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Speaking Test
Appendix Page 11
A Path to IELTS
Success
IELTS speaking Part 1: Short Q & A (Question and Answer) about familiar Topics (3-4 minutes): Questions
about where you live, your work/study, hobbies, holidays, sports, entertainment. How many questions
depends on how long your answers are. See the Appendix for possible subjects.
IELTS speaking Part 2: Long Turn (2 minutes plus 1 minute for preparation): Candidates are given a topic
card and then given 1 minute to prepare a 2 minute answer. Topics include describing or commenting on a
person, place, or movie. The examiner may ask 1 or 2 rounding-off questions at the end of this turn.
IELTS speaking Part 3: Discussion (3-4 minutes): This is roughly based on the topic area of the Part 2: Long
Turn. Questions typically ask the candidate to compare, analyse or speculate on the given topic. In this part
the examiner may push the candidate hard to see the boundaries of their ability.
Fluency and coherence: Fluency is about your ability to speak at a normal speed without excessive
hesitation and restarting. Coherence refers to your speaking being easy to understand. In order to score
highly you need to show willingness to talk at length and develop your topic, use connectives/conjunctives
and discourse markers, avoid pauses and restarts.
Connectives/Conjunctives include: 'but', 'and','so', 'if', 'although', 'when', 'while', 'since', 'because'.
See other examples in the Appendix.
Discourse markers are words or phrases like 'anyway', 'right', 'okay', 'as I say', 'to begin with'. We
use them to connect, organize and manage what we say or write or to express attitude.
Vocabulary: To score highly you must use higher level words, pay attention to collocation (see
www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/collocations.htm), and also control your word endings (correctly use
singular/plural and use the correct verb ending for the correct tense). In addition you should try to show an
ability to paraphrase and use colloquial/slang language. You will also be rewarded for the correct
vocabulary to precisely explain things.
Grammar: To score highly you need to use a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, complex) and
also avoid grammatical errors, such as with articles and prepositions and sentence order especially when
they make your speaking difficult to understand.
Pronunciation: Your grade is influenced by the level to which your accent makes it difficult to
understand what you are saying, and also the degree to which you use language features of a native
speaker such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.
those who can vary speech, paraphrasing the words or structure of the question is a fast-track route to a
higher score: I’m always watching football on TV.
2. Poor pronunciation. Great ideas are worthless if the listener can’t make out your words. There’s a good
reason pronunciation accounts for 25% of the score in IELTS Speaking and that’s because it’s fundamental
to spoken communication. Before taking IELTS, you should find an opportunity to practice with native or
native-level speakers and get an honest appraisal of your pronunciation. If they have trouble hearing your
words, it’s very likely the examiner will too.
3. Memorised answers. The examiner is very likely to notice if you try to recite an answer from memory,
and there is a penalty for this. The tell-tale signs of a memorised answer include speaking in a ‘written’
style of English, unnatural intonation, and the candidate attempting to ‘rephrase’ the question to the one
they want to answer. Any questions you try to memorise answers to are very unlikely to be asked, so it is
much more effective to practice speaking about a wide range of topics before you take the test.
4. Answering the wrong question. You will lose marks for coherence if your answer completely fails to
address the question. Ask yourself before you begin speaking if you are sure you have understood, and do
not be afraid to ask the examiner for help.
5. Saying ‘I don’t understand’. There are much better ways to check for meaning, so learn them! You can
use a straightforward request like Could you say that again, please? or ask a checking question such as Do
you mean…? that shows you have at least partly understood the question.
6.Overuse of transition signals. It’s helpful to use a few signposting words like first,
for example or on the other hand. But if you overload your speech with these you
could actually damage your score. Sounding natural, not like a signposting robot,
should be your goal in IELTS Speaking. There are also many words characteristic of
formal writing such as furthermore, moreover and in addition that are hardly ever
used in speech and could actually make you sound less natural if you say them.
7. Saying too much or too little. If you say too little, you miss the opportunity to show off your ability. If you
say too much, you risk sounding less coherent and making more mistakes. As a general guide, answers of
two to four sentences are fine in Part 1 . There are clear instructions about the length of speaking time in
Part 2. You should aim to say three to six sentences after each question in Part 3.
8. Silence. Different cultures have different attitudes to silence, but for English speakers the attitude is one
of near-zero tolerance. It’s fine to hesitate for a few seconds before speaking or between ideas, but silences
of longer than five seconds will go down badly. Happily, there’s a solution to this problem and that’s to learn
some filler expressions such as That’s a tough question and Let me see.
