How Can I Improve my IELTS Speaking Grade? Advice from an English Teacher.
I have worked as an English teacher for over five years now and I can safely say there is no magic formula that will give you the IELTS grade you want. It takes hard work, practise, and probably a lot of mistakes along the way.
Nevertheless, there is a magic formula as to how you can study, research, learn new vocabulary, grammar and learn the techniques you need to do well in every section of the IELTS exam.
These are just my ideas and experiences of working with students who pass the exam, but also working with students who failed the exam, those who do succeed put a lot of time and effort into their studying, and those who fail generally will not have put the same effort in.
For now I am starting from the beginning, and here is some advice on what you can do to help you study and learn English in a productive way.
Getting off to the Right Start
First of all you want to lay the foundations of your learning experience so you can make the necessary adjustments for you to be on the correct path to passing the exam. So, here are some general tips to start with for you to ask yourself if they will be beneficial to you.
Take an Official Level Test
Many English academies offer this service for free before enrolling you in their course in order to make sure you are with people who are at the same or similar level as you. Being in the right group is key to help you learn the necessary topics at the right pace in order for your skills to fully develop.
If this is not possible then you can take a level test on the Cambridge exams website to give you an idea of whether you are at a beginner / intermediate / advanced level. Once you have your result you can make a plan and gather your resources as necessary such as finding a C1 ( 7.5 and above) vocabulary list or the relevant textbooks.
Read in English as Much as Possible
The best students I have taught who always do well are the ones that read frequently in English, however if you do choose to read in your free time it is vital that you read texts that are suitable for your level. If you try to read something too advanced you will not learn anything new, struggle to understand the text, become disheartened and want to give up. On the other hand, if you read something too easy that is below your level you won’t learn anything new so it is not a good use of your time.
The best way to avoid these issues are to look for graded readers for English learners. These are a good option if you want to read short stories or novels based on your level, and there are a variety on offer such as adaptations of English literary classics and other famous works.
These books will not only help you increase your vocabulary, they will also help you increase your reading speed, which again, is vital for the reading section of the exam.
Engoo daily news is a good place to start if you want to keep up with the news and is generally loved by students of English. You can filter news stories by topic, as well as the difficulty of the texts from lower intermediate to proficiency level. Each article explains the vocabulary used in the article with example sentences and pronunciation, and some of them have comprehension or discussion questions to talk about with your teacher or whomever you choose.
Generally try to stay away from websites such as BBC News, The Guardian etc unless you have a very high level of reading and comprehension skills, these websites are meant for natives, not IELTS learners, nevertheless if you feel confident enough then go for it!
The most important thing when reading is to read things that entertain you, it is meant to be a fun experience after all. Find magazines related to your hobbies, whether this be photography, fashion, sports or movies. These types of magazines are filled with rich vocabulary related to that field and you can steal this vocabulary for the exam as they are likely to come up in a variety of ways in any of the speaking parts.
Finally, if you love films, find out if they are based on a book then have a go at reading this version. The good thing is you more or less know the plot so it will be easier to follow the narrative and will expose you to a variety of narrative structures that would be useful for part 2. As well as this, it is generally agreed the books are much better than the movies, (again this is a question that comes up in the IELTS exam which is a great advantage for you!)
Keep a Notebook of New Vocabulary and Grammar
This can be on your phone, computer or wherever. If you go the online way then I personally love quizlet which is a website where you can look at IELTS vocabulary or grammar as flashcards, and create your own set of flashcards for your own revision.
I generally prefer to write things down and have a physical copy, I’m sure this helps my brain to process the information too… even though I have no evidence of that.
While you should try to make notes as much as possible it may not always be convenient, what you can do instead is sign up for Cambridge’s word of the day and make a note of it, and as time goes by your vocabulary will become more and more enriched.
Moreover, try to use this new vocabulary in your speech or writing. Making a note of it in a book and moving on from it just isn’t good enough unfortunately. If you learn a new idiom such as busy as a bee, then think about how to use it in a variety of ways or contexts that are personal to you, and therefore easier to remember.
For example:
- I am currently working as a nurse and due to the recent pandemic my workload has doubled and I’m as busy as a bee.
- I can’t meet my friend next week, I have so many things to do I’m as busy as a bee
- Everyone in my class is studying for their exam, we’re all as busy as a bee
Warning! Use Idioms with Caution!
Learning idioms are not the be all and end all of the IELTS exam, using an idiom in a speaking exam isn’t something that will automatically give you a high mark or make you sound like a native. A lot of the time students use them completely out of context and it feels unnatural and weird if not used correctly.
My advice would be find a few idioms related to a few popular topics and if you get the chance to use it then great, but if you can’t use it don’t force it, it’s not the end of the world, phrasal verbs are far more important, focus your efforts on them, they may be difficult but they are vital to achieve a higher grade.
Also, no one says it’s raining cats and dogs! Try
- It’s chucking it down or,
- It’s throwing it down.
Both of these are informal, colloquial terms that you will hear natives use all the time!
Use Resources Readily Available Online
There’s an abundance of material out there that would be impossible to list here. Again, the key I feel is to have 4 or 5 websites that you love to use and are updated regularly on a variety of topics, this avoids confusion and feeling overwhelmed by the crazy amount you think you have to learn.
You can always look at sample answers from past questions for a particular brand, like here, and then pick any new vocabulary or structures that may be useful for you.
Do the same with YouTube, have a look at past speaking exams and the different bands from 6 to 7, and try to understand the differences between the grade 6 student and the grade 7 such as vocabulary used, fluency of their speech, ideas, structures etc.
Final Thoughts
These are all pieces of advice that I give my students, they may be useful to you or not. I plan to write more posts on every part of the IELTS exam in detail in the coming weeks, breaking them down step by step, the dos and don’ts, and how to give yourself the best opportunity to pass and get the most of your studying and language learning experience.
The important thing is to be confident, have fun and don’t be afraid of making mistakes, it’s how we all learn.
Finally, I teach online via cambly, if you are interested in having classes with me you can check out my profile!
Useful Vocabulary for IELTS
Word of the day:
Murmur, (verb), to speak or say something very quietly.
He keeps murmuring to himself!
Phrasal Verb
call off / call something off, to cancel.
Unfortunately, today’s football match has been called off due to bad weather.
Idiom
Bite the bullet, (informal)
When the time comes, I’ll bite the bullet and take my punishment without a fuss.
