IELTS
Speaking Exam
Speaking practice tests
1. Part 1 is
about YOU. They will ask you familiar, everyday questions about your life. This
will last around 4-5 minutes.
2. Part 2 is
sometimes called the ‘long turn’. You will be given a cue card and you will
have 1 minute to prepare your answer. You will then be asked to speak for up to
2 minutes.
3. Part 3 is
more abstract. This is your opportunity to really develop your answers and
discuss the issues brought up by the examiner. This will last 4-5 minutes.
Vocabulary
for IELTS Speaking Part 1
IELTS Speaking Part 2: the essential
guide
IELTS Speaking Part 2: what is it?
IELTS Speaking Part 2: what happens?
What is the IELTS examiner looking for?
Tips for IELTS Speaking Part 2
1.
Make notes before you talk
2.
Memorise a good opener
3.
Paraphrase the topic
4.
Keep talking
5.
Make eye contact with the examiner
6. Decide
what to talk about quickly (Lie if you need to!)
7. Ask
for clarification
Lets have a look at question 3
“Do you think
shopping habits are likely to change in the future?”
Things to remember about Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test.
Tip: Give an opinion with detail, give reasons , give examples and
stay on topic.
Useful Expressions.
7 Essential Strategies for Maximizing Your IELTS Speaking Test Score
1.
Remain calm
2.
Know what’s coming
3.
Just answer the question!
4.
Remember that the examiner’s lips are sealed
6.
Get in the habit of answering the question “why?”
7.
Implement key phrases strategically
Phrases to enrich a normal answer
It is more than likely that the examiner will ask you some questions regarding your opinion or yourself. In this situation you could enrich a normal answer by beginning with one of these phrases:
Vocabulary
for IELTS Speaking Part 1
Talking about yourself
·
Your past. I grew up in (place), which is
. . .
·
Your job. I am (currently/presently) . . .
·
Where you live now. I’ve been living in (place) for (blank years/month).
·
Current plans. At the moment, I’m taking
classes at . . . and . . .
·
Future plans. I’m hoping to . . .
·
Future plans. I’m planning on . . .
Asking for repetition
·
Could you please repeat the question?
·
One more time?
·
I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Would you mind repeating?
Inserting natural phrases
·
Well, I’d have to say that . . .
·
It’s tough to say, but I’d . . .
·
In my opinion, . . .
Negative statements
·
I’m not so sure that . . .
·
I’m not convinced that . . .
·
To be perfectly honest, I . . .
·
Between the two of us, . . .
Examples
·
For example, . . .
·
As an example, . . .
·
For instance, . . .
·
Perhaps you’re aware of . . .
IELTS Speaking Part 2: the essential
guide
Here is my essential
guide to Part
2 of the IELTS
Speaking test. In this guide you can find out
everything you need to know.
IELTS Speaking Part 2: what is it?
§ In IELTS Speaking Part 2, you give a talk.
§ Your talk should be between one and two minutes.
§ It’s your chance to show the examiner how well you can talk
for an extended period.
§ Many people call it “The Long Turn” because it is
your turn to speak for a long time.
§ 2 minutes doesn’t seem like a long time, but if you’ve
never done it before, it can seem like forever!
So get prepared! Keep
reading…
IELTS Speaking Part 2: what happens?
In IELTS Speaking Part 2, the
examiner will ask you to speak for between
one and two minutes on a topic.
1.
The IELTS examiner will give you
a topic card. On the card, there
will be a short description of a topic, with some ideas for what to
include. The topic will be related to your personal experience, for
example your favourite teacher or a beautiful place in your country.
2.
The examiner will give you one minute to prepare your
talk. You will be given a piece of paper to write down some ideas. You could
make a list of ideas and keywords, or draw a mind map.
3.
After one minute, the examiner
will ask you to you to start your talk.
4.
You give your talk.
You are expected to speak, without interruption from the examiner, for between one and two minutes.
The examiner will listen and say nothing, but he might nod and gesture in
order to encourage you to continue talking.
5.
After 2 minutes (or earlier if
you have finished talking) the examiner will interrupt and ask you one or two
extra questions about the topic. You should only spend a few seconds answering
these questions.
6.
Then, you go straight into
IELTS Speaking Part 3
What is the IELTS examiner looking for?
In IELTS Speaking Part 2, the
IELTS examiner will assess your speaking task against the IELTS
assessment criteria. There are 4
areas: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy,
and pronunciation.
To get a band
score of 8.0, this is what you must achieve
in these 4 areas:
§ Fluency
and Coherence: you should speak fluently
with only an occasional hesitation. Your talk should be coherent and
well-structured.
