In IELTS Speaking Part 2, candidates receive a cue card from the examiner and are asked to talk about the topic for 1-2 minutes. There are a huge number of topics and questions, and they are constantly changing. You never know what questions you will have to answer. This is one of the most popular reasons test-takers mention when saying why this part of the speaking test is so difficult. 

There is good news too. The cue cards can be used as prompts. There are several types of cue cards you can get on the day of the exam, and each of them needs different functions of the language.

Most often candidates have to speculate about the following:

• event or events in the past
• habit or habits
• a person
• an object
• a place
• a cultural event or item.

In this blog post, we will look at each of them and decide what language candidates might need to complete the task. 

READ ABOUT: How to organize your response in IELTS Speaking Part 2?

Event or events in the past

Candidates receive such a task quite often. Here are some examples:

• Describe an experience or situation that made you happy.
• Describe an important event in your life.
• Describe a special occasion when you had a really enjoyable meal.
• Describe a memorable journey you have made.
• Describe an exciting experience in your life.
• Describe a journey by car/plane/train/ boat that you remember well.
• Describe a holiday you went on when you were a child.
• Describe an occasion when you spent some time with a child.
• Describe a bad service you received.
• Describe a very difficult task that you succeeded in doing as part of your work or studies. 
• Describe a good decision you made.
• Describe a school which you went to. 
• Describe a day when you thought the weather was perfect.

As you plan your speech, decide what tenses you are going to use. Candidates often make a mistake, and start using present tenses instead of past in this type of questions. Make sure you use narrative tenses: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect where necessary. 

Another thing you have to remember is to provide context for your story. To make it logical, provide additional information. The examiner, like any other person who sees you for the first time in life, doesn’t know anything about you. Imagine, you are telling this story to your new acquaintance or a friend. This will help you to relax and give more interesting details. 

It is recommended that you cover the items in your cue card, but the examiner will pay more attention to your language rather than bullet points in the card. There is no such criterion as Task Achievement in IELTS Speaking, i.e. your vocabulary, grammar, intonation, examples you provide showcase your English ability. 

Habit or habits

This type of question might look very easy, but it is tricky as well. Take a look at the examples:

• Describe something healthy you enjoy doing.
• Describe a sport or game you enjoy playing. 
• Describe something you do that helps you to relax.
• Describe something you do to help you study or work.
• Describe an activity you enjoy doing on the weekends.
• Describe your favorite way of travel.
• Describe something you usually do at the beginning of the day.

Habits are things that we usually do. Unlike past events or future intentions, there are not so many structures we can use to describe them. Usually, candidates are supposed to talk in Present Simple, but as it often happens, some use Present Progressive. Make sure you use the proper tense. 

It’s also a good idea to talk about the time when you started your habit at the beginning. 

To extend your ideas, provide examples and details: where, when, how, and with whom you usually do the things. If you run out of ideas, it’s always good to talk about 2 or 3 habits you have and speculate about each of them.

READ ABOUT: 6 best ways of getting vocabulary for IELTS

A person

The first thing you might think of when you receive such a task is what adjectives to use. However, it’s not enough to itemize all possible adjectives, but your list is going to be quite long to speak for 120 seconds. Here are some sample tasks:

• Describe a friend that you really like to spend time with. 
• Describe someone in your family who you admire.
• Describe your best friend.
• Describe a child that you know very well.
• Describe someone you know who has started a business.
• Describe a person who has encouraged you recently.
• Describe a writer you would like to meet.
• Describe a film actor from your country who is very popular.
• Describe a teacher who has influenced you in your education.  
• Describe an elderly person in your family you enjoy talking to. 

The main tip for answering this question is not only using a wide range of adjectives but also supporting your ideas with good examples. This means, provide examples from your own life or the life of the person you are talking about every time you use an adjective. For example, you could say ‘My best friend is very shy’. However, saying ‘My best friend is very shy. I remember once we went to a party, and there was a girl he liked a lot. However, he was only sitting and watching us having fun, and never asked her to dance with him that evening’ will take more time. 

Object

Many test-takers find this question particularly hard. The main problem is that they lack the vocabulary for describing different kinds of things such as:

• Describe a piece of electronic equipment that is important to you. 
• Describe your favourite photograph. 
• Describe something you own which is very important to you.
• Describe a gift that you gave to someone recently. 
• Describe a present that you received as a child.
• Describe a present that someone gave to you which you liked a lot. 
• Describe a plant/tree grown in your country.
• Describe a souvenir you bought.
• Describe an item you lost that was found.
• Describe an item you bought but haven’t used much.
• Describe something you have always wanted to buy. 
• Describe one of the things you have which you couldn’t live without.

There are at list two-three things you can do to solve the problem:

• learn specific vocabulary and practise describing different objects during your IELTS preparation;
• personalize, i.e. speculate about the meaning of this object to your or the society rather than describe its physical appearance or other characteristics;
• compare and contrast it with another object.

Place

This task is very similar to the previous one in terms of using a wide range of vocabulary. It might also require you to speculate about some aspects of the past or future. Let’s have a look at examples:

• Describe a place in another part of the world that you would love to visit in the future. 
• Describe a school which you went to. 
• Describe an interesting historic place. 
• Describe your favourite shop. 
• Describe your ideal house.
• Describe a city you visited and consider beautiful.
• Describe a house/apartment that someone you know lives in.
• Describe a place of entertainment (e.g. theatre, cinema, sports centre) that you would like to have where you live.

You can easily cope with this task if you learn vocabulary for describing such places as towns/ cities/ buildings before you start your exam preparation. 

READ ABOUT: IELTS language for describing maps

Cultural event or item

This task is hard but interesting at the same time. That’s because you often have to talk about the culture of your country or things you’ve done or experiences you’ve had. For example:

• Describe an important tradition in your family.
• Describe a TV programme that has made a strong impression on you.
• Describe a film you have enjoyed so much.  
• Describe a book that you have recently read.
• Describe an important event in the history of your country.
• Describe a meal at a special event.
• Describe a TV advert you have never forgotten.

If you are to talk about things from your own culture, the main problem that you may face is not knowing the English language equivalents for the names of some items. If this happens to you, say the name in your own language, and give a definition in English so that the examiner can understand what you are talking about.

