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When it comes to boosting your IELTS speaking score, many students are often confused and they start preparing the wrong way, often due to misinformation available on the internet and social media.
But don’t worry! In this article, I’ll break down five straightforward steps to help you improve. I will also provide links and suggestions for useful resources throughout this journey. Remember, every step will need some time and practice, but now you’re on the right path.
Table of Contents
Practise speaking under timed exam conditions
One of the most effective ways to prepare for your IELTS Speaking test is to practise under timed exam conditions. Try to conduct all three parts of the exam just like the real test. Especially for Part 2, practise preparing for one minute on a topic you’ve just seen, and then speaking about it for two minutes.
This practice will help you get used to the pressure and timing. If you can, get a fellow student to act as the examiner, or you can use a recorded video for practice. You can find some excellent recorded practice tests here.
Avoid memorising full answers
Memorising word-for-word answers might seem like a good idea, but it’s not. You’ll likely end up going off-topic and consequently get marked down.
Instead, practise responding to surprise questions that you don’t know in advance. You can do this by simply making a list of 10 or 20 IELTS Speaking questions and then choosing the ones you are going to answer randomly.
As a special tip, try answering the same question twice but give a different answer each time!
Understand 'complex' structures
In order to improve your grammatical range and accuracy, it’s crucial to understand complex structures. These include complex tenses like perfect tenses, third conditionals, as well as complex clauses like inversions, and cleft sentences which we use for emphasis.
Here are some examples;
Past Perfect Tense
Last month I visited Dakar, before then, I had never been to Bangladesh
3rd Conditional Tense
If I had known it were so beautiful, I would have visited years ago
Inversions
Had I known you were a vegetarian, I would have made a different dish
Cleft Sentences for Emphasis
It was my brother who convinced me to go
Relative Clauses
I visited a beautiful city which is located in the south of the country
Those are just a few. Remember you will always need to have a balance of complex and simple structures when you speak, so that you will send natural. Here’s a quick example of building them up in your answer:
“Last month I visited Bangladesh. I went to a beautiful city which is located in the south of the country. Actually, it was a student of mine that convinced me to go. I had never been to Bangladesh before that visit, and to be honest, had I known it were so beautiful, I would have visited years ago. I had a lovely time there.”
You can learn more about complex structures here.
Expand your vocabulary
Increasing your vocabulary is another vital part of improving your IELTS Speaking score. Regular study, practice, and review can help you achieve this. However, don’t use expressions that you don’t fully understand or know how to use in the exam, as it may sound unnatural. You can learn more about expanding your IELTS Speaking vocabulary with my complete guide here.
Be prepared with ideas
Make sure you’re never at a loss for words during the IELTS Speaking test. Reading and listening to a wide range of materials on the top 20 IELTS topics can provide you with plenty of vocabulary and ideas to discuss. Authentic materials as well as study materials can be beneficial. You can find my guide to lots of authentic reading and listening materials from across the Internet here.
Conclusion
Now you’re equipped with five simple yet effective ways to enhance your IELTS Speaking score. Remember, improving your score requires time and dedication. It’s not just about quick tricks, but about developing your English speaking skills overall. So, be patient and keep practising. With these strategies, you’re well on your way to becoming a confident English speaker and acing your IELTS Speaking test.
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