General Speaking Tips
The IELTS Speaking Test is the final part of the exam. Your test will be at some time between 1.30pm and 5.00pm. You can take only your ID document into the exam room.
The test lasts between 11 and 14 minutes. You will be interviewed by an examiner who will record your conversation. Timing is strictly controlled by the examiner, so don't be surprised if he or she interrupts you during an answer.
There are 3 parts to the Speaking Test:
- Introduction/ interview: around 10 questions in 4 to 5 minutes.
- Short presentation: talk for 2 minutes with 1 minute to prepare.
- Discussion: around 5 questions in 4 to 5 minutes.
Preparation is the key to a good score in IELTS Speaking. Different skills are tested in each part, so you need to know exactly what to do.
We can predict the kinds of questions that the examiner will ask. We'll prepare ideas, possible answers and good vocabulary for each part of the test.
You should avoid using long phrases to begin your answers. So what should you use instead? Native speakers say things like:
- I think…
- I guess…
- Well,…
These words/phrases might seem less impressive, but you have to remember that examiners are not impressed by the long phrases either! The important thing is to get to the point of your answer.
In the speaking test, examiners don't like it when students use phrases like:
- That's a very interesting question…
- It is my personal opinion that…
- Personally, I would have to say that…
- I am of the opinion that it depends on…
- To be honest, I personally believe that…
These phrases sound unnatural, and it is obvious to the examiner that the student has memorised them.
So what should you do instead? My advice: just answer the question directly. Stop using memorised phrases, and just get straight to the point.
How do you answer a question when you don't know anything about the topic?
There are 2 things you can do:
- Be honest and explain why you don't know
- Guess, and tell the examiner that you are guessing
Example question:
How has technology affected the kinds of music that young people listen to?
My answer, using both tips above:
(1) To be honest I don't really know the answer to that because I'm completely out of touch with what young people are listening to, and I'm not a fan of pop music.
(2) However, I suppose that technology must have affected music. Maybe young people are listening to music that has been made using computer software instead of real musical instruments like the piano or guitar.
A good way to prepare for IELTS speaking is to take one topic area and practise possible questions for all 3 parts. Here are some examples:
'Home' topic
Part 1 - give short answers
- Do you live in a house or a flat?
- What's your favourite room in your home? Why?
- What would you like to change about your home? Why?
- Would you like to move house in the future?
Part 2 - speak for 2 minutes
Describe an interesting home that you have visited.
Part 3 - give longer answers - What factors do you think are important when choosing where to live?
- Compare life in a city with life in the countryside.
- How do you think the design of homes will change in the future?
Here are some tips to help you feel more confident when you go for your IELTS speaking test:
• Be prepared: you should know exactly what to expect in the 3 parts of the speaking test, and you should have read the suggestions on this website about how to answer.
• Lots of practice: a student who has practised answering all of the questions in all eight Cambridge books, as well as the questions on this site, will feel much more confident than a student who hasn't.
• Write it down: when studying at home, you have time to prepare 'perfect' answers to practice questions; write your answers down, and ask someone to help you check and improve them.
• Speak aloud: start by reading the answers you wrote down (like an actor uses a script), then gradually stop using the script.
• Record yourself: this allows you to analyse the quality of your answers, as well as your pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
• Focus on ideas: it's difficult to think about grammar when you are speaking, so I advise students to stop worrying about grammatical structures, and focus on expressing good ideas (which means good vocabulary).
I sometimes hear from students who are worried that their examiner seemed rude or angry in the speaking exam. Maybe the examiner didn't smile or make much eye contact, interrupted a lot, or kept looking at his/her watch. Does this mean that you will get a low score, or that you should complain?
The answer is no! Don't worry, and don't think that you need to complain. The examiner's attitude is not important at all, and you should ignore all of the things I mentioned above. Focus only on answering the examiner's questions as well as you can.
Remember: it's possible to have a very nice, smiling examiner who gives you a low score. On the other hand, an examiner who seems impolite or disinterested might give you a higher score than you expected!
Many students worry too much about grammar. For speaking parts 2 and 3, it's more important to worry about the quality of your answers. The best way to improve the quality of your answers is by adding detail.
Example:
Describe your best friend. Say when you met him/her.
Short answer about when we met:
I met my best friend at school when I was 11 years old.
Detailed answer about when we met:
I met my best friend at school when I was 11 years old, so we've known each other for … years. I remember we sat next to each other in my first science lesson at secondary school, and we had to work together to do an experiment. We got on straight away, and we've been friends ever since.
Notice that by adding more information I've also used more/better vocabulary and grammar.
Here are some steps that you could follow when practising for the speaking test:
- Choose a real speaking test from one of the Cambridge books.
- Record yourself answering one or all of the parts of the test.
- Listen to the recording and transcribe it (write down everything you said).
- Analyse the transcript. How could your answers be improved?
- Take some time to prepare better answers for the same questions.
- Try the same questions again! Record yourself, transcribe and analyse.
- Repeat the process a few times until you are happy.
Imagine if you did this kind of hard work every day for a month. I'm sure you'd be more confident and better prepared than you are now.
Some students are worried about expressing their real opinions in the speaking test. They think that the examiner might disagree and therefore give a lower score.
Don't worry about this. The examiner only cares about your language. Express your opinions, talk about your interests, and give examples from your own experience. The examiner will find 'real' opinions and experiences more interesting than general, superficial answers.
People often ask whether their accent will affect their IELTS score. The simple answer is no. Your score for pronunciation depends on how clearly you speak and how intelligible (easy to understand) you are.
