General Information about

the IELTS Speaking Test

1) About the Examiner

 They can come from any country where English is spoken as a native language.

 IELTS examiners are all professional teachers with advanced degrees. They
understand the test is difficult. They will be patient with you, as far as time allows.

 The examiner hopes you will do well. (It's much more interesting!)

 They have received specific IELTS training to make sure they judge you fairly and
honestly.

 They might be tired on the day of the test, or they might be sick. Even though one
examiner might seem unfriendly, your score should be the same in any case.

2) What will the examiner listen for?

 Pronunciation - This is only important if it gets in the way of communication. Speak
clearly and you will be all right.

 Vocabulary - Some students try to improve their speaking score by using difficult
words. However, using words incorrectly will LOWER your score! Avoid using difficult
words or expressions unless you are sure of how to use them.

 Sentence Structure - Using better sentences is the best way to improve your
speaking score in a short time, because using better sentences is how we
COMMUNICATE.

 Fluency and Coherence - Of course fluency is very important but it is useless if you
are not understood (if you are not "coherent"). You do NOT have to speak quickly, but
too many hesitations are bad.

3) Your Score
 If you cannot make good sentences, if you hesitate too much, if your speaking is not
clear or if you use words incorrectly, you will be Band 4 or below.

 To be Band 5, you can make mistakes and have hesitations, but you must make
simple sentences easily and without mistakes.

 To be Band 6, you must be able to use longer sentences with fewer hesitations. You
need to use a variety of language. You can make some small mistakes if your meaning is
still clear. Also, you should be able paraphrase.
 To be Band 7, you should be able to do Part 2 with no problem. You must use a
variety of sentences and connect the sentences well. You must correctly use difficult
vocabulary. You can make very small mistakes if your meaning is clear. You should be
able to paraphrase very well.

 To be Band 8, you need a very wide vocabulary and the ability to speak fluently on
any topic. You may make a few tiny errors, if those errors do not get in the way of
communication.

Strategies for the

IELTS Speaking Test

Part 1 - Warm-up
 The questions are easy, so the examiner cannot be sure of your level from only Part 1.
You can give very easy answers, but this is a chance to make a good impression. If you
give easy answers, the examiner will not know if you are Band 4 or maybe Band 5. If you
give good, specific answers with explanations, the examiner will think you could be Band
6 or Band 7!

 You can use this time to practice making good sentences. If you wait until Part 2 and
Part 3 to give longer answers, you might not do so well. Athletes and musicians always
take time to warm up. You should too!

Part 2 - the "Long Turn"

 The biggest mistake students make is to not take notes. The examiner will give you a
piece of paper and a pencil to take notes because speaking for two minutes without
stopping is not easy. Even native English speakers will have trouble speaking for two
minutes! Students who don't take notes often say, "Uh, I think maybe, um.... Um..., well...
It seems to me...". "Uh" and "Um" are Band ZERO! Use notes to help you remember
what you want to say. If not, you WILL get a low score.

 Use the P.R.E.P. method. Start with "P" - make one sentence about your main Point.
Then give two or three sentences to provide "R", a Reason. Next give "E", an Example.
Describe the example using two or three sentences. Finish by repeating "P", your main
Point, but use a different sentence. If you have extra time, give a second example.

 You must practice! Use a watch and give yourself one minute to take notes on a topic,
then two minutes to make four or five sentences using the PREP method. You should
practice one or two topics every day before the test.

 Do not worry about the time. That is the examiner's job. He or she will tell you when
to stop.
Part 3 - General Questions
 Part 3 is the hardest part of the Speaking Test and it comes very fast. Most students
aren't ready. When you hear the examiner say "And now I'd like to ask you some more
GENERAL questions RELATED to your Part 2 topic", you know Part 3 is starting. Be
ready!

 Do NOT take so much time. Two sentences for each answer is usually enough. If you
have a long introduction, the examiner will think you don't know how to answer the
question.

 Use the General-Specific technique. As soon as you hear the question, give a general
opinion about the topic. Then give a specific reason or example in the next sentence or
two.

IELTS Speaking Exercise:

Sentence Building
Make better sentences, get a better score!

Question: Tell me about your family.

Common Answer: There are three people in my family.
Better Answer: In China today, a majority of families have three members, and my
family is no exception.
Note: This sentence is built with three parts. First is the place, China. Second is the
situation, many families with three people. Third is this person's family.

Question: What is your hometown like?

Common Answer: My hometown is very nice.
Better Answer: Although my hometown is not very famous, it has several advantages
that make it a great place to live.

Question: How do you feel about your job?

Common Answer: I like my job very much.
Better Answer: Although you might not believe it, I really enjoy my job every day.