Remember, this task tests your ability to use English vocabulary and grammar in different contexts. The best thing you can do is to master them before you start your IELTS preparation journey and practise a lot.

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If you are preparing for IELTS Speaking, you might have heard that vocabulary range is an important criterion that can influence your IELTS score. The examiner will look at what vocabulary you use and how you do it, i.e. your accuracy matters as well. You can demonstrate the width of your vocabulary by using synonyms, set expressions, idioms, phrasal verbs, etc.

Using phrasal verbs where appropriate makes you sound more fluent. That is because most of the time native speakers of English use these short multiple-word verbs in their sentences. Phrasal verbs will make your speech more lively and natural, as a result, you will be able to increase your score in the Speaking section of the exam. 

It’s also good to use phrasal verbs in your speaking because a lot of them are idiomatic, i.e. their meaning is not the same as the individual words, which is also good for improving your score.

We have collected a list of advanced phrasal verbs that will help you dwell on various topics, and we have also provided you with their definitions and examples.

Remember it’s not recommended to use phrasal verbs in IELTS Academic Writing. We recommend that you replace them with single verb equivalents.

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How important is pronunciation in IELTS? Can I get a high score if I have a strong accent? Which accent is good for IELTS? These and many other questions often worry IELTS test-takers. Today, we will explore this marking criterion and, hopefully, find the answers to all your questions regarding pronunciation.

We have already written about IELTS Speaking marking criteria such as fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range, and accuracy which make up 75% of the score. However, many candidates do not often pay attention to the last but equally important item – pronunciation, which makes ¼ of the score. In this short guide, you are going to familiarize yourself with pronunciation features and learn some tips for practicing pronunciation at home. 

Marking criteria

There are different pronunciation features the examiner will pay attention to while you will be speaking on the day of the exam such as individual sounds, strong and weak forms of words, pronunciation of words, word and sentence stress, intonation, linking, connected speech.
Another thing the examiner focuses on is how clear your pronunciation is, i.e. how well they can understand what you say.

Let’s have a closer look at IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors. What you have to do to get a band higher than 6 is:

• use a range of pronunciation features
• be effortless to understand.

Is there anything about accents? Yes, there is, “ L1 accent has minimal effect on intelligibility ”, which means that you can speak with any accent and still get a high score unless your accent creates difficulties for understanding.
Is there any particular accent that is perfect for IELTS? No, there isn’t. Your accent does not have to be British or American or any other accent of English, but for a score higher than 7, your mother tongue does not have to affect clarity.
Here are the outlines of the Pronunciation Band Scores as mentioned by the official IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors:

Pronunciation features

You have to be able to use different features of pronunciation to succeed in IELTS Speaking. We will explore the main features below. 

Individual sounds

Use the pronunciation chart which contains vowel and consonant sounds of English. They are arranged according to how you shape your mouth (left to right, lips wide / round – top to bottom, jaw closed / open).

Each word in English is made up of these sounds. Learning how to pronounce individual sounds correctly is important because this will help you identify the sounds which are difficult for you to pronounce or you have problems with. You can start with using the pronunciation app to help you.  Pay attention to similar sounds (/p/ and /b/, /r/ and /l/, /t/ and /d/, etc.), consonant clusters (sht, cht, etc.), long and short vowels ( book, look, boot, food etc.), silent letters (knight, comb, lamb, etc.)

Word stress

It is critical to stress the right syllables in words, Otherwise, the person listening to you might feel confused. Each word has a certain number of syllables. One or two of them have to be pronounced more strongly than others. For example, cerTIficate, sucCESS, eXAM, etc. Be careful with words that have the same root. Very often the word stress changes together with the part of speech. For example, as in: PHOtograph (n), phoTOgrapher (n), photoGRAphic (adj.), ADdict (n), adDICtion (n), Attribute (n), aTTRIbute (v), etc. Very often the word stress in verbs in on the second syllable if there is a choice which syllable to stress.

Sentence stress

Like there are more emphasized syllables in words, there are words in sentences that carry most of the stress, thus the most meaning. But which words to stress? English is a stress-timed language, which means that the stress occurs in sentences at regular intervals, some of the words are emphasized while others are pronounced quicker and more silently. They are content and function words. Content words are important because they carry meaning: nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs. Function words are there for grammar purposes and do not carry any meaning: pronouns, prepositions, articles.  Have a look at this sentence, and try to guess which words are going to be stressed:

• I’d like to go to the night market to buy some presents for my family. 

All the underlined words are content words. Try to emphasize them, and you will see there is a certain rhythm in the sentence.
Which words are you going to stress the most? Those will be sentence stresses. If you stress another word, the meaning of the sentence might change. Try reading the following sentences and stress the words in capital letters. What have you noticed? 

• I’d like to go to the night market to buy some presents for my FAMILY. 
• I’d like to go to the NIGHT market to buy some presents for my family.
• I’d like to go to the night market to buy some PRESENTS for my family. 

It’s a good idea to record yourself. This will eliminate the pressure you may feel at being asked to speak spontaneously and will enable you to give your best version of your speech. 

READ ABOUT: IELTS language for describing maps

Strong and weak forms

When the words in sentences are not stressed they become weak, and their sounds also change. For example, vowels turn into schwa, the last consonants are not pronounced at all, etc:

• Tell him to go – strong forms /hɪm/ /tu:/- weak form: /tel əm tə gəʊ/
• I would like some fish and chips – strong forms /aɪ wʊd laɪk sʌm fɪʃ ænd tʃɪps/ – weak form: /ɑ wəd laɪk səm fɪʃ ən tʃɪps/

The problem is that students learning English use the strong form most of the time. That is why they often sound very unnatural. English speakers always use weak forms, every single sentence is full of them, and students find it difficult to understand because they are not used to them, and very often they don’t even know they exist. But now you know how to pronounce them correctly. 

Linking

If you think it’s difficult to understand native speakers, that is because they link words. Very often the last sounds and the first sounds of some words change: consonants link to vowels, vowels link to vowels, sometimes sound double up, etc. This is done to make the language easier to say, and faster, for example:

• ‘I don’t know’ /I duno/
• In ‘I am not happy’ there is an intrusive /j/ sound between ‘I’ and ‘am’ which makes it easier to say the phrase quickly.
• In ‘pick it up’ – you will hear something like “pi ki tup”.
• ‘I want to/ w/eat’ and  ‘Please do/ w/it’.

