Things That Can Go Wrong With Your IELTS Speaking Test

TEFL Express
Jul 20, 2017 · 3 min read

Preparing for the IELTS is a lot of hard work and a huge time commitment. Since there are 4 parts to the exam, it’s crucial that you can understand each section well enough to score high. Remember, your IELTS score is a combination of your scores from each section, therefore, you’ve got to do fairly well on each section in order to achieve a high total band score. In this article we are going to focus on the IELTS speaking section and some of the things that you should be aware of in order to do the best you can! Before we start, here’s an interesting article from IELTS Express explaining some of the common mistakes made during the IELTS speaking test.

3 Parts of the IELTS Speaking Test

There are three parts within the IELTS speaking section. In the first part, you will be asked questions about common things in your life. For example, the examiner could ask you about your family and friends, where you grew up, where you went to school, etc. For the second part, you prepare a topic of your choice and then you have two minutes to speak about the topic. Something to keep in mind here: always prepare more than enough because you could speak faster than you expect and therefore have extra time at the end. You want to fill up the whole two minutes with speaking. Afterwards, the interviewer will more than likely ask you a few more questions on your topic. Make sure you choose a topic that you can speak about for at least three minutes with a good variety of vocabulary! The third part of the IELTS speaking test is in discussion form. You and your interviewer will have a discussion on ideas somewhat related to your topic in part two of IELTS speaking. For this part, you will be asked certain things that you wont be able to directly prepare for. Be prepared to talk about abstract ideas.

What Can Go Wrong During the IELTS Speaking Test?

Something important to keep in mind is that you are being assessed for vocabulary, pronunciation, context and grammar during your IELTS speaking test. So, memorizing will more than likely lessen your score because it will be very obvious to your interviewer. Memorization gone wrong can be very detrimental to your IELTS speaking score! Rather than rushing and cutting corners, just put in the extra time and dedication while preparing for IELTS speaking and you’ll be in a good place when your test dates comes around.

Another thing many people do that goes wrong during their IELTS speaking exam is using complex grammar. People often think that by using advanced grammatical structure, they will impress their interviewer. However, this is rarely the case. Unless you are 100% sure about a grammar point, avoid it! Use simple grammar structures and speak clearly and you will surely do better!

Lastly, don’t rush! I know it is a nerve-wracking exam, but rushing will only create errors. When you rush, you mispronounce words and can confuse certain grammar points. Take a look at this article on the IELTS Express blog that discusses how important pronunciation is on your IELTS speaking test.

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TEFL Express
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