If you are preparing for the IELTS test and nervous about the Speaking test, you have landed on the perfect blog. Many Nepalese students consider speaking as one of the most difficult parts of all four IELTS tests. Nevertheless, you can make it easy and pass the speaking test with higher grades, if you follow the tips mentioned in this blog.
But before that! Are you planning to pursue your higher education at an international university and looking for the most trustworthy educational consultancy in Nepal? Why don’t you reach out to Mercy Education? Mercy Education holds a strong portfolio of VISA success for many students from multiple countries. Check out our website and feel free to reach out to Mercy Education for any queries related to abroad studies.
Almost all of the top countries preferred by Nepali students to pursue their higher education require good scores on the IELTS test, and when we talk about these tests, we don’t forget the Speaking test. The English spoken in Nepal can differ highly from the one you need to speak in the IELTS test. That’s why, here we are to help all the students prepare perfectly and come up with the best results in the Speaking along with all the other IELTS tests.
Understanding the IELTS Speaking Test
Before we head towards the tips, are you aware of what the IELTS Speaking test is? Well, the thing is simple here: Speaking test in the IELTS examination is a method of assessing the candidate’s ability to communicate effectively in regular English. As we said earlier, the English that we speak here in Nepal can differ significantly from the one that people speak abroad.
Speaking test are divided into three segments, which are mentioned below:
Phase I: Introduction and Interview
In the initial or starting phase, the examiner asks the students or IELTS candidates to give a brief introduction about themselves. Other than the free introduction, examiners also ask some other questions, generally known as interview questions.
Here, you need to talk about your interests, hobbies, dreams, plans, section of studies, and similar topics, linked to you. Therefore, you must be prepared to answer all the questions with as less fumbles as possible.
Phase II: Long Turn
Long turn is the second and most difficult and sensitive phase of the entire IELTS Speaking test procedure. Here the examiner offers candidates a cue card, which reads out a topic and contains some prompts. After that candidates get a minute to prepare for their answers. As you prepare for the topic, you get about 2-3 minutes to talk about the topic mentioned in the cue card.
Here, you need to showcase your spontaneity and the ability to answer at an instance. This is certainly the most crucial part of the IELTS Speaking test because the topics in the cue card could be familiar as well as completely unusual for the candidates sometimes.
Phase III: Discussion
The name of the phase makes it crystal clear – you need to discuss certain topics with the examiner. However, the discussion continues and gets deeper but the topic remains the same as that in the second phase. Getting deeper and deeper even in a known topic can cause candidates to panic and face difficulties while answering.
However, you must be able to put forward your ideas, elaborate on them, and be very random about speaking in any topic. This last phase marks the end of the IELTS speaking test. If you perfectly pass all these three phases, you surely score good grades in the speaking test.
What are the Assessment Criteria for the IELTS Speaking Test?
While you go through all three of the above-mentioned phases, the examiners listen to you very carefully and grade accordingly. Grades of the Speaking test are not random; instead the examiners need to follow certain criteria and assess the candidates accordingly. Here are the assessment criteria for the IELTS Speaking test:
- Fluency and Coherence: One of the major things tested in evaluated in the IELTS Speaking test is fluency. By fluency, we don’t mean that the candidate should speak English faster. Along with that, you must speak with a natural flow. Make sure that you express yourselves calmly without any hesitation and that the replies are coherent.
- Pronunciation: How you pronounce the words also plays a crucial role in the evaluation process of the Speaking test in IELTS. The examiners very closely examine the way you pronounce the words. Make sure that you speak as clearly and accurately for the examiner to understand what you say.
- Vocabulary: Another major aspect of the IELTS Speaking test is vocabulary. We encourage the candidates to use as much variety of words as possible and try to repeat the words as little as possible. In this way, you can demonstrate a strong knowledge and understanding of the English language.
