Let's look at a new speaking topic:
Describe a day out that you enjoyed recently. You should say
- where you went
- whom you went with
- what you did that day
- and why you enjoyed the day out.
Note: When we talk about a "day out", it means that you went somewhere for leisure purposes. I wouldn't talk about anything related to work or studies here.
Somebody asked me about this sentence from last Friday's speaking lesson:
The student asked me why I didn't follow the normal third conditional 'rule' and write "there would have been" instead of "there would be"? Did I make a mistake?
The answer is no, I didn't make a mistake. I wrote a mixed conditional sentence on purpose. Can you see why? I'll explain in tomorrow's lesson.
Most people don't know that there are videos of IELTS speaking tests on the official website ielts.org. The site also shows you the official score that each candidate was given.
Here's a quick guide to finding the videos:
I've been using three of these videos in the speaking band descriptors lessons on my member site.
We've been analysing the speaking performances of Tina (band 5), Alexandra (band 7) and Khush (band 8). All three candidates could improve their speaking scores if they followed some simple advice!
Describe an interesting place you have visited.
You should say:
Here's an example description of a place I've visited. I've used the vocabulary from yesterday's lesson to describe London.
Listen to the recording while following the vocabulary (see yesterday's lesson). Then you could practise your own description of London using the same vocabulary. Keep practising until you're happy.
In part 2 of the speaking test, you might have to describe a place. There are several possible questions about places. For example:
My advice is to prepare a description of one place that you could use to answer all of these questions. Then search the Internet for some good vocabulary.
For example, here are some ideas I found to describe London:
Here's part of a recent lesson on my member site. You'll see me answering three questions about the IELTS speaking test.
A common topic for the short presentation (IELTS Speaking Part 2) is "describe an important festival in your country".
My advice is to look for a description of your festival on Wikipedia. Copy the best parts of the description and make small changes if necessary. As an example, I've copied a short description of Christmas from Wikipedia.
Describe a festival: Christmas
Christmas is an annual holiday that, in Christianity, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.
Popular customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, Father Christmas (known as Santa Claus in some areas) is a popular figure in many countries, associated with the bringing of gifts for children.
Over the Christmas period, people decorate their homes and exchange gifts. In some countries, children perform plays re-telling the events of the Nativity, or sing carols that reference the event. Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church attendance.
A special Christmas family meal is an important part of the celebration for many, and what is served varies greatly from country to country. In England and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes turkey, potatoes, vegetables, sausages and gravy, followed by Christmas pudding, mince pies and fruit cake.
Your priority in part 1 of the speaking test should be to demonstrate fluency, not difficult grammar or vocabulary. You'll speak more fluently if you keep your part 1 answers simple.
Here are some examples of how I would simplify students' answers.
Note: the students' answers contain some mistakes.
Student's answer:
Logically people from different generation will have taste variation. Depending upon the maturity, music stars of their own age, impact of globalisation as well as technological development in music industry will divide younger and older generation.
My simplified answer:
Of course, people from different generations have different tastes in music. Popular music changes all the time, and most of us are influenced by whatever style of music is popular when we are growing up.
Student's answer:
Yes, I am fond of music. It is simply the medicine for my mind. When I am stressed, music remove stress. When I am happy, music inspires me to be more. It always in the centre of all my parties with friends. When I am sad, music takes me out glue and move forward.
My simplified answer:
Yes, I love music, mainly because it helps to put me in a better mood. When I'm stressed or sad, music picks me up and puts me in a positive frame of mind.
Examples are important because they bring your answers to life*. They make your message clearer and your answers more real.
Look at the examples that I used in my 'difficult jobs' answers in Friday's speaking lesson. Without these examples, my answers would be boring and abstract.
*Look up the phrase "bring something to life". What does it mean?
Here's a list of the 'less common' phrases that I used in yesterday's speaking answers. Notice that I'm highlighting phrases and collocations, not individual 'big' words.
Faye asked a good question below last Friday's lesson:
Can you give some suggestions on how to answer the question "how you felt about something" in speaking part 2?
My suggestion is to start with a simple adjective (e.g. happy) and prepare a theme around this word. There's an example of theme preparation here, and I used this technique in several of the speaking lessons on my video course website.
Task: Let's prepare a 'happy' theme together. To be more precise, imagine that you have to describe how you felt when you passed an important test. List some ideas, and share them in the comments below.
The model answer that I shared last Friday was at band 9 level, mainly because of the range of words and phrases that it contained.
