluates your vocabulary skills.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: The IELTS speaking test measures your proficiency with grammar, fundamental structures, subject-verb agreement, and other concepts.
Pronunciation: It demonstrates your speaking ability.
IELTS Speaking Advice:
- It’s a good idea to get ready for the test.
- Prepare succinct responses to the questions posed in the Introduction section and rehearse them.
- Steer clear of repetition; try not to bring up the same ideas repeatedly. For it, you receive no points. Instead, it could show the examiner how little you can think.
- Possessing a large vocabulary is definitely advantageous. But even if it’s not necessary, avoid stuffing the response with words. In more ways than one, it fails.
- Make it your routine to pick up ten new words every day. To help you get used to them, incorporate them into regular talks.
- Self-correction is OK, but avoid doing so at the conclusion of every phrase. Keep it infrequent.
- Don’t try to pass for an accent. It could result in a pronounced word becoming ambiguous. Instead, speak in a natural tone!
If you’re still unclear, try conversing with someone you know in your mother tongue, which is your native dialect. It is important to know when to emphasize, when to pause, when to utilize a complete stop, and so on.
DOs:
- Practice speaking before the IELTS Speaking exam. The most crucial thing to do is to practice at home and converse with peers in English.
- Request a repeat of any questions you don’t fully understand from the examiner. Don’t say this too often, one more.
- Don’t stop answering halfway through. Finish what you’ve said. Practice providing a thorough response.
DO NOTS:
- Recall the responses: You risk being disoriented by the questions posed and giving up at the first sign of difficulty.
- Be concerned about the examiner’s judgment: The examiner’s purpose is to assess your proficiency in speaking English, not to gauge your opinions.
- Add a ton of complicated terms here: Make use of simple vocabulary and sophisticated terms that make sense within the context of the phrase.
- Remain silent: Since speaking is the topic of this part, you must speak. Speak about something relatable even if you don’t know the answer.
- Concern yourself about your accent: Recall. Remain organic. There is no assessment criterion mentioning your accent.
- Feel uneasy: It makes sense; it’s exam day. Talk in front of others every day to build your confidence.