9. Flat intonation. Even when you pronounce words clearly, flat intonation will make it difficult to follow
what you say. We vary intonation, pitch, volume and speaking speed in order to maintain the listener’s
interest and direct attention to your important ideas. Even IELTS examiners, who are trained to listen
carefully to everything a candidate says, will find a flatly-intoned response difficult to follow and your
response may be marked down for both pronunciation and coherence as a result.
10. Asking for the examiner’s opinion. You are there to answer the questions, not ask them. The examiner
will politely redirect the question back your way if you try to stall for time by saying I don’t know, what do
you think? If you really don’t have any ideas, just say I’m afraid I know nothing about this topic and wait
for the next question.
Page 3
Sample answer
Tell me something about your hometown?
I come from Taipei and I have lived here all my life, although at the moment I’m studying in another city –
Taizhong. I suppose if I had to describe Taipei, the first thing I would say is that it’s very crowded, maybe
even one of the biggest cities in Asia I guess. It’s so congested that even the locals have problems finding
their way around! Another significant characteristic is that it offers splendid examples of contemporary
architecture. Actually some of the renowned landmarks are in the middle of Taipei, such as the Taipei 101,
the second tallest building in the world.
Starting-off
Ok, then; actually; alright; well, you know;
Point 1
The first thing I’d like to mention is …
The main thing you need to know is …
I’d like to begin by highlighting the fact …
Point 2
In addition I suppose I should say …
Another interesting point …
Not only that, but _______is also exceedingly …..
Point 3
And I shouldn’t forget to mention that…
I guess I could also say that (it’s) sort-of ……..
Finally I’d also like to mention ……..
Practice:
Tell me something about your hometown?
What does your neighborhood look like?
What does your house look like?
Rephrasing “liking”
I’m pretty fond of…
I’m really keen on…
I’m a big fan of…
I’m passionate about…
Structure
1. Well in general I would say …
2. To be more precise/specific…
3. And I guess this is probably because…
Sample answer
What kind of animals do you like?
Well in general I would say small animals, to be more precise cats and dogs; and, I guess this is because we
often kept them when I was growing up, and they were good companions for me.
Practice:
What do you like about your hometown?
Do you like your job/studies?
What sort of music do you like?
Do you like reading?
Do you like shopping?
Rephrasing “Disliking”
I’m not really satisfied with…
I’m not much of a fan of…
I’m not really fond of…
…is simply not my cup of tea.
I really can’t stand…
… simply gets on my nerves.
Sample answer
Is there anything you don’t like about your hometown?
In general, I’d have to say that I am not so satisfied with the weather. To be more precise, I really can’t
stand the summer months. You know, it’s because the temperatures are often as high as 35 degrees, plus
it is always humid, so it makes you feel quite uncomfortable!
Practice
Is there anything you don’t like about your hometown?
Is there anything you don’t like about job/studies?
Is there any food you don’t like?
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Sample answer
Tell me about the different types of transportation in your city.
Of course, you know there’s quite a mixed variety of public transportation in my city. Though I think the
most commonly-used one could probably be buses. And the explanation for this could be that they are so
cheap and reliable. In fact the average bus fare in my city is about 20 dollars for a single journey from start
to end.
Practice
What kinds of restaurants are popular in your country?
What types of shops can be found in your local area?
What types of things do people collect in your country?
What types of TV programmes are popular in your country?
Sample answer
What sort of restaurants do you usually eat at?
Usually I prefer to get something like fast food such as McDonalds because it’s quick and easy to get.
However, if I have more time I would rather have something healthier such as a steak and salad from a
decent restaurant like Outback Steakhouse.
Practice
When do you usually read?
Who do you spend your evenings with?
When you go out in the evenings, what do you usually do?
How often do you play sports?
Where do you usually go shopping?
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SPEAKING PART 2:
Opening:
Well I’d like to talk about ………
Ok then, to start with I will talk about ………
Sample answer:
A really important decision I’ve made recently is to study abroad, which is the reason I’m here
talking to you now. No-one from my family has ever had the chance to study abroad before. My
parents were actually hoping I’d start working for our family textile business as soon as I
graduate. I think it’s too soon to join the family business though. I really want to study
marketing – especially fashion marketing – and English so I can sell our company products to
buyers all over the world. If I study fashion marketing in the UK, I can learn how to do business
in the fashion industry, which is of course very competitive and fast-moving. As for whether it
was the right decision, I’m pretty confident it was and I can’t change my mind now anyway
because I borrowed money from my parents to pay for my tuition. I’m going to do my best to
finish my course and I will go back to my country with new ideas that will help expand our
business. All I need now is to get a good score in IELTS. So, anyway, that’s an important decision
in my life.