Intonation

When our voice rises and falls when we speak – this is intonation. In English, there are three main patterns of intonation:

• falling intonation is very common in wh-questions, statements, commands, questions tags, and exclamations:

How many books have you ↘bought?

Dad wants to change his ↘car.

Show me what you’ve ↘written. 

He thinks he’s so clever, doesn’t ↘he?

What an interesting ↘ film!

• rising intonation  is normally used with yes/no questions:

Do you like this new ➚movie?

• fall-rise intonation is used at the end of statements when we want to say that we are not sure, or when we may have more to add, and with questions, especially when we request information or invite somebody to do or to have something:

I ↘ don’t support any football team at the ↘mo↗ment. (but I may change my mind in the future).

Would you like another co↘ff↗ee?

The best way to improve your pronunciation is to listen and copy. You have to speak, read aloud, record yourself, and practice, practice, practice.

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Whether you like it or not, grammar is crucial to both IELTS Writing and Speaking because grammar range and accuracy is the criterion that makes up 25% of your score. Obviously, you have to avoid making mistakes while writing and speaking to the examiner. Otherwise, it will be quite difficult and unlikely for you to achieve a higher band. We have selected the most frequent mistakes candidates make on the IELTS exam, and we will also suggest how to mend them. 

Some mistakes can be made because of the influence of your mother tongue while others crop up regardless of the language you speak as the first language, and students around the world have these common issues. What are they?

Mistake #1. Subject-Verb Agreement

This is a very common mistake even upper-intermediate and advanced students make in their speaking and writing. However, it’s a very basic one and very noticeable. What is considered to be a subject-verb agreement mistake?

• Missing 3rd person ‘s’ when talking about the present.

WRONG: A person I really admire is my friend Randy. He live in Thailand and he work as a teacher, and he also run a travel blog.
CORRECT: A person I really admire is my friend Randy. He lives in Thailand and he works as a teacher, and he also runs a travel blog.

Don’t forget to add ‘s’ in Present Simple, when talking about ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’ as well as change ‘have’ to ‘has’ for the 3rd person singular.

•  Using certain pronouns with a plural verb instead of the singular.

WRONG: There are two possible solutions. Each have its advantages and disadvantages.

CORRECT: There are two possible solutions. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Remember pronouns that always take a singular verb:
each, either, neither, one, no one, nobody, nothing, anyone, anybody, anything, somebody, something, someone, everyone, everybody everything.

However, there are pronouns that always take a plural verb:
both, few, many, several.

For example: 

There are two possible solutions. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

• Using the wrong form of the verb with the expressions of quantity.

WRONG: One of my friends are coming to visit me on holiday.

CORRECT: One of my friends is coming to visit me on holiday.

You should remember that the verb agrees with the subject, i.e. the quantity, as in: 

Two of my friends are coming to visit me on holiday.

However, for some quantity phrases you have to pay attention to the noun in the prepositional phrase to decide if the verb is singular or plural:

A lot of people (plural) cycle to work.

A lot of sugar (uncountable) is not healthy. 

All of the numbers (plural) are rising insignificantly.

All of the food (uncountable) is homemade and fresh.

Some of the adults (plural) travel to work by car.

Some of the local food (uncountable) is very spicy.

One-fourth of the commuters (plural) drive to work.

One-fourth of the space (uncountable) is occupied by freelancers.

Here are the pronouns that take a singular or a plural verb: some, all, any, most, a lot.

• Changing the number of the subject after the clause or a prepositional phrase.

WRONG: The number of bicycles which were stolen remain stable. 
CORRECT: The number of bicycles which were stolen remains stable.  

In your writing or speaking, you can use relative clauses or prepositional phrases to give more information, and thus separate the subject and the verb in the sentence. What happens then is that candidates in such cases often forget about the subject of the sentence and use the wrong number of the verb. Do not agree the last noun in the phrase or clause with the verb. Make sure you agree the verb with the subject of the sentence.

READ ABOUT: How to work on your IELTS grammar

Mistake #2. Using Present Tenses instead of Past.

This often happens in the Speaking section of the exam, particularly in Part 2 where you are often asked to describe some past events or experiences. For example:

“I’m going to tell you about an achievement that I am very proud of. It’s pretty recent so I can still distinctly remember lots of details and my own impressions related to it. It is just a couple of months ago when my boyfriend and I go to Bali on holiday and it is my long-cherished and also long-delayed dream to try scuba diving.”

Why does this happen? More often than not it is the problem lies in forgetting. The thing is that in IELTS Speaking candidates become so focused on their vocabulary, pronunciation, and demonstrating their fluency that they forget about using proper grammar. 

How can you fix it? Practice before the exam, record yourself. It’s a good idea to only focus on using the past tenses. Remember, that in the second part of the exam, you are often asked to talk about past experiences. So, when you’re given a card with the task, read it carefully, and while planning your answer, think about grammar you’re going to use to give a response. 

Another very common mistake is using Past Simple instead of Present Perfect and vice versa.

WRONG: Over the last 10 years, the number of bicycle commuters increased dramatically.
CORRECT:  Over the last 10 years, the number of bicycle commuters has increased dramatically. 

WRONG: There have been considerable fluctuations in the number of bike commuters between 2002 and 2005.

CORRECT: There were considerable fluctuations in the number of bike commuters between 2002 and 2005.

The rule is very simple. If we are talking about events that started and finished in the past, e.g. between 2002 and 2005, we use Past Simple. If we are talking about something that started in the past but continues until the present or something that happened in the past but the result is in the present (e.g. “over the last ten years” means that it started 10 years ago and the results are related to present), use Present Perfect.

READ ABOUT: How to organize your responses on the IELTS speaking exam?

Mistake #3. Placing ‘will’ for the future wrongly.

Have a look at the following example sentence taken from the cause and effect essay:

•  If ice will continue to melt, many species will become extinct.

Many people think we use ‘will’ for the future, and they are right, but not most of the time. 

CORRECT: If ice continues to melt, many species will become extinct.

The part of the sentence that starts with ‘if’ is the condition. The main clause says. ‘many species will  become extinct’, and these are the things to happen. 

