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Here are simple tips that could make a difference to your score:

1. Be confident

 Although you might be nervous, try to speak clearly and confidently. Smile and be friendly* with the examiner. As you go into the exam, tell yourself that you have prepared well and that you’re going to enjoy the challenge.

2. Know that you are prepared

 You will feel much more confident if you know that you have prepared and practised for the test. You should know exactly what to expect. For example, have you prepared some common topics (e.g. describe a place, a person, a hobby) for the short presentation? Are you ready for a past and a future question in part 3?

3. Speak naturally

 Try to enjoy a normal conversation with the examiner. Instead of worrying about your grammar, listen carefully to the questions and try to give natural answers. Most of the questions are about you, your life and your opinions, so it’s best to be open. I used to be an examiner, and I always found the job more interesting when students spoke openly about their opinions and experiences.

*Note: You are not marked on body language, but I’d still recommend that you try to act in a friendly, confident manner.

4. Avoid these phrases

In the speaking test, examiners don’t like it when students use phrases like:

• That’s a very interesting question…
• It is my personal opinion that…
• Personally, I would have to say that…
• I am of the opinion that it depends on…
• To be honest, I personally believe that…

These phrases sound unnatural, and it is obvious to the examiner that the student has memorised them.

So what should you do instead? My advice: just answer the question directly. Stop using memorised phrases, and just get straight to the point

You can use these expressions below:

A nice way to introduce a personal example or opinion:

From what I’ve read in the newspapers,…

From what I’ve heard / seen / experienced,…

Giving an opinion when you’re not sure:

If I had to guess what might happen in the future, I’d like to think that…

If I had to give my opinion, I’d say…

5. It’s ok to tell lie

Students often ask me whether it’s ok to lie or invent an answer in the speaking test. My advice is that it’s usually easier to tell the truth; however, sometimes you really need to make it up. Take this part 2 question for example:

“Describe a team project that you worked on”

If your work requires working in a team, this might be an easy question. But if you’re still a student, and you have never worked in a team,  you might be stuck for ideas. You might need to invent something!

Here’s how you could adapt to the question above:

• Talk about a project or piece of work that you did alone, and pretend that other people were involved.
• Go back to your school days and talk about something you studied, pretending that it was a group project.
• Talk about an English lesson – most English teachers put their students in groups from time to time.

6. If you don’t know the answer

How do you answer a question when you don’t know anything about the topic? There are 2 things you can do:

1. Be honest and explain why you don’t know
2. Guess, and tell the examiner that you are guessing

Example question:

How has technology affected the kinds of music that young people listen to?

My answer, using both tips above:

To be honest I don’t really know the answer to that because I’m completely out of touch with what young people are listening to, and I’m not a fan of pop music.

However, I suppose that technology must have affected music. Maybe young

people are listening to music that has been made using computer software instead of real musical instruments like the piano or guitar.

 

7. Complex structures?

Students often worry that they need to use “complex structures” in the speaking test. But what is a complex structure?

Here’s my advice: stop worrying about the need for “complex” grammar. Instead, focus on expressing your ideas well. As you explain your ideas in detail, you will naturally produce longer sentences which contain a variety of grammatical features.

8. How to feel more confident

Here are some tips to help you feel more confident when you go for your IELTS speaking test:

• Be prepared: you should know exactly what to expect in the 3 parts of the speaking test, and you should have read the suggestions on this website about how to answer.
• Lots of practice: a student who has practised answering all of the questions in all eight Cambridge books, as well as the questions on this site, will feel much more confident than a student who hasn’t.
• Write it down: when studying at home, you have time to prepare ‘perfect’ answers

to practice questions; write your answers down, and ask someone to help you check and improve them.

• Speak aloud: start by reading the answers you wrote down (like an actor uses a script), then gradually stop using the script.
• Record yourself: this allows you to analyse the quality of your answers, as well as your pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
• Focus on ideas: it’s difficult to think about grammar when you are speaking, so I advise students to stop worrying about grammatical structures, and focus on expressing good ideas (which means good vocabulary).

 

9. The examiner’s attitude

I sometimes hear from students who are worried that their examiner seemed rude or angry in the speaking exam. Maybe the examiner didn’t smile or make much eye contact, interrupted a lot, or kept looking at his/her watch. Does this mean that you will get a low score, or that you should complain?

The answer is no! Don’t worry, and don’t think that you need to complain. The examiner’s attitude is not important at all, and you should ignore all of the things I mentioned above. Focus only on answering the examiner’s questions as well as you can.

Remember: it’s possible to have a very nice, smiling examiner who gives you a low score. On the other hand, an examiner who seems impolite or disinterested might give you a higher score than you expected!

II. For IELTS Speaking Part 1

1.      Short, simple answers

The first part of the IELTS Speaking Test lasts around 4 to 5 minutes. The examiner asks about 10 questions related to you, your daily life and your interests. Common topics are hobbies, family, friends, food, music etc.