§ Lexical
Resource: you should paraphrase the task
(see below), use a wide range of language appropriately with some
idiomatic language (some mistakes are accepted).
§ Grammar: you should be using a wide range of grammatical structures
with only occasional errors.
§ Pronunciation: your pronunciation should be easy to understand throughout
with very few difficulties for the examiner.
Typical IELTS Speaking
Part 2 Topics
IELTS Speaking task 2 topics are
related to personal experiences and life events. Typical topics include:
§ school, study and work
§ important events or changes in your life
§ places you’ve been to or want to visit in the future
§ hobbies and free time activities
§ goals and ambitions
Look through this slideshow. I’ve
included some typical IELTS speaking part 2 topics here. Think about how
you might talk about these things.
Tips for IELTS Speaking Part 2
Now you know all the basic
information about IELTS Speaking part 2. Now it’s time for some tips.
1.
Make notes before you talk
The examiner will give you one
minute to prepare your talk. You should write down some notes. Write
down a list of words related to what you want to say, or draw a mind
map. If you have to think about what to say when you’re talking, you will
not be able to think about your language, so you are more likely to make
grammatical mistakes. It’s also very common for candidates to panic when they
are talking, and forget what to say; if you have notes, you won’t
forget what to say if you panic.
Make
it easier for yourself. Make notes before you start talking.
2.
Memorise a good opener
Starting your talk is difficult,
so memorise an opening phrase.
Here are some good examples:
§ “I’d like to talk about…”
§ “Well, there are many _________ I could talk about, but I suppose
the __________ I’ve experienced/had is/was….”
(The
second example will help you get a better score than the others because
the language is more advanced, but use the first example if the second sentence
is too difficult to remember.)
For example, if your topic
is “describe your favourite teacher”, you could say:
§ “I’d like to talk about my favourite teacher.”
§ “Well, there are many good teachers who I could talk about,
but I suppose the favourite teacher I’ve had was…”
If your topic is “describe a
beautiful place to visit in your country”, you could say
§ “I’d like to talk about a beautiful place in my country.”
§ “Well, there are many beautiful places which I could talk
about, but I suppose the most beautiful place I’ve been to is….”
A good opener will impress the
examiner, but the next tip will impress him even more…
3.
Paraphrase the topic
When referring to the topic,
don’t use the words from the topic card. Instead, use your own words. This is
called paraphrasing.
So, if the topic is “describe a
beautiful place to visit in your country” don’t say:
“I’m going to describe a
beautiful place to visit in China.”
Instead, say, for example:
“I’m going to talk about a
stunning destination, which people can travel to in the north-east of
China.”
Paraphrasing lets you show the
examiner how much vocabulary and grammar you know. In the paraphrase above, I changed “place” to “destination” and changed the
adjective “beautiful” to “stunning“. I also used a relative
clause “whichpeople can travel to…”. I
also added in some extra information: “the north-east of China.”
Remember, together, grammar and vocabulary make up 50% of your marks, so it is
very important to use a wide range of grammar and vocabulary.
4.
Keep talking
Try to keep talking…and
talking…and talking. Don’t worry about the time. The examiner will stop you
after 2 minutes.
5.
Make eye contact with the examiner
Make sure you look up from your
notes and topic card and make eye contact with the examiner when you are
speaking. But don’t stare at him!
6. Decide
what to talk about quickly (Lie if you need to!)
Sometimes it’s difficult to think
of something to talk about. Let’s say you have to talk about your favourite
teacher. Remember you have a minute to prepare your talk.
The
wrong way: spend your preparation time
thinking about who your favourite teacher was.
Was it Mr Smith? Or was it Mrs
Jones? What was Mrs Jones like? She was quite interesting, but Mr Smith was
quite kind. Oh, but what about Miss Brown, she was quite nice. I’ll talk
about her…..
Finally, with only 10 seconds
before you must talk, you suddenly remember Mr Black.
Oh, Mr Black. I remember! Yes, he
was fantastic! I’ll talk about him!
But now you have to start
talking!
The
right way: choose a nice teacher you had.
Any nice teacher will do. Then write down some words to describe him, and maybe
some words to help you describe a story about him that you remember.
Being
honest is not one of the assessment criteria. The examiner doesn’t care who your favourite teacher was.
The examiner only cares about the language you use in your talk, your
pronunciation and your fluency and coherence.
In fact, you could even lie.
You could invent an amazing teacher to talk about. However, it is better to
think of someone or something from your own experience because it’s
usually easier to talk about, but if you can’t think of something to talk about
from your own experience, invent it.
