Strategies and Tips to Ace the IELTS Speaking Test

A lot of institutions, companies, and immigration officials around the world accept the IELTS exam as proof of English language proficiency. Along with the sections for listening, reading, and writing, the IELTS exam also includes a speaking section. It evaluates your capacity to accomplish spoken English communication in a range of settings.

Related: Navigating the Australian Education System: Do You Really Need IELTS?

This article will give you some tips on how to get a good score in IELTS speaking. 

Understanding the IELTS Speaking Test

A trained examiner will interview you in person for the IELTS Speaking test, during which they will ask you questions and assess your performance. The test consists of three tests and lasts approximately 11 to 14 minutes:

• Task 1: You will be asked questions about your personal life, family, job, and interests.
• Task 2: You will have to describe a familiar topic. A card with a topic and a few questions will be handed to you. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for a maximum of two minutes.
• Task 3: In task 3, you will have to share your opinions and do the justifications. The topic of Task 2 will be the topic of a conversation between you and the examiner. You’ll be asked a few questions by the examiner, and you’ll need to respond with your thoughts and provide examples or reasons to back them up.

Your performance will be graded by the examiner using four main assessment criteria: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. The percentage of each criterion in your final score is 25%. You must exhibit your speaking abilities in each category to do well on the IELTS Speaking test.

Related: IELTS Academic v General Training: Which One Fits You Best?

Useful Tips to Get a Good Score in IELTS Speaking Test

Here are some tips on how to get a good score in IELTS speaking and improve your performance in the IELTS Speaking test:

Pay Attention to Your Fluency and Coherence

Fluency is the ability to talk clearly and without excessive pauses or repetitions. To be coherent, your ideas must be logically arranged with the use of suitable connectors and transitions. You should do these if you want to boost your coherence and fluency:

• Practice speaking as much as you can, ideally on a range of topics.
• Before speaking, organize your responses using keywords or notes.
• If you need more time to think, use fillers or reformulations, but don’t use them too frequently.
• When structuring your responses, use signposting language to guide the listener.

Use a Variety of Vocabulary to Express Yourself

Utilizing a broad vocabulary to convey specific concepts and avoid repetition is known as a lexical resource. Additionally, it involves effectively and appropriately using collocations, idioms, and phrasal verbs. Doing these tips may increase your lexical resource:

• Learn new vocabulary and phrases relating to popular IELTS topics including technology, the environment, and education.
• Review word families, antonyms, and synonyms to broaden your vocabulary.
• If you don’t know or forget a word, try using synonyms or paraphrasing.
• In the test, avoid using jargon, slang, or casual language.

Make Sure to Use Grammar Correctly, But Don’t Worry About Being Perfect

Using a number of grammatical structures correctly and accurately is referred to as having a grammatical range. It also involves avoiding mistakes that interfere with comprehension or communication. You should follow these tips to broaden your grammatical vocabulary and precision:

• Review English grammar’s basic rules and typical mistakes.
• Practice using various sentence structures, including simple, compound, and complex sentences.
• Depending on the context and goal of your speech, use various tenses, modals, conditionals, etc.
• When speaking, check your grammar and make any necessary corrections.

Pronounce Words Clearly and Accurately

Making sounds, stresses, intonations, and rhythms accurately and naturally is referred to as pronouncing. It also means that what is said will make sense to the listener. If you want to improve your pronunciation, you should follow these tips:

• Learn to pronounce words correctly by listening to native speakers or model recordings.
• Pay attention to the sounds that you find challenging and practice them with minimal pairs or tongue twisters.
• Check the pronunciation of words you’re not familiar with using a dictionary or an app.
• Focus on being confident and clear rather than worrying about sounding like a native speaker.

Preparing for the IELTS Speaking Test

Along with the suggestions above, you should constantly practice speaking in order to get ready for the IELTS Speaking test. These are some of the suggestions:

Practice Speaking Regularly

The best strategy to sharpen your speaking abilities is to practice speaking frequently, ideally every day. You can practice speaking alone or with others on a variety of IELTS exam-related topics. To stimulate your speaking, you can also employ online materials like podcasts, movies, or articles.

Find a Speaking Partner 

It may be beneficial to practice with someone who is also getting ready for the IELTS Speaking test or with a native English speaker. You can recreate the test settings and offer suggestions while exchanging feedback. Depending on your preference and availability, you can find a speaking partner online or offline.

Record Yourself 

You can use this test to pinpoint your speaking weaknesses, such as lack of fluency or errors in vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation. You can take a recording of yourself using a computer, phone, or other device. 

After that, you can review your recordings to assess your strengths and flaws. To determine where you need to make improvements, you can also listen to recordings of model answers or native speakers.

Use Online Resources to Help You Improve Your Speaking Abilities

You can practice for the IELTS Speaking test using a variety of internet resources, including websites, apps, blogs, podcasts, videos, and more. These materials can be used to study new vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, or test-taking strategies. For each test task, there are also sample questions, answers, and feedback available.

Get a Speaking Coach If You Can Afford It

A speaking coach is a qualified educator or mentor who can assist you in improving your public speaking abilities and getting ready for the IELTS Speaking test. 

A speaking coach can offer you personalized suggestions, comments, and tips based on your experience and objectives. You can examine your performance and practice the test format with a speaking coach’s assistance.

The IELTS Speaking test is a challenging yet rewarding opportunity to demonstrate your English language skills. You can enhance your chances of achieving a high score and obtaining the results you desire by applying the following techniques and tips on how to excel in the IELTS Speaking section. Don’t forget to practice frequently and have confidence in yourself! Additionally, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with tips for the IELTS Reading, IELTS Writing, and IELTS Listening tests to ensure success in all sections.