IELTS speaking advice

In this lesson, I give you several tips and tricks for getting a high band in the IELTS speaking test.

In parts 1 and 3, the IELTS examiner will ask you a question and expect you to immediately start speaking. You do not have time to prepare. For example:

Examiner: “What snacks are popular in your country?”

Here are 2 pieces of advice to help give you some time to think:

1. Reformulate the question (slowly)

In this technique, the student repeats the question back from his/her point of view. If you pause a few seconds before speaking and then reformulate the question slowly, you can give yourself 20 precious seconds to think of what you want to say to reply to the question.

Example:

Student: “What snacks are popular in my country? Let me think. (slight pause). The most popular snack in my country is probably crisps, followed by….”

2. Comment on the question (slowly)

With this method, the student says a small comment about the examiner’s question. The comment can be about the type of question or difficulty. The comment itself should be neutral and it isn’t really important what you say. – The point is that it will help give you some extra time to prepare your main answer to the question.

Examples:

Student: “That’s an interesting question (slight pause)….”
Student: “That’s a good question. I’m not certain, but I would guess that crisps are the most popular snack, followed by …….”
Student: “That’s a tricky question. I’m not 100 percent sure, but I would imagine that crisps are the most popular snack, followed by …….”

It’s a speaking test. You must speak!

This advice may seem obvious but I am often surprised by IELTS students who do not speak enough during the test.

If you know the subject well, develop your answers. Do NOT give one or two word answers. For part one, the IELTS examiner has a fixed list of questions. He  cannot ask you more questions if you do not speak enough. Remember the examiner wants you to do well but you must make his job easy by speaking. The examiner will not give you a high band if he thinks you can speak well. No, you must PROVE it to him by speaking! This is not the time to be shy or modest or tired.

The IELTS speaking test has 4 criteria: Fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. If you only give 1 or 2 word answers, you will score a very low band.

Examples:

Examiner: “What kind of accommodation do you live in?”
Student: “A flat.”  (bad answer)

Student: “I live in a 2 bedroom flat in the outskirts of Madrid. It’s on the third floor of a 5-storey block of flats.” (good answer)

Give shorter answers when you do not know the subject well.

If you are asked a question about something you know very little about and you have absolutely no ideas, then do not try to give long answers. Do not bluff. Do not try to pretend to be an expert about a subject you don’t know.

Why ?
You will be pausing and hesitating a lot and you will lose marks for poor fluency and incoherence. Secondly, your vocabulary will not be good because you won’t know what to talk about.

Remember the criteria:
Fluency and coherence
Vocabulary
Grammar
Pronunciation

Advice: Be brief and very concise for questions you know little about. It is better to be brief, give a short answer and to make up for it by giving a longer more detailed answer to another question that you know more about.

Can I ask the IELTS examiner questions?

The answer to this question depends on the part of the exam:

Task 1
You may ask the examiner to repeat the question. That is all. You may not ask any other questions.

Example:
Student: “I’m sorry. Could you repeat the question please?”

Task 2
No. You may not ask the examiner any questions.
You may not ask the examiner what a word means.
You may not ask the examiner for a different topic.
The examiner will tell you when to start and stop. It is not necessary to ask.

Task 3
You may ask the examiner to repeat the question.
Student: “I’m sorry. Could you repeat the question please?”

You may ask the examiner to explain a word.
Student: “Could you tell me what ‘cockpit’ means please?”
Student: “I’m not familiar with ‘cockpit’. Could you please tell me what it means?”

You may also ask the examiner to clarify or explain the question.
Student: “I’m not sure that I have understood the question. Could you explain please?”
Student: “What do you mean exactly?”

Will I lose marks if I ask the examiner to repeat a question (part 1 and 3) or to explain a word or question (part 3)?

No, you will not lose marks. This is the speaking test. Remember the criteria. You are being assessed on your ability to speak. It is not a comprehension exam. Your listening skills are not being tested. That is a separate test.

You are allowed to ask questions (according to the rules I have explained above) without losing any marks.

How can I prepare for IELTS?

I strongly recommend you take this complete IELTS online course:

IELTS speaking tips and advice – Video lesson