The rule for 1st Conditional is: If+Present Simple, will+verb. 

For example: 

• If the temperature rises, more ice will melt. NOT If the temperature will rise, more ice will melt.

OR

Will+verb if+Present Simple:

• More ice will melt if the temperature rises.

Put a comma after if-clause and before the main clause. 

When you imagine a situation, use a different type of conditional:

If+Past Simple, would/could/might/should+verb.

For example:

• If all these steps were taken, it would be possible to alleviate the issue.
• If the government introduced state control on licensing websites which provide medical information, people could get both quick and efficient recommendations from specialists on the internet.

We have looked at the most common mistakes made even by advanced learners. Remember, the more you practice, the better your grammar becomes. The good news, you still have time to prepare for IELTS and you can do it thoroughly by taking our online IELTS preparation course.

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The IELTS Speaking section is divided into 3 parts. Most candidates find Part 2 to be the most challenging because in this part you have to give a long turn on the suggested topic. Students often lack words, do not know what to talk about, and fail the second part of the test because they do not know how to organise their responses. This part of the speaking test also seems to be quite difficult because of the unexpected questions the examiner might ask. We have already shared some useful tips on how to deal with unexpected questions in the IELTS Speaking test, so today we are going to talk about how to organise your response to get the desired score. What do you have to do to do well in this section and what things you shouldn’t do? Let’s find out.

What to do first

In this section, you will be handed a card with the speaking task and you will have 1 minute to prepare. Then you will have to speak on the suggested topic for 2 minutes. 

Sounds easy and quite short. However, when it comes to the exam, a lot of candidates start worrying and forget about organising their answers. They start thinking about how to impress the examiner or what the examiner might think of them, or how to speak fast and leave the room as quickly as possible. When you are in the exam room, three minutes last forever. What you have to do is to think about the prompts, organize your ideas, and take a few notes, which you are allowed to refer to when you speak.

In this part of the exam, the examiner will not ask you any questions. The main question you have to answer while preparing for the speaking is “What am I going to say?”, so make sure you read all the prompts carefully and have answers for all parts of the question.

How to use your time effectively

For this part of the speaking test, you will also be given a pencil and a sheet of paper. Take your time and write down your ideas before you start speaking. The main thing you have to do here is to organise your thoughts. 

Let us have a look at a sample task for IELTS Speaking Part 2. 

What do you think you have to speak about here? Read the task and find the key words. They are ‘a goal’ and ‘achieved’, which means you have to talk about something you wanted to do in the past and you have already done. If you cannot remember anything about yourself, use ideas and stories about other people, e.g. your friends, family, film characters.  It’s OK to give your friend’s opinions, or opinions of actors or politicians as your own.
Then read the rest of the prompts you have on the card and see what other things you have to talk about. In this sample task, you will all have to say :

• what your goal was
• what you did to achieve it
• what was the hardest part?

And there is one more part which is also very important ‘explain why achieving this goal was important’. So, what you have to do is quickly analyse the question to make sure you will cover all parts of the task in your response. 

The next step is taking notes. You are given a pencil and paper, and you have 1 minute to take notes – do it! A lot of candidates do not want or think it’s unnecessary to take notes because it’s a waste of time. However, when they start speaking they forget their key points, go off topic, and they do not stay organised. This, of course, influences their fluency and coherence. Their ideas become disorganised and are not logically linked together. They start making long pauses, searching for words. The examiner struggles to follow their thoughts. Finally, they lose their points. So, your notes are very important because they keep you on topic and they keep you organised.

How and what should you write?  This is an evident question because you have only one minute to prepare your answer. Of course, this time is not enough for writing full sentences. That’s why write only keywords that will help you remember what you want to say.
Cover every point – it’s crucial and life-saving in terms of the IELTS Speaking exam. You have to talk about all the points from the card, otherwise you will not complete the task, and your score will drop. 

Let’s see, for example,  what your notes for the task above might look like:

As you have only 1 minute, this will be enough. In these sample notes, we have covered 4 points. Remember the number of points you have to talk about, and while speaking point to each, for example, with your finger or a pencil. This will help you remember what you’ve said and keep you on track. 

READ ABOUT: Useful strategies for IELTS Speaking on the day of the exam

Another good tip is to keep balance, so you can divide your talking time into 4 parts, and that will take approximately 30 seconds for covering each point. What you have to do here is to expand your answer. Your notes are really helpful but they are too short. You have to give more information about each point. Make it longer by giving details, examples, using your senses, as these questions are often about describing – it’s a good idea to describe! Imagine things in your mind, think of your senses and say, for example, what it looked like, what it smelled like, what it sounded like, what you were feeling, etc.

For example:

Organising your speech is a must. Common mistake that many candidates commit on the day of the exam is talking a lot without any organisation. When planning a speech, think about having an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. It might seem like you are writing an essay, but in fact you are saying it: first, you introduce the topic, then address all the points from the prompt card, and finally, make a conclusion. To do this, use introductory phrases and transitions. Here’s what it might look like:

• INTRODUCTION

1 I’m going to tell you about an achievement that I am very proud of right now. It’s pretty recent so I can still distinctly remember lots of details and my own impressions related to it. It happened just a couple of months ago when my boyfriend and I went to Bali on holiday and it was my long cherished and also long delayed dream to try scuba diving. 

• MAIN BODY

2 Talking about what I did to achieve my goal, I must first of all say that …

3 It sounds funny, but the most unpleasant and difficult part for me was ….

4 Now you may wonder why I call this a goal and an achievement. The thing is that I’m scared of water and mesmerized by its beauty at the same time. And overcoming my fear was a challenge for me. 

• CONCLUSION

Anyway, we did it and it was just miraculous, absolutely overwhelming…

Finally, talk loudly and at a normal pace. Don’t rush. Speaking very fast doesn’t give you any extra points. Use your normal pace, or even slow down a bit. This helps organise thoughts and develop ideas. Try to use the same pace during the whole test, as if it is natural for you. Mind your intonation and speak clearly. When it comes to pronunciation, some candidates worry about their regional accent. But your accent may only be a problem if the examiner can’t understand what you say. So, focus on speaking clearly, and use intonation to get your ideas across.