Question: What do you dislike about your classes?

Common Answer: Studying is very difficult.
Better Answer: When I think about how hard my classes, I feel like quitting, which is
one reason I've decided to go abroad.
Note: The question is about a feeling and the answer is about a feeling. Good!
Question: What do you want to do in the future?
Common Answer: I want to be a lawyer in the future.
Better Answer: I first thought about being a lawyer when I was a child, and now, after
many long years of study, it seems my dream will become reality.
Note: Excellent! Compare the past dream with the present hard work to show the bright
future!

Question: What do you do in your free time?

Common Answer: In my free time I like to play sports.
Better Answer: If I ever had free time, I would probably do many different things,
including playing sports, listening to music, and going out with my friends.
Note: Good examples.

Question: Tell me about a typical day in your life.

Common Answer: My typical day begins when I wake up.
Better Answer: After resting all night, I wake up every morning looking forward to a
new day.

Question: What will you do when you go abroad?

Common Answer: I want to study Computer Science in Australia.
Better Answer: If I am able to get a visa, I hope to learn about Computer Science in
Brisbane, Australia, so that I can come back to China and work for a successful local
company.

Question: What are some typical jobs that people do in your country?
Common Answer: Many people in China work as farmers.
Better Answer: One of the biggest industries in China is agriculture, so there are a large
number of people working as farmers.

Question: Tell me about a celebration or festival in your country.

Common Answer: The Spring Festival is the biggest holiday of the year in China.
Better Answer: When winter is coming to an end, which means a new spring is not far
behind, and that is when we in China have our largest celebration of the year, the Spring
Festival.

Question: Do you like to go shopping?

Common Answer: I hate shopping, but I have to do it.
Better Answer: When I think of shopping, I think of all the crowds, all the difficult
choices, and all the money I will have to spend, so I hate to go shopping.

IELTS Speaking Exercise:

Connecting Sentences
Do not use too many connectors when you speak, or it may sound unnatural. Here are
some of the most common connection words in English.

1. "after" or "before"

 After we did that, we ~ed.

 Before we can finish that job, we must ~.
 After that, I went to...
 Before that, I was working in an office.

2. "although" or "even though"

 Although my hometown is very small, it has many interesting places to visit.

 Even though my hometown very crowded and noisy, I like living there very much.

3. "another"

 Another good thing about my job is...

 Another way to solve the problem would be to...

4. "as with" or "just like"

 As with the first question, we must consider this one very carefully.
 Just like Romeo and Juliet, we fell in love.

5. "at the same time"

 I wanted to be with her every day. At the same time, I felt I should obey my parents
wishes.
 There are too many cars in Beijing. At the same time, the city is building more
subway lines and adding more buses.

6. "besides" or "in addition to"

 Besides that fact, here is another interesting point...

 In addition to that law, there are many other laws to prevent traffic accidents.

7. "but"

 This is usually true, but...

 In most cases that is true, but...
 In a typical situation that may happen, but...
 In an ideal situation we can do it that way, but...

8. "because"
 Many people believe that is true. I disagree because...
 My point of view is... The reason I believe that is because...

9. "except for"

 Except for that one case, I do not know of any other problems.
 Except for the main character, all the others were bad people.

10. "for example"

 I believe ~ is true. For example...

 I believe that ~ is the best way. Let me give you an example...

11. "however" or "yet"

 I basically agree with you. However, I don't know if that will be true in the future.
 That is what I have thought most of my life. Yet I wonder if I am wrong.

12. "rather than"

 Rather than repeat that process, the hero of the story decided to do something
different.
 Rather than just accept the decision, I decided to change my job.

13. "the reason is"

 I don't agree with that at all. The reason is...

 The reason I doubt that is...

14. "this" or "that"

 Some people say that... and I have to agree with them...

 That was good too, but not as good as...
 That was good, and an even better way is...
 Not only is that interesting, but ~ is also quite fascinating.

15. "when" or "whenever"

 When I think about such a topic, I think about...

 When I remember how I grew up, I realize...
 Whenever I think about my studies, I wonder how I survived!

IELTS Speaking Exercise:

General to Specific
 A useful skill for IELTS speaking AND writing

Students often say or write sentences that are too simple such as:

 This is important.
 My hometown is very good.
 I like to eat pizza.
 I will go to another country.

These sentences are okay if you want to be Band 4 or Band 5. However, these will be
much better IF some explanation comes after. For example, instead of saying "This is
important", you should explain WHY it is important:

 "This job is very important for our company. (a very general sentence)
 If we can sell over 10,000 of these items, we will have earn enough money to build a
new factory." (a very specific sentence!)

