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Speaking
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Below is a list of topics that the examiner can ask you in part one:
Work Happiness
Study Hobbies
Hometown Internet
Home Leisure time
Art Neighbors & Neighborhood
Birthdays Newspapers
Childhood Pets
Clothes Reading
Computers Shopping
Daily routine Music
Evenings Sport
Family & Friends TV
Flowers Transport
Food Weather
Going Out Dictionaries 4
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For instance:
General Tips
Don’t be shy and try to enjoy the chat with the examiner
Your ideas are not important – your beliefs are not being tested
Say your ideas with confidence and showcase your language skills
Simple ideas explained using excellent English can get you band score 9
Think of your experiences relating to the topics
If the topic is a museum, think of museums you have been to or would like to
go to, remember your past experiences
Speak from the heart – your English abilities are working better when you do
that
Learn to express yourself using your own language
Everything about your pace of talk falls under the criterion of ‘fluency’ which
accounts for 25% of your final marks for your IELTS speaking. Fluency relates to
the flow, smoothness, and coherence of your speech.
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Smoothness: this relates to how often you break your speech with pauses,
hesitations, self-corrections, and silence. All of this interrupts the flow and stops the
smoothness of your speech. If you are aiming for band score 6 and above, it is
important to avoid any long pauses and to avoid repeating yourself.
Coherence: this is all about being understood. There is no point having a goof flow
with smooth speech if you are not talking in a logical order. This means organizing
your ideas so that the listener can understand and also using some linking devices to
help the listener follow what you are saying.
Therefore, how fast should you speak? As long as you keep a steady pace, you will
be fine. Avoid speaking very slow because the listener can get lost in what you are
trying to say. Alternatively, don’t speak very fast as you may lose your coherence.
Keep a steady, even pace when you are talking, extend your answers, avoid long
pauses, don’t repeat yourself too much, avoid correcting yourself more than once or
twice and keep a logical order to what you are saying.
You can ask the examiner to repeat the question in IELTS speaking part 1 (e.g. Could
you repeat that, please?) but that’s all, only repeating. You can’t ask other questions
like asking for explanation of what the question means. The examiner is limited to
asking questions and can’t help you or explain. He / She can’t explain questions and
can’t explain words.
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You can’t ask any questions in part 2. You can’t ask to change the topic. You must
use the topic given to you and try your best to talk about something related to your
cue card.
If you don’t understand a word on your cue card, the examiner can’t help you. You
need to follow the topic on your card and follow the prompts you understand. You
can add any other information you want to your talk to make it longer which relates
to the topic.
The examiner will tell you when to start talking and when to stop. You don’t need
to ask.
You can ask the examiner to explain words and to explain the question in IELTS
speaking part 3. This is useful because the examiner will rephrase the question using
different words and make it easier to understand. You can also ask the examiner to
repeat the question, the same as part 1.
Could you explain that, please? (the examiner will rephrase the question)
What do you mean exactly? (the examiner will rephrase the question)
Could you explain what X means, please? (for a specific word)
What does X mean? (for a specific word)
Don’t ask the examiner the following questions
Have you been there?
What do you think?
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Thinking Time
Sometimes you need to time to think about the question and make up your answer.
One way to do that is to ask the examiner to repeat the question. It is a useful way to
gain time to think. Alternatively, you can say “It’s an interesting question. I’ve never
really thought about it before. I suppose…” You could use that method for difficult
questions in part 3.
No, it won’t affect your score. Your score is calculated on fluency, vocabulary,
grammar, and pronunciation. There is no score for understanding or comprehension.
It is fine to ask the examiner to repeat one or two questions in part 1 or to explain a
question in part 3.
Q. What was your favorite book or story when you were a child?
A. The first book that I remember really enjoying was ‘……….’. It only
took me a few days to read because I liked it so much that I couldn’t put
it down.