The key thing is to decide what
to talk about in the first few second, then make notes about it.
7. Ask
for clarification
If you don’t understand a word on
the topic card or your task, you can ask the examiner to explain. But,
don’t just say “I don’t understand.” Instead, use some more advanced
phrases.
For example, you could say:
§ “By…., do you mean…..?”
§ “If I understand correctly, it means that….”
§ “So, in other words, I should….”
§ “So, is it ok if I talk about…?”
If you ask for clarification
using good language, you will really impress your examiner!
Lets have a look at question 3
“Do you think
shopping habits are likely to change in the future?”
This question asks for your
opinion and also asks for a
prediction about the future.
- Opinion: As
far as I’m concerned shopping habits will change
considerably over the next few years, particularly with
online purchases and the use of cryptocurrency to pay for items.
- Reason: One
reason for this is that most people these days prefer
online shopping and carrying paper cash is becoming a thing of the past,
as cryptocurrency is gaining in popularity now.
- Example: For
instance, if I want to buy books, a new PC, clothing or just
about anything, it’s often much cheaper and quicker to buy on Amazon,
there are options to pay with Apple Pay or Bitcoin when buying online too.
Another thing is that very few people use cash now when buying stuff in
bricks and mortar stores as shopping is becoming more efficient and
digital. In
the near future, I think shoppers won’t be carrying
paper cash.
Things to remember about Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test.
In part 3 of the IELTS speaking test don’t worry too much
about using highly advanced vocabulary or formal words. Of course, you need to
have a good level of vocabulary as this is being assessed but the main point of
Part 3 speaking is to give a longer
detailed answer, with some examples
and reasons.Also make sure you stay
on topic.
Tip: Give an opinion with detail, give reasons , give examples and
stay on topic.
Useful Expressions.
Some useful expressions for introducing your opinion are
important to use in part 3 of IELTS speaking. Beware that some of these we cannot use in the writing part of
IELTS because they are too informal in writing.
Giving your opinion
- As far as I’m concerned…..
- If you ask me I think….
- To be honest I think….
- I reckon…..
Giving
the public opinion
- Many people would say
that…
- It is often said that….
- It is widely believed
that…
Giving Examples
- For instance…..
- One reason for this is…..
- One example is……
- Lets take…….. for example
- In the case of…..
Saying you don’t know and getting
thinking time.
If you are not sure or don’t have a clear opinion never just say ‘I don’t know’,
use these expressions below, they sound much better, but you will still need to
offer an opinion or example and you cannot ask the examiner for a different
question. These are also useful when you need more time to think of a response.
- I haven’t really thought
about it but I reckon….
- It is not something I have
considered, however I think…
- To be honest, I don’t
really know but I would say…
- I don’t know much about
the issue, however I would say that…..
- That’s a tough question,
…well I reckon that…..
- Well that’s an interesting
question, let me see….. I think….
Part 3 of IELTS speaking can be difficult and needs
practice because you have to talk in detail and it must sound natural , not
like you have memorised an answer or are talking from a script...
7 Essential Strategies for Maximizing Your IELTS Speaking Test Score
1.
Remain calm
The more
anxious and uncomfortable you are, the more difficult it’ll be to keep up your fluency and maintain coherence. It may
feel overwhelming to have to use a wide range of vocabulary and
grammatical structures accurately and with the intended meaning. But you have
to keep your mind under control. Tell yourself, “I can do this.”
Just
remember, the examiner means to help you and it’s her job to make you feel
comfortable. The test format is designed to foster (encourage) this as well, as
you’ll first be asked some basic questions about familiar topics like family or
your home. The examiner may feel a bit “robotic” at times, but that’s due to
the scripted nature of the test and the fact that the examiner is focused on
administering the test, reading the questions and giving instructions – all
this while assessing and grading your language! No wonder they’re tense, it’s a
hard job.
Just feel
relieved that all you need to do is answer some questions.
In the final
part of the test, the examiner will take a more conversational approach when
discussing less familiar and more abstract topics. Again, just relax, smile and
do your best to speak to the examiner as if you’re really having an interesting
and engaging conversation with someone.
2.
Know what’s coming
Are you
taking IELTS for the first time? Do you honestly know how the Speaking test is
structured? Even students who’ve taken the test multiple times can’t answer
questions about the structure of the test and how the test is administered.
What a huge mistake! Knowing how to take the test if half the battle. Once you
know what to expect, you’ll answer questions faster and more easily. Here are
some simple questions you should really know the answers to:
·
How long is
the speaking test?
·
How many
parts or sections are there?
·
What does
each part consist of?
