How Thu Improved from Band 7 to Band 8 in IELTS Speaking

Student Overview

Starting level: Band 7
Target: Band 8
Biggest challenge: Being introverted, speaking in a robotic way under exam pressure, and lack of natural fluency in test conditions
What helped most: Speaking practice with native speakers, building real conversations, Gold Course study, recording speaking, and warm-up speaking before the test
Result: Band 8 overall in IELTS, including Band 8 in Speaking (after about 1 year of preparation)

Watch Thu share her experience in her own words:

The Story

The Problem

Before preparing seriously, Thu felt that speaking English naturally in IELTS was difficult. Even though she could speak English, she became nervous in exam situations and tended to speak in a robotic and unnatural way.

She also felt uncertain about her future direction after graduating in law, which added pressure and self-doubt during her IELTS preparation journey.

What Wasn’t Working

At first, Thu struggled because she focused too much on formal study and not enough on real communication.

She realised that simply studying or thinking about English was not enough. When she didn’t practise speaking with real people, her fluency did not improve in a natural way.

What Changed

Everything changed when Thu started focusing on real communication and active speaking practice. She:

Stepped out of her comfort zone
Met and spoke with native English speakers online
Built real friendships instead of only practising as a student
Used the IELTS Gold Course for structured learning
Applied new language in real conversations
Practised pronunciation using tools like the ELSA app
Warmed up before her exam by speaking to a friend just 20 minutes before the test

This helped her stop overthinking and speak more naturally.

The Result

After consistent practice over around one year, Thu achieved:

Overall IELTS Band 8
Band 8 in Speaking

More importantly, she became more confident, more fluent, and able to speak naturally without “freezing” or overthinking during the exam.

Useful English from this story

“Step out of your comfort zone” → try new or difficult experiences
“Build relationships” → create real connections with people
“Warm up” → prepare yourself before doing something important
“There’s no silver bullet” → no quick secret solution
“Put in a lot of practice” → practise consistently and regularly

What you can learn from Thu

Real speaking practice is more important than just studying theory
Confidence grows when you speak with real people regularly
Overthinking is one of the biggest barriers to fluency
A Band 8 level requires time, experience, and consistent practice
Simple, natural communication is more effective than memorised answers
Warm-up speaking before the test can significantly reduce anxiety

Full Transcript

Speaker 1:

How do you really get a Band 8 in IELTS Speaking? Let’s find out! Hello, it’s Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy, and today I have another wonderful IELTS Speaking success story. Today it’s an interview with Thu from Vietnam, who recently got an overall Band 8 in IELTS, including Band 8 in Speaking. She is a student on my Gold Course, the IELTS Speaking Success Get a Band 7+ Gold.

In this interview, she’s going to share her story—how she prepared for IELTS, the challenges she faced, and the tools and methods she used to overcome them, along with lots of useful tips. One important thing Thu mentioned is that she took about a year to prepare for the test. Sometimes students think they can reach Band 8 in a few weeks, but that’s not realistic unless they already have the level. Real speaking improvement takes time, and it’s important to focus not just on exam technique, but also on developing speaking skills and confidence.

Right, let’s get into the interview with Thu.

Speaker 2:

Hi. Hello.

Speaker 1:

How are you today?

Speaker 2:

I’m pretty good. How are you?

Speaker 1:

Excellent. Very well. It’s great to meet you. To begin, can you tell us where you’re from and what you’re doing at the moment?

Speaker 2:

I’m from Hanoi, Vietnam, the capital city. I’ve recently graduated from university and I’m taking a year off. I don’t feel ready to work yet, so I’m spending this time experiencing different things and meeting new people.

Speaker 1:

That sounds great. And what did you study at university?

Speaker 2:

I studied law. That was my major.

Speaker 1:

Fantastic. And recently you took the IELTS test. How did it go?

Speaker 2:

It went pretty smoothly, to be honest. I got an overall Band 8, and Band 8 in Speaking as well, which was unexpected.

Speaker 1:

Congratulations. A Band 8 in Speaking is not easy. Why did you decide to take IELTS?

Speaker 2:

Originally, I only needed a 6.5 to get a job in an international company. But I didn’t really like my major. I studied law because my parents did, but one day I realised I wanted more options. I didn’t want to stay in that field forever, so I decided to take IELTS, maybe to study abroad in the future.

Speaker 1:

So it was about opening up opportunities for you. When you were preparing, what challenges did you face?

Speaker 2:

Speaking was the biggest challenge because I’m very introverted. I can speak normally, but in IELTS situations I become robotic and unnatural.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I understand. So how did you overcome that?

Speaker 2:

I stepped out of my comfort zone and went online to find native speakers. I made friends with them and built real connections, not just practice conversations. That helped me improve a lot.

Speaker 1:

How long did you prepare for IELTS?

Speaker 2:

About a year.

Speaker 1:

That’s great. What was your experience with the Gold Course?

Speaker 2:

It was very positive. The course is concise and the language is very natural—something native speakers actually use. I studied the course and then practised with my foreign friends, applying what I learned.

Speaker 1:

So you combined structured study with real-life practice?

Speaker 2:

Yes, exactly.

Speaker 1:

How did you feel after the test?

Speaker 2:

I felt relieved. I was on a gap year and sometimes felt pressure because my friends were working while I was still figuring things out. It affected my confidence a bit.

Speaker 1:

But that gap year helped you explore your direction, right?

Speaker 2:

Yes, definitely.

Speaker 1:

What are your plans now?

Speaker 2:

I’ve been doing volunteering and I realised I enjoy working with children and helping people. I’m thinking about education or social work, but I’m still exploring.

Speaker 1:

What advice would you give IELTS students?

Speaker 2:

Learning a language is about doing, not just knowing. You need to practise as much as possible. Especially in speaking, don’t rely on notes—just speak and practise. Experience is what makes the difference between Band 6 and Band 8.

Speaker 1:

How do you overcome shyness on test day?

Speaker 2:

I have friends who are native speakers, so before the test I called one of them and spoke for 10–20 minutes to warm up. That really helped.

Speaker 1:

So you literally spoke to someone just before the exam?

Speaker 2:

Yes, about 20 minutes before.

Speaker 1:

That’s a great idea.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and during the test I felt like I was still talking to my friend, so I spoke naturally to the examiner.

Speaker 1:

That really helps reduce robotic speaking. What about pronunciation?

Speaker 2:

I used the Elsa app, and also just practised a lot.

Speaker 1:

Yes, there’s no secret—just practice.

Speaker 2:

Exactly, no secret at all.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It’s been really inspiring.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1:

Take care and good luck with everything ahead. Bye-bye.

Speaker 2:

Bye-bye.

Speaker 1 (closing):

Thank you to Thu for sharing such a great story. Her advice about stepping out of your comfort zone, building real conversations, and focusing on doing rather than just knowing is very powerful. Speaking improvement takes time and experience, and that’s what leads to higher scores like Band 8.

I hope this inspires you in your IELTS journey. If you enjoyed this, don’t forget to subscribe, and you can find links to the Gold Course and the Elsa pronunciation app below.

Take care, and see you in the next video.