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These answers are ok but if you can continue, it’s highly advised to go on to at
least four or five sentences. Read the tips below to find out more.
Tips:
1. I’m going to describe my sister’s wedding day, which took place a few years
ago in the town where I grew up. For my sister, it was the biggest and most
important day of her life.
2. I think there were around 100 people at the marriage ceremony, which was
held in a church. Even more people came to the party, or the wedding
reception as we call it, after the ceremony. Of course, most members of my
family were there, as well as the groom’s family and a collection of the bride
and groom’s friends and colleagues. The person I remember most was ……
because we hadn’t seen each other in over two years so that was a really
pleasant surprise.
Tips:
The answer above is reasonable but not very detailed. If you have a very good level
of English, then this answer does not demonstrate your fluency or a good range of
English language abilities.
It’s always good in speaking part 3 to give examples. Give more examples of when
you would seek advice from grandparents - what kinds of problems would prompt
you to ask for their help?
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It is always better in speaking to give more than you need to give, than to give less.
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IELTS Speaking Part 2: Will I get a low score if I speak for less than 2 minutes?
In speaking part 2, you will be given a topic, 1 min to prepare and then, you will
need to speak for between 1-2 minutes. The examiner will not move on to part 3
until 1 minute has passed of your talk and the examiner will stop you at exactly 2
minutes to prevent you speaking further. So, this means you have between 1 and 2
minutes available to you for your talk.
Speaking part 2 is the only part of the test where you can show the examiner that
you can speak at length. If you are aiming for a higher score, this is a great
opportunity to impress the examiner with fluency.
However, if you run out of things to say after 1 minute and think from that point on
you may lose marks because of lots of hesitations and pauses, then tell the examiner
you have finished so that the examiner can move on to the next part of the test. You
can say ‘I’ve finished’.
It is better to give a strong, fluent talk for 1.5 minutes than a weak, hesitant
talk for 2 minutes.
You can still get a high score if you only speak for 1.5 minutes but only if the
quality of your talk is very good.
The criterion of fluency accounts for 25% of your marks and is taken from
your overall performance in all parts not only in part 2.
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and
also
as well as
another reason is
Time Phrases
Expressing ideas
Giving Examples
for example
for instance
such as
like
Being Clear
What I mean is
What I want to say is
As I was saying
but although
on the other hand or
while
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We would not use “for example” in this type of sentence which relates to our
everyday life.
A. Yes, I do. Firstly, if it is eaten too often, it can cause problems such as heart
disease or diabetes. Also, it can lead to weight problems which are really common
nowadays.
You could use “such as” or “for example” in this sentence because the content
is more serious. Please note that we don’t use “furthermore” or “in addition”
for speaking, instead we use “also” or “and”.
Q. Do children play similar games today that they played in the past?
A. No, I don’t think they do. Before, children used to play simple games like hide
and seek or they used to play with simple handmade toys. But, these days, kids tend
to prefer computer games and their toys are battery operated.
This answer contained time phrases for the past and present “before” and
“these days”. It also had an example “like”. “Like” is the main example
linking word for speaking and can be repeated again and again. This answer
also uses a contrasting linking word “but”. “But” is the main contrasting
linking word in speaking and can be repeated many times.
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The example below will help you understand how not to answer a question with
linking words.
A. Yes, I do. Firstly, it gives me a chance to relax. Secondly, I can catch up on their
news. Last but not least, it allows me the opportunity to visit new places.
The method of linking is too formal. It is inappropriate and is not a good for
a high score.
A. Yes, I do. It’s great being able to chill out and catch up with their news. Also we
often go out to new places which I really enjoy.
This answer was more natural and would be marked higher in IELTS
speaking. The linking words are used appropriately (and / also).
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Don’t use formal linking words for simple questions about yourself and your
life.
Don’t worry about repeating linking words. This is different to IELTS writing.
The most common linking words for speaking are: and, but, because, also,
like (for giving examples).
