I don't know how many times IELTS candidates have asked me this question. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. Simply "practising your speaking" is not enough. Nor is doing vocabulary and grammar exercises. The natural process of learning how to speak fluently is a little more complicated than that. So in this post, we are going to examine this problem in some detail.
IELTS Speaking Test video + comments
In today's tip, we are going to watch a video of the IELTS Speaking test. The video shows the complete test -- Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. If you have not taken the test before, this video will give you a clear idea of the type of questions and tasks that you will get. This candidate's score was probably around 5-5.5, which is a little lower than most people's target band. Below the video, I will explain how the candidate could improve his score.
A simple way to organise your answers
In a previous post, you heard a former IELTS examiner advising you to organise your answers and make them clear. In today's post I'm going to give you an example of a 'well-organised' answer.
Listen to the examiner’s questions
If you are you disappointed with your IELTS Speaking result and you feel that you deserved a better score, you might consider requesting a re-mark. However, it is also possible that you simply did not give a relevant answer to some of the examiner's questions. In today's tip we are going to look at the importance of listening to the questions.
Should I ask for a re-mark?
As you probably know, if you are disappointed with your IELTS speaking score, you have the option to go back to the IELTS test centre and request a re-mark by a different examiner. There is of course a fee (around 50% of the normal IELTS test fee), which is refunded if your result is changed to a higher score. People often want to know if this is a good idea, so I'm going to give some tips to help you decide.
What you don’t need to worry about
Most IELTS candidates worry about the speaking test. For example, they ask: What if I get a difficult question? What if I can't understand the examiner? What if I am nervous? What if I am late?
I answer most of these questions in this blog and in my Essential IELTS Speaking Tips eBook. However, in this post I'm going to tell you a few things you don't need to worry about.
