Ever since the rise in opportunities and easier access to international jobs, the number of people migrating to Canada has increased exponentially. As Canadian universities keep attracting a higher number of students, this rate will keep increasing. The comfortable living standards of Canada have also contributed to this increase in migration.
Every year, thousands of Indian residents migrate to Canada for work or study purposes. For this, the IELTS exam score acts as a basis to check English proficiency. Before we proceed to the IELTS speaking tips and tricks British council, let us see the IELTS exam pattern. It will help you in IELTS online preparation.
IELTS Exam Pattern
The IELTS Exam comprises four main sections, namely, Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Reading. The Listening and Reading section have 40 questions, while the Writing section has 2 questions. Finally, the speaking session comprises 3 bifurcations, carried out over a duration of around 20 minutes.
IELTS Speaking Exam
The IELTS Speaking exam is a one-on-one interview session. It consists of three categories, the Introduction questionnaire, the Cue card question, and the Follow-up questions.
# Part 1: It is conducted for around 5 minutes. It consists of organic questions related to family, studies, town, and your interests. The examiner will introduce themself and ask you to introduce yourself after verifying your identity.
# Part 2: The cue card section goes on for around 4 to 5 minutes. The candidate is given one question to prepare a 2-minute answer on. The candidate gets a pen and paper to ideate for the same within one minute.
# Part 3: The follow-up questions consist of questions on the topic of cue cards. It is a two-way session used to know your idea formation and articulation. It goes on for 4 to 5 minutes.
IELTS Speaking Tips and Tricks
It is obvious to be worried about your IELTS Speaking exam. However, there are certain speaking tips and tricks for IELTS that would help you to be better prepared for your IELTS Exam. Discussed below are these tips to keep in mind for the IELTS speaking test.
Do Not Memorise Answers
One of the most common mistakes when appearing for the speaking test is memorising your answers.
The speaking test is to see how fluently the candidate can express their ideas. A memorised answer is evident to the examiner due to the monotones. A flat pitch or very few variations on word emphasis makes it clear that you have memorised the answer.
To keep a smooth flow of conversation:
# Stress on keywords
# Use hand gestures
# Use tonal modulations
Do Not Use Unfamiliar Words
The speaking test is done to see your fluency in English speaking. It is not necessary to use big, complex words to impress the examiner. It may lead to mispronunciation of words or, even worse, their irrelevant use.
Using words out of context could significantly affect your final band score.
To keep a smooth flow of conversation, using a vocabulary within your limits is alright. You could practice a few phrases to include in your routine vocabulary. It could help you sound familiar with the lexicon.
Be Aware of Grammatical Structures
When speaking skills are concerned, there are mainly 4 criteria used for assessment of your grammar:
# Grammatical accuracy
# Lexicon
# Pronunciation
# Fluency and Coherence
Always be aware of your sentence formations. The awareness of where past, present, or future tenses must be used should be kept in check. Using the proper set of conjunctions and simple sentences is key to scoring well in your IELTS speaking exam.
Do Not Worry About Accent
The accent is never a factor of worry until you communicate clearly to the examiner. The examiner is well versed with a number of accents. The only factor you need to look out for is whether all your words and sounds are clear.
English is an emphasis-based language. Make sure you put stress and use intonation at the correct points. You could record your voice or practice with someone familiar with the English language. It helps point out improvisation areas in your accent/dialect.
Pause and Reply Correctly
There is no harm in pausing before you reply. Everyone needs time to process an answer to tricky questions. For this time, the candidate can include certain phrases in their vocabulary:
# Let me see
# To answer this question, I would like to quote …
# Well, for many people.. But I believe..
# That is a difficult question. However, I will try to answer it.
# That is an interesting question
Do Not Use Fillers Excessively
When you need time to think, be clear about it, as mentioned in Tip 5. Excessive use of fillers such as well, Like, Ummmn, You know, Uhhh, Yeah, So, should be avoided. It shows that you are unable to access the ideas and express them appropriately.
Instead, you must use phrases and key sentences that express your thoughts clearly.
Extend Your Answers
As mentioned earlier, the IELTS exam is conducted to check your command of the English language. When answering questions, do not answer in one word or one sentence. The examiner wishes to see how well you could converse.
If the examiner asks you “Why?” to some question, they want you to elaborate on your answers. So always extend your answers to explain and make your point.
Smile and Pronounce Well and Clear
The necessity of smiling is well known for one-on-one interviews. It shows that you are confident about your answers and your speaking.
A smile also helps to calm your nerves. Open your mouth properly to answer questions. Proper enunciation helps bring clear sound from your vocal cords. It also shows a friendly voice of conversation and a good range of pronunciation.
Practice Practice Practice!
The best way to improve any skill is practice and lots of practice. Once you understand the mechanics of speaking, you improve the skills involved. Once you improve your language fluency, you can practice the common speaking topics of IELTS.
These topics are listed as below:
# Education
# Tourism
# Transport
# Sports and Interests
# Advertisement
# Environment
# Family and Town
Conclusion
A good IELTS score is necessary for getting a permit to a foreign nation. Several universities have different score criteria for admission. To ace the IELTS Exam, proper practice of all four sections, reading, writing, speaking, and listening is necessary.
Keep up a confident attitude and converse as you would to a friend. It will help you to score well and focus better on the tasks at hand. The above tips would help you to prepare well for your speaking interview test and score well.
At IELTS Ninja, we give personalised sessions to students to improve their fluency in the English language. With the success of over 80,000 satisfied candidates, we conduct doubt-solving sessions to track students’ progress. Our expert mentors provide guidance to students to score well in their IELTS exams. Don’t miss out on your dream ticket. Check out the free trial classes now.
English 
Hindi