“Like” is only used as a linking word to give examples in speaking NOT in
writing.
You do not get a higher score because of a range of linking devices.
Linking words in speaking are just to help the listener understand better.
Linking words are used naturally not formally in IELTS speaking.
Linking words are part of the criterion of “Fluency and Coherence” which is
25% of your marks.
Speaking Part 1
If you are strong in speaking part 1 but not in the other parts, then you will not get a
good score. You must do well in all parts to get a good score.
Most of the questions are quite easy in part 1 and are about yourself or your country.
Therefore, doing well in this part is expected for high-level students. If you give very
short answers, for example “Yes, I do” or “No, I don’t”, you are not providing the
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examiner with a good range of language to assess. That means your potential score
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is not high when you enter part 2 and it will affect your overall score.
In speaking part 2, the examiner has a chance to sit and listen to your English without
interrupting. So, giving a short speech of only 1 minute gives you less chance to
demonstrate the level of your English and less chance to show fluency. It is still
possible to get a good score with only 1 minute or 1.5 minutes speech but only if the
language you use is very good and your fluency is very strong during that time.
By the end of speaking part 2, the examiner has a rough idea of your band score.
Adding more information and details to each prompt is a way of offering the
examiner a broader range of your language ability. Description offers the examiner
more vocabulary and fluency. Talking with feeling can offer better intonation.
Explaining in detail can offer better sentence structures and grammar. Giving
examples of the past and ideas for the future can offer more grammar tenses. Try to
find ways to showcase your English in part 2.
Speaking Part 3
In speaking part 3, it is a chance for the examiner to ask more in depth questions
which will require more skill in English to answer. The questions are abstract and
about the world rather than yourself. This requires a better level of English to answer
well.
This is a chance for you to boost your score by providing the examiner with a better
range of vocabulary, grammar, fluency, and pronunciation. Giving examples and
detailed explanations of your ideas naturally produces better language which will
help your score.
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Your score will be decided by the examiner who conducts the test and the score will
be given at the end of the test. By the end of speaking part 3, the examiner will have
decided your score.
No, there are no model answers used for assessing you in the IELTS speaking test.
Each student will use different English and give different answers. Your score is
only calculated on the English language you produce – the level and range of your
English and the accuracy of your English.
If you perform well and produce good English in the other questions, you can still
get a good score. Struggling with only one question while the others are fine, should
not affect your score adversely.
The IELTS speaking test only assess your English language, not your ideas. This is
very different to the IELTS writing test. IELTS writing assesses your ideas, your
answers, how you develop the ideas, and how you present them. IELTS speaking
only tests your vocabulary, grammar, fluency and pronunciation. See below for the
band score descriptors.
Is it essential to follow the prompts on your cue card for speaking part 2?
No, it isn’t. The prompts on the cue card are guidelines and support to help you build
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your talk.
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No, you won’t. You can choose which prompts you want to use. You can ignore
some and use others. You don’t get a lower score if you don’t complete the cue card
prompts.
No. There are no questions on your cue card. There are only prompts which are
suggestions that will help you give a full talk. It is your choice to use them or not.
Can you add information in speaking part 2 that isn’t on the cue card?
Yes, you can. It is recommended that you add information to expend your talk. You
will not get a lower score if you go off the topic by adding extra information that is
not on your card.
Is the examiner marking your ability to use the prompts on the cue card?
No. You are not marked on ideas at all. You are only marked on your use of English
language.
I heard that going off topic will reduce your score. Is that true?
Not for IELTS speaking. It is true for IELTS writing. In IELTS writing, you are
marked on your response, ideas, and staying in the picture. This is not the case for
IELTS speaking.
I recommend that you use the prompts and also add extra information. The prompts
are useful and provide a structure to your talk which will help your score. Adding
extra information is a useful way to showcase your English language for a higher
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score.
