Thursday, February 17, 2011

5 tips for IELTS Speaking

The speaking test is comprised of 3 tasks.  In the first task, the interviewer will introduce himself/herself to you and proceed to ask questions about yourself, and this usually last about 5 minutes.  In the second task, you will be given 2 minutes to discuss a specific topic; a pen and paper will be provided and you’ll be given 1 minute to prepare for your monologue; after the 2 minutes, the interviewer will then ask a few questions about what you just discussed. The third task a simple question and answer.
·         Don’t be nervous – a lot of the problems people encounter with the speaking test is only due to the fact that they were too nervous.  When I was conducting a speaking mock exam, I had a hard time listening or understanding the students.  They tend to speak too fast or too slow and sometimes even mumble, just relax.
·         Speak until they stop you – when you are asked a question, don’t just give one word answers.  Expound on your answer, instead of just mentioning the city where you’re from, try describing the location or how long you’ve been living there
·         Avoid slang – treat this like it was a job interview, be formal.  Avoid shortening your ing to in.  An example would be “I’ve been studyin’ English for nine years now” or “just sayin’…”
·         Stay on topic – when expounding on the questions that you get, avoid going off topic; the interviewer may think that you misunderstood the question.
·         Practice – just like the other modules in IELTS, practice is very important.  You can ask your friends of family to help you out with this aspect of the exam.  If you do decide to enroll in an IELTS review centre in your area, ask if they provide a speaking mock exam/interview.  Practice will not only help improve the technical aspect of speaking, it will also improve your confidence.

For other tips, check out the Speaking Category

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