How to Improve IELTS Speaking Skills: Practical Strategies

The IELTS speaking is one of the most decisive sections of the IELTS examination. More often than not, the candidates face challenges with the IELTS speaking section due to many factors such as exam day nervousness, inability to accurately articulate their thoughts, low language skills and so on. In this article, we address one of the most asked topics of the IELTS examination, ' How to improve IELTS speaking skills?'. All the necessary IELTS speaking tips to ace the IELTS speaking test are also elaborated.

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This Story also Contains

1. How to improve IELTS speaking skills?
2. IELTS speaking tips and strategies
3. IELTS speaking format 2024
4. 5 best IELTS exam speaking tips and strategies
5. 4 IELTS speaking strategies for band 9
6. IELTS preparation material 2024: Speaking section
7. IELTS preparation books
8. IELTS practice tests

How to improve IELTS speaking skills?

IELTS speaking is an important component of the IELTS exam. Often, due to limited language abilities and exam day nervousness, the candidates may not be able to provide apt responses to the IELTS speaking questions asked by the examiner. Having a good knowledge of the IELTS speaking topics can be very helpful for the candidates during the IELTS speaking test.

Speaking came first

Did you know that humans developed the ability to speak before they learned how to write? Despite this, many people still feel uncomfortable when it comes to speaking skills, even though we have mastered the art of speaking. "Remember to stay relaxed when you encounter any IELTS speaking skills test." In this article we are going to discuss strategies related with IELTS speaking skills in detail.

IELTS speaking tips and strategies

How do you improve IELTS speaking skills? This is one of the most commonly asked queries by the IELTS aspirants because a majority of them face challenges during the IELTS speaking test. First and foremost, the format of the test that they are planning to appear in matters. Before excelling in IELTS speaking skills, you need to understand the exam requirements, practice, prepare, and implement strategies. In this article let us discuss in detail the most essential speaking strategies for the IELTS examination. This article also sheds light on how to improve IELTS speaking, IELTS speaking format and various other IELTS speaking strategies.

IELTS speaking format 2024

It is mandatory that every candidate is aware of the IELTS speaking format in order to ace the IELTS Speaking section. Once a candidate is fully aware of the IELTS speaking format, they will have a complete understanding of what to expect in the examination and devise appropriate IELTS speaking strategies. Through this systematic approach, they can eventually ace the speaking section of the IELTS section. It is important to note that the Speaking tests are identical in both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. The primary purpose of this test is to evaluate one's use of spoken English. It involves discussing a range of subjects with an IELTS examiner for 11 and 14 minutes. The test will be conducted in a peaceful environment with an examiner who will encourage you to continue speaking. They will try to understand your accent and ensure that you receive the highest possible score. The Speaking test is comprised of three sections, each with specific objectives.

5 best IELTS exam speaking tips and strategies

IELTS speaking tips are necessary for all the candidates as they give insights into how to improve IELTS listening skills. It is frequently seen that the candidates who follow these IELTS speaking tips and tricks secure a higher IELTS speaking band score than their counterparts.

1. Enhance your IELTS grammar and vocabulary skills

The very first target should be to work on four important parameters of speaking skills i.e. Vocabulary, grammar, fluency and pronunciation. "As a good speaker, it is important to continuously expand your vocabulary. The more interesting words you know, the stronger your speaking skills become. While perfect grammar is not a necessity, it is recommended that you have a good grasp of the major tenses. Fluency is determined by how confident and comfortable you are while speaking in English. If you are able to speak for an extended period of time, then it is a sign of strong fluency. Additionally, a crucial aspect of fluency is being able to connect your points effectively, so that your listener can follow along with ease. Pronunciation is a complex skill that involves various sub-skills that can be practised. The general rule of thumb is that an average speaker should be able to speak and be understood.

2. Maintain the IELTS structure

It is crucial to organise your thoughts, which involves structuring. A well-written piece should have a smooth flow of information from the introduction to the conclusion. It is important to maintain logical continuity and a proper conclusion. Before expressing your thoughts in writing, it is necessary to have a good grasp of mind mapping. Here we can understand the importance of constantly practicing and improving on a daily target basis.