Now let's look at the other three examples. Instead of "My hometown is very good",
could say:

 My hometown is a very nice city in Shandong Province. (rather general)

 Because it is between the sea and the mountains, there are many beautiful places to
visit. (Very specific.)

Instead of saying "I like to eat pizza", you could say:

 Pizza is my favorite food in the whole world. (general)

 I not only love the cheese, but the bread, tomato sauce with meat and vegetables on
top make pizza a complete meal! (specific)

Finally, instead of saying "I will go to another country", you should say something like
this:

 I hope to go to New Zealand to study in the future. (general)

 If I can arrange the visa and a job, I will work in the sheep herding industry where I
will have a peaceful and enjoyable life in the mountains, away from the crowds and the
pollution! (specific)

IELTS Speaking Exercise:

Paraphrasing
When you can't remember an English word,
use other words!
1. How to explain what you mean:

There are five ways to explain your meaning: 1) use simple words to explain, 2) use
opposites, 3) compare to other things, 4) say what it is NOT, and 5) use examples.

2. Examples:
snake:
a living thing that is frightening

Is this a good example of paraphrasing? NO! There are MANY living things that are
frightening! How can we make this better? First of all, a snake is long, isn't it? And it has
no legs, right? And why is it frightening? Because if it bites us, we may get sick or die!
So here's a better way to paraphrase:

snake:
a long animal with no legs, and if it bites us, we may die!

Here are some more bad examples of paraphrasing. Can you make them better?

fingers:
part of our body, we use it to eat

smile:
we do this when we get a good score on the IELTS

hungry:
how we feel at 3 o'clock in the afternoon

Here are some better ways to explain these words:

fingers
part of your hand, you have five of them

smile
you do it with your mouth to show you are happy, you turn it up

hungry
how we feel when we don't eat for a long time

3. Try some yourself!

Think about how to paraphrase these words:

banana:
a long, sweet, yellow fruit that monkeys like to eat
run:
we do this with our feet when we are late or in a hurry, it is faster than 'walk'

thirsty:
how we feel when we don't drink, not 'hungry', we need some water

software:
part of your computer but not the machine, it tells the computer what to do, some
examples are Windows, Word, Photo Shop

IELTS Speaking Tasks

IELTS researchers have found that students perform 12 different tasks during the IELTS
Speaking Test. The first two are easy - giving personal information and giving non-
personal information. Here are the other ten, which you must practice:

1. Expressing a Preference
 I prefer A to B because...
 If I have a choice, I will... (a real possibility)
 If I had a choice, I would... (not a real possibility, just wishing)
 For me, A is much more attractive / interesting / preferable than B because...
 I would much rather do / have / eat / listen to / blah blah blah A than B...

2. Narrating

 When I was a high school student, I went to Guizhou to visit some friends.
 After I graduated from high school, I ...
 During my visit to Guizhou last year, I...
 Last year during the Spring Festival, I went to Guizhou to visit some friends.
(Also use "Whenever" or "While")

3. Comparing and Contrasting

 A is much better / worse than B.

 A is not nearly as good as B.
 A is not quite as important as B.
 A is almost as tall as B, but not quite.
 When I compare these two items, it's clear that...

4. Suggesting

 Maybe, Perhaps, Possibly

 One possibility that I can think of is...
 Another idea to think about is...

5. Expressing Opinions

 It seems to me that...
 This is only my opinion but...
 After a lot of thought, I have come to the conclusion that...
 I've never thought about this question much before, but it seems to me that...

6. Justifying Opinions

 The reason I believe this is...

 The most important evidence supporting my belief is...

7. Speculating

 I'm not sure what might happen, but one possibility is...
 It's hard to predict the future, but I suppose it / we might...

8. Analyzing

 There are several points to consider, first of which is...

 We can break this question down into several parts. First...
 Let's look at this step by step. To begin with...

9. Summarizing

 Altogether, there were...

 In the end, they had to...
 When we consider all the factors...
 Considering all of these ideas, maybe the best thing would be to...

10. Conversation Repair

 Maybe I'm not making myself clear. I want to say that...

 What I mean to say is...
 What I'm trying to say is...
 Another way to put it is...

IELTS Part 2 Sample Answer:

"Talk about your favorite film"

Student's Answer:
"Okay, I would like to start my topic. My favorite film is Cinderella and, uh, ... and uh,
during my, uh, English laich I started doing (30 seconds) and uh, which is carried by my
English teacher from America. At first, at first, pictures is very attractive and then I'm
very moved by the characters Cinderella and his spirit, (1 minute) uh ... and ... a little bit
nervous ... uh... and uh .... and the most, and the most, and the most, (90 seconds) gool I
like is during the uh, uh, ..."