Part 1 questions are supposed to be easy, and the examiner must get through all of the questions in 5 minutes or less. That’s only about 30 seconds per question. If you try to give long answers, the examiner will interrupt you. My advice is to keep Part 1 answers very simple:

Do you prefer home-cooked food or food from restaurants?

I prefer home-cooked food because I think it’s healthier and you know exactly what you’re eating. I also enjoy cooking for family and friends.

You don’t need to say any more than this. Just answer the question with a full sentence, give a reason, and maybe add one extra piece of information. Then stop speaking. Stop with confidence and look at the examiner, ready for the next question.

2. Five simple rules

Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test is supposed to be easy. You don’t need to give ‘difficult’ answers, and you should try to avoid making mistakes.

Here are five simple rules for Speaking Part 1:

1. Keep your answers short, then stop with confidence.
2. Answer the questions using full sentences.
3. Use words from the examiner’s question in your answer.
4. If possible, give a reason for your answer.
5. Don’t forget to say “yes” or “no” when necessary.

Here’s an example to illustrate these points:

Do you like parks?

Yes, I like parks because they are great places to relax. If you live in a city, a park is often the only place where you can escape from the noise and the traffic.

 

II. For IELTS Speaking Part 3

1.    Add more detail

In this lesson I mentioned 3 techniques to help you give longer answers: ask yourself why, explain the alternatives, give an example.

Most students have no problem with the first step (explaining why), but they aren’t so good at giving alternatives or examples. Take the following question from last week’s lesson for example.

Question:

In your opinion, are newspapers important?

Example student answer:

Yes, in my opinion newspapers are very important (why?) because they give us information about what is happening around the world. (why?) They are a vital source of knowledge about education, technology, medicine and many other fields.

This is a good start, but let’s try to raise the answer to band 9 level.

Example answer with ‘alternative’ and ‘example’:

Yes, in my opinion newspapers are very important (why?) because they give us information about what is happening around the world. (why?) They are a vital source of knowledge about education, technology, medicine and many other fields. (alternative?) If newspapers didn’t exist, I think the quality of news coverage would suffer because there would be fewer professional journalists.(example?) We would have to rely, for example, on unpaid bloggers who do not have the budgets to carry out detailed research before they write an article.

2. Make longer answers

Do you remember my advice about how to give longer answers in part 3?

• Answer the question directly
• Ask yourself why or how (and explain in detail)
• Give an example
• Mention an alternative or opposite answer

Example question

Do you think the seasons still influence people’s behaviour?

Example answer

Yes, I do think the seasons affect how we behave. (how?) We still wear different clothes depending on the weather, and clothes shops change what they sell according to the season. We also adapt our habits and daily routines according to the time of year. (example) For example, people in my country like to eat outside in their gardens in the summer, but we can’t do that during the other seasons. (opposite) On the other hand, I don’t think we notice the change in seasons when it comes to food; the big supermarkets import food from around the world, so most people don’t buy seasonal fruit and vegetables any more

 

3. Get to the point

Yesterday I wrote that you should avoid using long phrases to begin your answers. So what should you use instead? Native speakers say things like:

• I think…
• I guess…
• Well,…

 

These words/phrases might seem less impressive, but you have to remember that examiners are not impressed by the long phrases either! The important thing is to get to the point of your answer.

4. Make it personal

In part 3 of IELTS speaking, it really helps if you give personal examples:

Do you think it’s important for people to have hobbies? Why?

Yes, I think people need to have hobbies because we all need to do things we enjoy in our spare time. In my case, I find that playing football once a week with some friends helps me to relax, keep fit and forget about work. I think it’s the same for everyone.

Can hobbies have any negative effects?

Yes, if you spend too much time on your hobby, it can affect other parts of your life. I remember that one of my friends spent most of his time at university playing computer games instead of studying. In the end, he failed most of his exams.

 

5. Explain, alternative, example

In part 3  of the speaking test, you need to give longer, detailed answers.        A good  way to do this is by organising your answers according to the following steps:

1. Idea: answer the question directly.
2. Explain: give a reason or explain your answer in more detail.
3. Alternative: explain an alternative (e.g. the opposite) to your answer.
4. Example: give an example to support your answer.
5. Another idea: sometimes you think of another idea while you are
6. Just add it on the end of your answer.

You can give a really good answer without including all five steps, but you might find it useful to practise including all five, as I’ve done here:

Why do you think some people prefer to buy products from their own countries rather than imported items?

(idea) I suppose it’s because those people want to support the economy of the country they live in. (explain) If they buy something that was made in their own country, they know that they are contributing to the salaries of workers within the same

country, (alternative) whereas if they buy imported items, a foreign company and its employees will benefit. (example) For example, if I buy some meat that originates from a local farm rather than a farm in another country, I’m helping one of my fellow citizens to carry on in business. (another idea) Also, I think that trust is an issue; people might feel that they can trust domestically produced items more than imported ones.