·
What areas
of my language are assessed?
·
Who grades
my performance – the examiner or somebody else?
If you
weren’t able to answer all of these questions, read the test format info page from the British Council’s TakeIELTS
site and locate the correct information:
3.
Just answer the question!
At the start
of the test, just give the information that’s needed rather than expanding too
much on your answers. Wait until you hear questions about your home, work,
school life and so on before giving more extended answers. Even then, provide
relevant answers and avoid rambling on about everything you can think of.
Candidates often stray from the topic by going off on tangents – avoid this.
Think of structuring your responses this way:
Sample IELTS
Speaking question: “What type of weather do you enjoy most?”
|
OPENING (optional)
|
Hmm. It’s hard to say because I
like all seasons but…
|
|
ANSWER
|
I would say summer would have
to be my all-time favorite.
|
|
REASON/EXAMPLE
|
You know, the summer is just
great. There are so many things to do outside, you can be near the water,
yes…if it’s too hot, it’s better to hang out at the beach. I really love the
beach and watersports like surfing…
|
|
CLOSE
|
so, yeah, if I had to choose
one, it would be summer for sure.
|
It should be
fairly obvious, but make every effort to answer the question. Don’t refuse or
“give up” on the question:
|
RATHER THAN…
|
TRY THIS:
|
|
I don’t
know… I can’t answer that question.
|
Hmm,
that’s a tricky question. Let me think about that… yeah, I guess I would say
that…
|
Then do your
best to answer the question! The phrases above are useful for giving yourself
some thinking time and could get you out of a jam. Using these “filler” phrases
also shows your ability to keep speaking despite facing a difficult question.
4.
Remember that the examiner’s lips are sealed
It’s
important to understand that the examiner reads from a script, and she can say
very little beyond what’s written in her test booklet.
This can
lead to some awkward moments if you try to ask the examiner a question.
For example,
there are sometimes confusing issues that arise regarding some of the questions
that refer to “your home.” Candidates often don’t know whether they’re supposed
to talk about their home country or the place where they’re living at the time
of the exam (many IELTS test-takers are living outside their home country).
If you don’t
understand something, ask the examiner politely to repeat the question. Avoid
asking too many questions – your job is to answer the questions and show the
examiner what you can do in English. Rather than trying to clarify the “home”
issue with the examiner, just indicate which “home” you would like to
speak about and use appropriate language to do so:
|
RATHER THAN…
|
TRY THIS:
|
|
Should
I talk about my home country or Boston? *It really doesn’t matter which one you
speak about. It’s more important that you address the question and express
yourself coherently.
|
Well,
I’d like to talk about Boston, because I’m really starting to feel like this
is my second home… Well, I’m only here in Boston for a short time, so
I’ll talk about my hometown in [country].
|
It should go
without saying that you shouldn’t try to engage the examiner in conversation
before nor after the exam. Just say, “good afternoon” and follow the examiner’s
directions. When the test is finished, be polite and leave the room. Don’t try
to seek reassurance from the examiner and definitely don’t ask her, “so, how
did I do? Was it bad?” Remember, the Speaking test is recorded and the examiner
cannot discuss the test or your performance.
6.
Get in the habit of answering the question “why?”
If you’ve
ever taken the IELTS exam before, you may have noticed that the examiner will
respond to simple answers by asking, “why?”
This is
because she needs you to say more so she can accurately evaluate your language.
However, if the examiner feels like she has to coax information out of you
continually by asking “why” all the time, you could be marked down for lack of
fluency.
According to
the IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors, in order to achieve a Band
6 the candidate must be “willing to speak at length.” Even Band 5 describes a
speaker who “usually maintains a flow of speech.” Giving short, one or two-word
answers won’t work. Short responses require the examiner to prompt you again
and again. All this doesn’t do much to showcase (show off) your language
ability. On the other hand, don’t be overly alarmed if the examiner asks you
“why” a few times – it’s their job to keep you talking.
|
OKAY
|
BETTER
|
|
Examiner: What’s your favorite color?
Candidate: Blue, I think. Examiner: Why? Candidate: I don’t know. I just like it. |
Examiner: What’s your favorite color?
Candidate: Blue, I think. Yeah, blue, because it reminds me of the ocean and the sky. I feel calm when I see the color blue. I also like to wear blue – it looks good on me. |
7.
Implement key phrases strategically
If you’re
familiar with the format of the IELTS Speaking test and the types of questions
asked, then you can start planning. Think about what you can say in various
situations that may arise during the test. For example, the first part of the
text will ask you about things like your home, family, work or your life as a
student. This is a great time to show off your ability to use the present
perfect.
home – I’ve lived in my apartment for two years.
family – We’ve been married for only six months.
work – I’ve been an engineer for fourteen years.
student life – I’ve been studying English for five years.
