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Difficult questions in the IELTS Speaking Test

September 27, 2013 By Nestor 4 Comments

Many candidates are worried about answering difficult questions in the IELTS Speaking test. In fact, there are generally two possible problems: 1) You don't know enough words to talk about the topic. 2) You don't know the topic. Let's look at some strategies for dealing with each problem.

Last Minute Advice for the IELTS Speaking Test

September 25, 2013 By Nestor 1 Comment

The secret to success in the IELTS Speaking test is to prepare well in advance -- listen to English, practise with a native speaker, read lots of online tips or get my IELTS Speaking Tips package. However, many candidates would like to know what they should do on the day of the test. Here are my "last minute" IELTS speaking tips.

Adjectives for Band 7-8

September 23, 2013 By Nestor 7 Comments

To get a high score in the IELTS Speaking test, you must show that you can use a fairly wide variety of words, including 'less common' synonyms of everyday words. In this post I'm going to present a few synonyms for some common adjectives. Check their precise meaning in a dictionary and try to find examples of their use. I've only included synonyms that are appropriate for the speaking test -- not too formal and not too informal.

Talking about your name

September 21, 2013 By Nestor 2 Comments

At the beginning of the IELTS Speaking test the examiner will ask for your name. Just state your real full name or say something like "My name is Chow Xin Xin, but you can call me Stephen." However, if the examiner asks you a question about your name, you must be ready to respond. In this post, I'm going to give you some useful expressions for talking about your name.

Don’t repeat the same words

September 20, 2013 By Nestor 5 Comments

Many IELTS candidates tend to repeat the same simple words a lot when they speak. If you want to get a high band in the speaking test, you must try not to do this. The examiner wants to see that you have a wide vocabulary. Here are some words that I hear a lot: 'also', 'in addition', 'interesting', 'actually'. In this post I will show you how you can avoid repeating these words.

The impersonal ‘you’

September 17, 2013 By Nestor 2 Comments

During the IELTS Speaking test, the examiner will ask you some general questions about your country, work or life, for example what people are allowed/not allowed to do in your country, what special skills are needed in your job, etc. In English, it is natural to use the pronoun 'you' when talking about people in general, including you and the examiner. Let's look at some examples.

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