Speaking
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The speaking test is an interview which assesses how well you can communicate in spoken English. It is a test of general speaking skills and is broadly the same for all candidates. The interview lasts for eleven to fourteen minutes and is in three main sections:
• the first part is on familiar topics such as your work or study experience, your family or home culture and your interests or hobbies.
• this is followed by a part where you are asked to talk on a particular topic for one to two minutes. You are given a card which states what you should talk about and you are given one minute to prepare. At the end of your one to two minutes the examiner may ask you one or two questions before moving on to the third part of the test.
• the final part is an extension of the part 2 topic to a more abstract discussion of related issues.
You are assessed on your ability to communicate fluently, clearly (i.e. with clear pronunciation) and accurately using appropriate grammar and vocabulary. Your fluency is being assessed so it is important to say as much as you can as well as to speak spontaneously and not to learn what you are going to say. If the examiner thinks you are giving a prepared answer he or she will quickly change the question. Throughout the speaking test, the examiners will ask the questions and control the timing and the move from one part to another. The interview will be recorded. This is to make sure the interviewers and band scores are consistent in all IELTS centres.
Practice

To get maximum benefit all the practice should be done without preparing your answers. You will not know exactly what the examiner is going to ask or exactly how he or she will ask it. You need to be spontaneous, to speak as naturally and fluently as possible. The aim of this practice section is to help you to prepare for the type of questions you will get and practise dealing with them without preparing specific answers. It is important to keep to this for two reasons. First, the examiner will notice if you are repeating something you have learned and will stop you. Second, though it may seem difficult at first, it will actually make the test easier for you if you relax and talk naturally rather than trying to remember a ready-made answer. So the first and most important skill is talking fluently.

The only way to improve your fluency is by getting a lot of practice in speaking. Be confident. Think about what you want to say. Of course you should try to get your English right, but do not worry too much about getting everything absolutely correct. The important thing is that you should speak and listen, that you should engage in an extended interview with the examiner and that you should enjoy using your English to communicate with an English speaker.
Stages I II III

Speaking: How it woks

To practise for the speaking test, find a friend or study partner and take it in turns to ask one another questions and speak about the following:
Part 1
In the first stage of the interview the examiner will ask you some general questions about yourself and the subjects you know about, for example about your educational background, work experience and leisure interests. When you go into the interview room, the interviewer will greet you, exchange introductions, check your identification and then start the interview. The questions on familiar topics will give you a chance to convey a lot of information about yourself and your life, but will also allow you to relax and ‘warm-up’. It is important that you try to give extended answers. Remember, the purpose of the questions is to get you to talk. Questions may also focus on the culture of your country (educational system, social customs etc) or on aspects of your lifestyle (family life, city life, hobbies etc). These are all very broad areas in terms of the number of questions that could be asked so this is another reason why you can’t prepare specific answers.
Draw up a personal information form like the one below and be prepared to talk about it for four minutes:
• Your full name
• Nationality
• Your place of birth
• First language
• Other languages
• Family
• Educational background
Then your partner should ask you to talk in more detail about specific aspects, which could include work, education, hobbies and interests or some aspect of the culture of your country, for another four minutes. The aim here is to show your fluency so it is important to keep the conversation going.

Part 2
In the second stage of the interview you will be given a card which tells you the topic you should talk about for one to two minutes. It also gives you some prompts about what you should include in your talk. You then have one minute to prepare your topic and you will be allowed to make some notes. The examiner will tell you when to start and finish and may ask you one or two questions. In this part it is important to try to keep talking for the whole two minutes. It is not a conversation so do not expect the examiner to join in.
Here are some example cards. Use them to practise with your partner:






Describe a wedding you have been to or heard about.
You should say:
• who got married
• what they wore
• what they did on the day
and explain how you felt about this wedding.













Describe a wild animal that can be found in your country.
You should say:
• what it looks like
• where it lives
• what you like/don't llike about it
and explain how people in your country generally feel about it.







As well as practising with a partner, you could practise alone, recording yourself and then listening to the recording. Although fluency is very important, think about how clearly, correctly and appropriately you speak. Think too about how you organise your talk. You might like to introduce your topic, number the main points and end with a conclusion. Remember that spoken English is less formal than written English and that you will have to use signals that are common and appropriate for speaking.




Part 3
In the third part of the speaking test you will be asked to discuss more general issues related to the part 2 topic. This part will be much more abstract and the examiner will be interested in how well you express your ideas and opinions about these issues.
As an example, look at the possible issues that could be linked to the topic given on one of the cards in Part 2:

Now brainstorm ideas for a discussion linked to the topic of 'weddings' in Part 2. If possible with a partner, develop this into a part 3 discussion by asking and answering questions.
It is useful if you develop some strategies, such as useful expressions, that will help you maintain a well-organised, fluent discussion. Some of these phrases will give you time to think while others will get you out of difficulties.
Remember that IELTS is not assessing your knowledge; it is measuring your competence in English so you should not be afraid to say you do not know, nor to give your opinions even if you do not know very much about the subject - you can use your imagination to explore the topic.
You can practise your fluency by imagining yourself in situations where you would need to speak English. Practise asking questions and talking about any sort of topics. Pay attention to accuracy too - note any special problems you have and try to avoid them in your practice.



Summary
What you need to know:
• How to talk fluently
• How to anticipate content
• How to use appropriate language
• How to use strategies
Remember:
1. The format of the test is as follows:
In the first part of the interview you will be asked questions about yourself and familiar topics.
In the second part you will be given a card with a topic and some prompts. You will have one minute to prepare this topic and then you will talk about it for one to two minutes.
In the last part the examiner will develop the topic into a more abstract discussion. You will be asked for your opinions and ideas on related issues.
2. Try to talk as much and as fluently as possible. In the actual test, do not let concern about accuracy obstruct fluency.
3. Do not prepare specific answers: they will not be useful and they will make it more difficult for you to do a good interview.
4. Relax, be confident and enjoy using your English.