- Grammar: Last but not least, grammar also is a crucial part of the Speaking Test in IELTS. You must use the correct form of grammar and grammatical structures. With the correct usage of grammatical structures, your sentences stand correct leading to better results.
Experts’ Tips for the IELTS Speaking Test
We hope you understand the IELTS Speaking test and its assessment criteria from the section above.
Now what?
Don’t worry! Now we proceed towards the major section of the complete blog. Yes, in this section, you will get to know a few of the tips given by the experts at Mercy Education about the Speaking Test in the IELTS examination.
1) Prioritize Regular Practice Sessions
One of the best ways to be good at anything is by regularly practicing that particular thing. The same applies to the speaking test as well. If you want to perform better in the main test, you need to keep practicing and give your best. Speak by yourself, try to communicate with your friends in English, and attend classes as well.
We suggest you follow the practice schedule as presented below:
- Give 10 minutes each for practicing repeating key phrases, responding, and shadowing.
- Make sure to listen to different podcasts or other audio to understand and learn their accent.
- For vocabulary improvement also, you can select a theme each week and watch podcasts related to that theme.
- Try to note the phrases and practice phrases rather than wasting time only on learning or pronouncing words.
2) Practice IELTS Speaking Test Online
Is it not feasible for you to visit the IELTS class every day? In that case, you might as well practice for the IELTS Speaking Test online. Yes, stay at your home, give yourself some time, and practice for the test on your PC. However, while doing that you must be very punctual and we recommend you not to miss even a single day.
If you check online, you can find many websites that offer free IELTS speaking tests. You can refer to any of those websites or even get a course from Udemy. Due to the advancement of digitalization, online courses have gained more and more attention as they can be taken at the convenience of candidates. Therefore, you can also do that and practice the IELTS Speaking test online.
3) Choose and Study from the IELTS Speaking Tutor
Another perfect way to prepare yourself for the IELTS Speaking Test is to enroll and study with a tutor. You can check out the best education consultancy in Nepal for abroad studies and enroll in their classes. Make sure that you thoroughly check the background and reviews of the education consultancy that you choose.
If you want to score good grades in the IELTS examination, you can choose Mercy Education. We have a panel of experts that can prepare you perfectly for the IELTS Speaking test along with all the other tests as well. Check out our website or directly contact us to understand more about our services and your opportunities.
Common Mistakes to Avoid During IELTS Speaking Test
Are you confident about the preparations to be made and how you should attend the IELTS Test? Confidence is one of the most important factors in getting good grades in any test. However, sometimes, candidates make simple mistakes while going for the speaking test. Here are some of the common mistakes that everyone must avoid while attending the IELTS Speaking Test:
- Overusing fillers: One of the most common problems of Nepalese while speaking English is that they use a lot of fillers like “uh”, “um”, etc. Make sure that you do not use these fillers while attending the speaking test. Using such fillers leads the examiner to think that you are not well-prepared and under-confident for the test.
- Neglecting Pronunciation: Sometimes candidates ignore the pronunciation of some important words and when they need to say that during the test, it’s a mess. Therefore, do not neglect the pronunciation of any words.
- Lack of Confidence: Make sure that you are well-prepared and have a lot of confidence in yourself before attending the speaking test for the IELTS examination.
- Not maintaining eye contact: While you respond to the questions put forward by the examiner, try to establish eye contact with them. This showcases that you are fully confident and know what you speak.
- Not asking for clarification: If you don’t understand any questions asked by the examiner, try to seek clarification. However, make sure that you address properly while asking for clarification. For example, you can say, “I’m sorry, could you please repeat the question?” or “Could you provide more details about the question please?”
Conclusion
Preparing for the IELTS speaking test is very easy if you read and understand the context of this blog. Make sure that you understand every aspect of the speaking test before attending one and test yourself several times by yourself. Besides, if you need help in preparing for the IELTS or any other tests for abroad studies, the Mercy Education team is always there to help students get a chance to pursue their higher education in the country of their choice.