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First of all, this is not a very academic test. The questions are designed so that anyone
can answer them. If you look at some example questions, it will surprise you how
easy they are. They require no specialist knowledge and the examiner does not even
have to agree with your opinion, they just want to hear how well you convey your
ideas and express your opinion.
However, sometimes you may not quite understand what the examiner just said. In
this case, simply ask him or her to repeat the question. If there is a word or term you
don’t understand, it is also acceptable to ask them to explain it to you. Don’t overdo
this, as it will seem as if you are abusing this rule.
It is a speaking test, not a listening test and the examiner wants you to give your best
possible answer so don’t be afraid to let them know. They won’t repeat the question
or explain a word to you unless you ask.
Do I have to give an answer for every question in part 3?
Yes, if you don’t attempt an answer for all questions you will lose marks. However,
if you get a question you are really struggling with, you can admit this to the
examiner and give the best answer you can.
You could say something like: ‘I don’t know a lot about this topic, but if I had to
guess I would say….’ It is unlikely you will have to use this phrase and it should
only be used when you really have no ideas.
The IELTS examiner does not expect you to give instant answers, you are not a
robot! However, they do expect you to respond in a natural way. It is completely
normal for native speakers to use certain words and phrases in order to give
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The most important thing is not to overuse these phrases. Some students put them in
front of every answer and it sounds really unnatural. Remember, they are only to be
used when you get an unexpected or particularly difficult question.
Many students are worried that they will not have enough to say in part 3. In part 3
the examiner will mostly ask for your general thoughts on an issue; advantages and
disadvantages; problems and solutions; how the issue has changed from the past until
now; and how the issue will change in the future. You should therefore practice
thinking and talking about your opinion on common everyday issues like health, the
economy, education, the environment, etc.
There is no set word limit for a good part 3 answer, but it should not be too short and
not too long. Too short and you will have failed to develop your answer properly;
too long and you may go off topic and/or make mistakes. As a rule, I advise my
students to try to answer with 3-4 sentences.
Techniques to expand your answers are later on discussed in this booklet.
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Introduction
Past
Description
Opinion
Future
Now, you will start to write keywords beside each of these headings. Let’s look at
each in a little more detail.
Introduction
Start off by saying ‘I’d like to talk about (X).’ Then say ‘I chose this topic because…’
and you will be able to say why you choose this topic. If you can’t think of a reason
just make one up, although it’s always better to talk about real experiences.
Past
Now pause and use a linking word like ‘anyway’ or ‘anyhow’ to transition into
talking about the past. This will allow you to demonstrate that you are confident
using a range of past structures. For example:
Used to + infinitive to talk about past habits or states that are now finished.
Past simple to talk about things you did in the past that you no longer do or are no
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longer true.
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Past perfect to say something happened before something else in the past.
Description
Now pause and say ‘So let me tell you about (X) in a little more detail.’ This is your
opportunity to impress the examiner with specific vocabulary. Get to know the
common topics and have some specific adjectives ready. If you use an adjective to
describe something, make sure you expand on it or explain it with examples. Again,
if you can’t think of specific examples, it is fine to make these up. Make sure your
examples match the adjective and you will be fine.
Opinion
Now you can pause and say ‘If you ask me/In my view/I would say + (opinion on
topic). This gives you a chance to express how you feel about the topic. It could be
your personal opinion or it could be a comparative or superlative. Using a wide range
of phrases to express your opinion will help you get a higher mark. If you want to
give a stronger opinion you could say:
Finally, you can display your ability to use future tenses. Start off by saying
‘Regarding the future….’ A range of tenses will help you gain extra marks. For
example, you could use:
The future perfect - will have + past participle is used to say something will have
happened or will have been completed by a certain point in the future.
Please bear in mind that all these are just suggestions and there is no ultimate tip or
trick to get a high score. It all depends on you.
Should you use contractions in your IELTS speaking test? Will you get a lower mark
if you use contractions like “gonna”?
