IELTS Speaking Test Tips

1. Understand the Test Format

The IELTS Speaking test has three parts:

• Simple Questions: Short answer questions about familiar topics (4–5 minutes).
• Long Turn: Speak for 2 minutes about a topic after 1 minute of preparation.
• Discussion: Have a conversation with the examiner about some more difficult topics. They might ask you to talk about the future or make a comparison.

2. Improve your Communication

Communication is the most important thing for IELTS speaking examiners. If they can understand you and the conversation is not really difficult, then you will get a good score in the exam. The easier and more natural the conversation is, the higher your score.

3. Answer Directly

Never say anything that is unconnected to the question. Each question is carefully chosen by the examiner to test language skills. If you don’t answer the questions directly, we have to think that you don’t understand the question. This also causes problems for how we conduct the exam.

4. Practice and Improve Your Vocabulary

Use good resources to improve your knowledge of how words are used in English. You must understand the pronunciation, the form, the meaning, the cultural context, and the use, in order to use words correctly in the exam.

5. Speak Clearly

IELTS Examiners are measuring your communication in the exam. You must say every word clearly to the examiner. This will really help them understand what you are saying. This improves your communication and therefore improves your score.

6. Work on Your Pronunciation

• Practice difficult sounds.
• Speak clearly with proper stress and intonation.
• Don’t worry about your accent as long as your pronunciation is understandable.

7. Practice Your Spoken English

You need to do lots of practice to communicate effectively in English. The exam is not just a grammar exam; you have to show that you can actually have a conversation with someone in English about different things. You can quickly improve this by having conversations in English with more people on a regular basis.

8. Do Not Memorise Answers, Repeat Answers to Questions, Make Your Answers More Complicated, or Say as Much as You Can

Memorisation and repeating answers are not communication and therefore they lower your score. Making your answers more complicated and just saying as much as you can without thinking about the questions makes what you are saying confusing. This is bad for communication and again lowers your score.

9. Listen Carefully

One of the things that examiners hate is candidates answering the question they want, not the question being asked. Always listen and respond to exactly what the examiner is saying. If you don’t, you cause big problems for them in the exam.

10. Treat the Exam Like a Normal Conversation

Speak normally during the exam, and the examiner will find out your real level. In my experience, trying to impress the examiner makes what you are saying more confusing, and this lowers your score. Your level is your level, and you cannot do anything special in the exam just to improve it. The only way to improve your score is to study and improve your spoken English outside of the exam.