3. Attempt lots of IELTS practice tests

To gain practical experience, it is crucial to participate in mock interviews and seek feedback from language experts, mentors, friends, or online communities regularly. This will help you follow the learn-unlearn-relearn process more effectively. During the process, it is important to be mindful of time and allocate it wisely to address all aspects of the questions. Additionally, staying updated on current events and global issues will prepare you well for the discussion section. You can improve your comprehension and ability to discuss various topics by reading newspapers, magazines, or online articles in English.

It's pivotal to have a mindset where you're fully engaged and invested in the language learning process. A helpful tip is to learn from native speakers, which is now widely available on the internet. There are many great resources you can use, such as videos, podcasts, news broadcasts, chat shows, TED talks, and even films. It's best to start with materials that are light in tone and that you enjoy the most. This way, your learning experience will be more effective. The environment should be conducive to learning. It is important to have an outlook where one can push oneself out of their comfort zone. If challenges are taken, progress will be made.

4. Study Chunk Words and use them

While taking care of vocabulary we should also focus on ‘chunk words’, i.e. learning 3 or 4 words together as a single sound. This can help the candidates to memorize the words and use them as per their need. Some of the few examples of chunk words are mentioned below:

5. Be a juggler

To become a fluent speaker, it's crucial to employ innovative techniques such as using role-play scenarios, for example, start pretending to be a juggler, to enhance your language skills. Often, we make an effort to learn new words, but we frequently forget them soon after. Therefore, to ensure that we're accurately learning and retaining new words, let's explore some effective speaking strategies. Start with listening carefully, and if possible, make notes simultaneously. Now repeat the words as many times as possible and finally play with words like a Juggler.

Listen → she is walking in the park after dark.

Notes taken and Repeat → She is walking in the park after dark.

Juggle→ I am studying in the room after dark.

It is surprising to see her walking in the park after dark.

Her walk in the park after dark surprised me a lot.

You can change and fit new words, sometimes you can change the tense. Sometimes even you can change the tone, parts of speech, sentence type and voice. Some apps grant access to a plethora of videos. You can utilize the transcript's timestamp to effortlessly playback phrases and practice repeating them.

If you aim to achieve a band score of 9 on your English proficiency test, it is essential to focus on coherence, grammar, pronunciation, and a wide range of vocabulary. To improve your articulation and fluency, you need to practice regularly. It's highly recommended to record yourself while practising, as it can provide you with valuable insights into your performance and help you identify areas for improvement. It requires constant effort over time to develop IELTS speaking skills without shortcuts.

4 IELTS speaking strategies for band 9

Along with the IELTS speaking tips, it is necessary that the candidates also follow strategies for IELTS speaking success. These strategies when followed to the core can guarantee a very good IELTS speaking band score for the candidates.

1. Make English a part of your routine

The only way to improve speaking skills is through constant speaking practice. The candidates must converse in English with their peers, initiate conversation and seek feedback to ensure that their communication moves ahead flawlessly. The IELTS Speaking Part 1 is marked based on the candidate’s ability to initiate conversation. The candidates can refer to various frequently asked IELTS Speaking questions and answers here.

2. Provide complete answers

When an IELTS Speaking question is asked to the candidate, they must always ensure to reply by providing complete answers to the examiner. Incomplete or incorrect answers may result in confusion and consequently result in lower band scores. While answering, the candidates should also keep a note of the IELTS Speaking time constraints.

3. Be resilient

Learning is a never-ending process. Human beings are susceptible to making mistakes. It is the eagerness to rectify them that is important. The candidates should always be mindful of the mistakes that they are making and correct them timely instead of being nervous and panicking. This is also applicable during the IELTS speaking exam. Instead of panicking, the candidates can apologise for the mistake and continue the conversation. This would help them in creating a positive impact on the examiner.

4. Familiarization with the IELTS speaking test format

Before attempting any examination, the candidate must have a complete idea about the exam structure including parameters such as IELTS speaking marking criteria, possible IELTS speaking questions and IELTS Speaking time. Engaging in IELTS Speaking practice is the accurate methodology for a candidate to get familiarised with the test format.

IELTS preparation material 2024: Speaking section

IELTS preparation books

IELTS preparation can be enhanced with help of expertly crafted IELTS preparation books. We recommend the candidates to go through the IELTS preparation books to take their IELTS preparation to the next level.