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Speaking Test Tips

IELTS - IELTS Speaking Test


The speaking test is probably the most difficult for
candidates because they have to speak to someone. Actually, you might not need to orry as much as you do. A
number of studies have suggested that candidates feel their speaking skills are eakest hen this is not the case. If
you can speak confidently, clearly and make your ideas understood, there is no reason hy you shouldn!t get a
reasonable speaking test score. These tips ill help"
#. $nless your pronunciation is particularly poor, don!t aste time on pronunciation lessons. It is much more
beneficial to spend the time ac%uiring a good range of vocabulary and structure.
&. This is easy to say, but don!t be nervous. Think of is like this" if you are really nervous and can!t speak then your
score ill be poor. If you are confident and speak freely, you ill have no idea hat your score ill be - it could be
great'
(. )emember your *ob is to give the assessor something to assess - if you only say !+es! or !,o! during the intervie,
the assessor on!t be able to give you a good score. +our *ob is to give the assessor as much as possible to
consider. This means speaking as much as you can. -on!t go off topic and don!t talk about anything that comes into
your head, but speak as much as you can. The assessor ill stop you hen he is ready.
.. )emember the assessor on!t prompt you to speak. If you don!t say enough he/she ill go onto the ne0t
%uestion. If you continue not to say enough, the intervie could be very short'
1. -on!t ask the assessor hat %uestions mean. All he/she can do if you don!t understand is repeat the %uestion.
+ou can though ask the e0aminer to repeat a %uestion if you are not sure you understood it.
2. As ith the riting test, don!t sho off. Some candidates the intervie as a ay of shoing the assessor hat you
kno. They use sophisticated vocabulary and difficult grammar ithout really knoing ho to use both. The result
ill be a decline in ho ell you speak and your score ill go don.
3. E0tend your ansers by giving reasons"
a. 4I don!t really like going to the cinema.4
b. 4I don!t really like going to the cinema because it!s e0pensive and I don!t like crods very much.4
Phase 1 Tips
5. In the first phase of the speaking test, the assessor ill ask you %uestions about yourself. )esearch the topic' The
assessor might say 4Tell me about your parents! *obs.4 If you don!t kno anything about them, you ill be stuck. It
can be surprising ho little people kno about their on situation.
6. 7onsider this phase of the test meeting someone for the first time and telling them about yourself. Try to be
rela0ed and keep the conversation going.
#8. -on!t orry about lying - this is not a test of if you are a good person. If the assessor says 4Tell me about your
hobbies and interests4 and you reply 4I don!t have any4 then you aren!t saying enough to allo the assessor to
assess you. In situations like this, lie. 9ake up the ildest story you can imagine.
Phase 2 Tips
##. In :hase & of the speaking test. +ou are asked to make a presentation on a topic. It ill alays be something
person, like talking about a holiday you ent on. After the test, many candidates suggest they didn!t kno about the
topic hich is hy they couldn!t anser the %uestion. 7learly, this can!t be the case. ;hat they mean is they couldn!t
anser the %uestion because they couldn!t think of hat to say. If this is the case for you, during the one minute you
have to prepare, brainstorm your anser. <or e0ample, the assessor my ask you to talk about a holiday you really
en*oyed. =n you piece of paper, rite don %uestions ords"
;here>
;hen>
;hy>
;hat>
;ho ith>
?o>
Etc.
;hen you have asked the %uestions, anser them"
;here> 7hiang 9ai
;hen> last year
;hy> celebrate end e0ams
;hat> climbed mountains / sa hill tribes
;ho ith> uni friends
?o> bus from 9orchit Etc.
If you then !e0pand! @say as much as you can aboutA your ansers you should fill up your to minutes easily.
#&. =ne of the things you must do in both phases of the speaking test is sho a range of grammar structures. In
phase to you might be asked to talk about a holiday you had. This is the anser"
!;e ent to Thailand for our holiday last year. <irst e ent to Bangkok and sa the Crand :alace. Then e ent
to Ayuthya and sa the ancient city. After that e ent to 7hiang 9ai and met the hill tribes. <inally, e ent to
7hiang )ai and sa the hill tribes, too.4
Although grammatically perfect, there are only a fe sentence structures used. ;e could change this by changing
the order of things"
4Before going to 7hiang )ai and seeing the hill tribes e visited Ayuthya and ent to the ancient city.4
This adds another structure to the anser !Before D Eerb D ing! - this ill improve your score. Take some time no to
look at the anser above and consider as many ays possible including more sentence structures.
#(. +ou can!t ask the assessor direct %uestions about a presentation topic, but it is permissible to !scope! hat you
can talk about in a presentation. <or e0ample you can as I talk about the hill tribes in 7hiang 9ai>4 The assessor
ill anser !+es! or !,o!.
Phase 3 Tips
#.. :hase ( is here the final score is given to a candidate. This is the part of the test here you must e0cel. -o the
best that you can here ithout trying to hard or getting yourself into problems. Although a number of sources
suggest that scores are averaged beteen the three phases of the speaking test, this stage is here the !ceiling! is
established - you can!t get a higher score than your performance in phase (.
#1. :hase ( is much more like a conversation beteen you and the assessor. ?ere he/she doesn!t have a script and
can ask you anything he/she ants. If you go off topic, the assessor ill make attempts to make sure you stay on
topic - there!s no point in rehearsing a speech'
#2. Amongst other things, in :hase ( you ill be asked to speculate about the future, give and opinion, suggest a
solution to a problem, or describe a process or procedure. Try to come up ith a complete anser. If you are asked
ho you ould solve traffic problems orld ide, don!t *ust talk about buying more busesF consider here the
money for the buses ould come from, e0plain ho you ould raise the money for the buses and persuade people
ho to use them. This ill certainly impress the assessor.
#3. 9ake eye contact ith the assessor. Although theoretically you could speak great English ith your head don,
the fact is you may not come across as confident. Although there is no mark for confidence, you need to present
yourself in as positive ay as possible.

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