Contents
What are you looking for?
Practice questions
A collection of practice materials for each part of the speaking module including cue cards
Speaking practice materials – a collection of the best free practice materials on the internet
Videos on the exam format
Three videos with a commentary to help you understand the format of the exam:
You might also be interested in these training videos showing format of the exam and how to approach each task
These brief videos from Learn Online (British Council China) give some excellent advice on basic exam interview skills:
Improve your exam interview skills with British Council China
Band scores
A brief guide to how speaking is graded and how to avoid some common mistakes
Exam tips
Some basic advice on what to do and what not to do before and in the exam
Giving yourself thinking time – a video tutorial on how to give yourself a little thinking time to answer questions in part 3 and part 1 of the test.
Focussing on the question – a video tutorial on the need to focus on the question in the test

Exam preparation – part 1
Advice on part 1 of the speaking test:
Vocabulary and ideas to describe your home town: a quiz and downloadable list of helpful vocabulary
IELTS speaking – a common mistake – training video – a video tutorial on how candidates can make a mistake in part 1 by not answering the question and pre-learning material
Part 1 speaking practice using Voxopop: a resource for you to practise part 1 speaking by recording yourself online and listening to others. Also some simple tips for part 1.
IELTS speaking – part 1 – work/student: tutorial on how to deal with the most common part 1 question with a guide on how to avoid the most common mistakes

Exam preparation – part 2
How to deal with the long turn speaking task
How to use your 1 minute preparation time: 5 different ideas on how to use that 1 minute in practical ways
Using a picture to give you ideas: sample part 2 speaking showing you how thinking of a picture can give you ideas and vocabulary
IELTS speaking – part 2 – organising your talk – a video tutorial on how to use the cue card to improve your fluency and coherence
IELTS speaking – part 2 – telling a story: an audio lesson with a sample listening showing how can you tell a story in part 2
Using a story to describe a person: a lesson on how you can use the story telling technique to describe a person
IELTS speaking – part 2 – using the cue card – more advice on how to use the cue card
IELTS speaking – part 2 – extending your answer: advice with MP3 samples on how to extend your answer so you meet the time limit.

Exam preparation – part 3
Advice on dealing with the discussion part of the speaking exam
Being cautious in part 3 speaking – advice on how to make your part 3 answer more coherent by using the language of caution

Speaking Vocabulary
Useful vocabulary for the speaking test:
IELTS speaking – opinion vocabulary – a video tutorial with a download of some basic variations of “I thin” to improve the range of your vocabulary
IELTS speaking – opinion vocabulary (2) – further advice on how to practice opinion vocabulary and when to use it in part 1
IELTS speaking – comparison language (1) – how to use comparison language to extend your answers in parts 1 and 3 speaking with a downloadable worksheet.
Talking about likes and preferences – variations on the word “like” with a video quiz

Pronunciation and online speaking practice
Practice on English Central – a video tutorial on using the English central website to improve your pronunciation
IELTS speaking practice with Voxopop – a suggestion for online speaking practice with Voxopop: record yourself and listen to others
English club – skypers online: a group of IELTS candidates who are looking for a speaking practice partner.
Record yourself: a tutorial suggesting that some of the best practice you can get is recording yourself


