Hello and welcome to IELTS Tips Series. I have achieved a Band 7 in IELTS Speaking, and here's what I think mIght help you. Read along to see how you can improve your score and find out my thoughts on this exam in hindsight.

First of all, we must understand that IELTS exams follow a certain pattern, and that each question has its own requirements. Many people fail this one despite being good speakers just because they don’t pay attention where it matters. So without further ado, here are a few tips to remember when practicing:

IELTS Speaking Tips:

1. Remember that the test is conducted through an in-person interview. There are 3 parts of the ‘interview’. (The last few paragraphs of this post will talk about some useful videos on this).
2. Practice using the questions from Cambridge practice tests (sometimes known as CD IELTS). These books are up for sale, but some places which I wouldn’t name for legal reasons allow you to download these in PDF format.
3. When using the said practice materials on a computer, use a stopwatch (search on Google) to keep track of your time. Don’t use a timer because otherwise you won’t know how much time you exceeded.
4. It is hard to realize your own mistakes so practice with someone who you think is good at speaking and listening.
5. If you want to use some better words, feel free to do so but never use extremely high-end words because the conversation has to feel natural and practical. Also, never use a word about the meaning of which you are not 100% sure.

British Council Tells You What The Examiners Expect:

When I wrote that many people do not pay close attention, I intended to include their omission to read the public band descriptors – that is the criteria through which the examiners judge your speaking. This is a document available on their website.

The examiners mark you on 4 factors:

• Fluency and coherence
• Lexical resource
• Grammatical range and accuracy
• Pronunciation

I am going to summarize each factor to tell you what you should normally keep in mind while speaking if you aim for a Band 9. But I do insist that you still read the public band descriptors yourself to see if you lack in some other thing not covered by me.

Fluency and coherence:

Speak fluently with only rare repetition or self-correction. [‘Rare’ is better than ‘occasional’ (8 bands)]. As a rule, avoid repetition at all costs. Do not correct yourself unless you have made a serious mistake. Try to maneuver through the problem by expanding on your thoughts.

Make sure that any hesitation is content-related rather than to find words or grammar. This means that you must not stop to look for a better word. If you forget a word, change the sentence. Explain in detail. The stage is yours. But never stop.

Speak coherently with fully appropriate cohesive features. (See tips for writing to read more on coherence).

Develop topics fully and appropriately.

And remember:

• Show no language-related hesitation. (7 bands)
• Show no repetition and/or self-correction. (7 bands)
• Show no inappropriate use of connectives and discourse markers (words like ‘however’, ‘although’ and ‘Nevertheless’). (6 bands)

Lexical resource:

Use vocabulary with full flexibility and precision in all topics.

Use idiomatic language naturally and accurately. If you can’t, then don’t use it.

Use paraphrase effectively as required [‘requirement’ must be met otherwise it will result in 7 bands]. You should not repeat the question, rather speak in your own words. This is all the more important in the second task.

Do not demonstrate inappropriate choice of less common and idiomatic vocabulary. (7 bands)

Paraphrasing is a determining factor for almost EVERY BAND in Lexical Resource, so it has to be perfect.

Grammatical range and accuracy:

Use a full range of structures naturally and appropriately. [‘full’ range is better than ‘wide’ range (8 bands)].

Tip: use past, present and future tenses, use active and passive voice, direct and indirect speech, use positive, negative and interrogative sentences, etc. Basically, use all the grammar you have learnt in your school. A strategy I found useful is to compare something with another thing. This way, I get a lot of content to say and I get to make complex sentences using simple words like “but”.

Produce consistently accurate structures apart from ‘slips’ characteristic of native speaker speech.

Remember:

• NO grammatical mistakes. (7 bands)
• Avoid using a mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility. (6 bands)
• NO frequent mistakes with complex structures. (6 bands)

Pronunciation:

Use a full range of pronunciation features with precision and subtlety. [‘full’ range is better than ‘wide’ range (8 bands)].

I recommend you to watch the video of Jay from E2 IELTS on YouTube where he talks about the South Asian accent. It will make you realize what you need to do to make your pronunciation better.

Sustain flexible use of features throughout.

Be effortless to understand.

• Not sustaining effective use of features = 6 bands.
• Mispronunciation of individual words or sounds reduces clarity at times = 6 bands.

How to improve your Speaking skills:

First of all, this is what the British Council suggested me, a Band 7 achiever, to improve to Band 9:

Talk to other people about abstract and difficult current issues. Focus on delivering your ideas well in presentations and discussions, minimising hesitation as much as possible. Ask yourself: Am I arranging and conveying my thoughts in the best possible way? Am I using the best possible words and phrases that I know to express my ideas? How can I vary my delivery so that my ideas are understood better? Then work on those things you’re not completely happy with yet. Continue reading and listening to natural English language materials and TV to note precise words and particularly effective ways of saying things. Think about how you might use these yourself.

This is a really good piece of advice. Follow it.

To improve your speaking, listen to correct English on YouTube, TV and other sources so you will understand how good English sounds like.

To get good, practice one to two speaking tests each day. Speak with a friend or a family member. It will take some time but you will get better each day. See the video on YouTube posted by Jay from E2 IELTS, where he presents a mock test with a lady. Also search a full test simulation posted by the same channel. Moreover, see the video where he explains what he calls the “super method” for the second task. You don’t have to completely follow it, but note the logic behind it.

Finally, don’t stress yourself. Promise your friend (or a family member) that you will only speak with him/her in English from now on, and stick to that promise. In the real test, imagine that the ‘interviewer’ i.e. the examiner is a friend or a colleague. It feels unnatural and out of place to discuss personal opinions and deep issues with a complete stranger, so considering him a friend/colleague will add some context to your answers and you will not be confused about the tone and choice of words.

You can find more articles on other modules such as Reading, Listening and Writing on this blog. If you have any tips, you are encouraged to leave them in the comments below.