If you would like to listen to the full sample answer for this task, learn more strategies for the Speaking and other sections of the IELTS Academic, do a lot of practice with instant feedback from IELTS tutors and experts, join our online  IELTS preparation course. 

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Grammar mistakes can destroy your score not only in IELTS writing but in IELTS Listening and Speaking as well. This means it is pretty important to write correctly because if you make even little errors, you are unlikely to get more than 6 or 7. Grammatical range and accuracy make up 25% of your score for writing and speaking. Work on your grammar during your IELTS preparation, and get the desired score in 5 easy steps.

Step 1. Spot your weaknesses.

There are many key concepts of grammar different candidates might need to improve: tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles, conditional sentences, etc. As many students as many problems there are to be fixed. The majority of those who prepare for and take IELTS, have issues with 1-3 areas of English grammar. That’s why one needs to identify those in order to find out what needs to be improved. 

For example, if you have difficulties with punctuation, it might reduce the score for your writing. Or if you are not good at using tenses, you are likely to fail both writing and speaking. 

The simplest way to find out what problems you have is to do this with a teacher, a tutor or any high-level learner of English, etc. Share your writing with them and ask them to give you feedback on your grammar. It is likely that any devoted teacher of English would be willing to help you and make a contribution to your IELTS preparation. 

Step 2. Know the rules.

This can be compared to learning the traffic regulations and road signs. Grammar rules are the laws of the English language which is the ball of roads and streets with different signs and directions. Grammar rules show us how the language works and in what directions we should or shouldn’t go. If one doesn’t know the rules which run the problematic area of grammar, he or she will never be able to use that grammar. 

Luckily, there are many resources to study grammar such as websites, coursebooks, etc. Pick up the topic you find problematic, read about it, and learn the examples. 

READ ABOUT: 6 best ways of getting vocabulary for IELTS

Step 3. Keep practicing.

Learning and knowing the rules of grammar is good, but understanding them better and integrating them into your writing and speaking is impossible without practice. After you have read the rule, learned the examples, you have to practice applying them, i.e. master your accuracy and then fluency.
Before you actually learn to drive, you study a lot of theory and road signs. You also do typical exercises with your driving instructor to train your muscle memory. And only after you stop thinking about how the clutch works and start doing it automatically, you are allowed to drive. When you drive for the first time, you might feel stressed and confused with many cars around you, traffic lights, and all the road signs. But the more you practice, the more confident you become. The same with grammar: learn the rules, study examples, notice new grammar in reading passages or listening, do a lot of exercises, commit some mistakes, analyse, fix. 

Step 4. Use new grammar in your speaking and writing.

After you have worked out by doing grammar exercises, it’s time to produce your own sentences. If you know the rules, but do not use them in your oral communication or writing, you are losing them, and your grammar doesn’t improve. Practice using the grammatical structures in your speaking or writing. For example, when planning your answer in IELTS Speaking, it is a good idea to think about what grammar you are going to use. If the examiner asks you about your future plans, make sure you use Present Continuous, be going to, will, or Present Simple, probably 1st Conditional. If you are writing an essay, you will have to use complex sentences in order to achieve a higher score. When you are doing that, be conscious about using proper grammar.

You can record yourself speaking or keep your writing in order to do the next step.

Step 5. Work with feedback.

How do you know that you are using grammar you have learned correctly? Of course, it would be great if you could ask for some feedback from your teacher, for example. The teacher will tell you if you are using the correct sentence structures and if you have anything else to fix. You will learn a lot from the feedback you receive and still will be able to improve. Moreover, you can use this system not only to hone your grammar skills but also other areas of IELTS.

As you can see, it is not complicated and it is very effective, that is why we have created a fully online IELTS preparation course based on this concept. Its main focus is practice, detailed analysis of all types of IELTS Academic writing, reading, listening tasks, automated instant IELTS score on writing using artificial intelligence, step-by-step guidance, feedback on your writing and speaking, online lessons with certified teachers, full mock Speaking and Writing tests with detailed feedback from IELTS preparation experts. 

READ ABOUT:

• What is the difference between IELTS mock test, diagnostic test, and practice tests?
• Useful strategies for IELTS Speaking on the day of the exam
• Common mistakes to avoid in IELTS Listening

You’ve been preparing for the IELTS Academic exam for months, you’ve spent so many sleepless nights, you’ve done so many practice tests, you’ve written so many essays, you’ve even done the mock test, and then there is the day of the exam. You get to the venue on time, walk into the hall, check-in, and you feel nervous. Moreover, some candidates start thinking they don’t know anything and are worse than others. What happens next? You lose your confidence, start making mistakes, or even worse – you lose your tongue. 

If you don’t want this nightmare to come true, follow our advice on exam day, and you will not only overcome your fear but score higher in IELTS Speaking.

Make sure you understand the question/topic/keywords on the prompt card

If you did not catch the question because the examiner was speaking too fast or you were too nervous, ask the examiner to repeat it for you. 

Make sure you understand the keywords on the prompt and know what or who you have to talk about.

Use 1 minute to take notes and plan your response

Think about 2-3 ideas for each prompt and make sure you write them down. Don’t write in full sentences. Use keywords, shortenings, phrases, abbreviations, symbols, etc. 

It’s a good idea to visualize what or who you are going to talk about in Part 2: your friend, your family member, a famous person, etc. Try to remember that event or the object you are talking about. 

Apart from the ideas, you also have to think about what grammar to use. Some grammar structures are appropriate for describing the present, some for the past, some for the future, etc.

Stay on topic and give relevant answers

The normal length for Part 1, for example, should be 3-4 sentences. This means that you just have to answer the question. You can use the following order:

• Opening

• Answer
• Reason or Example
• Closing

For example, the examiner asks you ‘Do you have many friends?’

The key to this is organization. You should deliver some ideas and develop them. It is much easier to stay on topic in Part 2, because there you have a cue card with prompts, and they provide a structure for your response. 

Avoid giving very short answers

This means you have to avoid saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The assessment starts straight away from Speaking Part 1, so your full answers count. 

For example, if the question is “Do you watch cookery programs on TV?”, saying ‘no’ is not enough, because you won’t demonstrate the range of vocabulary you have and whether you can use various grammar structures or not. Answering with one word is likely to reduce your score. 

