See the full lesson on our website: http://www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/video-ielts-speaking
Are you planning to take an IELTS exam, perhaps to work or study in an English-speaking country? The speaking test is one of the most difficult parts of IELTS. In this lesson, you can learn about how to approach the speaking test. We'll give you some simple advice which can help you to improve your score.
1. Don't go in cold - try to have a practice conversation or think in English before your exam
The IELTS speaking exam is very short - around 14 minutes. When I teach a class, it often takes students 5-10 minutes to relax and get into 'English mode'. In the IELTS exam, you don't have that much time. Ideally, you want to be thinking in English before you start. So, it's a good idea to have a short conversation in English before your exam to warm up and get ready. If you are preparing for IELTS in a group class, try to find a practice partner from your class who you can meet before the exam to speak in English for 30-40 minutes. If you really can't find anyone to speak to, at least try to think in English for a while before your speaking exam. If you are taking all the four parts of the exam on the same day, this might be your only choice.
2. Use part one to relax and get comfortable
In part one of the speaking exam, the examiner will ask you to introduce yourself, and will ask you some questions about a simple, everyday topic. You might feel nervous before your exam - that's completely normal. The questions in part one should be easy to answer, so use the opportunity to build your confidence, get used to the examiner's voice and hopefully feel a little bit more comfortable.
3. Use the bullet points to plan your answer in part two
In part two, the examiner will give you a question to talk about for around one-two minutes. You have one minute to prepare your answer. Let's look at a sample question:
Describe something you own which is very important to you.
You should say:
- where you got it from
- how long you have had it
- what you use it for; and
- explain why it is important to you.
All of the questions have the same form: there's the main question, and there are bullet points. Use the bullet points to help you plan and organise your answer. Start with an introduction sentence:
I'd like to tell you about my ___________.
Then for each bullet point, try to think of one or two sentences you can say. If you can do this, you will fill the time easily. This will also help to make sure that your answer is clear, relevant and well-organised, all of which can help you to get a better score.
4. Develop your ideas as much as possible
Remember: the examiner isn't giving you a score for the English you know, the examiner is giving a score for the English which you produce in the exam. A student who doesn't use what they know and a student who doesn't know something are in the same position, from the examiner's point of view.
This means it's important to develop your ideas at every opportunity. Don't just give a simple sentence: add detail, add a reason, or add an example to give your ideas more depth.
5. Ask for clarification if you are not sure about something
I have good news for you: it's perfectly normal not to understand what someone said. I don't always understand what people say. People don't always understand what I say. When you speak your language, does everybody understand everybody perfectly? Of course not!
So, don't be afraid to ask for an explanation if you haven't fully understood something which the examiner has said. It doesn't mean that your English is bad, and it won't affect your score at all. It's much better to ask instead of trying to answer a question which you haven't really understood.
6. Focus on communicating clearly
In IELTS, communicating clearly is generally more important than using grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation accurately, especially in bands 4-6. Sure, if you want to get 8.0 or 9.0, you need to speak perfectly, without any errors. However, if you are trying to get 6.0 or 7.0, it's more important that you express yourself clearly. You can make several mistakes with grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation and still get band 6.0 quite easily, so long as your meaning is clear. You need to be more accurate to get 7.0, but it's still possible to get 7.0 while making mistakes.
This doesn't mean that grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation are not important, but expressing yourself clearly and speaking fluently are much more important for your IELTS score. So don't start worrying about verb tenses, word meanings or things like that in the middle of the exam. You'll have a much better chance to get a higher score if you relax and focus on speaking as naturally and fluently as you can.
