Advice & Techniques to Raise Your IELTS Speaking Score
Welcome everybody!
As you are all aware, taking the IELTS test is a critical first step for anyone wishing to study or work in an English-speaking nation. And the exam's speaking element is among its most difficult components.
You'll be graded on your ability to communicate effectively, fluently, and accurately in this section. This implies that your grade will suffer even if you have good grammar and vocabulary if you have trouble expressing yourself clearly.
Let's start off by engaging in a warm-up activity to get to know one another and assess our speaking abilities. Every one of you should introduce yourselves and mention a leisure activity you enjoy.
I'll provide an example first. Hello, my name is Riaz, and in my spare time, I enjoy reading historical and English language literature and taking long strolls in the park.
It's your time now. Please introduce yourself and share a fun fact about yourself. Always communicate clearly and in whole sentences.
The speaking test is broken up into three parts and takes 11 to 14 minutes to complete.
Part 1: 4-5 minutes:
You will be questioned in Part 1 about your background, hobbies, and experiences. The questions will be simple and made to make you feel at ease and assured.
Part 2: 3-4 minutes:
You will be handed a cue card with a topic to discuss for 2 minutes in Part 2. Before you begin speaking, you will have one minute to get ready and jot down some notes.
Part 3: 4-5 minutes:
You'll be asked inquiries about the subject covered in Part 2 in Part 3. These will be more difficult questions that will demand you to go into greater detail about your thoughts and opinions.
Let's now discuss the test's scoring system and what the examiners are searching for.
Fluency and coherence: You must be able to arrange and clearly communicate your ideas in your responses.
Lexical Resource: You should be able to speak in a variety of ways and use terminology that is appropriate for the topic at hand.
Grammar: You should be competent in employing a range of sentence constructions.
Pronunciation: The ability to produce understandable sounds and stress patterns is what is referred to as pronunciation.
Using fillers and organising your responses are crucial for a successful test strategy. Fillers like "uh," "ah," and "well" can buy you some time to collect your thoughts. You can keep on topic and make your ideas more understandable by organising your comments.
For Part 2, for instance, you could employ the following format:
Introduction: present the subject and give your viewpoint
Body: Include two or three justifications for your position.
Finish your speech by summarising your important ideas.
Part 3: 4-5 minutes
discussion
express you opinion
and justify them
Keep in mind that the IELTS speaking test asks you to show that you can converse effectively in English. You should concentrate on speaking fluently, selecting suitable words, and organizing your response logically.
Pronunciation:
Some common pronunciation rules in English with examples/ drills:
Silent letters -
Some letters in English words are not pronounced. For example, the "k" in "knee" or the "w" in "write".
Drills: Have students practice pronouncing words with silent letters, such as "gnat" or "wrist".
Vowels -
English has many different vowel sounds that can be difficult to distinguish. For example, "bit" and "beat" have different vowel sounds.
Drills: Practice saying pairs of words with different vowel sounds, such as "bat" and "bet" or "cot" and "caught".
Consonants - English has many consonant sounds that can be challenging for non-native speakers. For example, the "th" sound in "thin" and "this" is different from the "th" sound in "thick".
Drills: Practice saying pairs of words with different consonant sounds, such as "thin" and "thick" or "sip" and "ship".
Stress and intonation -
The stress and intonation of English words can change the meaning of a sentence. For example, "I didn't say he stole my money" can have seven different meanings depending on which word is stressed. Drills: Have students practice saying sentences with different stress and intonation patterns to convey different meanings.
Word endings -
English words can have different endings that affect their pronunciation. For example, "walk" and "talk" have the same vowel sound, but "walker" and "talker" have different vowel sounds.
Drills: Have students practice saying pairs of words with different word endings, such as "walk" and "walker" or "talk" and "talker".
By practicing these pronunciation rules and drills, students can improve their English pronunciation and become more confident in their speaking abilities.
