How to ace the IELTS Speaking Test?

Passing the IELTS Test made easy

Do you think you have the gift of the gab? Or talk your way through any situation? Well, the IELTS speaking test may not necessarily require both sets of skills, helpful as they may be.

But a couple of sure-fire tips like this article may give you the edge you might need.

Making the IELTS Speaking Test Easy

The IELTS speaking test is daunting especially for non-native English speakers but that should not be a deterrent. Because these few tips will help you out:

Don't memorise the answer: Memorising the language does not give the examiner an accurate measure of your English language proficiency. The examiner can understand if you have memorised your answer, which can affect your final band performance.

Do not use large and unfamiliar words: In the Speaking test, you may want to impress the examiner with large and complex words. However, try not to use unfamiliar words. You are more likely to make a mistake if you mispronounce a word or use it in the wrong context. Mistakes can affect your final band score. Use a set of vocabulary related to the topic you know and are discussing.

Use different grammatical structures: When IELTS Examiners assess your speaking ability, they will assess you against the following criteria:

1. Fluency and Consistency

2. Lexical resources

3. Grammatic scope and accuracy

4. Pronunciation

Use complex and simple sentences to express what you want to say and try different grammatical structures. Find out about your mistakes and practice speaking in English with your friends, or record them yourself to see if you can spot mistakes. If you hear an error, be sure to fix it yourself. It is important to practice talking about the past, present and future using the correct tense, as your ability to use different grammatical structures accurately will be evaluated.

You don't have to worry about accents: In face-to-face speaking tests, IELTS examiners understand different accents, so unlike AI machines, they will be able to comprehend what you are saying. If you can communicate well, don't worry. However, English is a powerful language, so be aware of sounds that you find difficult and be careful to use stress and emphasis. If you practice with your friends, they will tell you if what you’re saying is incomprehensible.

Pause to think: It's okay to give a little pause to think about what to say. We all do it to process questions. You can use phrases to give you time to think during the speaking test such as:

- That's an interesting question.

- I have never thought about that, but…

- Let me see

- That's a good point

- That’s a difficult question, but I’ll try to answer it.

- Well, some people say that is the case, however, I think…

Let me think about that for a minute.

Avoid using fillers: Speak confidently and avoid using filler words. When you don't know what to say, you usually use filler words. However, this indicates to the examiner that you don’t know the appropriate language or idea, so it is important to avoid them. Avoid the following fillers:

-Like
-You know
-Umm..
-Ahh…
-Ehh…
-Well
-Yeah

Expand your answer: Make sure you answer the examiner's question completely. Expand your answers and don't wait for the examiner to ask you a question. If your answer is short, this indicates to the examiner that you cannot talk about the topic for a long time. When the examiner asks "Why?", they are asking you to justify and expand your answer.

Smiles help with pronunciation: Smiles help calm your nerves, which helps your pronunciation. Try to pronounce words clearly, and open your mouth wide so that the sound comes out clearly.When we smile, our mouth is bigger and the tone of our voice is more friendly. Clear pronunciation and tones indicate to the examiner that you are familiar with different pronunciations.

Don't speak monotonously: When we speak, we may produce a flat sound, a monotonous sound with little change. This makes it harder to clarify what you are saying and makes it harder for listeners to identify which parts of your message are important. By emphasising specific words and having pauses, you can make your conversation with the IELTS examiner more attractive.

Practicing General IELTS Topics: Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Test requires you to talk about a particular topic for about 2 minutes. Practice common IELTS topics with friends, family and colleagues to improve and learn the vocabulary associated with each topic. Common topics you can practice with the language test are tourism and travel, education, transportation, environment, family life, sports and leisure, crime and punishment, the Internet, advertising and retail.

Conclusion

These tips though sure-fire enough, they are no substitute for dedication and hard work. A combination of both will ensure that you can ace the IELTS Speaking test and ultimately the score band that is exceptionally high.