5 Tips to Ace Your IELTS Speaking Test

Your IELTS exam is approaching! The time has finally come to put your months of preparation to use! Along with the excitement, you must also be getting jitters, especially for the Speaking test.

Don’t worry! You are not alone, as most students find the Speaking section in IELTS to be the most challenging than the other three sections (Reading, Writing, and Listening). It is due to the shortage of time to think of an answer before giving it to the interviewer.

However, with some beneficial tips and tricks, you certainly can boost your confidence to pass the test with a high score. And to help you with that, we have compiled five handy tips in this article to help you ace your IELTS speaking test!

Remain Calm!

We understand that it is always easier said than done when it comes to staying calm, especially before any critical event, like your IELTS speaking test. While some students can easily navigate through the interview, others struggle with it.

If you continue to get anxious, there are high chances of fumbling when replying to your interviewer or taking awkward pauses in the middle of the conversation. Unfortunately, it will appear as if you have trouble forming sentences in English; consequently, you might not be able to pass the test.

So it is imperative to keep yourself calm to appear confident and efficient! Follow the tips below to go about it.

• Try to meditate every day as it significantly helps in relaxing your mind.
• You don’t want to look exhausted on the day of your interview, so you should get plenty of rest the night before your speaking test.
• Have a pep talk with your loved ones. It surely will elevate your mood and make you ready for your d-day!
• Lastly, remember to smile as it makes you look pleasant and helps calm your nerves.

Keep Practising

It is rightly said: ‘Practice is the key to success!’ And you too should do as much as possible to get an excellent command of the English language.

Try to think in English instead of your native language. That way, you will develop the habit of coming up with sentences naturally rather than translating them in your head before speaking. Besides, try to talk to everyone in English, like your friends, family, teachers, etc.

If you are not sure about the pronunciation of a specific word, instead of leaving it for later, check it on Google or Youtube and practise how to say it correctly. Remember, you should not take any risk that can make you embarrassed at your interview!

Refrain from Using Complex Words

During the Speaking test, you might think using big and attractive words to impress your interviewer is obvious. However, to play safe, you should refrain from using them!

There are chances you might mispronounce or use them in the wrong context. And when that happens, it is nothing short of a faux pas that will ultimately affect your scores. So use a variety of words that you are familiar with, which also relates to the subject you will be talking on.

Avoid Using Filler Words

The words like, you know, um, right, okay, er, etc., are filler words, which you should avoid to sound confident at all costs.

It definitely helps us buy some time to think of a response, but it counts as unprofessional in the interviews. It makes you seem as if you are unsure of your answers; moreover, the interviewer will not be able to understand your thoughts and language.

To avoid this issue, you should practice speaking beforehand. For instance, while staying at your student accommodation in Bristol, open a voice recording app on your smartphone and start practicing your mock interview questions and answers. Once the recording is done, listen to it and analyze how often you use filler words in your speech, and accordingly work to eliminate them!

Stop Worrying about Your Accent

The IELTS examiner can understand a variety of accents; therefore, you don’t have to worry about how your accent is coming across as they will know what you say throughout the speaking test. However, you need to be careful when pronouncing the words right. So, if your communication skills are on point, there is no need for concerns like your accent!