Today, I am going to share with you the 15 most important tips you need to know to gain a band score of 7.5 or above in the IELTS Speaking test.
As an experienced IELTS teacher and examiner, I undertake Speaking tests with hundreds of students a year so I know exactly how to get it right… and how it can all go wrong.
These are the top tips I have picked up over the years.
Let’s get started:
- Know what to expect
Nervous students simply do not do well in the IELTS Speaking test. The best way to beat nerves is to know what to expect. So, here’s a breakdown of what will happen on the day.
The IELTS Speaking test will last 11 – 14 minutes and is split into three sections:
- Part 1 – you will answer questions about yourself, your work/studies and your family.
- Part 2 – you will speak in detail about a topic. You will be given a task card with prompts directing you what to speak about.
- Part 3 – you will have a longer discussion about the topic that has been introduced in Part 2.
- Understand the marking criteria
To achieve a band score of 7.5+ you need to do the following:
- Speak fluently and without hesitating
- Pronounce words clearly
- Use a range of words
- Avoid grammar mistakes
You are not expected to amaze the examiner with complex ideas or demonstrate the oration skills of Barack Obama.
Focus on building your skills and confidence in the 4 areas you are actually marked on, as this is all the matters on the day.
- Practice, practice, practice
Fluency and confidence can only be developed through practice at home. You should practice speaking in English for at least 60 minutes each day in the run-up to the exam.
While you can practice speaking alone, finding a study buddy will improve your spoken English much more quickly.
WhatsApp groups can be a good place to find another IELTS student to practice speaking with.
Better yet, undertake a mock exam with an IELTS teacher or examiner so that you can get real-life experience of the test and feedback with tips on how to improve. You can find out more about our mock exam services here.
- Warm-up at home
Now, this might seem like a silly one but imagine that you are a star athlete and the IELTS Speaking test is your chance at an Olympic gold medal. You’d want to warm up, right?!
Our English speaking skills can get rusty very quickly without practice, so for the 24 hours before you take your test try to speak only in English. This will help to focus your mind on English vocabulary and grammatical structures.
With a good warm-up like this, you will feel relaxed and confident going into your exam, and your speaking will be much more natural as a result.
- Make a good first impression
As an IELTS examiner, I always try to see the best in the candidates I test and I want you all to do well. However, it never hurts to make a good first impression.
With that in mind, make sure that:
- You are on time
- You have your ID documents and a pen/pencil
- You are polite and professional
- You smile — it goes a long way!
- Show passion
Let’s face it, some of the topics in Parts 2 and 3 of the IELTS Speaking test are pretty boring.
But, at the same time, you are rewarded for speaking fluently and spontaneously, which we are much more likely to do if we are interested in the topic at hand.
So, try to find an element of the topic that you can get passionate about. Draw on your experiences and don’t be afraid to show some emotion. Remember, the examiner wants to talk to a human being, not a robot!
- Do not prepare answers in advance
Examiners can tell straight away if you have prepared or rehearsed your answers in advance. And, believe me, it will not go down well at all. Remember, you are being marked for fluency and spontaneity; memorised answers are not compatible with this marking criteria!
There is no way of predicting what questions you will be asked in the exam. Therefore, there is no reason to prepare answers ahead of time. The most likely outcome of such a strategy is that you will be asked a question you have never thought about and you will be left with nothing to say!
So, forget about memorising answers. Focus on improving your English speaking skills so that you can respond to any question you are asked confidently and naturally.
- Elaborate
You need to be speaking at least twice as much as the examiner. So, if they ask you a question which is one sentence long, you should reply in at least two sentences, ideally more.
Your answers should contain details, examples and explanations so that the examiner can get a true picture of your English language skills. Do not let yourself down by not saying enough!
Let’s take a look at an example from Part 1:
Question: Do you like your hometown?
Really, really bad answer: Yes.
Bad answer: Yes because there is lots to do.
Good answer: Yes, I love my hometown and go back to visit my family there as often as I can. It is a small city so when I was younger I thought it was a boring place to live, but as an adult I am always pleasantly surprised by how much there is to do! For example, there is a botanical garden with exotic plants and a really interesting natural history museum just down the road from my parents house.