List of commonly mispronounced words:
Mischievous - often pronounced as "mis-CHEE-vee-us" instead of "MIS-chuh-vus"
Espresso - often pronounced as "ex-PRESS-oh" instead of "es-PRESS-oh"
Nuclear - often pronounced as "nuke-yoo-lar" instead of "new-klee-er"
Sherbet - often pronounced as "sher-BERT" instead of "sher-bet"
Quinoa - often pronounced as "kwin-OH-uh" instead of "keen-wah"
Jewelry - often pronounced as "jew-luh-ree" instead of "joo-uhl-ree"
Specific - often pronounced as "pacific" instead of "speh-sif-ik"
Height - often pronounced as "heighth" instead of "hite"
February - often pronounced as "feb-YOU-ary" instead of "FEB-roo-ary"
Coupon - often pronounced as "COO-pon" instead of "KYOO-pon"
Practice pronouncing the following words. You may take help from google:
Democracy
parameter
criteria
bureaucracy
ambivalent
equivalent
epitome
extempore
epoch
adjective
adjacent
adjunct
bakery
Cambridge
Oxford
molecular
systole
diastole
metabolism
Contractions:
A list of commonly used contractions in English:
I'm - contraction for "I am"
You're - contraction for "You are"
He's - contraction for "He is"
She's - contraction for "She is"
It's - contraction for "It is"
We're - contraction for "We are"
They're - contraction for "They are"
Can't - contraction for "Cannot"
Won't - contraction for "Will not"
Don't - contraction for "Do not"
Shouldn't - contraction for "Should not"
Couldn't - contraction for "Could not"
Didn't - contraction for "Did not"
Wouldn't - contraction for "Would not"
Hadn't - contraction for "Had not"
Hasn't - contraction for "Has not"
Haven't - contraction for "Have not"
Let's - contraction for "Let us"
Elision:
Some examples of elision in English for practice:
"I'm gonna" instead of "I am going to"
"Gimme" instead of "Give me"
"Wanna" instead of "Want to"
"Kinda" instead of "Kind of"
"Shoulda" instead of "Should have"
"Coulda" instead of "Could have"
"Mighta" instead of "Might have"
"Gotta" instead of "Got to"
"Hafta" instead of "Have to"
"Dunno" instead of "Don't know"
Assimilation:
Some examples of assimilation in English:"Handbag" - the "n" and "d" sounds assimilate into a nasalized "n" sound, so it is pronounced as "ham-bag".
"Ten people" - the "n" sound at the end of "ten" assimilates into the "p" sound at the beginning of "people", so it is pronounced as "tem-people".
"Green book" - the "n" sound at the end of "green" assimilates into the "b" sound at the beginning of "book", so it is pronounced as "gree-book".
"Big guy" - the "g" sound at the end of "big" assimilates into the "g" sound at the beginning of "guy", so it is pronounced as "bi-guy".
"Lab coat" - the "b" sound at the end of "lab" assimilates into the "k" sound at the beginning of "coat", so it is pronounced as "la-kot".
Weak forms:
Weak forms, which are frequently employed to minimise emphasis on particular words and make speech sound more natural and fluid, are a prevalent aspect of spoken English. It is crucial to remember that using the full form of a term rather than a weak form is generally preferable when writing or speaking in formal contexts.
some examples of weak forms in English:"I" - in weak form, it is pronounced as "uh" or "ih" (as in "uh-m" or "ih-m" instead of "I am").
"You" - in weak form, it is pronounced as "yuh" or "yuh-uh" (as in "yuh know" or "yuh-uh see" instead of "you know" or "you see").
"We" - in weak form, it is pronounced as "wuh" or "wih" (as in "wuh-re" or "wih-ll" instead of "we're" or "we will").
"They" - in weak form, it is pronounced as "thuh" or "thih" (as in "thuh-yre" or "thih-r" instead of "they're" or "they are").
"Have" - in weak form, it is pronounced as "uhv" (as in "uhv bin" instead of "have been").
"Of" - in weak form, it is pronounced as "uhv" (as in "cuhv bin" instead of "could have been").
"To" - in weak form, it is pronounced as "tuh" (as in "goin tuh" instead of "going to").
Collocations:
Words that are frequently used together are called collocations, and they can help your speech or writing sound more fluid and natural. Your communication abilities can also be enhanced by using frequent collocations in your native tongue.
Some common collocations in English:
"Make a decision"
"Take a break"
"Have a conversation"
"Give a presentation"
"Get dressed"
"Do the dishes"
"Take a shower"
"Make a mistake"
"Take a seat"
"Give advice"
"Take an exam"
"Have breakfast/lunch/dinner"
"Catch a bus/train/plane"
"Get a job/promotion"
"Put on/take off clothes"
"Run a business"
"Keep in touch"
"Pay attention"
"Do your best"
"Make progress"
Intonation:
When speaking, intonation, which is the rising and falling of the voice, is used, many meanings and emotions can be expressed. You may sound more natural and fluent in English by working on your intonation.
Some examples of intonation in English:
"Do you like coffee?" - with a rising intonation at the end, indicating a question.
"I can't believe it!" - with a falling-rising intonation, expressing surprise or disbelief.
"You're going to the party, aren't you?" - with a rising-falling intonation, indicating a question with a negative tag.
"She's a doctor." - with a falling intonation, indicating a statement of fact.
"That's amazing!" - with a rising intonation, indicating excitement or interest.
"I have to go now." - with a falling intonation, indicating a statement of intention.
"You didn't finish your homework." - with a falling intonation, indicating a statement of fact.
"Good morning!" - with a rising intonation, indicating a greeting.