Like many questions in IELTS Speaking Part 2, this one deals with an event or action in the past. There is,
however, a switch to the present when the candidate is required to reflect on the decision.
Getting straight to the point and saying what the decision was in the very first sentence
Paraphrasing the topic: A really important decision
Using a range of tenses – past simple, present simple and present perfect – with great accuracy
Using a wide range of grammatical forms such as a conditional sentence (If I…) and a cleft sentence
(All I need now is…)
Signalling parts of the question: As for whether it was the right decision…
Avoiding over-formality and using expressions such as actually and pretty that are appropriate to
conversational style
Providing a summarising sentence to wrap up the response
Practice
In the exam, you have one minute to read the instructions and prepare your answer and make
notes. For this class, you have 5 minutes. Then you must speak for one to two minutes on the above
topic:
Describe a major decision you have taken in your life.
SPEAKING: Part 3
It’s difficult to predict exactly what questions you will get asked in the third part of the
exam, but usually they will have a close connection to the topic we discussed in part 2 of the exam. In
addition the following functions may be tested.
1. Different kinds of
2. Comparing (time/objects/concepts)
Page 8
3. Predicting
4. Advantages
5. Disadvantages
6. Problems
What are some of the main problems that students often encounter with learning English?
7. Solutions
8. Opinion (why)
Transcript
Examiner: We’ve been talking about things we own. I’d like to discuss with you one or two more general
questions relating to this topic. First, let’s consider values and the way they can change. In Switzerland, what
kind of possessions do you think give status to people?
Candidate: The first thing which comes in my mind is the car. Yes, because lots of people like to have posh
cars or expensive cars to show their status, their place in the society.
Examiner: People have thought like that for quite a long time?
Candidate: Yes. Another thing is probably the clothing. It starts already when you are young. When the
children go to school they want to have posh labels on their jumpers or good shoes.
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Examiner: What do you think of this way of thinking, that I need to have a car or certain clothes to show my
status?
Candidate: Probably it’s sometimes a replacement for something you don’t have, so if your wife has left
you or your girlfriend, you just buy some new, I don’t know, new watches or new clothes to make you
satisfied again.
Candidate: It’s probably not honest to yourself. You can understand what I mean?
Examiner: Yes. And do you think this will change? In the future, will cars and designer clothes be status
symbols in the same way?
Candidate: I’m sure that clothes will be ... that the thing with the clothes will be the same. I’m not so sure
about the cars because cars cause lots of environmental problems and probably in some years, a few years,
this will change because it’s not reasonable to drive a car anymore.
Examiner: Can you tell me a little bit more about that? ...
Practise
Examples of possible questions for the Part 2 Topic, 'Describe a major decision…'. Answer these questions.
Which people influence young people when they are choosing a profession?
Do you think that parents generally know what is best for their children?
What are some of the skills people use when they make a decision?
Make a time table for your study to make better use of your time.
Have a speaking-mate to practise with every day or as often as possible. Have your speaking-mate
to time and evaluate your performance.
Write stories about main events in your life. Include many of the topics in the Appendix.
Review grammar and vocabulary by reading English articles and stories on the internet, for
example, search for 'Qingdao' and read about this/your city. Reading more is key to improving your
vocabulary and grammar. Also look at the following web sites:
• www.ieltsspeaking.co.uk/ielts-vocabulary
• www.emigraacanada.com/pdfs/Check_Your_English_Vocabulary_for_IELTS_II.pdf
• www.better-english.com/vocabulary.htm
• www.ielts-exam.net/grammar
• www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar
• www.grammarly.com/handbook/mechanics/phrasal-verb-and-idioms
• www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/collocations – also has Vocabulary, English
pronunciation lessons with audio, English speaking lessons.
5. Improving your accent – ensuring you can make all sounds correctly (th, l, r, long vowel sounds) and
also getting natural sounding stress, and intonation.
7. Broadening your vocabulary – especially building common phrases that can be used in a variety of
responses, such as connectives and discourse markers.
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Appendix
Topics you may be asked to talk about
Part 1 Topics
Part 2 Topics
Part 3 topics