How to Ace the IELTS Speaking Test: Proven Tips and Hacks to Boost Your Score

Are you preparing for the IELTS Speaking test and aiming for a band 9? No Worries! In this article, we will guide you through the expert tips, strategies, and hacks to help you ace the IELTS Speaking Test. This article will walk through from test format to mastering fluency, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

Understanding the IELTS Speaking Test Format

Before diving into preparation, it's crucial to understand the structure of the IELTS Speaking test. It's a one-on-one interview with a certified examiner, lasting between 11-14 minutes, and is divided into three parts:

Part 1: Introduction & Interview (4-5 minutes) The examiner will ask you general questions about familiar topics such as your home, work, studies, hobbies, and interests. This part is designed to help you relax and get comfortable speaking English.

Part 2: Long Turn (3-4 minutes) You'll be given a task card with a topic and some bullet points. You'll have one minute to prepare your response and then speak for 1-2 minutes on the topic. The examiner will then ask one or two follow-up questions.

Part 3: Discussion (4-5 minutes) This part involves a more abstract discussion related to the topic from Part 2. The questions will be more challenging and require you to express opinions, analyse, and speculate.

Proven Tips and Hacks to Ace Each Part

Part 1: Nailing the Introduction

• Expand Your Answers: Don't just give one-word answers. Elaborate on your responses with examples and explanations.

  • Instead of: "Yes, I like reading."

  • Try: "Yes, I'm quite keen on reading. I particularly enjoy historical fiction because I find it fascinating to learn about different eras and cultures through engaging stories."

• Use a Range of Vocabulary: Even in simple questions, practice preventing less common words and phrases naturally.

• Practice Common Topics: Think about typical Part 1 questions and prepare your answers. This will boost your confidence.

• Be Enthusiastic and Engaging: Show genuine interest in the conversation.

• Hack: Think of a few "go-to" phrases you can use to elaborate, such as "To be honest," "I suppose," "The reason for this is..."

  
  

Part 2: Mastering the Long Turn

• Utilise Your Preparation Time Effectively: In your one minute of preparation, quickly jot down keywords and ideas for each bullet point on the task card. Don't write full sentences.

• Structure Your Response: A good structure includes an introduction, detailed points addressing the bullet points, and a conclusion.

• Tell a Story: Weave a narrative around the topic. This makes your response more engaging and helps you speak for longer.

• Don't Panic if You Go Off-Topic Slightly: The examiner is assessing your fluency and coherence, not how perfectly you stick to every single point.

• Hack: If you run out of things to say, try relating the topic to a personal experience or talking about its future implications.

  • Example Task Card: Describe a book you enjoyed reading.

  • Preparation points: Title, author, genre, why you enjoyed it, what you learned.*

  • Your response could begin: "I'd like to talk about 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind' by Yuval Noah Harari. It's a non-fiction book that profoundly impacted my understanding of human history and our place in the world."

    
    

Part 3: Engaging in the Discussion

• Express and Justify Opinions: Don't just state your opinion; explain why you hold that view. Use phrases like "In my opinion," "I believe that," "From my perspective."

• Compare and Contrast: The examiner often asks questions that require you to compare different aspects or discuss advantages and disadvantages.

• Speculate and Hypothesise: Be prepared to talk about future trends or hypothetical situations. Use conditional tenses.

  • Example: "If people were more aware of..." or "It's highly likely that in the future..."

• Acknowledge Complexity: Show that you understand there might be multiple sides to an issue. "On the one hand... on the other hand..."

• Hack: Listen carefully to the examiner's question. If you don't understand, politely ask for clarification: "Could you please rephrase that?" or "I'm sorry, could you explain what you mean by...?"

  
  

Overall Strategies for a Scoring Band 9

• Fluency and Coherence:

  • Speak Naturally: Avoid memorising answers, as it sounds unnatural. Focus on expressing your ideas clearly and smoothly.

  • Use Connectors and Discourse Markers: Words like "however," "therefore," "in addition," "firstly," "lastly" help link your ideas together and make your speech flow.

  • Pace Yourself: Don't speak too fast or too slow. Find a comfortable rhythm.

    
    

• Lexical Resource (Vocabulary):

  • Use a Wide Range of Vocabulary: Demonstrate your knowledge of various words and expressions.

  • Use Less Common Vocabulary Appropriately: Don't force big words if they don't fit the context.

  • Paraphrase: Show you can express the same idea using different words.

  • Hack: Learn topic-specific vocabulary for common IELTS themes (e.g., environment, technology, education, culture).

• Grammatical Range and Accuracy:

  • Use a Variety of Sentence Structures: Don't stick to simple sentences. Incorporate complex and compound sentences.

  • Maintain Grammatical Accuracy: Pay attention to verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions.

  • Correct Your Mistakes: If you make a mistake, don't be afraid to self-correct. This shows awareness.

  • Hack: Practice using different tenses (present perfect, past perfect, future continuous) and conditional clauses in your daily speech.

    
    

• Pronunciation:

  • Be Clear and Understandable: Your primary goal is to be easily understood.

  • Focus on Intonation and Stress: Vary the pitch of your voice and emphasise important words to convey meaning effectively.

  • Practice Problematic Sounds: Identify sounds you struggle with and practice them.

  • Hack: Record yourself speaking and listen back to identify areas for improvement. 

    
    

Essential Practice Strategies

• Speak English Daily: The more you speak, the more natural it becomes. Find a language partner, join a conversation club, or even talk to yourself in English.

• Immerse Yourself: Watch English movies and TV shows, listen to podcasts, and read English books or articles.

• Mock Tests: Take as many mock IELTS Speaking tests as possible to simulate the real exam environment and get feedback.

• Record and Analyse: Record your practice sessions and critically evaluate your performance.

  
  

Wishing you all the very best for your test. Follow these tips and hacks to achieve band 9. Don’t Forget to Share Your Thoughts! What are your biggest challenges in IELTS Speaking? Share your questions in the comments below!