Welcome to your IELTS speaking lessons!
Be sure to work your way through the following videos and then do some speaking exam simulations!
In Wendy’s interview, you’ll notice that this person has an advanced lexical resource and grammar, but seems to not want to extend her answers too much. You can see this specifically in Part 1 and 3 where she certainly answers the questions, but doesn’t elaborate as much as she could. Remember the tip from the lesson: if you are speaking too much, this is good and directs the examiner towards a Band 7+ rather than shorter answers that lead him towards a Band 6.
In Part 2, you may have noticed that this person did not take the full minute of preparation. Do not make this mistake! Not taking the full minute does not increase your score at all and certainly does not impress the examiner. Even if you have the perfect topic to discuss, be sure to work through the entire minute of preparation by making notes using the 3 Circles Method to develop your answer as thoroughly as possible so you can speak even beyond the 2 minutes. Also, answering any question from the examiner with ‘No, I can’t talk about this’ is a very big mistake because the examiner will think the person simply lacks the English ability to discuss this while, in reality, the person just didn’t have any ideas to develop.
For a score, this person is a Band 6.5, but can easily go to a Band 7 or 7.5 by implementing the techniques from the lessons above. The largest reason why this score is lower than she should get is simply because she was reluctant to develop her answers completely.
Miguel is a Band 4.5 and this interview shows you how someone who can generally understand and communicate in English can often have difficulty in performing during the IELTS exam. This type of person would not be able to move up his score, even with our lessons, until he builds up his foundation of English knowledge. We would recommend for this person to study English in an intensive environment, preferably in an English-speaking country, and then attempt the exam again.
In Part 1 of Rocio’s performance, you’ll notice that this person also does not implement strategies to extend her conversation as much as possible unless it’s a topic she is comfortable in. She asks the examiner questions instead of simply moving on with answering the question. There is an awkward pause between when she finishes her answers and the examiner moves on to the next question because the examiner wants her to keep going, but instead, she does not.
In Part 2 and 3, we can see that the person has a few issues with prepositions in her grammar. In case this might be an issue with you as well, here is a free lesson on the topic. With regard to the rest of her grammar, we can see that she is using a variety of complex sentences, which is exactly what she should be doing. In terms of topic development, after the interview, she mentioned that the story she told in Part 2 was partially made up. This is perfectly fine. Remember that the examiner is looking at your topic development, grammar, etc., and not the truthfulness of the story.
She would be scored at a 6.5, but, much like Wendy, if she were to extend and elaborate her answers a little more, she’d be a clear Band 7+.
Next, here are some interviews for you to practice with. You can record your voice by opening this page in a new window and speak after the examiner asks questions. After, replay your audio recording so you can analyze your own performance.
If you wish for us to analyze your performance and give feedback (similar to the analysis above) be sure to send us an email to info@EnglishExamPrep.com to get started! A charge of $30 will apply.