A contraction is when you combine two (or more) words to make them shorter and
make them flow together when speaking. “It is” = “it’s” or “want to” = “wanna”.
Most contractions are used in informal speaking and the IELTS speaking is 100%
informal. This means informal language is fine to be used in all parts of the test.
want to = wanna
Pronunciation is 25% of your marks for IELTS speaking. This means the way you
pronounce sounds, words, and sentences is marked in your speaking test. Part of
that does include linking sounds and linking words, such as gonna, wanna, it’s, and
doesn’t. So, try to learn these contractions and use them naturally in your test.
Remember, these contractions are NOT used in formal writing, such as in IELTS
writing task 2, report writing, formal letters or business letters but they are good to
use in IELTS speaking.
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Example:
A good way to extend your answer is respond with a paraphrase of the examiner’s
question. Paraphrasing is when you repeat the sentence but with synonyms so that it
has the same meaning.
This technique is very effective because, not only it gives you time to think in a
natural way, but it also focuses your mind on answering the question.
For example:
Again, this should not be used for every answer, only when you think it is
appropriate.
Many students state their opinion but don’t extend their answer by stating why they
feel that way. Some students have told me that they are afraid of patronizing the
examiner and assume he or she will know why they have stated their opinion.
Assume that the examiner has no knowledge at all about the topic. Pretend you are
speaking to a child who knows nothing of the topic and this will help you explain
how you feel.
Example:
A. I believe the best way to keep water clean is to curb water use at home. (Why?)
The vast majority of water is used in the home, (why?), for cooking, cleaning and
washing, (why?) therefore by reducing the amount of water we use, (why?) the
government can conserve the water supply and keep it clean.
By asking ourselves ‘why’ we continue to explain our opinions and this leads to a
more developed answer.
This seems an obvious one but it is something many applicants don’t do. In order to
really develop your answer an example is normally needed. A lot of my students
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complain that they don’t know or can’t think of any examples. If you can’t think of
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Example:
Q. Have the modes of transport people use in your country changed much over the
last few decades?
A. Absolutely, they have changed a lot. In the past most people used bicycles, but
now they predominantly use motorbikes. For example, a recent survey found that
72% of people in Hochi city in China now own a motorbike.
I just made that statistic up and it is perfectly acceptable for you to do the same thing
in the IELTS speaking test. The examiner will never disagree with you or ask you to
prove any of your examples.
We make a concession by admitting that there are limits to our opinion or there may
be another side to the argument. We use words like ‘however’, ‘on the other hand’
and ‘despite this’ to make concessions.
Some students don’t like doing this because they think it weakens their argument or
opinion. In fact, by showing you are aware of other opinions you actually strengthen
your argument.
Example:
Practice
Now let’s get to practice. Remember that there is no magic formula, so here are some
example questions to practice. Why not record your answers and you can then listen
to them and pinpoint your mistakes?
The first four topics are the most common in IELTS speaking part 1. And then the
rest are very common too. You should prepare ideas and practice answering all of
these questions.
Work
Hometown
Art
Birthdays
Childhood
Clothes
Computers
Dictionaries
Evenings
Flowers
Food
Going Out
Hobbies
Internet
Leisure Time
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Music
Newspapers
Pets
Reading
Shopping
TV
Transport
Weather
Plants
Dreams
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Art
Clothes
Education
Do you think computers will one day replace teachers in the classroom?
Family
Food
Health
Internet
Nature
Society
Travel
Why do some people prefer to travel abroad rather than in their own country?
Do you think traveling to another country can change the way people think?
Do you think it is good for children to experience life in a foreign country?
How have holidays changed over the past few decades?
Do you think it is safer to travel now than in the past?
Work
Do you think job satisfaction is more important than salary when choosing a
job?
What skills do you think are needed to get a good job these days?
Do you think women should be able to do all the same jobs that men do?
How has technology changed the way we work?
What is the difference between white collar and blue collar jobs?
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