It is a good idea to answer those questions by explaining why or why not. Make it your habit during your IELTS preparation, and you will easily tackle yes/no questions. And remember to structure your response.

READ ABOUT: What will the examiner be listening for at the IELTS Speaking test?

Do not “parrot” the examiner

“Parroting” is repeating the exact words from the question. You have to demonstrate you are fluent, but parroting does not sound natural. For example:
Examiner: What’s your favourite book? 

Candidate: Well, my favourite book is…

Instead of this, you could use “My number one is …”, “I believe it’s…”, etc. this means you have to paraphrase the question. 

Talk about the prompts in the same order as they are on the cue card

If you don’t want to miss anything, follow the order of the prompts you have on the cue card. 

Use fluency markers and linkers

They will help the examiner follow your thoughts without effort while you are speaking. It is called coherence. In order to make your answer more coherent, you should use different discourse markers and linking words. They are usually simple and less formal and help you sound more natural. Here is a list of over 80 linking words for IELTS Speaking with examples. 

Use the language to buy you thinking time

Sometimes, you might get an unexpected question. Don’t worry and use your language to buy you thinking time. Answering unexpected questions in the IELTS Speaking test is easy if you know how to do it. Most topics at the exam are general in nature; they are everyday familiar topics that everyone has some experience with and should be able to give an opinion on. 

Extend your answer

It is always a good idea to answer more than you were asked, i.e. to extend your answer. You can do this by: 

• giving reasons
• giving examples
• comparing past and present
• talking hypothetically

If you have answered and you realise the time is left, give more details. This strategy will help you.

For example, if the question is “Do you like listening to music?”, you could say:

“Oh yes, I enjoy it because it makes me feel like…/ it makes me forget about everyday problems”

“Yes, I really love rock music. I always listen to Radio Rocks when I am driving my car or working, for example.”

“No, but when I was in my teens I used to listen to music a lot. I even played in a school band. I was a bass guitarist. Now I don’t have much time for that.”

“Well, I do, but I don’t have much time for that. If I had more time, I would listen to music more, and, probably, would go to gigs or concerts. I love the atmosphere.”

Make sure you explore the topic

In Part 3, make sure your answers are related to other people, not you or your personal experience. Here it is a good idea to look at different aspects, thus exploring the topic. You can do this by:

• analyzing various perspectives
• talking about advantages and disadvantages
• contrasting various age groups/ regions/ spans of time

For example, let’s answer the following question “What is the effect of everyone having their own cars?”. You could say:

“Well, it has both positive and negative effects. In the case of positive effects, they are as follows…. In the case of negative effects,….”

“ In the short term, …. However, in the long term,…”

“It depends. In the case of …., but in the case of…”

READ MORE IN OUR BLOG:

• How to recognise signals and signposts in IELTS Listening
• How to write IELTS cause-and-effect essays
• Tips for note completion questions in IELTS Reading

The IELTS Speaking section is the same for all candidates regardless of the module they choose to take: general or academic. It consists of three parts and is assessed according to the four criteria: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. As you answer the questions, you also have to organise your ideas logically and link them in a proper way. The examiner must follow your thoughts without effort while you are speaking. It is called coherence. In order to make your answer more coherent, you should use different discourse markers and linking words.

The linking words and phrases for speaking are different from those we use in writing. They are usually simple and less formal and help you sound more natural. So, the main tip here is not to try to impress the examiner with them. Now, let’s look at their functions and meaning.

Adding more information

and

I’m afraid those days are gone and they’ll never come again.

also

She’s a photographer and also writes books.

as well as

We have a responsibility to our community as well as to our families.

another reason/example

There was another reason why he loved this spot.

indeed

I am happy, indeed proud, to be associated with this project.

in addition

In addition to his apartment in Manhattan, he has a villa in Italy and a castle in Scotland.

likewise

Just water these plants twice a week, and likewise the ones in the bedroom.

moreover

He enjoys selling and, moreover, is good at it.

Comparing and contrasting

yet

Melissa was not doing well in her physics course, yet overall she had a B average.

but

She’s very hard-working but not very imaginative.

or

There were ten or twelve people in the room.

otherwise

They had to leave early, otherwise, the children would have been up too late.

rather

The ending of the war is not a cause for celebration, but rather for regret that it ever happened.

still

Even though she doesn’t really have the time, she still offered to help.

although / even though

She walked home by herself, although she knew that it was dangerous.

despite

I still enjoyed the week despite the weather.

on the one hand…on the other hand

On the one hand, I’d like a job that pays more, but on the other hand, I enjoy the work I’m doing now.

comparatively

Comparatively speaking, this machine is easy to use.

however

This is one possible solution to the problem. However, there are others.

Giving examples

for example / for instance

Offices can easily become more environmentally-friendly by, for example, using recycled paper.

such as

That money is to cover costs such as travel and accommodation.

like

She looks best in bright, vibrant colours, like red and pink.

chiefly / mainly

The island chiefly attracts upmarket tourists.

READ ABOUT: How to deal with unexpected questions in the IELTS Speaking test

Adding emphasis

as a rule

As a (general) rule, I don’t read detective novels.

as usual

As usual, she was wearing jeans.

generally speaking

Generally speaking, people like her as a leader.

no doubt

He will no doubt tell you all about his vacation.

of course

We arrived at the restaurant 30 minutes late so, of course, our reservation had been cancelled.

especially

Parents of young children often become depressed, and this is especially true of single parents.

indeed

We live in strange times indeed.

Expressing result or purpose/reason

so that

I opened the door so that she could come in.

for this reason

It is partly for this reason that he is refusing to rush any recruitment moves.

that’s why

You didn’t study well. That’s why you didn’t pass the exam

because

The journey was quite quick because the road was clear.

