Best 20 Tips For IELTS Speaking To Get An 8+ Band Score

In this blog, you will learn about tips for IELTS speaking. So, let’s get started.

Many students think that the IELTS speaking test is the most difficult section because it requires face-to-face communication. 

But, in my opinion, IELTS speaking is the easiest part of the IELTS exam to improve your band score. 

You may have queries like how is IELTS speaking the easiest part of the IELTS exam? are interviews a lot of fun? How can I improve my IELTS speaking? 

I think that speaking interviews are a lot of fun. But I know most exam takers get nervous when speaking English in front of someone. Remember that the examiner also gave the IELTS speaking test, so that’s why they don’t expect you to speak like a politician.

They don’t even ask you to provide well-structured and reasonable answers! They’ll only judge you on how well you can: 

• speak fluently and without hesitation,
• use various vocabulary,
• avoid grammar mistakes,
• pronounce words well

What Is the IELTS Speaking Test?

IELTS speaking is a face-to-face, informal conversation with an IELTS examiner. This test is the same for general training and academics. 

It has 3 sections: introduction, cue card, and follow-up questions. It is designed to assess your grammar, pronunciation, fluency, and vocabulary.

Also, read – IELTS Academic vs General: Which Exam Should I Take?

Format Of IELTS Speaking Test

There are 3 parts to the IELTS speaking test: 

Part 1

(about 4-5 minutes) in this section, the examiners will introduce themselves and ask you to do the same. 

The examiner will ask many general question about your family, studies, work, and hobbies.

Part 2

 (about 3–4 minutes) in this section the examiner will give you a cue card with any topic and some questions to cover in your speech. 

The examiner will give you one minute to prepare for cue card topic, and he will give you blank paper and a pencil to make notes. 

After you’ve finished thinking, you will have to 1 to 2 minutes to speak about the cue card topic. 

Part 3

(about 4–5 minutes) A two-way conversation. The examiner will ask more questions about the topic presented in Part 2 of the Speaking test. 

You can make use of this opportunity to discuss other ideas.

IELTS Speaking Test Information

• The speaking test is a face to face speaking test in a room with an examiner.
• For all candidates, there is only one speaking test. The speaking test is the same for academic and GT candidates.
• Even though you are taking IELTS online, you will have a face-to-face interview with the examiner. For everyone, the speaking test is the same.
• It’s recorded, so you can ask for a remark later if you like.
• This is an informal speaking test.
• At the end of the test, the examiner who asked the questions will determine your results.
• The test takes between 11 and 14 minutes to complete (not more and not less).
• The examiner controls the duration and length of your answers.

Also, read – PTE Exam Pattern 2022 – Get 85+ Scores in PTE Exam

Tips For IELTS Speaking

Here are the best 17 tips for IELTS speaking to help you improve your band score: 

Before you walk inside the exam, you’ll know what to expect.

All you have to worry about is speaking once you enter the room and sit. 

Everything you need to know about the rest of the process will be given to you by the examiner. 

So don’t be worried about anything at that time. It is the first tips for IELTS speaking.

Not Too Short, Not Too Long

Your answer should be 1 to 2 sentences long. You should not give the answer of yes/no. 

Answer the question directly and give a little more information as a general purpose: for example:

Question: Do you like to study by yourself or in a group?

Answer: I prefer to study alone (direct answer) because it allows me to focus better and accomplish more. (extension)

Also, read – Top 17 IELTS Writing Tips To Get 8+ Band Score

Don’t memorize answers.

Don’t memorize answers, especially in Part 1. The memorized answer does not assess your English language skills to the examiner. 

If the examiner finds that you are memorizing your answers, your band score may be affected. It is the second tips for IELTS speaking.

Before you begin, take a few deep breaths.

Whenever you will enter the examiner room, your heart will do race. Tha’t why before you enter the room, take a few deep breaths to get your heart rate back to normal and calm yourself down.

