Candidates are often nervous when facing the examiner on exam day. By reading our IELTS Speaking tips, you’ll be better prepared and more confident on test day.
The IELTS Speaking test, which measures your English speaking ability, is the same for the general training test and the academic test. Each speaking test is taken face-to-face with a certified IELTS examiner and each is recorded in case further review is needed.
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 the second part of the speaking test you will be given a card with a topic. You will have one minute to take notes on the topic and will be given a pencil and paper to prepare your answer. Then talk about the topic for two minutes.
Part 3
In Part 3, you will chat with the IELTS examiner about the topic covered in Part 2, discussing it in more detail. Part three will take about 4-5 minutes.
Top 10 expert tips for your IELTS Speaking test
Having realized the 3 parts of the Speaking test, it’s time now to explore the 10 golden tips from our IELTS experts:
Tips for the IELTS Speaking Test
1- Don't memorize answers
Don’t memorize answers, especially in Part 1. Memorized language does not help the examiner accurately assess your English skills. The examiner will be able to see whether you have memorized the answers or not, which can affect your final score.
2- Don't use big and unfamiliar words
You may want to impress the examiner with long and complex words in your speaking test. But to be safe, avoid using words you don’t know. There are more chances of making mistakes by mispronouncing words or using them in the wrong context. Mistakes can affect your team’s final score.
Use lots of vocabulary that you know and that is appropriate to the topic being discussed. Review the topics in Tip 10 and create vocabulary lists or mind maps to help you learn more words and phrases related to these areas.
3- Use a range of grammatical structures
When IELTS examiners assess your speaking skills, they score you based on the following assessment criteria:
- Fluency and coherence
- Vocabulary resources
- Grammatical range and accuracy
- Pronunciation
Try to use a variety of simple grammatical structures and complex sentences. To express what you want to say. Be aware of your mistakes and practice talking to friends in English or record yourself to see if you can spot them. If you hear an error, be sure to correct it. You are assessed on your ability to use different grammatical structures correctly. Therefore, it is important to practice talking about the past, present and future using the correct tenses.
4- Don't worry about your accent
With a live speaking test, the IELTS examiner understands many different accents and can understand what you say, unlike an AI machine. If you know how to communicate well, there’s nothing to worry about. But pay attention to the sounds you have difficulty with and make sure you use stress and intonation, as English is a language that emphasizes stress. Practice with friends and they’ll let you know if they don’t understand what you’re saying.
5- Pause to think
There’s no harm in pausing for a moment to think about what to say. We all do it to handle questions. You can use phrases to give yourself time to think in the speaking test, such as:
That’s an interesting question
I never thought of that, but…Let me see
That’s a good idea
Difficult question but I’ll try to answer
Well, someone said so, but I think…
Let me think for a moment
5- Avoid using fillers
Speak confidently and avoid using filler words. Generally, we use filler words when we don’t know what to say. However, this shows the examiner that you cannot access the relevant language or ideas. Therefore, it is important to avoid these and use the wording provided in Tip 5.
Avoid the following fillers:
Like
You know
Umm…
Ahh…
Ehh…
Well
Yeah…
6- Extend your answers
Try to fully answer the examiner’s questions. Expand your answers and don’t wait for the examiner to ask you a question. When your answers are short, it shows the examiner that you cannot talk in detail about a topic. If the examiner answers “Why? », he invites you to explain your answer and develop it in more detail.
7- Smiling helps pronunciation
Smiling can help calm your nerves, thereby improving your pronunciation. Make sure you speak clearly, opening your mouth enough so the sound comes out clearly. When we smile, our mouth is wider and our voice is friendlier. Using clear pronunciation and tone will show the examiner that you can use a variety of pronunciation features.
8- Don't speak in a monotone
Sometimes when we speak, we make sounds that are monotonous and have little variation. This makes it more difficult to express what you’re saying, and it makes it harder for listeners to determine which parts of your message are important. Emphasizing certain words and pausing at certain parts of your speech can make your conversation with the IELTS examiner more engaging. When we emphasize certain words, it is easier to compare and contrast ideas with emphasis on keywords. This also speeds up the conversation, so remember:
- Don’t speak in a monotone
- Vary your tone and intonation to add emphasis
- Use your hands to gesture and help regulate rhythm conversation level.
9- Practice common IELTS topics
Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test requires you to talk about a certain topic for about 2 minutes. Practice common IELTS topics with friends, family or colleagues to improve and learn vocabulary related to each topic. Popular topics you can practice for the speaking test include:
Travel and tourism
Education
Transportation
Environment
Family life
Sports and entertainment
Crime and punishment
Internet
Advertising & Retail
To boost your confidence, combine these ten tips with your IELTS practice materials. With lots of practice, you will gradually achieve the score you want in the IELTS Speaking test. As they say, “practice makes perfect”.”