After asking
a few personal questions, the examiner will move on to questions about more
general topics. However, you might get caught off-guard by a random question
about sunshine, pets or trees in your country. If you’re not sure what to say,
use a phrase like, “Hmm, that’s an interesting
question…” to buy yourself some thinking time. Here’s a useful
group of expressions that may come in handy during the exam.
|
to give your opinionto show
another side of an issue
|
In my
opinion,…I believe (that)…To me,…However,…On the other hand,…Having said
that,…
|
|
if you didn’t hear/understand
something
|
Excuse
me, could you say that again?Can you repeat the question, please?
|
|
if you don’t understand a
term/word
|
What
does . . . mean?I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with …. What does it mean?
|
|
facing a difficult / strange
question
|
Buy yourself some time with
these phrases:Hmm, that’s an interesting
question… I’d say…Hmm, I haven’t thought about it before, but I would say…I
can’t say for sure, but…
|
This is only
meant to get you started. Come up with some other useful phrases and think
about how and when you might use them on the exam!
These are set phrases that can be
used as a rough guide to help you prepare for your IELTS Speaking Exam.
Learn to use them in context,
adapt them, master them and they will help you – but only if used correctly.
Generalising Phrases
If the examiner asks you your
opinion about your home, studies, job, or country, you can add one of these
‘generalising’ phrases to show a more relaxed aspect of your language ability.
This is perfect for the introduction
part of your IELTS Speaking Exam.
|
To some extent
|
To some extent the
weather is poor but I do love the city centre when it rains.
|
|
On the whole
|
On the whole, I do enjoy
living in Manchester.
|
|
By and large
|
By and large, Manchester
United was a wonderful club.
|
Phrases to enrich a normal answer
It is more than likely that the examiner will ask you some questions regarding your opinion or yourself. In this situation you could enrich a normal answer by beginning with one of these phrases:
I’m pretty sure that…
In my case…
I personally believe/think
that…
It’s my opinion that…
Phrases to restate
If you see a funny expression on the examiner’s face and you feel they aren’t following you, first slow down and then use one of these:
If you see a funny expression on the examiner’s face and you feel they aren’t following you, first slow down and then use one of these:
·
What I meant was…
·
To put it in other words…
·
Let me explain it to you…
·
What I’m saying is…
·
Let me put it another way…
Phrases to correct a mistake
If you make a mistake and you’re aware of it, you can either ignore it or acknowledge it with a perfect sentence like:
If you make a mistake and you’re aware of it, you can either ignore it or acknowledge it with a perfect sentence like:
·
Sorry, what I would have liked
to say was…
·
Let me rephrase what I just
said…
·
Don’t misunderstand me, what I
wanted to say was…
Phrases to get you back on topic
If you find yourself off topic, which can happen when you’re nervous, get back on track with one of these phrases:
If you find yourself off topic, which can happen when you’re nervous, get back on track with one of these phrases:
·
Where was I?
·
Anyway…
·
In any case…
·
To get back to what I was
saying…
Phrases to use when giving examples
These phrases, when adapted, are perfect when giving examples:
These phrases, when adapted, are perfect when giving examples:
·
Take McKinsley for example…
·
To illustrate this…
·
A case in point is…
·
To show you what I mean…
Similarity Phrases
In Part 3 of your IELTS Speaking Exam you will find yourself in a discussion with the examiner. This is the perfect time to use your Similarity Phrases.
In Part 3 of your IELTS Speaking Exam you will find yourself in a discussion with the examiner. This is the perfect time to use your Similarity Phrases.
Just make sure you are using them
correctly, as these are more advanced and can be a little confusing.
|
·
In the
same way
|
·
In the
same way as Manchester industrialised, so did Liverpool.
|
|
·
Just as
|
·
Just as United
used to win trophies, so did Inter Milan.
|
|
·
Similarly
|
·
Similarly,
we also studied via the internet.
|
Phrases to expand and develop
If you want to further develop reasons or explanations, use these phrases:
If you want to further develop reasons or explanations, use these phrases:
·
What is more…
·
Besides…
·
In any case…
·
As well as that…
·
In addition…
·
Furthermore… (formal)
·
Moreover… (very formal)
Phrases to explain a logical
consequence
These phrases are good to use when
coming to a conclusion about the topic you are talking about:
Therefore…
Therefore…
·
As a result…
·
Consequently… (quite formal)
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