THE
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IELTS SPEAKING!
IELTS
Speaking isn’t just a ‘chat’. Just like all the other parts of the IELTS test,
it is put together in such a way that you can demonstrate a variety of speaking skills to the examiner
– such things as showcasing your vocabulary, being able to communicate at
length about various topics and presenting a short ‘talk’ on a particular
subject. These are all things you will need to do as students and also in
your future work. What this means is that you can and should prepare for your
IELTS speaking just like you prepare for every other part of the exam.
So here are
some facts that you should know and that will help you in your preparation.
·
The
speaking test is a test of communication. It looks at how effectively you can
communicate in English. It will test your fluency and ability to have a
conversation and discussion first and foremost. This means that making a
mistake (such as in grammar) is not the end of the world. Having said that, your
mistakes will be noticed and the more you make the more your score will be
affected.
·
Being
confident in this part of the test can have a big impact on your performance.
It will stop you from hesitating and also make sure you take ownership of the
test. You should be speaking the most. The very best way to improve confidence
in speaking is to practice speaking – the more the better. This does not
necessarily have to be with native speakers, speaking with friends and
colleagues can also help.
·
Pronunciation
does count. Pronouncing a language well is part of language learning and the
examiners in your speaking test will be checking your pronunciation. It is
important although unless it really interferes with understanding it shouldn’t
affect your score too much. However, if there are any words you feel you
pronounce wrongly or if you stress and intonation patterns have some faults
then you could try and work on this a little – in particular if you are looking
for a band 8 in speaking.
You could try few available live sites for practicing your sounds, stress patterns, and intonations.(Visit UOC and our trainers will
guide you in detail)
Remember
also that whenever you learn a new word and you are not sure how to say it you
should check the pronunciation.
You can do this very easily on any online English-English dictionary (you
should use one of these in any case to check meaning). My favorite is Macmillan.
Speed
does not equal fluency. Sometimes I’ve seen students (and candidates too when I
was an examiner) speak very quickly thinking that this made them sound fluent.
In actual fact many native speakers (including myself) do not speak very fast.
The examiner will not be fooled and if you speak too fast they may not be able
to understand everything. Speaking too quickly also stops you from having time
to think and this may stop you using the best language you know.
·
Speaking
slowly stops the examiners asking too many questions! You may laugh but I have
heard some students who think this is a good strategy. The less you say, the
less the examiner has to mark you on and the less likely you’ll get a high
band. Examiners are trained to spot ‘tricks’ and ‘strategies’ so they again
won’t be fooled. A normal delivery is best. If you are thinking about using
these type of techniques it just points to one thing (see facts 1 and 2) you
are not really ready to take the IELTS speaking test for the band you want.
·
The
examiner can help you. Maintaining eye contact with the examiner can help you
in the speaking test. Their ‘body language’ will tell you if they are ready to
move to another question or happy for you to continue speaking. In part 2 they
may show if they are ready to stop or if you need to say more. Finally in part
three there is more of a ‘discussion’ and sometimes they will help you to
develop your idea with their questions. The Speaking test is not a diatribe –
there should be some give and take between you at various parts of the test.
Come to UOC
and experience the real speaking test environment and feel the ielts fever heal
……….
Comments
Post a Comment