IELTS Speaking Tips

The following IELTS speaking tips and strategies would help candidates enhance their practice for the exam effectively:

• Practice on your own every day rather than not practicing at all.
• Practice with a partner through online mode on different IELTS Speaking topics
• Candidates need to focus on the IELTS Speaking Marking criteria precisely
• Keep a record of your practice sessions and reflect on your practice for understanding where to improve
• Identify weaknesses and take action to develop them
• Candidates can use Common English Words to excel this part of IELTS speaking.
• Be relaxed while answering the questions.
• Candidates need to ensure that they speak clearly at a natural speed
• While practicing for IELTS speaking, try recording yourself. This would help in understanding what you need to improve

Few essential IELTS speaking tips that will help the aspirants to understand the techniques required for better scores. A few IELTS speaking tips are as follows:

1. Avoid Using unfamiliar or difficult words

Candidates who want to achieve 9 in IELTS speaking, tend to use complex words to make a good impression. But the accent and pronunciation might backfire. Using simple sentences with confidence and fluency can help to get better scores.

2. Practice common IELTS topics

Candidates find IELTS speaking difficult. But this section can be used with regular practice. Candidates can practice some of the latest IELTS Speaking topics with friends, family, and also in front of the mirror to improve their vocabulary with the topic.

3. Try not to change the Accent

Many candidates tend to change their accents just to pass the IELTS speaking test. But this might not work for all. So try using intonation and stress while speaking. So that the examiner understands better.

4. Using grammatical structure in IELTS speaking

As part of my IELTS Preparation, following the correct grammatical structure can help get better IELTS speaking scores. The grammatical structure follows- Grammatical accuracy, Pronunciation, Fluency and coherence, and, Lexical resource.

5. Take a time to prepare the answer

Candidates can pause and think while they are speaking. They can use phrases like “let me see”, “this sounds interesting” and more to make the conversation more sociable. 

6. Try avoiding fillers

To be more confident and fluent, fillers must be avoided. Only use fillers when the answers that the candidate is saying he/she is not sure about.

IELTS Speaking Test Format

IELTS Speaking test analyzes the speaking abilities of the students in the English language. Students appearing for the exam should be aware of the IELTS exam pattern to ensure an organized preparation for their test.

IELTS Speaking test consists of three parts which are as follows:

IELTS Speaking Part 1

In IELTS Speaking Part 1, candidates are required to introduce themselves to the examiner. This segment evaluates the candidate's ability to communicate, express opinions, and provide information on everyday topics or experiences. To excel in Speaking Part 1, students must appreciate the significance of using linking words for IELTS speaking. These words can help enhance fluency in the language.

IELTS Speaking Part 2

In IELTS Speaking Part 2, candidates must speak on a given cue card topic. To excel in this segment, using synonyms for common adjectives can aid the candidate. IELTS Speaking Part 2 evaluates the candidate's ability to speak appropriately, use accurate grammar, and demonstrate fluency.

This section comprises cue cards with diverse IELTS Speaking Part 2 topics. The examiner provides the candidate with a cue card, and they must speak on the selected topic, covering all important points. Candidates have one minute to prepare their talk and take notes. They are then given 1-2 minutes to speak precisely on the topic.

IELTS Speaking Part 3

IELTS Speaking Part 3 involves a discussion centered on the topic given in IELTS Speaking Part 2. The discussion is typically broad, and candidates have the opportunity to share their thoughts and expertise regarding the topic in depth. Using Common English Words in this section can aid in achieving good scores. The candidate's ability to express opinions, provide justifications, speculate, and discuss the issue is evaluated.

IELTS Speaking Practice Papers

For IELTS Speaking preparation, IELTS Speaking Practice Papers would be helpful for the candidates. These PDFs are based on the students, who can enable their IELTS Speaking practice:

IELTS Speaking Marking Criteria

The IELTS Speaking test has certain criteria based on which students are awarded their IELTS Speaking score. These criteria are as follows:

IELTS Speaking Score Calculation

IELTS Speaking Band Score is calculated based on the arithmetic mean and determines the total score gained in the section. For instance, if someone receives a band score of 7 in the speaking section, then score is evaluated as; 7+8+7+8/4= 7. A number of universities accept a 6.5 IELTS band score as an admission criteria.

IELTS Speaking Score

The IELTS Speaking Score is credited based on the number of correct attempts. IELTS Band Score in the Speaking section ranges from 0 to 9. To be eligible for admission in top universities, students need to score band 7 or higher.

IELTS Speaking Topics

A wide range of common IELTS Speaking topics have been part of the IELTS speaking test. Candidates appearing need to have appropriate knowledge of recent IELTS Speaking topics 2021. The following table would highlight the latest IELTS Speaking topics. These topics include areas of sports, tourism, culture, education, etc. A few top IELTS topics for Part 2 and Part 3 in IELTS Speaking are given below along with an IELTS Speaking sample. Each sample has three model answers:

IELTS Speaking Samples

Check IELTS Speaking Samples

• Describe a Toy You liked in Your Childhood IELTS Cue Card
• Describe Something you Received for Free IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Crime You Involved In IELTS Cue Card
• Describe Something that was Broken in your Home and then Repaired IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Resolution you Made in The New Year IELTS Cue Card
• Talk About a War IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Rule That You Do Not Like IELTS Cue Card
• Describe A Famous Person that You Are Interested In IELTS Cue Card
• Describe an Interesting Song IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Thing You Cannot Live Without IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Creative Person whose Work you Admire IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Person Who Solved a Problem in a Smart Way IELTS Cue Card
• Describe A Place You Visited On Vacation IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Time You Saw Something Interesting on Social Media IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a gift you would like to buy for your friend IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Foreign Person Who You Have Heard or Known That You Think is Interesting IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Famous Athlete You Know IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a City that You Think is Very Interesting IELTS Cue Card
• Describe an Item on which you Spent more than Expected IELTS Cue Card
• Describe a Special Cake You Received From Others IELTS Cue Card
• Describe Your Favourite Movie IELTS Cue Card

IELTS Speaking Materials 

Students need to consider the following IELTS Speaking materials including books and websites for their IELTS Speaking preparation.

Following are the IELTS preparation online courses for IELTS Speaking practice online

• Magoosh
• Kaplan
• Udemy
• IELTS Ninja
• British Council

Following IELTS Preparation apps can be considered helpful for their IELTS Speaking practice:

• The British Council’s IELTS Word Power app
• Official Cambridge Guide to the IELTS
• Overall IELTS preparation App (the all-rounder apps)
• IELTS Vocabulary App (To introduce new vocabulary and its usage)
• IELTS Specific preparation apps (for sectional practice)

For IELTS Speaking preparation, the following IELTS Preparation Books can be helpful

1. The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS- Check PDF (INR 532)
2. Cambridge IELTS’ Book 14 for Academic with Answers – Check PDF (INR 150)
3. Official IELTS Practice Materials – Check PDF (INR 250)
4. Target Band 7 – Check PDF (INR 1,405)

IELTS Speaking is important for candidates who need to have fluency in language grammar and vocabulary. This will thereby help to prepare actively before attempting the exam.