Have you ever imagined the situation when you are in the middle of the IELTS Speaking exam, the examiner asks you a question, and your mind goes blank because you have no idea how to answer it? Another fear most candidates have is to forget the word. Once it was there, on the tip of your tongue, but you lost it. What should you do to answer the question if you do not know much about the topic? Read and find out.
What you should know about questions
Many students and candidates worry that the examiner will ask them questions about topics they have never thought about before. Instead of panicking, let us learn more about the topics of the IELTS Speaking test.
Most topics are general in nature; they are everyday familiar topics that everyone has some experience with and should be able to give an opinion on. For example, in Part 1 the examiner can ask you about your job, studies, family, the place where you live, ways you travel around, your hobbies, likes, and dislikes.
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Topics usually fall into 4 general types in Part 2:
- a person you know, e.g. ‘Describe someone you know or know about who has an unusual hobby’, ‘Describe a sportsman you know or know about’, ‘Describe a young child you know or know about’, ‘Describe a famous person you have met or know about’, etc;
- description of a place you visited, e.g. ‘Talk about a time when you visited someone else’s house’, ‘Describe a place that your parents took you to’, ‘Describe a place that you have only been to once in your life’, etc;
- an object you received or gave to someone, e.g. ‘Describe an electronic item that is important to you’, ‘Describe an item of clothing that you often wear’, ‘Talk about something that is in your bag or pocket now’, etc.;
- cultural topics such as books, films, a museum, cultural experiences that you’ve enjoyed, etc. For example, ‘Talk about a musical instrument you would like to be able to play but can’t’, ‘Describe an important historical event in your country’, ‘Describe a present that you have received’ etc.
The examiner may occasionally ask trickier questions on more unfamiliar topics. However, the chances of getting an unfamiliar topic are directly proportional to the time invested in the IELTS preparation.
Also, remember that this is a speaking test, not a knowledge test. It tests your fluency, pronunciation, range of vocabulary, grammar, and not how well you know this or that topic. If you use our tips, you will be able to answer any question of the IELTS Speaking exam.
READ ABOUT: How to prepare for IELTS Speaking and get the highest score
Tips that will work
There are two main reasons why candidates cannot answer the question:
- they forget the words;
- they really don’t know what to say.
However, this can happen even when you speak your native tongue, and it does not demonstrate how fluent you are. What really matters is your reaction. The worst things you can do to “help the situation” are freezing, falling silent, or simply saying ‘I don’t know’. This answer is too short to assess your English skills. What can you do instead?
Tip #1. Use placeholders.
If you cannot find the right word because you forgot it or simply do not know it, you can use special words instead. Speakers use them to signal that they do not know or cannot remember a more precise word for something:
- this thing
e.g. We wanted to have a glass of wine. We brought a bottle of exotic wine with us, but we couldn’t open it. Luckily, there was a restaurant in the hotel where they had this thing to open the bottle. (a corkscrew)
- whatsitsname
e.g. This is my favourite silverplated copper jewelry, a gift from my friend that she brought from Bosnia and whatsitsname? (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- kind of, sort of, kinda
e.g. I bought this kind of light green and blue dress at the night market in Thailand. (turquoise)
Tip #2. Describe the word.
You can expand or explain complex words by using other words. For example:
‘I’ve never seen such a stubborn person.’= ‘I’ve never seen such a person does what he wants and refuses to do anything else.’
The only thing is that you have to incorporate these things into your speech quickly, and you will sound natural.
Tip #3. Give an honest reaction and explain why.
Again, IELTS does not test your knowledge of a particular subject or area of studies. You might not be familiar with the topic. Do not panic, and give your answer even it is short. However, you will also have to explain. This will help extend your answer.
Another good strategy is to rephrase the question. Even you do not know what to say, for example, about your favourite car if you could buy any vehicle, you have to introduce the topic and turn it around your own language. For example, “I don’t know a lot about it but I would assume that…”, and then start talking about another kind of transportation. Give examples of other people who could be interested in this subject, use the related vocabulary. Focus on the aspect of the question you do know and move your answer onto related but more familiar topics.
Other helpful phrases to use in such situations:
- Well, it’s difficult to say, but …
- I don’t have any personal opinions, but I suppose …
- That’s an interesting point and I think I would have to say that …
- Well … I’m not really sure, but …
- Actually, that’s not something I’ve really thought about, but …
- I don’t really know much about that, but …
Tip # 4. Use fluency markers.
They are expressions native speakers use to buy time when they are thinking about what to answer. By using them you will give yourself time to think about what you have to say. This is a really nice way to improve your score for fluency and coherence because it is a natural way of speaking.
- I’m not exactly sure how to answer that question, but (perhaps)…
- I’m not sure quite where to start…
- That’s a rather difficult question, but (maybe)…
- There are several things I could mention.
- To be perfectly honest, this is not a topic I normally talk about. But, if you have to ask me I guess I would say that…
- Hmmm… let me see… I haven’t thought about that before…
Use these expressions if you really need time to think. It’s a bad idea to use them in every answer.
Tip # 5. Ask the examiner to repeat the question.
You can buy yourself even more time. You could say:
- If I understand right, …
- Sorry I didn’t quite catch you. When you say …, do you mean …?
- I’m not sure what you meant by that. Can you repeat your question, please?
Use those for emergencies only. However, if you really did not understand the question, you should ask the examiner to repeat it.
Remember, the most important tip #6 is not to waste your valuable time worrying about unfamiliar topics – spend it on focused preparation.
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