 

IV. For IELTS Speaking Part 2

1.    Don’t focus on linking

A student asked me whether it would be a good idea to use the phrases below to organise last week’s description of a market:

1. I would like to start with the first point which is where the market is.
2. Going on to my next point which is what the market sells, well…
3. With reference to the question of how big the market is, well…
4. As a final point, I would like to explain why I enjoy to visiting it.

Personally I do not recommend using phrases like these. While you won’t lose marks for using them, you won’t gain marks either. But here’s the problem: the time you spend saying these linking phrases is time that you should be spending on the real content of your answer. Focus on answering, not linking!

2. The importance of part 2

A few people have asked me what will happen if they do badly in part 2 of the speaking test. Is it still possible to get a high score?

In theory, it is still possible to get a reasonably high score (maybe band 7) if you do badly in part 2, but you would need to give excellent answers in part 3. In practice, candidates rarely recover from a bad part 2; I don’t remember anyone who made a mess of part 2 but suddenly did a fantastic part 3.

My advice: You should consider part 2 as the core of your speaking test. It’s your best chance to show how good your English is, and it’s the examiner’s best chance to listen carefully to your use of language (so it’s probably the point at which most examiners get a clear idea of what score to give you).

The good news is that you can prepare for part 2. Click here to get started!

3. Main topics

For part 2 of IELTS speaking, I encourage my students in Manchester to prepare ideas for 6 main topic areas:

1. Describe an object (a gift, something you use etc.)
2. Describe a person (someone you admire, a family member etc.)
3. Describe an event (a festival, celebration etc.)
4. Describe an activity (e.g. a hobby)
5. Describe a place (somewhere you visited, a holiday etc.)
6. Describe your favourite (book/film/advertisement/website)

Most questions fit into one of these topics. For example, “Describe a river, lake or sea which you like” is number 5 – you could describe a holiday by the sea, or a city with a river.

Don’t take the test without preparing some ideas for these topics first!

4. Three tips

Here are three quick tips for IELTS speaking part 2 (the short speech):

 Use the 1 minute preparation time well

Think about how you would answer the question in your own language, then write down as many ideas as possible in English.

Give real examples

Say what you really think, talk about your real life, and give real examples. Examples are really important; whenever you don’t know what to say, give an example from your own experience.

 

Don’t worry about grammar

You haven’t got time to think about passives or conditionals. Focus on answering the question – ideas and vocabulary.

 

5. Formula phrases

A student asked me whether the following formula is useful for speaking part 2:

• I guess I could begin by saying something about (point 1) and I think I would have to choose…
• Going on to my next point which is (point 2), I really need to emphasise that (explain point 2).
• And now with reference to (point 3), the point I want to make here is that (explain point 3).
• And so finally, if I have time, in answer to the question of (point 4), really I should mention that…

So, are these ‘formula phrases’ a good idea? My answer is no!

As an English speaker and ex-examiner, I find these phrases annoying. It’s obvious that they are memorised, and they do not address the question topic. Please don’t expect the examiner to be impressed by this kind of thing.

There are a couple of benefits to learning a formula: it gives your answer some structure, and it might make you feel more confident during the test. However, the disadvantages are greater:

1. Your focus is on the phrases you have memorised, when it should be on answering the question with relevant ideas.
2. The examiner thinks that you are using memorised phrases because you are unable to produce good language spontaneously. In other words, your use of long formula phrases suggests that your level of English is lower.

 

6. Use real examples

To improve your IELTS speaking score, use good examples to extend your answers. Real examples or stories about yourself are the best.

Use examples in part 2 when you need to make your presentation longer. Use them in part 3 to support your opinions.

Here’s an example that helps me to extend a part 2 presentation about my mobile phone:

“For example, yesterday I used my phone to call some friends to arrange a get-together this weekend. Some of them didn’t answer, so I either left a message in their voicemail or I sent them a text. I also replied to a few emails while I was waiting in a queue at the bank.”

 

7. Essential preparation

It’s impossible to prepare for every question that you might get in the speaking test, but what are the essential things to prepare for?

Here’s my list of essentials:

1. Favourites: Don’t go into the test without knowing what your favourites are. Prepare to talk about your favourite book, film, music, and website.
2. People: Be ready to talk about a famous person and a member of your family.
3. Activities: Have you prepared some ideas about a hobby? Can you describe a

typical day in your life? Try to remember some special moments in your life, such as birthdays, festivals and weddings.

4. Places: You need to be able to talk about where you live. Also, think about the

places you have visited, what you did there, and why you liked or didn’t like them.

5. Things: Can you talk about the things you use every day, something you would like to buy, or a present that you received?

Remember that in part 2 you are always asked to “describe”. Make sure you prepare some good adjectives for each topic, make sure you can talk about your opinions and feelings, and think about some examples or stories to make your descriptions more interesting.