Ordering events and sequencing time

first/ second /for a start

We’ll take names and phone numbers for a start, then, later on, we can get more details.

at first

At first, I thought he was joking but then I realized he meant it.

after that

Like nothing I ever did after that was of any significance.

following sth

Following the dinner, there will be a dance.

then

Give her the letter to read, then she’ll understand.

next

What happened next?

finally 

We finally got home at midnight.

at long last

At long last, the government is starting to listen to our problems.

meanwhile

Carl’s starting college in September. Meanwhile, he’s travelling around Europe.

when

I was just getting into the shower when the phone rang.

while

While I was in Italy I went to see Alessandro.

as soon as

We’ll come as soon as we can.

at the same time

No one likes conflict, but at the same time, we have to deal with this problem.

now / right now /at the moment

She used to be a teacher, but now she works in publishing.

years ago

What we saw 16 years ago was horrible.

before

It was an hour before the police arrived.

when I was…

I wanted to go to school when I was younger, but my mother was told that children like me couldn’t go to school.

in the past

You must have had similar situations in the past.

during

They work during the night and sleep by day.

as yet 

No ambulances had as yet managed to get across the river.

Expressing ideas and opinions / Being clear

Actually, I have to say…

I must admit…

I must admit, I admire your courage… staying with Ezra while his life turns upside down.

I think…/ I guess…/ I suppose…/ I believe…

What I want to say is… / What I mean is…/What I was saying is…

As far as I am concerned

As far as I am concerned, the problem is not a simple one.

In my opinion

Games are also more interesting in my opinion.

To tell you the truth

To tell the truth, I couldn’t hear a word he said.

To be honest

To be honest, I don’t think it will be possible.

If you ask me

If you ask me, people should go on a training course before they become parents.

frankly

Quite frankly, I think this whole situation is ridiculous.

READ ABOUT: How to avoid repetition at the IELTS Speaking test

Sounding less direct

apparently

Apparently, he’s had enough of England and is going back to Australia.

perhaps

“I never remember people’s birthdays.” “Well, perhaps you should.”

sort of /kind of

I was sort of hoping to leave early today.

arguably

She was, arguably, the best female basketball player of all time

maybe

Maybe you were right after all.

probably

I’m probably going – it depends on the weather.

surely

Surely they could have done better than that (= I believe they could have done better).

just

I just wanted to ask you if you’re free this afternoon.

Summarizing

So

So we leave on Thursday and get back the next Tuesday, is that right?

After all

I do like her – after all, she is my sister.

In any case

You should be able to catch a bus, but in any case, you can always take a taxi home.

In short

He’s disorganized, inefficient, never there when you want him – in short, the man’s a pain.

In other words

He was economical with the truth – in other words, he lied.

Anyway

Anyway, in the end, we just agreed to stop seeing each other.

READ IN OUR BLOG:

• Which part of IELTS Speaking is most important?
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• How to link ideas in IELTS essays

Many students and candidates consider the IELTS Speaking section to be the most difficult and the most stressful part of the exam. Others think it is quite simple because it bears resemblance to a conversation with a teacher. Both views have a right to exist. Knowing the format of the IELTS Speaking test, the assessment criteria, and what the examiner is listening for while you are speaking will definitely help to avoid mistakes, reduce stress, and achieve the highest possible score. So, how can you make your response sound ‘more pleasant’ for the examiner’s ears? Let’s find out.

IELTS Speaking assessment criteria

As you may know, the examiner will be attentively listening to everything you will be saying, and rating your response on a scale from 1 to 9 on the following criteria:

Does this mean that all the parts of the Speaking section are equally important? Yes, it does. These four aspects influence your score in all 3 parts of the test.

READ ABOUT: Which part of IELTS Speaking is most important?

Things to be done

IELTS criteria are your guide to what should and shouldn’t be done after you enter the Speaking Exam room and the examiner greets you. Remember these tips and you will achieve excellent results.

• Practise, practise, and practise. The more you speak English, the more you improve. It is also a good idea to record yourself and assess using the same criteria the examiner applies. It will help you understand what you are good at and what you lack.
• Relax. The best way to reduce stress is to imagine you are talking to someone you know well, e.g. a friend or a family member. What is more, you need to remember that the examiner does not evaluate your knowledge of the subject or your opinion on the issue. What he or she is interested in is how you use your English to express your thoughts and ideas.
• Stick to the topic. Your answer must be relevant. Even if you are not familiar with the topic or you simply do not know what to say, focus on the aspect of the question you do know and move your answer onto related but more familiar topics.

READ ABOUT: How to deal with unexpected questions in the IELTS Speaking test

What to do to fulfill each criterion

According to the first aspect, which is ‘Fluency and Coherence’, the examiner will be listening to whether you are able to speak independently and naturally for some period of time, usually a minute or two. This means that you should not hesitate or speak too fast or too slowly. If you do not search for words, speak at your natural pace, add relevant information to the topic, use a variety of linking words and phrases or fillers, you are likely to get a good mark for fluency.

Remember, even if you didn’t do well in one part of the test, the examiner assesses your overall performance. Keep going, and you might do well in the following part.

The next aspect, ‘Lexical resource’, allows the examiner to evaluate how wide your range of vocabulary is. What is more, the examiner will be listening if you can use those words properly. What does this mean? You should pay attention to the correct forms of the words. Sometimes candidates might use nouns instead of verbs, or adjectives instead of adverbs, past tenses instead of the present, singular nouns instead of plural, etc. In addition, you should use proper word combinations as natives do. They are called collocations. If you have doubts, pay special attention to them during your IELTS preparation.

What might help you demonstrate your range of vocabulary to the examiner? First of all, using the words you are 100% sure about. Often candidates make things more complicated for themselves by trying to impress the examiner with some extraordinary vocabulary without knowing how to use it. In most cases, this will only help you to reduce your score. Using familiar vocabulary will bring you more scores if you do it properly.

Secondly, try to add more detail to your response. This will help you showcase more vocabulary.

Thirdly, try to speak about your own or the experiences of people you know well. This will help you reduce stress and reveal a wider range of vocabulary.

To achieve a high score for ‘Grammatical range and accuracy ’, you should use different tenses and longer sentences. However, this does not mean you have to show off your grammar. If you try to speak in deliberately long sentences all the time, you will sound unnatural. The examiner will listen to the variety of structures you use and if you can do it properly. The main tip here is to use only appropriate tenses you are confident about. For example, if you use the structures you don’t usually use, you are likely to make a wrong step. This might influence your band score. On top of that, you’d better concentrate on answering the questions the examiner asks you rather than on the grammar you are using. Candidates who get band 6+ make some mistakes but they can be understood.

