How to Prepare for the Speaking Section of IELTS Exam Syllabus

International English Language Testing System or IELTS has to be cleared by candidates planning to pursue higher education abroad. A candidate requires demonstrating proficiency in the English language and will be assessed mainly on four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Most candidates find the speaking section the most difficult due to the time constraint. This blog will outline how to prepare for this section and the IELTS exam syllabus.

Tips to Prepare for the Speaking Section of IELTS exam

An individual can ace this section with utmost perfection. However, a candidate is assessed on stringent parameters to identify his/her communication skills. Furthermore, when attempting this section, one needs to have in-depth knowledge about every subject. Therefore, it is best to understand the speaking section as a whole.

Understanding Speaking Section of IELTS exam

Part 1

This span for 4-5 minutes, and candidates are expected to introduce themselves. Then, the examiner asks questions comprising interests, hobbies, family, educational qualifications, etc. It is regarded as the easiest out of the other parts in speaking.

Part 2

This part spans about 3-4 minutes, and candidates are provided with a cue card. They must speak on a particular topic. However, a candidate can prepare and make notes before answering the topic. These questions are descriptive.

Part 3

This is connected to the previous section, and the questions asked are more abstract. Questions can be causal, hypothetical, or compare and contrast and opinion. This generally is for 4 to 5 minutes and is often regarded as the most challenging portion.

Be careful of pronunciation

Candidates must be careful with their pronunciation. They can do so by recording themselves and hearing it. This will help them identify the accent, fluency and accuracy.

Widen the vocabulary

An individual must widen his\her vocabulary. One can do so by reading books, listening to the audio, and watching videos. One can write down new words and implement the same while speaking.

Don’t pause much

Candidates must try not to pause much during the conversation as it reflects that one does not know what to speak or is under-confident. In addition, it highlights that one cannot explain his/her idea. Hence, one should not use words like umm, you know, well, yeah, etc.

Rephrase the question

One must not repeat the question and try to rephrase it while answering.

Be careful of tenses

When answering the question, one must be careful of tenses. For instance, if the examiner asks, ‘What kind of food do you like?’, the candidate must answer the question in the present tense.

Put emphasis on certain words

One must not speak in a monotone as the examiner will be unable to understand the essential words. Hence, candidates must emphasise certain words to make the conversation more engaging for the examiner. Furthermore, one can use head gestures to make the conversation more rhythmic.

Practice common topics

Individuals can practice common topics to be conversant with the speaking section part 2. Tourism and travel, education, family, sports and recreation, crime and punishment, internet, advertising and retail are the most common topics.

Don’t use any unfamiliar words

One must not try using unfamiliar words if he/she is uncomfortable. There is a higher possibility that one can mispronounce words or use them in a false sense. This can impact one’s band score.

Avoid memorising answers

Candidates must not memorise answers in the first part. This is because the examiner will identify if one is memorising answers and can hamper scores. Plus, this does not give the examiner an idea of one’s language skills.

Don’t answer with a yes or no

Candidates must not answer the question with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Instead, they should expand their answers and espouse their ideas through it. For example, if the question asked is ‘Do you like wearing makeup?’, one should state his/her opinion in this manner. For example, one can begin by saying, ‘No, I do not like wearing makeup as I feel it does more harm than good. I feel it masks my identity’.

Practice Sample Questions of IELTS exam

While preparing for this section, one must practice sample and previous year questions to understand better what is asked. This will help one score well. Below-mentioned is some sample questions:

Part 1

  1. Let us talk about your home town
  2. What do you do in your leisure time?
  3. Do you like travelling?

Part 2

  1. Describe some advice which you had received
  2. Describe a magazine or book which you enjoy reading

Part 3

  1. Do people spend a lot of money on social events, such as a wedding or a birthday party?
  2. Why do people come to parties late?

To fetch better scores in the speaking IELTS syllabus, candidates should start preparing early. First, however, one must keep the above pointers in mind to get the desired score.

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Christophe Rude
Christophe Rude
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