Don’t use big and unfamiliar words.

In your Speaking test, you might want to use big, difficult words to impress the examiner. However, if you want to be safe, avoid using unfamiliar words.

It’s more likely that you’ll make a mistake by mispronouncing words or using them incorrectly. Your final band score can be affected by mistakes.

Make use of a variety of words that are appropriate to the topic being discussed. It is the fourth tips for IELTS speaking.

Also, read – IELTS exam syllabus 2022 – CourseMentor

Use a range of grammatical structures.

When IELTS examiners assess your speaking abilities, they look at the following criteria:

• Fluency and coherence
• Lexical resource
• Grammatical range and accuracy
• Pronunciation

Use grammatical structures and simple sentences to explain your answer. Prepare your mistakes for this record yourself to see where are you mistaking.  You can also speak english with your friends and family.  it’s crucial to practise speaking in the past, present, and future tenses. It is the fifth tips for IELTS speaking

Don’t worry about your accent.

Face-to-face communication, unlike an AI machine, the IELTS examiner recognizes a wide range of accents and will understand what you say during the speaking test. There is nothing to be concerned about if you can communicate well. However, because English is a stress-timed language, be conscious of sounds that you struggle with and make sure to use stress and intonation. If you practise with friends, they will let you know if they don’t understand you. It is the sixth tips for IELTS speaking.

Pause to think

We all do something when we’re trying to figure out how to answer a question. There’s no harm in pausing for a moment to consider what to say. You might use sentences like: to give yourself time to consider throughout the Speaking test.

• That is an interesting question.
• I’d never thought about it before, but…
• That’s a tough question, but I’ll do my best to answer it.
• Let me think that for a while.
• Let me see
• That’s a good point

Avoid using fillers

Avoid using filler words and speak with confidence. When we don’t know what to say, we usually use fillers. However, this shows the examiner that you don’t have access to the relevant vocabulary or ideas; therefore, it’s vital to avoid them and instead use the phrases we provided in Tip 8.

Avoid the following fillers:

• Like
• You know
• Umm…
• Ahh…
• Well
• Yeah…

Smiling helps pronunciation

Smiling can help you relax, which can improve your pronunciation. Enunciate clearly by opening your lips wide enough for sounds to come out clearly. When we smile, our lips expand, and our speech takes on a more welcoming tone. The examiner will see that you can use a variety of pronunciation qualities if you use clear diction and tone. It is the ninth tips for IELTS speaking.

Also, read– 11 Tips On How To Crack IELTS To Get 8+ Band Score

Don’t speak in a monotone.

We can make a dull, monotone sound with little variation when we speak. This makes it more difficult to communicate yourself and the listener to figure out which parts of your message are most vital. Make your conversation with the IELTS examiner more engaging by emphasizing specific words and pausing at key points in your speech. By stressing crucial words, we can make it easy to compare and contrast ideas. It also improves the flow of conversation, so keep this in mind:

• Don’t speak in a monotone
• Vary the stress and intonation to add emphasis

Don’t worry if the examiner stops you.

Because the examiner is on a tight schedule, they may stop you during the speaking task to keep the test moving quickly.

Stopping by the examiner may be interpreted by many students as a sign that they’re doing something wrong. But don’t panic; if the examiner stops you, it’s not a reflection on your ability to speak; it’s simply a part of the exam. It is the eleventh tips for IELTS speaking.

Don’t try to study every possible topic.

You have no idea what questions will be asked of you, but that shouldn’t be a problem. All of the topics can be related to your life in some way. So all you have to do now is share your personal experiences. It is the twelth tips for IELTS speaking.

Be emotional

Give the speaking test with emotions. The tone of a speaker’s speech is what separates an experienced speaker from a beginner. Express yourself as if you were speaking in your tongue.

Ask the question again if you need to

If you need something clarified, don’t be afraid to ask. You will not lose a point for asking the examiner.

