How to Improve IELTS Speaking Score

Planning to take IELTS shortly?

Read below for some interesting information and tips to improve Speaking scores in IELTS.

Understand the Test

The IELTS test has 4 parts- reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Among these four sections, speaking is considered a challenging part, especially for non-native English speakers. It is an 11-14 minute test conducted by a Cambridge certified evaluator. This section assesses the candidate’s spoken English skill in four categories

• Fluency and cohesion
• Pronunciation
• Lexical resources
• Grammatical range and accuracy.

All carry equal weightage and the evaluator will decide on the scores at the end of the test.

How to improve spoken English for IELTS

You may be preparing for IELTS Exam on your own or may have enrolled in an IELTS online training course or joined coaching classes to enhance your speaking skills. These skills can also be improved by practicing at home using the following tips-

1. Firstly, learn to think in English. This may sound absurd. But it is well a known fact that non-native speakers use their mother tongue to think. This is why we suggest you think in English! To avoid transliteration mistakes.
2. Speak, read, and sing in English– speak in English everywhere you go. Try to have a conversation with people who are proficient in the language. Read articles, stories, or sing English songs. This will boost your confidence and fluency
3. Watch English movies, web series, documentaries, etc., Focus on how words are pronounced, the dynamics of the language. Repeat a few sentences or dialogues.
4. Practice with known topics and ideas– you can enlist questions commonly tested in IELTS using websites and cohesively develop their answers. The answers can have the following parts:
   • Opening statement /repeating the question/ Introduction
   • Answer (if needed evidence or example to support)
   • Closing statement

   For example, Question-  Are you less or more patient when you are angry.

   Sample answers: I normally do not get angry, but whenever I do it is momentary. I always go silent and reason out logically with people. So, I am more patient when I am angry.

5. Record your answers– the recording will help you understand the gaps in speaking especially reduce the use of fillers like ‘aaa’, ‘umm’, ‘like’, ‘ok’.Also, grammatical errors can be easily corrected. Furthermore, the recordings will help understand how much you need to speak for the two-minute mini-presentation.
6. Mirror practice– Stand before the mirror and speak or read something loudly. It may be a funny or awkward experience. However, this is the best way to improve your body language and confidence while speaking in English.
7. Take support from family members or friends– two-way interaction is one of the best methods to practice speaking. A support group can help you practice complex questions.
8. Work on words and sentences– Practice using more descriptive words or adjectives to express your ideas and opinions. For example, ‘the food was good’can be expressed as ‘the food was innovative and delicious. It also had many tantalizing flavors’

Lastly, remember for the IELTS prep [for ‘Speaking Test’] it is important to practice consistently. Do not expect overnight results. Use the above-mentioned tips along with IELTS online training or coaching from experts for better scores.