With a new IELTS course underway across each of the Lexis Campuses, it is a good time to start preparing for the exam by looking at points in the IELTS Speaking Guide.
Before we delve into the tips and tricks of achieving a high band score, it is important to understand how the Speaking Part of the exam works.
There are three main aspects to the speaking test:
- Part One – the examiner askes general questions about you on a wide range of topics. These questions are short response and don’t necessarily require explicit detail. The focus here is your ability to respond naturally and with correct grammatical and language syntax. (4-5 minutes)
- Part Two – the examiner gives you a card with a detailed question. You have one minute to take notes then a further two minutes to deliver your answer. The examiner will ask you follow up questions on the topic. The focus here is to test your ability to speak on a particular topic and your ability to format your ideas appropriately. (3-4 minutes)
- Part Three – you are asked more detailed questions related to the topic in Part Two. The responses required are more detailed than part one. This part of the test focuses on your ability to formulate ideas and opinions and deliver them in a comprehensive and well structured way. (4-5 minutes)
It may seem daunting at first, but overall the test only lasts for 11-14 minutes. A good way to approach this task is to remember that it is just a conversation (one where the someone is taking notes). Essentially, a big part of the IELTS Speaking Guide is to participate in the conversation just like you would when you are with your friends at the park or a party.
Here are some further tips to help you relax when it comes to taking the exam.
- Don’t be concerned about your accent. Everyone has a unique and distinct accent. The examiner is not going to be marking you on how strong your sounds are, just as long as they are correct.
- Remember to smile. Smiling helps with your pronunciation. The more relaxed you are the easier the stress and intonation will resonate within your responses and this will make your dialogue a lot easier to understand.
- Take a moment to think. Rather than jumping straight into your response and making simple errors, it is important to take a moment and pause to think about your answer. The examiner won’t mark you down if you take a quick breath to formulate an amazing response. Just don’t take too long as this eats into your valuable speaking time.
There are many aspects of the IELTS Speaking Guide to consider before undergoing the the official exam. However, the more questions you ask your teacher the more readily prepared you will be to get the desired band score you need. Good luck with your English studies and remember to keep asking amazing questions.
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