Make a good first impression.

Have faith in yourself. It’s important to look nice, smell good, and feel well. Although it may not appear important, a positive first impression can go a long way.

Also, read – Best 14 IELTS Reading Tips You should Learn

Practice common IELTS topics

Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test requires you to talk for approximately 2 minutes on a particular topic. To improve and learn vocabulary connected with each topic, practise with friends, family, or colleagues on frequent IELTS topics.

The following are some examples of topics on which you can prepare for the Speaking test:

• Tourism and travel
• Education
• Transport
• Environment
• Family life
• Sport and recreation
• Crime and punishment
• The internet
• Advertising and retail

Practice By Talking To Mirror

While practicing for the IELTS exam, always try to practice while looking in the mirror. This trick is very helpful in building up confidence. In the beginning, you may feel hesitant while talking to yourself, but once you get familiar, you will see that you won’t hesitate while speaking in front of others. 

Also, never miss any chance to speak in English. For example, don’t fear speaking in English with friends or in any social gathering. 

Learn Some Common Phrases

Another one of the best tips for IELTS speaking is learning some common phrases. When you use phrases in IELTS speaking, it will look like you are comfortable speaking in English. 

The use of phrases shows that you are speaking in English confidently. The use of phrases in speaking helps you speak like a native English speaker.

You can use phrases like “on cloud nine or top of the world” to show you are happy or excited. There are many other phrases that you can use in your IELTS speaking. For example,

• That’s an interesting question. 
• Well, that depends on a few things.
• Funny, you should ask that.
• Looking back, I would say it.
• Find my feet.
• Over the moon.
• Cost an arm and a leg.
• Call it a day.
• Down in the dumps.
• Chill out.
• Fed up with.
• White elephant.
• Bump into.
• Run of the mill.
• A hot potato.
• Get a kick out of.

Try To Give Real-Life Examples

When you talk about your cue card, try to give an example or explain situations you have experienced. This will help you remember the situation easily, and you can speak fluently when you do not have to do many things by yourself. 

IELTS Speaking Topics 

Here are the lists of common and recent IELTS speaking topics that appear in the speaking test:

IELTS Speaking Part 1 Topics

• Work 
• Study 
• Hometown 
• Home 
• Art 
• Birthday 
• Childhood 
• Clothes 
• Computers
• Daily routines 
• Dictionaries 
• Evening 
• Family & friends 
• Flowers 
• Food 
• Going out 
• Happiness 
• Hobbies 
• Internet 
• Neighbours & neighbourhood 
• Newspapers 
• Pets 
• Reading 
• Shopping 
• Sport 
• TV 
• Transport 
• Weather 

IELTS Part 2 Speaking Questions

• Describe a gift you received that was created by hand
• A quiz program or game show on tv
• A time when you wake up early
• A water sport you would like to try
• An occasion when the vehicle broke down
• Describe a healthy lifestyle you know
• Describe a prize you want to get
• Describe a singer that you like
• Describe a moment when you found something someone lost.
• Describe a time you advised others
• Describe a tv program that made you laugh a lot
• You invited family or friends to have dinner

IELTS Part 3 Speaking Questions

• What kind of art do you enjoy?
• Can clothing tell you much about a person?
• What makes a good student?
• Is family important in your country?
• Do you think diet is important?
• How can people improve their health?
• Do most people have a computer at home in your country?

Conclusion

In this blog, I have explained the 20 best tips for IELTS speaking that you must follow to get a high band score. 

But first of all, you must know the format of an exam before taking the exam to get the proper knowledge of the exam.

If you still have any queries or questions about the tips for IELTS speaking, then you can contact our experts or let us know through comments. You can also choose our online exam preparation service to prepare for the IELTS exam.

For more content like this, keep visiting CourseMentor™.

Also, read – TOEFL vs IELTS: Which One is Better Choice For You

Tips For IELTS Speaking FAQs