Hey guys,
It is a good idea to keep speaking as much as you can during the IELTS Speaking test as this is related to fluency, which is one of the criteria marked by the examiners during the test. It is important to have answers which are relevant to the question and stay within the area and focus of the questions being asked. Therefore, it is a good idea to reply to the questions in Part One with a full answer and then try to expand your answer with one or two sentences to provide extra information about the topic. It is important though not to speak too much and therefore two or three sentences maximum is a good strategy to adopt. The examiners are looking for
Relevance and Appropriacy ( how far do you answer the question being asked and are able to stick to the topic without talking about something which may be considered off topic ),
Vocabulary Range ( also known as Lexical Resource, how far you can use correct vocabulary and to what extent can you use the vocabulary in the right places at the right times ),
Fluency ( the ability to keep talking and show conversational skills ),
Accuracy ( this relates to grammatical structures and how well you can accurately communicate your message ),
Pronunciation ( how well can you articulate what you speak and be clearly understood ) and
Overall Delivery ( how well you present your ideas and deliver your speech in the setting of a one-one interaction with a native-speaking IELTS examiner ).
The
fillers, such as 'well, you know, as a matter of fact, errm, that's and interesting question are useful in Speaking Part Three. These questions are often more complex and sometimes the candidate needs to use these filling words to gain some time in which to think about a correct and appropriate response to the questions being asked. The key here is to only use the filler words when you need time to think and don't over use them to compensate for the fact that you don't know the answer to a question. It is often better if you don't know the answer, simply to let the examiner know that Í am sorry, but I don't have any opinion about that topic'. Then the examiner will move on and ask another question and continue the test.
Most important is to
be confident and don't be nervous during the test and to prepare and practice as much as you can with IELT Speaking practice materials. A lot more information about the IELTS Speaking test can be found in the new 5steps book, IELTS Speaking and Writing Ideas, which is on sale for less than 2 USD at Angkor Bookshop on Street 130, near Central Market.
Hope that helps,
Have fun,
Paul
