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We received this question from one of the members in our IELTS writing and speaking support group on Facebook.

“If I use a lot of idioms, will it boost up my IELTS speaking score?”

It is a common question we have been asked before so one of the speaking examiners that works with us has answered it.

No, and I would advise you not to use them. They are used in very very specific circumstances and 99% off candidates I meet use them in the wrong way. It’s like they have learnt a few and are desperate to get them into the speaking exam, and this means that they use them in the wrong way. This is then an error. You are not marked on your use of idioms. You are marked on your ability to complete a number of oral tasks. You need to focus on talking about a wide range of unfamiliar topics, supporting your opinion in an accurate way, and not relying on talking about yourself and personal experiences. This is what will get you higher marks in IELTS speaking.

This goes for writing too.  You will more than likely use them in the wrong way, leading to more errors and a lower score..

If you want to do a mock speaking exam with an IELTS examiner to find out what you will get in the exam, and how to get higher marks, then you can order one here.