"I'm sorry." - with a falling intonation, indicating an apology.
"Let's go to the beach!" - with a rising intonation, indicating a suggestion or invitation.
Stress patterns:
The pattern of emphasis placed on syllables in a word is known as the stress pattern, and it is a crucial component of English pronunciation. Your communication abilities can be enhanced by being aware of and utilising the proper stress pattern, which can also help your speech sound more fluid and natural.
Some examples of stress patterns in English:
"PHO-to-graph" - with the stress on the second syllable.
"a-BOVE" - with the stress on the second syllable.
"com-PU-ter" - with the stress on the second syllable.
"fa-MIL-y" - with the stress on the second syllable.
"TE-le-vi-sion" - with the stress on the third syllable.
"in-TER-est-ing" - with the stress on the second syllable.
"e-LEC-tric" - with the stress on the second syllable.
"per-FEC-tion" - with the stress on the second syllable.
"en-THU-si-asm" - with the stress on the third syllable.
"re-CEI-ved" - with the stress on the second syllable.
Tongue twisters:
Tongue twisters are words or phrases that are challenging to pronounce fast and clearly, frequently as a result of word repetition, similar-sounding words, or a mix of both. They are frequently employed as a lighthearted method of enhancing speech fluency, diction, and pronunciation.
Some examples of tongue twisters:
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
She sells seashells by the seashore.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.
Unique New York, unique New York, you know you need unique New York.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.
Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said this butter's bitter.
How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
The seething sea ceaseth and thus the seething sea sufficeth us.
Storytelling:
-an activity for practice in the classroom:
Title: Sentence Building Game
Objective: To practice forming complete and grammatically correct sentences.
Materials: A set of sentence cards with subject, verb, and object phrases.
Instructions:
Divide the class into small groups of 3-4 students.
Give each group a set of sentence cards.
Ask each group to shuffle the cards and place them face down in a stack.
One student from the group picks up a card from the top of the stack and reads the subject phrase out loud (e.g. "The cat").
The next student picks up a card from the stack and reads the verb phrase out loud (e.g. "is sleeping").
The final student picks up a card from the stack and reads the object phrase out loud (e.g. "on the couch").
The group then works together to form a complete sentence using the subject, verb, and object phrases (e.g. "The cat is sleeping on the couch.").
If the sentence is grammatically correct, the group earns a point. If the sentence is incorrect, the group loses a point.
The game continues with each student taking turns picking up cards and forming sentences.
The group with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Students can practice building phrases with appropriate grammar and sentence structure with this entertaining game. It can also be changed to emphasize particular grammar points or to include various phrases.
-An additional exercise including the phrases "fortunately" and "unfortunately"
Title: Fortunately/Unfortunately Storytelling
Objective: To practice storytelling and creativity using the words "fortunately" and "unfortunately".
Materials: None
Instructions:Divide the class into small groups of 3-4 students.
Ask each group to select one student to start the storytelling.
The first student starts the story with a sentence that includes the word "fortunately" (e.g. "Fortunately, the sun was shining brightly and it was a beautiful day.").
The next student continues the story with a sentence that includes the word "unfortunately" (e.g. "Unfortunately, the protagonist had a flat tire on their way to their destination.").
The third student continues the story with a sentence that includes the word "fortunately" again (e.g. "Fortunately, they found a gas station nearby and were able to fix the tire.").
The fourth student continues the story with a sentence that includes the word "unfortunately" again (e.g. "Unfortunately, they realized they were low on gas and the next gas station was miles away.").
The story continues in this alternating pattern of "fortunately" and "unfortunately" sentences until the group decides to end the story.
Each group shares their story with the class and the class votes on the best story based on creativity, humor, and coherence.
Students may practice storytelling, creativity, and sentence structure through this entertaining activity. Also, it helps students to reflect critically on the plot's development and any tensions.
Grammar Challenge:
Rotate between asking each other questions about grammar rules and correcting each other's mistakes. By participating in this game, you can enhance your understanding of the English language and learn to spot common grammar mistakes.
-interesting activity based on the idea of a grammar challenge:
Title: Grammar Challenge
Objective: To improve students' understanding of English grammar rules and detect frequent grammar errors.
Materials: None
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs.
Ask each pair to take turns quizzing each other on grammar rules and correcting each other's errors.
Set a timer for 5-10 minutes, depending on how much time you have available.
Ask each couple to share one new grammatical rule or one error they found when the timer goes out.
Switch roles within the same pair or repeat the activity with other couples.
This exercise is a simple and effective approach to including grammar instruction in your class. Since students cooperate to find and fix grammar mistakes, it also promotes teamwork and peer learning.
Read more: Mastering the IELTS Exam: A Complete Guide to Achieving Your Desired Band Score
Read more: IELTS tips
Good luck!
