IELTS Speaking Test - An Overview
As one of the components apart from IELTS Writing Task that is assessed of the student during the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), this test is designed to evaluate the speaking proficiency of students who wish to move to English-speaking countries for work or study purposes. This test is particularly conducted in the presence of an examiner who asks you questions on a real-time, face-to-face basis, making it a crucial one to pass. Students need to have a spontaneous thought process so they can revert back to the questions in the most ideal way.
During the IELTS Speaking Test, the student has to answer a variety of questions, which usually cover a broad range of topics that can include interests, hobbies, work, family, the background you come from, and various general knowledge questions, including current affairs. While the student answers these questions, the examiner primarily judges the fluency of speaking, coherence, articulation, grammar, and language accuracy. The overall IELTS speaking test is divided into 3 parts.
Part 1: This section includes the introduction of both the parties, that is, the students and the examiner. Here, the students can introduce themselves, which can help the examiner in confirming their identity. This will comprises of the examiner asking you about miscellaneous topics that can include your family, background, interests, etc.
Part 2: Part 2 of the IELTS speaking test generally includes the examiner asking the student to speak about a particular topic in detail. The examiner might also ask you what subtopics you can induce in your main topic. They might provide you with a few minutes to structure your understanding of the topic before they ask you to talk about it for about 1 to 2 minutes in detail. As the examiner won’t interrupt you throughout this time, you will be expected to keep speaking continuously during this time.
Part 3: Part 3 of the IELTS speaking test includes the examiner cross-questioning you on whatever you have spoken about in Part 2. These questions might actually turn out to be a good opportunity for you to speak about the elements that you might have missed out on previously.
Proven IELTS Speaking Tips and Strategies
It is always recommended that you go in well-prepared for your IELTS speaking test. Following are some of the best IELTS speaking tips and strategies that every student should be aware of to make test attempts the best they can be. These speaking tricks for IELTS include:
1. Keep a track of time
One of the best IELTS speaking tips and strategies is to be extremely crucial in the time spent on speaking. During the introduction part, be extremely straightforward with the answers and keep them short and crisp. If you are allotted a specific time to talk about a topic, make sure you structure your content accordingly. Start your answer by building a substantial base and then go on by adding multiple subtopics to it. Talk about things that are coming to your mind, but structure them in a time-efficient way. During the discussion round, express your opinions that are based on your past experiences to keep the tone more conversational.
2. Don’t speak crammed answers
Don’t memorise your answers while going in for your IELTS speaking test. As many students opt to cram the answers based on the repetitively asked topics, it can look quite artificial, and the examiner can catch that pretty easily. Also, it might become a bit difficult for you to think of content and the way to speak about them if a new topic is assigned to you during the IELTS speaking test. Thus, one of the best IELTS speaking tips would be to prepare for any topic and keep it spontaneous.
3. Don’t speak monotonously
One of the best IELTS speaking strategies is to tune your speech and pitch. Speaking in a monotonous way won’t be of any help while taking the IELTS speaking test. The best way to get the examiner's attention to what you are speaking about is by varying your pitches to various levels at several points. Especially when you are adding a new subtopic to your content, it will also help you regain your confidence, and you won’t be tired yourself while speaking continuously for minutes at a stretch.
4. Accent should be your last concern
Do not put a lot of thought into your accent. Your accent should be your last concern while appearing for your IELTS speaking test. The examiner has specialised in understanding a wide range of accents, and thus, he will be able to understand what you are trying to say even if your English is heavily accented because of your native language. However, even if you speak in an accented manner, make sure you communicate well by conveying what you want to say in the most clear manner. This can be done by putting stress and inflexion on the words you have difficulty pronouncing.
5. Take pauses
These IELTS speaking tips and strategies go well with our third point, too. The way you can phase out your monotonous way of speaking can be by taking pauses as and when they are required. These pauses will also allow you some time to think about your next sentence or the next topic that you will be speaking about. There are several phrases that you can use, so it might not look like you are taking time to think, such as:
- Let me see
- Let me think about that
- This has never occurred to me, but
- That’s a good point to start
- That is an interesting point to think about
6. Fillers are no good
During your IELTS speaking test, avoid using filler words such as like, umm, you know, well, ahh, and many more. Use better and more articulated words in their place, or take pauses to think about what you want to speak about next. This is one of the best IELTS speaking strategies you can implement to give weight to the content you speak.
7. Don’t use complicated words
Don’t use overcomplicated words or words that are unfamiliar to you. This might increase the risk of you making a mistake which the examiner can easily catch. Also, it even increases the chance of you using these words in the wrong context or pronouncing it incorrectly. Thus, one important IELTS speaking tip would be to use vocabulary that you are fully familiar with.
8. Use various grammatical structures
You can use various pillars of grammar to strengthen your content, which includes fluency in language and coherence, which is how logically and consistently you answer the questions asked. The use of Lexical resources is also something that students should consider while structuring their grammar and answers. Lexical Resources in IELTS is the candidate’s ability to infuse a wide range of vocabulary during their IELTS speaking test and even the writing test. The accuracy of grammar also plays a huge role here, along with the correct pronunciation.
9. Give extensive answers
Try to give answers to the examiner’s questions completely and extensively. Keep extending your answers, and do not wait for the examiner to ask another question for you to speak more. The major reason why this is one of the most used IELTS speaking strategies is that when your answers are short, the examiner might evaluate so that you cannot talk about a topic in detail. If the examiner then adds smaller questions such as ‘why’ and ‘how’ after you are done speaking, they are prompting you to answer fully or add more reasoning to your answer.
10. Practice previously asked topics
One of the most useful ways for IELTS speaking preparation includes checking previous IELTS test topics. You can take help from the various IELTS online coaching platforms available for free. You can also check which topics have been consistently asked in the previous IELTS exams. This might give you an idea about what needs to be covered. Some of the common topics for the IELTS speaking test include:
- Tourism Travel
- Education
- Transport
- Environment
- Family
- Crime & Punishment
- Internet & Cyber Security
- Marketing & Advertising
- Sports
So this is it, folks! These are all of the IELTS speaking tips and strategies that you should be aware of to take the IELTS speaking test like a pro. The IELTS speaking test is not just about mastering English as a subject but as a language. It includes gaining proficiency in fluency and building a confident personality and aura. So, shake off those nerves, embrace the challenge, and let your English skills shine through. Whether you're discussing your favourite hobby or dissecting global issues, approach each question with enthusiasm and flair.
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