‘Pronunciation’ matters in this section of the exam as well. However, pronunciation is not the synonym of accent. In fact, this is how you link sounds, words, if you speak with the proper intonation, and if you are able to speak clearly. Remember, you have to answer the examiner’s questions at your natural pace. If you speak too fast, you are likely to make more mistakes and mispronounce some words. Even if you have an accent, which is just a part of your identity, but it does not interfere with comprehension, the examiner is likely to give you a good score. On the other hand, if you pronounce the words in a way when the examiner cannot understand what you are saying, this can reduce your score. Record yourself speaking and see what mistakes you are making.

The Speaking section of IELTS is challenging, but now you know what is required from you. What is left is practice. Join our online IELTS Academic preparation course to practice, do a mock test and get instant feedback from IELTS experts.

READ IN OUR BLOG:

• How to deal with unexpected questions in the IELTS Speaking test
• Tips for writing advantages and disadvantages essays
• Common mistakes to avoid in IELTS Listening

The Speaking section of the IELTS Academic is without doubt considered to be quite a complicated part of the test. Candidates never know for sure what questions the examiner will ask them. However, if you clearly understand the format and how your response is evaluated, and if you know some useful tips and strategies, you can reduce the stress and perform excellently.

Today, we are offering you a word of advice on how to prepare for the Speaking section of the IELTS Academic.

• Make sure you understand the format of the Speaking test.

For example, in Part 1, the examiner will ask you some simple personal questions on everyday familiar topics such as work, study, where you live, food, holidays, friends, going out, festivals, sports, schools and public transport. The examiner usually reads these questions from the script.

In Part 2, the examiner will give you a topic on a card, and you will have to speak about it for about 2 minutes. You will have 1 minute to prepare. You can take some notes. Usually such tasks ask the candidate to talk about personal experiences such as a significant person in your life or a memorable event. After you finish speaking, the examiner can ask you one or two follow-up questions.

Part 3 of the Speaking test is called a discussion. It is related to the topic from Part 2. However, the examiner will ask you more complicated questions. You will have to justify various opinions and views, evaluate, make predictions and talk about your preferences connected to the issue.

• Find a study partner.

It is a good idea to have someone you can practice the speaking part of the exam with because you can get the feedback. You also practice giving feedback and have a better understanding of what is required in the test.

• Record your answers and evaluate them with the checklist.

Even if you already have a study partner, try recording you answers and analyze them. For example:

— Did I paraphrase the question?

— Did I use the variety of lexis and grammar?

— Did I repeat myself?

By recording yourself, you receive an important tool of self-awareness – understanding your own strengths and weaknesses that stimulates further learning.

READ ABOUT: How to avoid repetition at the IELTS Speaking test

Recently we have launched the Speaking unit of our IELTS Academic self-study course where you can practice answering all types of questions, get feedback on your responses, and listen to sample responses accompanied by the teacher’s comment. Finally, you will go through a full imitation of the Speaking test and, once again, get detailed feedback and see sample responses.

• Do timed practice.

As you know, in IELTS Speaking Part 2, you are supposed to speak for 2 minutes. While preparing for the exam, use a timer. By doing so, you will understand how much you have to say and develop the feeling of time, i.e. how long these two minutes are. On the day of the exam, the examiner will stop you when the time is over.

• Learn how to take notes.

In the second task, you can take notes, so learn how to do this effectively:

— don’t write in full sentences;

— form the main ideas for all prompts;

— think about approximately three details for each prompt that you would like to mention;

— develop your own system of shortening symbols, abbreviations etc.;

— write down your ideas.

• Learn and use pointing phrases.

These phrases will provide a structure to your response and help you organize it. By doing so, you will shape your answer, and the examiner will follow your thoughts without any effort. For example: I am going to talk about…, The reason why this person is so significant is …, Moving on to the question… etc.

• Make sure you cover all the prompts.

You can do this with a study partner or by recording your own answers. In such way you can evaluate whether you covered all the points that you were asked to, whether you covered them well enough or not. Sometimes candidates concentrate only on two cues and do not cover the rest at all. Be careful with this too.

READ ABOUT: How not to pass IELTS Speaking: common mistakes made by candidates

• Learn the words/phrases you lack and make them active part of your vocabulary.

It is important to notice the words you require to complete the task. For example, if you need to describe a place, think about the words and phrases you want to tell about it. If you do not know how to say this in English, look up in a dictionary, learn, and use in sentences. It will be good to prepare a few phrases for each topic, but do not just learn them to impress the examiner.

• Practice discussing more complicated abstract issues.

This is an important part of your preparation. There are some typical questions you will have to answer in Part 3. They are:

— questions about your opinion, e.g. What do you think…?

— evaluation questions, e.g. What do you think about this or that opinion?

— making predictions, e.g. What do you think will happen…. in the future?

— questions about cause and effect, e.g. What caused ‘this’ and/or what effects has ‘it’ had?

— questions about unreal or imaginary situations where you have to make a hypothesis, e.g. Imagine you…., What would you do …?

— comparing and contrasting, e.g. What are the differences / similarities between …?

— questions about the past and present, e.g. How were things different in the past and how have they changed?

• Practice using idiomatic vocabulary, more complex grammar and linkers.

When recording yourself think if you use those and think what you could have used instead. This will help the examiner to assess you based on your fluency. For those who speak English as a native tongue, linking words or idioms come without any effort. However, if you are a non-native speaker, you have to learn them and practice using.

• Learn the language to evaluate, state opinions, hypothesize, compare and contrast.

You will need this vocabulary in Part 3 of your Speaking test. It is advisable to brush up this functional language.

On our platform, you have a possibility to do tasks related to these aspects, record yourself and check your speaking performance via self-assessment checklist. This helps you better understand where you are now in terms of your speaking performance. We have also designed speaking practice tests that are to be recorded by users and then listened to by IELTS professionals who will check them and provide feedback with the aim of giving a clear picture of what is done effectively and what still should be improved. On top of that, we offer tasks that focus on improving your own language and learning chunks that will help not only win some time on the day of the exam, but shape the response and make it more automatic.

MORE TO READ IN OUR BLOG:

How to avoid repetition at the IELTS Speaking test

Tips for writing advantages and disadvantages essays

How to do multiple choice tasks in IELTS Listening

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