So if accent is not important, what are the factors that affect pronunciation? I really like the explanation on this page from the Warwick University website. They look at 5 key elements of pronunciation:
There are some great tips about improving your pronunciation near the bottom of the page, but my favourites are: work on your mistakes, copy good models of speech, record yourself, slow down, and try to sound interesting / interested!
Students often worry that they need to use "complex structures" in the speaking test. But what is a complex structure?
This website explains the difference between simple sentences, compound sentences and complex sentences. You'll notice that compound and complex sentences are much easier than they sound! I'm sure you use them all the time without realising it.
Here's my advice: stop worrying about the need for "complex" grammar. Instead, focus on expressing your ideas well. As you explain your ideas in detail, you will naturally produce longer sentences which contain a variety of grammatical features.
Do the 3 parts of the speaking test carry equal weighting when your score is calculated, or is one part more important?
The simple answer is that the 3 parts are not scored separately; the examiner rates the student's performance as a whole. In this sense, neither part is more important.
However, it's useful to think about the 3 parts like this:
• Part 1 is supposed to be quite easy (like a warm-up), so you won't get a high score if you only do well in this part.
• Part 2 is when the examiner really gets a chance to assess how good you are. He/she will now have an idea of what scores to give you.
• During part 3, the examiner is making his/her final decision. A good performance here can boost your score.
Students often ask me whether it's ok to lie or invent an answer in the speaking test. My advice is that it's usually easier to tell the truth; however, sometimes your only option is to make something up (to lie). Take this part 2 question for example:
"Describe a team project that you worked on"
If your job involves working in a team, this might be an easy question. But if you're still a student, or you work alone, you might be stuck for ideas. You might need to invent something!
Here's how you could adapt to the question above:
• Talk about a project or piece of work that you did alone, and pretend that other people were involved.
• Go back to your school days and talk about something you studied, pretending that it was a group project.
• Talk about an English lesson - most English teachers put their students in groups from time to time.
In Sunday's lesson I suggested answering in the following way if you don't know what to say: "Well, I don't really know much about… because…, but I suppose…"
In other words, you admit that you don't really know what to say, you explain why, then you invent an answer anyway. Let's try using the formula above with an example.
Question:
What kinds of jobs might stop when the season changes?
Answer:
Well, I don't really know much about seasonal jobs because everyone works all year round where I live, but I suppose that some jobs related to tourism must stop at the end of the summer holiday period.
Here are three tips, one for each part of the speaking test.
Part 1: stop and smile
For part 1 of the speaking test, you need to get used to giving short answers. Many students find it difficult to stop speaking, and the examiner is forced to interrupt. My tip is to give your answer then stop and smile, showing the examiner that you are ready for the next question.
Part 2: tell a story
In the context of speaking part 2, a story is simply a long example to illustrate a point that you have made. If you‟re describing a person, for example, you could tell a story to illustrate why you like him/her. People find it easy to keep speaking for longer when they have a story to tell.
Part 3: include an „if…‟ sentence
Look at technique number 2 in this lesson. The 'alternatives' technique helps you to say more, and it also encourages you to add a conditional 'if…' sentence, which might help your grammar score.
Here are three simple tips that could make a difference to your score:
- Be confident
Although you might be nervous, try to speak clearly and confidently. Smile and be friendly* with the examiner. As you go into the exam, tell yourself that you have prepared well and that you're going to enjoy the challenge. - Know that you are prepared
You will feel much more confident if you know that you have prepared and practised for the test.
You should know exactly what to expect. For example, have you prepared some common topics (e.g. describe a place, a person, a hobby) for the short presentation? Are you ready for a past and a future question in part 3? - Speak naturally
Try to enjoy a normal conversation with the examiner. Instead of worrying about your grammar, listen carefully to the questions and try to give natural answers. Most of the questions are about you, your life and your opinions, so it's best to be open. I used to be an examiner, and I always found the job more interesting when students spoke openly about their opinions and experiences.
*Note: You are not marked on body language, but I'd still recommend that you try to act in a friendly, confident manner.
To improve your IELTS speaking score, use good examples to extend your answers. Real examples or stories about yourself are the best.
Use examples in part 2 when you need to make your presentation longer. Use them in part 3 to support your opinions.
Here's an example that helps me to extend a part 2 presentation about my mobile phone:
"For example, yesterday I used my phone to call some friends to arrange a get-together this weekend. Some of them didn't answer, so I either left a message in their voicemail or I sent them a text. I also replied to a few emails while I was waiting in a queue at the bank."
IELTS Speaking: advice about grammar and vocabulary
It's difficult to think about grammar when you're trying to speak. I think it's much easier to improve your vocabulary score than your grammar score.
Remember:
• Grammar is only 25% of your speaking score.
• If you are thinking too much about grammar, you will lose fluency.
• If you try to use memorised grammatical structures, your speech will not sound 'natural'.
• You will not avoid small grammar mistakes unless you have lived in an English speaking country for many years.
I've taught many students who have achieved a score of 7 or higher, and they all made small grammar mistakes. They got their high scores because we focused on vocabulary, ideas, opinions and fluency.
Have a look through my speaking lessons, and you'll notice that the focus is usually on vocabulary.
In the IELTS speaking test, 25% of your score is for pronunciation. Many students confuse 'pronunciation' with 'accent'. These are not the same thing!
Nobody expects you to speak with a perfect British English accent. In fact, the examiner will not judge your accent at all.
Your pronunciation score is based on these things:
• clarity (speaking clearly)
• speed (not too fast, not too slow)
• word stress
• sentence stress
• intonation (the rise and fall of your voice)
It's not easy to improve these things quickly or through deliberate practice. Good pronunciation is usually the result of lots of listening and copying. My tip is: stop worrying about your accent, and focus on speaking clearly.