But I didn't spontaneously invent those words and phrases; they came from my research into the topic. I searched for good ideas, made a list of topic vocabulary, and then built my description around the phrases on that list.
I'm not suggesting that you can do this in your test, but it's the best way to prepare topics at home.
Let's look at some of the useful vocabulary from the answers that I shared in last Friday's lesson:
Note:
The phrases with a star (*) are great for the speaking test, but a little too informal for a written essay. Would you have known this?
When answering the two questions below, you should be aware that the examiner is expecting to hear some different verb tenses.
1. Do you think films have changed since you were a child?
No, I don’t think films have changed much since I was a child. When I was younger I enjoyed watching action films, and the Hollywood formula for this type of film seems to be the same today. For example, I liked the original ‘Superman’ films, and superheroes are still a popular subject for film-makers.
2. As the technology for home viewing improves, do you think people will stop going to the cinema in future?
No, I don’t think that people will stop going to the cinema. People can already buy fantastic home viewing equipment, but it still feels more special to share the experience of watching a new film with a theatre full of people. I don't think that technology will be able to replicate that cinema atmosphere.
In a recent lesson I explained why I'm not a fan of the 'PPF technique' for part 2 of the speaking test. I believe that candidates should focus on giving a good description in part 2, instead of worrying about verb tenses.
If the examiner wants to test your use of verb tenses, he/she can do this in part 3 of the test, by choosing certain questions.
Here are some typical 'tense' questions from speaking part 3:
- Do you think _____ is different now, compared to when you were a child?
- Did your teachers _____ when you were at school?
- How do you think _____ will change in the future?
Listen carefully for these 'tense' questions in part 3. The examiner will be listening closely to the verbs that you use in your answers!
Here are some negative answers to the 'photography' questions that I showed you a couple of weeks ago. The questions come from Cambridge IELTS 11.
1) What type of photos do you like taking?
Well, I don't usually take photos to be honest. I prefer to enjoy whatever I'm doing, rather than stop to take a photograph.
2) What do you do with photos you take?
I don't really do anything with the occasional photos that I take. They just stay on my phone and I forget to save them or upload them to my computer.
3) When you visit other places, do you take photos or buy postcards?
Neither. As I said, I prefer to enjoy myself, so I tend to let other people take photos. I used to buy and send postcards when I was younger, so maybe I should go back to doing that.
4) Do you like people taking photos of you?
As a child I was always a bit shy when it came to having my photo taken, so I would have said that I didn't like it. These days, if someone wants to take a photo of me, I don't mind at all.
In this lesson I asked for your views on a technique that some students and teachers are using: they use three verb tenses (past, present, future - PPF) to organise their speaking part 2 answers. In other words, they begin by answering in the past tense, then they move to the present and into the future.
Here's my view on this:
I'm not a fan of this PPF technique because it encourages you to go into the speaking test with a 'grammar mindset'. Your brain is focusing on verb tenses instead of more important things: the task, the bullet points, your ideas, and the vocabulary that you're going to use to express those ideas.
If there's one thing that I stand against as an English / IELTS teacher, it's the 'grammar mindset' and the idea that you can impress the examiner with 'complex structures'.
I'm a 'vocabulary mindset' teacher. I want my students to focus on the 'true content' of their answers, rather than grammar tricks.
Several people have asked me about a technique that some teachers recommend for part 2 of the speaking test: the 'past, present, future' technique, or 'PPF'.
Before I give you my opinion about this technique, I'd like to hear from you.
- Has anyone been taught to use this PPF idea?
- How exactly did your teacher suggest that you use it?
- Did it work for you?
- What benefits and drawbacks do you think this technique has?
Note:
Please remember that techniques like this are just suggestions, not rules. If your teacher is saying that you must use three tenses in your part 2 answer, he/she is wrong.
It's completely acceptable to give negative answers in part 1 of the speaking test. To test whether you can do this, try giving negative answers to the questions below. Keep your answers short and simple as usual. The first one is done as an example.
1) What type of photos do you like taking?
Well, I don't usually take photos to be honest. I prefer to enjoy whatever I'm doing, rather than stop to take a photograph.
2) What do you do with photos you take?
3) When you visit other places, do you take photos or buy postcards?
4) Do you like people taking photos of you?
(Questions taken from Cambridge IELTS book 11)
Did you notice that my sample answer in Friday's speaking lesson was a story?
When telling stories, native speakers use lots of 'natural' linking words and phrases. Have a look at the following examples from my description:
Notice that I didn't use any of the typical linking words that people learn (Moreover, Furthermore etc.). Those lists of typical linking phrases won't help you to get a higher score. Try to practise 'natural' linking instead!