- But… keep it simple
To gain that band score of 7.5 or above in the IELTS Speaking test, you need to show the examiner that you can use a range of different words and grammatical structures.
However, the more complex that you try to get with your grammar and vocabulary, the more likely you are to make mistakes, which could cost you valuable marks.
So, before you use a difficult word, make sure that you are 100% clear on its meaning, its pronunciation and how to use it correctly within a sentence.
With regards to complex sentence structures, prioritise clarity. Communicating your idea as clearly as possible is the most important skill you can demonstrate so don’t sacrifice your fluency to a contorted grammatical structure.
- Don’t panic; keep talking
Made a mistake? Don’t panic.
Every single candidate I have ever tested has made at least one mistake in their IELTS Speaking test, even those who I have graded at Band 9!
So, it’s not the mistake that matters, it’s how you respond to it that will make the biggest difference to your marks. The golden rule is: don’t panic!
The best response is to briefly apologise and repeat the sentence again, correctly. You can always rephrase a sentence more simply if you are having trouble getting an element of it right.
If it is just a small mistake in your pronunciation, you can stop mid-sentence, repeat the word you got wrong and carry on.
Afterwards, don’t think of the mistake again; confidence is key so don’t let yourself be thrown off by an error.
- Link your ideas together
Using linking words is an important skill to demonstrate to the examiner. It improves your fluency and will help boost your grammar score.
As part of your preparation, make lists of linking words that you can use in different situations and to make different points. You can find lots of examples online.
For example, to contrast two ideas you could use ‘On the other hand’, ‘Whereas’ or ‘Although’.
Or to introduce a new idea you could use, ‘Additionally’, ‘Furthermore’, or ‘Moreover’.
- Don’t be afraid to make things up
Remember, this is not a job interview. It is a test of your English skills where the examiner is not judging you on your ideas, but on how you communicate them.
Therefore, if you feel as though you have had no experience of a certain topic or nothing of interest to say in response to a question, make something up!
The examiner does not need to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. White lies and exaggeration will not cost you marks in the IELTS Speaking test, but having nothing to say will.
- Ask questions
It is perfectly acceptable to ask the examiner questions in the exam. You will not lose marks for double checking a point, and the examiner will not think less of you for asking.
In Part 1, you can ask the examiner to repeat the question. Just say, “I’m sorry I didn’t quite understand. Please could you repeat the question?”.
In Part 3, you can ask the examiner to explain the question. A good way to do this is by saying, “I’m sorry, could you explain that please?”.
You can also ask the examiner about the meaning of a word if you are particularly struggling, but try to do this as infrequently as possible.
- Buy yourself time to think
In Part 3 of the exam, things can start to get tricky and you might be stuck for a moment. This is natural as you may never have even thought about the topic at hand before. The key thing is to signal to the examiner that you are thinking, and to try and maintain the fluency of the conversation as effectively as possible.
If you are unsure of how to initially respond to a question, the following phrases could help:
- “That’s an interesting question…”
- “Hmm, I’ve never thought about that before…”
- “That’s a tricky question…”
- “It’s hard to say for certain, but I would guess that…”
- “It’s difficult to know, but I believe…”
Try not to use these phrases all the time as it may seem as though you have rehearsed your answers in advance, but don’t be afraid to give yourself a moment to think.
- Finish strongly
Speaking in English for the full length of your IELTS Speaking test is exhausting. I can always see how tired the candidates I test are at the end and, believe me, I sympathise.
However, Part 3 of the test is also the most challenging section so you need to try and bring as much energy and confidence to the end of the test as possible.
The best way to do this is to ensure that, as part of your preparation, you are speaking English with another person for a sustained period of time.
Before you take your IELTS Speaking test, you should be able to hold a conversation in English with another person for at least 30 minutes. If you are struggling with this, or getting too tired, it may be that you need to keep practicing before booking your test.
And, remember, don’t give up in Part 3. Keep pushing yourself and giving well-rounded, extended answers. You will so nearly be done so make sure you finish with a smile!
So, that concludes my round-up of the top 15 tips for those candidates who are aiming for a band score of 7.5+ in IELTS Speaking. Keep these tips at the forefront of your mind and I am sure you will do excellently in your test.
Good luck, and don’t forget to smile!
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