Teacher Joe's Comments:

While preparing for one minute the student only took a few notes, so forgot what to talk
about. After I typed this, I read all the sentences slowly. It took me only 30 seconds. So,
this student wasted 90 seconds. That is not a good way to show your English ability!

With notes, the student might have remembered to talk about "Who" - Cinderella's sisters
and her mean mother. The student could have talked about "What" - the jobs Cinderella
had to do and the party she wanted to go to. The student could have talked about "How" -
the magical way she was able to go. The student could have talked more about "Why" -
the student was moved by "his" spirit. (oops!) Why not say, "I was moved by the way
Cinderella continued to hope even though she had to do so much hard work at home and
had no body to help her". That's a good way to show your English level.

It's unnecessary to start the speech with, "I would like to...". Anyone can memorize such
a sentence, so it shows little real ability to speak English. I think the word "laich" was
supposed to be "literature". A better sentence would be, "During my English literature
class when I was in the second year of university, my English teacher showed us a
wonderful story that really impressed me". Good sentence, isn't it?

Instead of "at first, pictures is very attractive", the student could say, "The first think I
noticed is that the pictures are very colorful and attractive". I don't know what "gool" is at
the end, but the student already had missed an opportunity before that. This student must
communicate more specific information using complete sentences.

It's hard to give a score without the scorer's guide, and especially with such a small
sample of language. The student had an opportunity but failed. I would have to guess that
if the student can't do better on part 3, the score will probably be 4.

IELTS Part 3 Sample Answer:

General Questions Related to "Your Favorite Film"

Teacher Joe's questions are in italics , comments are in parenthesis ( ).

How do you think the Internet will change entertainment in the future?
Just yesterday I saw there's some advertising on Internet to put some blanks on Mr. Bush
to attack his economic policies which bring American economy...

(Comment: The topic is not just the Internet, but about "change", "entertainment" and
"the future". It is not acceptable to change the topic to "politics" in "the present". As for
the language, I doubt "advertising" is the right word here and "blanks" should almost
certainly be "blame". Verbs are all in the simple present. Most likely "bring" should be
either "is bringing" or "has brought".)

How do you think the Internet will change ENTERTAINMENT?

It's a kind of entertainment, but it can affect people's opinions. (1 minute has passed so
far)

(Comment: After the question is repeated, the student must use good English to support
the previous statements. "It's a kind of entertainment" is too simple, level 5 at the highest
but a level 4 student might be able to say a few such sentences too. Instead, this student
should say something better, for example, "I believe that, for many people, political
discussions ARE a kind of entertainment, which will probably grow more common in the
future". This will bring us back to the topic and show that the student is level 6 or 7,
instead of 4 or 5.)

How about in the future?

I think this trend will go on.

(Comment: The student should explain which trend and give some reasons why it might
continue.)

Which trend?

People express their ideas through some entertainment. But new patterns on Internet.

(Comment: Instead of an incomplete sentence such as "but new patterns on Internet",

which has no verb, the student should explain in detail. "There are new patterns of
communication thanks to the Internet, for example...")

Can you give me some details on how it will be done in the future?

Because the Internet is comparatively... very cheap (2 minutes so far) so people can
future some films some, record some we do, record some new music or to put them on
the Internet for other people to share, can share their information.

(Comment: The student is trying to give more information, but is quite vague and is
making some mistakes that are hard to understand. "People can future some films some"
is not a normal English sentence. Instead, the student might say, "People in the future will
be able to choose from among many different films". "Record some we do" also has no
meaning, but the speaker corrects the mistake, which is good!)

Do you think that this will affect traditional movie theaters?

To some degree because to live to film is more expensive than if you compared with
Internet entertainment. (3 minutes has passed)

(Comment: Already three minutes has passed. The student has said very little during this
time. The possibility of getting a 6 now is almost gone. What does "to live to film" mean?
If the student provided more specific information, for example by talking about specific
prices, then it might be more clear.)

So what will happen to traditional movie theaters in the future?

They should make it more accessible and not maybe from big cities to some smaller cities
because especially in China there aren't many films cinemas in small cities in China but
Internet we can use Internet whenever, wherever we are.

(Comment: This is a better sentence, a better explanation. Of course, a level 5 student can
sometimes do this. To be a level 6, this student probably needed to do this from the
beginning.)

How can movie theaters become more accessible? (4 minutes so far)

Maybe we don't need large scale cinemas in small cities, but more small more compact
uh pattern.

