Before you go to the IELTS speaking test it helps to know how the test works. If you know what to expect, then you have a better chance of doing better. For me, the best place to start to see how the test works is Australia Network – Passport to English. These videoclips are not exactly in exam format as parts 1 and 3 would last longer in the real… Continue reading
Vocabulary is an extremely important factor in the IELTS speaking module and a large part of this is Range of Vocabulary. This means that you have enough words to speak about different topics accurately and that you do not repeat the same words all the time. However, the vocabulary you need for the exam is not just topic vocabulary but also functional vocabulary: words and phrases for explaining, giving examples and… Continue reading
In part 2 of the IELTS speaking module you need to give a short talk of between one and half and two minutes. There are two major problems here: speaking for long enough and staying coherent. In this video post I am going to look briefly at one way to organise your talk and improve you fluency and coherence band score.
How is your IELTS speaking band score calculated? This is an important question for any IELTS candidate because many mistakes can be avoided by knowing what the examiner is looking for and how your speaking is graded. This post gives you a brief outline of the grading criteria, how band scores are calculated and how examiners typically grade the speaking.YR3NNSCZZU73
There are 4 criteria… Continue reading
Pronunciation is 25% of your overall speaking band score and so it is obviously important that you work on it. This can be hard to do though if you are living in a country where English is not spoken and you do not have much chance to practise speaking. In this post I am going to suggest a cool website that may help you out if you are a computer… Continue reading
This posting looks at what is special about IELTS speaking. Many candidates feel uncomfortable in the speaking exam because the examiner seems very unfriendly and the chances are that the more uncomfortable you feel, the less well you speak.
The first step is always to know the problem, then you can find a solution. Here the problem is the speaking exam is more by way of a monologue than… Continue reading
This is something I have tried before, but it didn’t really work out. But I would like to give it another go. The central idea is that the very best speaking practice is when you get to hear yourself. Often what we say and what we think we say are two quite different things. So this means recording yourself. What would be even better, however, is if you got the… Continue reading
IELTS can be a serious business and this video is obviously very silly. I expect you can spot the mistakes, the real question is how do you avoid making them? A good place would be to ignore anyone who trains you to learn answers to questions. Just relax and listen to the question you do get asked.
I have posted a response to this video here. If… Continue reading
It is important to practise your IELTS speaking with the right sort of materials: the exam tests specific speaking abilities and is not like a conversation. Many sites offer IELTS speaking questions – not all are to be entirely trusted. Here are the best examples I have found, so try some of these.
Splendid Speaking offers a complete test.
British Council – parts
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