IELTS speaking module general tips

This could be the most nerve wracking part of the test for you. Here is how you can prepare and what you can do during those fifteen minutes or so.

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General

1. Relax. This is the most important thing. You won’t be able to show the examiner your true level if you are nervous.

2. Show your range of language. If you don’t show him, he won’t know!

3. Keep to the truth. Don’t make stuff up. You might run into trouble somewhere.

4. Make it interesting. Make the guy want to listen to you.

5. Use a wide range of words. Collect vocabulary. Make word webs. Make categorized xl lists. Don’t use short boring words (good/bad/happy/sad), use descriptive words and phrases (fantastic/awful/ecstatic/depressed)

6. Don’t give one word answers – show off with different tenses. “I live in Taipei. I have lived here for 5 years. I moved here in 2003.”

7. Use clauses. “The food that I like the most is curry.”

8. It sentences. “It rains a lot in Taipei” “It’s boring to stay home and watch TV”

9. Plurals. Don’t forget to add the s or es

10. Subject-verb agreement.

11. Watch out for Chinese English.

12. Use phrase verbs and idioms. But be careful with the idioms.

13. Linking devices. Within sentences and between sentences.

14. Conditionals. If you need a high score, you’ll need to use a variety of these.

15. Correct yourself. If you realize that you have said somethig wrong, use conversational phrases like “No, what I mean is . . .” “I should have said . . .” “What I meant to say was . . .”

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Part 1

(Questions in order to get to know people)

Practice answering such questions every day. Use a recorder and listen back.

Repeat repeat repeat. But make sure your answers are correct before memorizing things.

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Part 2

(Speaking at length on a given topic)

Read the card and make notes.

Record yourself talking about a topic for 2 minutes.

In the test make sure you speak for the whole 2 minutes.

Read the notes when speaking.

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Part 3

(Discuss and answer questions on the topic from Part 2)

Give opinions and depth: explain and justify.

Make sure you can use language for the following:

a. Describing things – especially changes. Verb tenses. Simple past and present. Perfect.

b. Compare. Especially over time.

c. Speculate on what might happen in the future.

Rephrase / reformulate questions out loud before you begin to give an answer (thinking time).

Answers can be short, but give depth and opinions. Justify answers. Give reasons.

Make sure you finish the answer clearly:

a. Tone of voice (going down).

b. Body language (hand gesture).

c. Repeating the question.

d. Phrases such as, “Well that’s about all . . .”

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Assessment

1. Fluency and coherence. Long, meaningful, and clear answers, without hesitation or contradiction.

2. Lexical resource. Appropriate and varied vocabulary.

3. Grammatical range and accuracy. Correct yourself if you find you’ve made a mistake.

4. Pronunciation, accent, and clarity. Correct stressing and intonation. But don’t worry too much about accent – everybody has one. Record yourself often.

These four criteria are equally important, 25% each, so don't neglect any of them.

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Summary of Speech Functions

–Providing personal information

–Providing non-personal information

–Expressing opinions

–Explaining

–Suggesting

–Justifying opinions

–Speculating

–Expressing a preference

–Comparing

–Summarizing

–Conversation repair

–Contrasting

–Narrating and paraphrasing

–Analysing