(Comment: This sentence is very simple. Another opportunity lost! Why not say, "Maybe
we don't need large scale cinemas in small cities where there are fewer people. Instead,
more compact theaters might be appropriate". This is not such a difficult sentence. Even
if vocabulary such as "compact" and "appropriate" are changed to "small" and "good",
the student could have shown some advanced ability.)

How do you think you would have enjoyed living 100 years ago, without the Internet and
without television or radio?

Maybe life is boring but we still have other styles of more natural entertainment.

Can you give me some examples?

Such as play some game, cards, personal contact, personal interchanges, personal
communications is more uh, it's more widely used. (5 minutes so far)

(Comment: The student should take one example at a time. "One example would be
playing games such as cards. These are very popular, yet simple to do over the Internet".)
Let's change the topic a bit. How do you think television affects society?

I think different people get different information from television. Some people, especially
child, children, they vulnerable, they are vulnerable to the television information,
information from the television. They can't distinguish what is right, what's wrong, so
they may adapt all what they see.

(Comment: The student is getting better. If you can make this kind of sentence during the
whole test, getting a 6 or 7 is easy. There are many small mistakes in these three
sentences, but the student is communicating successfully.)

So, do you think we should control television in some way?

Maybe, especially like what we have done this days before 10 o'clock we have some
contraints in the conTENT of the television but after that more free styles can be show.

(Comment: Intonation can change the meaning, so be careful! "conTENT" means

"happy" while "CONtent" means what is inside.)

Thank you, that's the end of the speaking test.

(Comment: The student came up with only a few good sentences at the end, and with
quite a few mistakes. If I only look at the answers to the final questions, I would guess
this student is a 6. (I cannot give an official score, I can only guess.) However, based on
all of the questions, with such short answers, more likely this student would get a 5.

Mat clark

The first thing I should mention is that…

The point I’d like to begin with is that…

I could start off by saying that….

My initial point would be that…

I need to start off by pointing out that…

The main thing you need to know is that…

Sample IELTS Speaking Topic 1:

Describe a game or sport you enjoy playing.

You should say:

o What kind of sport it is

o Who you play it with
 o Where you play it
o and explain why you enjoy playing it

Sample IELTS Speaking Response:

I enjoy playing various kinds of brain games online. There are a number of different
websites I visit on a regular basis in order to play these games by myself. The objective
of the games is to exercise different areas of your brain so that you preserve and enhance
your memory and also expand and develop your brain capacity.

The games are of various kinds. Some enable you to practice your verbal skills. Others
test logical reasoning, spatial skills and visual memory. I can keep track of my scores, so
that each time I play, my goal is to do better than in the past – to outdo myself, so to
speak. In addition, if I want, I can compare my scores to others who play online. This
aspect is intriguing, but frankly it doesn't interest me much. I don&'t regard this as a
competition with anyone else. It is something I do simply to sharpen my mental abilities
and improve myself.

In fact, one of my favorite games is supposed to be the best for brain fitness. It involves
solving a number of simple math problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division as quickly as possible. I really hope these games will enable me to preserve my
intellect and my memory into old age.

Sample IELTS Speaking Topic 2:

Describe someone in your family who you like.

You should say:

o How this person is related to you

o What this person looks like
o What kind of person he/she is
o and explain why you like this person

Sample IELTS Speaking Response:

The person in my family I really like and also love is my mother. She is a very special
person and I cannot imagine what I would be without her.

Physically, my mother is petite. She is only about 5 feet tall, and weighs about 110
pounds. She has fine, black hair and a fair complexion. One thing people often notice is
that my mother always takes pride in her appearance. Even now, at the age of 80, my
mother is a well dressed, well-groomed and elegant woman, with her fine choice of
clothes and matching accessories, jewelry and shoes.

Intellectually, my mother always loves learning. Even after her busy day, she won't go to
bed without reading the newspaper. She was one of the few members of her family that
completed university. She also has many creative and cultural interests such as literature,
music and dance. Through her own enjoyment, she passed on this love of culture to all
her children, including me.

Emotionally, my mother has a heart of gold. All her life, she has been ready, willing and
able to help anyone who needs anything, with a smile on her face. She is of the old
school - she remembers to wish friends and relatives on their birthdays and anniversaries,
she attends their weddings, dinners and parties, and she visits them when they're hurt,
unwell or in mourning. In fact, my mother has always been a kind soul and people of all
ages love her as soon as they meet her. I think this is because she is good-hearted from
her core, and her authenticity is what everyone relates to. She has taught me the meaning
of being compassionate, loving, kind, helpful, supportive and so much more. In fact,
thanks to the unconditional love of both my wonderful parents, I feel I've been truly
blessed in this lifetime.