7 Essential Strategies for Maximizing Your IELTS Speaking Test Score
1. Stay Calm:
It’s a universal fact that if you are nervous or anxious you won’t be able to think properly and it will be difficult for you to keep up your fluency and maintain coherence. It’s not only that there are other factors too to take care of such as to score good we have to use a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical structures accurately. But you have to keep your mind under control and take deep breath. That will help you relax and eat good heathy food.
The examiner is here to make you feel comfortable.Therefore,even the test format is like that.Firstly, the examiner will ask you some basic questions about familiar topics like family or your home. Then he will move to general topic questions.
Just relax, smile and do your best to speak comfortably and smoothly.
2. Familiarize yourself with the structure:
If you are taking IELTS for the first time its always encouraged to know the structure of IELTS speaking test. It’s always advisable to know the basic format of your test. This helps you to prepare in advance and gain confidence and not only that you also know about the examiner expectations. Here are some simple questions you should really know the answers to:
– Total length of speaking test
– How many parts or sections are there?
– What does each part consist of?
– What areas of my language are assessed?
3. Just answer the question!
In the beginning of the test, just give the information that’s needed don’t unnecessarily expand your answer too much. Wait until you hear questions about your home, work, school life and so on before giving more extended answers. Even then, provide relevant answers and avoid rambling on.
If you don’t understand the question or anything else, you can politely ask them to repeat the question or instruction. Avoid asking too many questions – your job is to answer the questions and show the examiner what you can do in English.
6. Get in the habit of answering the question “why?”
If you’ve ever taken the IELTS exam before, you may have noticed that the examiner will respond to simple answers by asking, “why?”
This is because examiner needs you to say more than that so they can accurately evaluate your English language. Avoid giving 1-2 word as it will lower your score. Get the proper guidance on the length of your answer for all the three parts.
7. Implement key phrases strategically
Once you’re familiar with the format of the IELTS Speaking test and the different types of questions asked, then you can start on your planning techniques like think about what you can say in various situations that may arise during the test for example, the first part of the text will ask you about things like your home, family, workor your life as a student. This is a great time to show off your ability to use the present perfect.
home – I’ve lived in my apartment for three years with my parents.
family – We’ve been married for only seven months.
work – I’ve been a doctor for fifteen years.
student life – I’ve been studying Physics for six years.
As I said before initially the examiner will ask you few personal questions than the examiner will move on to questions about more general topics. However, you might get caught off-guard by a random question about sunshine, pets or trees in your country. If you’re not sure what to say, use a phrase like, “Hmm, that’s an interesting question…” to buy yourself some thinking time.
Thank You 🙂
