fbpx

Tag - IELTS speaking

What you need to know about the IELTS speaking test.

Here are a few tips for the IELTS speaking test from an IELTS speaking examiner. 1. Make sure you know what you have to do in the exam. It is really awkward when people come in without knowing anything about the exam. You ask them about their job and they just talk and talk and talk. The exam is not a chance for you to just speak. You are being tested by the examiner and talking about whatever you like is not...

How can I improve my lexical resource in writing?

This is a good question that we reveived from a member in our private Facebook group.  Feel free to join. This examiner had this to say. Generally, the best way to improve your vocabulary is reading. Read a newspaper online for example, and make a note of the vocabulary that appears that you don’t know. Don’t just copy the word but copy the whole phrase. Why copy the whole phrase? Well, the people that lose Lexical Resource marks are the ones that do one of...

What do I need to do in the IELTS speaking test?

So, the good news is the speaking test is very short.  It is 14 minutes maximum and is strictly timed. Things you need to be aware of; 1)  If the examiner stops you talking, stop talking.  As I said above, the test is strictly timed.  If the examiner says “Thank you” to stop you talking, they are no being rude and you are not losing marks.  They just need to move the test on to the next part. 2)  Part 1 is easy. ...

How do I prepare for the IELTS speaking exam?

This is a common question we get from a lot of IELTS candidates that are preparing for IELTS.  An IELTS speaking exam explains what you need to do. You need to focus on what you have to do in the speaking exam and then you will be able to focus on practising. Don’t practice alone though. Get yourself an English teacher so they can work on accuracy with you. So, in part 1, all you have to do is answer the question...

What kind of vocabulary do I need to use in IELTS to get high marks?

Firstly, you need to be careful where you get your IELTS information from because most of it is wrong.  Have you seen people posting things on Facebook and Instagram saying things like this. IELTS vocabulary These are a complete waste of time.  They are encouraging you to use highly specific words that have a very specific meaning.  English has the largest vocabulary of any language in the world and words are used in very specific circumstances.  Let’s look at ‘groggy’.  ‘groggy’ means “weak and unable to think clearly or walk correctly,...

How long will it take to go from Band 7 to Band 8 in IELTS?

7 to 8 is a big jump. You need to increase your score in all the 4 skills. You have probably already got a higher reading and listening score but it is the speaking and writing that will be more difficult. If you live in an English-speaking country, work in English, live with English speakers, etc then you are probably looking at 6–8 months. However, this means that you are actively studying English, going to classes 3 hours a day...

How do I improve my IELTS writing and speaking?

This is a question that we often get asked and it is an easy one to answer.  One of the IELTS examiners at upmyielts explains. First things first, you need to find where you are at the moment.  If you need Band 7.0 in speaking and writing, then you need to know what you would get if you did the exam tomorrow.  It may be the case that your speaking is already at Band 7+ level but your writing is not. ...

I spoke for less than a minute in Part 2 of the IELTS speaking exam. How will this affect my score?

We received this question from someone in our private Facebook group (Feel free to join) and one of the examiners that works for us has this to say. Less than a minute in Part 2 is very short. If this happens then the examiner will point to some of the prompts and say “Can you tell me more about this?” to try and get you to speak for longer. If you cannot continue for whatever reason, you can still do ok...

The IELTS speaking test – Why is Part 2 so important?

The IELTS speaking test is designed to get progressively more difficult so the examiner can see what you can do in English.  Part 1 is very simple.  It is just a question-and-answer session about you.  You just have to say what you think and why you think it. The questions are relatively simple. However, Part 2 affects what questions you will face in Part 3. How so? Well, in Part 2 you, you have to talk for 2 minutes about a topic...

How can I prepare for the IELTS exam in 6 months?

One of the IELTS examiners that works with us and gives IELTS classes answers this question. 6 months is a sensible amount of time to prepare.  Firstly though, you need to know where you are now so you know how much work you have in front of you. Get an IELTS practice book, and do the reading and listening tests. This will give you a very good idea of what your reading and listening scores are at the moment. You can...