What should you do if you don't understand a question in the speaking test? Here are my tips:
Part 1
In part 1, the examiner is not allowed to help you, but he/she can repeat the question. Just say: "Sorry, can you repeat the question please?" If you still don't understand the second time, try to say something related to the topic or any of the words that you heard. Try your best, then focus on the next question.
Part 2
You are given a task card with the question written on it, so you shouldn't have any problems in this part. If there is a word that you don't understand on the task card, don't ask the examiner - he/she is not allowed to help.
Part 3
In this part of the test, the examiner is allowed to rephrase the question. If you don't understand, just say something like: "Sorry, can you explain that question in a different way please?"
Here are some sentences that people wrote about the website for work topic. Can you correct the mistakes and/or improve the sentences?
Today I want to share some advice from another IELTS teacher that I found in the 'comments' area below this lesson.
First, here's the question from a student called Vishaal:
Please guide me on how I can reduce the grammatical errors in my speech. Although I reduced these errors significantly in writing, I'm still making quite a few mistakes during the speaking.
And here's the advice from the teacher, sjm (thanks again!):
The only real way is to sit with a native speaker, and ask them to stop you every time you make a grammar error, and give you a correction. You then repeat the correct version back to them.
It is time consuming, but eventually your error rate should drop. The problem with speaking is that errors are often 'fossilised' in the mouth, which means that you are so used to saying them that your mouth has 'memorised' them. You need to almost 'reprogram' your mouth.
An extra tip from me (Simon):
Vishaal's issue is very common, and I completely agree with sjm's advice. But if you don't have a private teacher or native speaker who can help in the way that sjm suggests, your best solution is probably to become better at copying. Instead of trying to translate ideas from your own language, or trying to construct sentences using your knowledge of English grammar, aim to build your sentences using phrases or 'chunks' of language that you know to be correct (because you have seen or heard them being used by native speakers).
Regarding the advice that I gave yesterday (stop and smile), I just want to clarify that there are no marks for body language in the speaking test. The "stop and smile" idea is simply a way to show the examiner that you're ready for the next question in part 1 of the test.
So, smiling won't help your score, but it can help with the "flow" of questions and answers in part 1.
At the end of yesterday's lesson I mentioned that you could prepare some examples or stories to make your descriptions more interesting (for speaking part 2, and maybe part 3).
When speaking in our own languages, we tell stories all the time. For example, you might tell a member of your family about what happened at work today, or you might tell your friends about a film you saw last night.
The ability to tell a story in English is a sign that you are becoming a proficient user of the language. Test yourself: try telling a story in English now. Start with something easy, like "what I did yesterday".
It's impossible to prepare for every question that you might get in the speaking test, but what are the essential things to prepare for?
Here's my list of essentials:
Remember that in part 2 you are always asked to "describe". Make sure you prepare some good adjectives for each topic, make sure you can talk about your opinions and feelings, and think about some examples or stories to make your descriptions more interesting.
By the time they reach part 3 of the speaking test, many IELTS candidates just want to finish and go home. They've used up all of their energy doing the other parts of the test, and they're happy to have finished the 2-minute talk in part 2. As a result, not many people do really well in part 3.
Here's my tip: Save one last effort for part 3. It's your best chance to leave a good impression on the examiner and perhaps push him / her to give you that extra half band that you need.
In the speaking test, some candidates try to involve the examiner in the conversation. For example:
Examiner: Do you like cooking?
Student: Not really, I prefer eating in restaurants. And you?
You should definitely not do this!
In fact, the only time that you might need to ask a question is if you don't hear what the examiner said. Just say: "Sorry, can you repeat that please?"
Having ideas and opinions is important for IELTS Speaking Part 3. Even if your grammar is excellent, you will not get a high score if you don't know what to say.
For example, do you have an opinion about whether governments should protect old buildings?
Here are some possible ideas / opinions:
The sentences above come from my 'Ideas for IELTS Topics' ebook.
Do the 3 parts of the speaking test carry equal weighting when your score is calculated, or is one part more important?
The simple answer is that the 3 parts are not scored separately; the examiner rates the candidate's performance as a whole. In this sense, neither part is more important.
However, it's useful to think about the 3 parts like this:
These are common questions at the start of the speaking test:
Example answers:
Note:
Don't ask the examiner: "Do you mean in my country or here in England?" - it doesn't matter. Don't worry if you have a job and study at the same time - you can mention both.