Kingdom English Course 0

SPEAKING SKILLS
The Speaking test takes between 11 and 14 minutes and consists of an interview between
the test taker and a trained and certified examiner.

The IELTS Speaking test assesses your spoken English skills. The test is recorded and
conducted in three parts.

Part 1:
You are asked questions about yourself and generic topics like family, home, work,
and studies. This takes about 4-5 minutes.
Part 2:
You are given a card with a topic written on it. You have to talk on this topic for
about two minutes and will have a minute to prepare before you start speaking.
Part 3:
The examiner will also ask a few related questions on the topic allotted in part 2.
This allows you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas.

The topics and questions are exactly the same for both the Academic and General Training
versions of the exam, and your answers are scored against the same four criteria:

1. Pronunciation 
you can pronounce words and express your ideas with appropriate stress, intonation,
and rhythm.
2. Lexical Resource 
you use words appropriate for a given topic, and can communicate clearly even when
you forget a specific word or phrase
3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy 
you can form sentences with multiple parts (clauses) using correct pronouns and verb
tenses
4. Fluency and Coherence
 you can speak comfortably (without long pauses or confusing links between ideas)
and be understood easily

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1 | Essential information in Speaking IELTS 

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2 | Pronunciation 

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3 | Lexical Resources 

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Simple Collocations for IELTS Speaking

In the IELTS Speaking test, the examiner may ask you about your everyday life. You
will often hear these kinds of questions in Part 1 but sometimes in Parts 2 and 3.
When talking about everyday activities, candidates often make mistakes with
collocations (words that naturally go together).

In the table below, I present some common verb + noun collocations.

Common collocations
Verb Nouns/phrases
have breakfast/lunch/dinner/a party/a bath/a shower/a haircut
make the bed/phone calls/a decision/an appointment
do homework/some work/the washing/the dishes
take a break/a taxi/a rest/a test/an exam/notes
keep a diary/a promise/a secret/in touch
get a job/married/divorced/pregnant/home/to work
go swimming/jogging/fishing/sailing/online/abroad

Examples

Here are some examples of these collocations from Part 1 of the Speaking test.

Examiner: What do you do every morning?

Candidate: Well, I get up around 7am. I have a shower, get dressed, have breakfast
and then leave for work around 8am.

Examiner: What are your plans for next year?

Candidate: Well, next year, I intend to get married. And after that, we are going to
look for an appropriate house to buy.

Examiner: How do you get to work every day?

Candidate: Well, I usually get to work by bus. But if I’m late, I’ll take a taxi.

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A great way to improve the IELTS score is by improving your IELTS vocabulary. One of the
easiest ways to do this is by using synonyms for common words. Synonyms are words which
mean the same and can be used to replace a word with a better one. Synonyms are of great
help to get a good score in IELTS along with improving one's general vocabulary. score,

Below is a list of synonyms for common words which can help a great deal in getting you a
good IELTS score.

Amazing Incredible, Fantastic, Fabulous, Astonishing, Extraordinary

Answer Respond
Awful Terrible, Abominable, Dreadful
Bad Evil, Spoiled, Imperfect, Infamous, Dismal
Beautiful Gorgeous, Ravishing, Dazzling, Exquisite, Stunning
Begin Initiate, Commence, Inaugurate
Big Huge, Enormous, Gigantic, Humongous, Substantial, Mammoth
Break Rupture, Fracture, Shatter
Calm Serene, Peace, Tranquil
Come Approach, Arrive
Cool Chilly, Frosty, Icy

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Cut Chop, Slash, Slit
Dangerous Hazardous, Risky, Precarious
Decide Determine, Settle
Definite Certain, Positive, Obvious
Delicious Savory, Titbit, Delectable
Describe Portray, Characterize
Destroy Demolish, Slay, Ruin, Raze
Difference Disagreement, Inequity, Dissimilarity
Dull Boring, Uninteresting, Monotonous, Humdrum, Dreary
End Terminate, Conclude, Cessation
Explain Elaborate, Interpret
Fall Drop, Descend, Topple
Famous Well-known, Renowned, Eminent, Illustrious
Fast Quick, Rapid, Hasty, Snappy, Swift
Fat Stout, Corpulent, Chubby, Bulky
Funny Amusing, Humorous, Droll, Hilarious
Get Acquire, Obtain, Secure, Procure, Gather
Good Excellent, Fine, Wonderful, Superior, Gracious, Superb, Splendid, Genuine,
Sterling, Top-notch,
Great Worthy, Distinguished, Grand, Considerable, Mighty
Happy Pleased, Delighted, Elated, Joyful, Ecstatic, Jubilant, Jaunty
Hate Despise, Loathe, Abhor, Abominate
Have Possess, Own, Acquire,
Help Aid, Assist, Support, Encourage, Relieve
Hide Conceal, Cover, Mask, Veil
Idea Thought, Concept, Notion
Important Necessary, Vital, Critical, Indispensable, Valuable, Essential, Famous, Notable
Interesting Fascinating, Engaging, Spirited, Intriguing, Gripping, Enthralling, Captivating
Little Tiny, Diminutive, Exiguous, Dinky, Cramped
Look Gaze, Glance, Peek, Glimpse, Stare, Leer
Love Like, Admire, Fancy, Care for, Adore
Make Create, Originate, Invent, Construct, Manufacture, Produce, Compose
Move Plod, Creep, Crawl, Drag, Toddle, shuffle, Trot, Lumber, Meander
Neat Orderly, Tidy, Trim, Natty, Smart, Elegant
New Unique, Modern, Current, Recent
Old Feeble, Ancient, Aged, Veteran, Mature, Primitive, Stale

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Place Draw, Map, Diagram, Procedure, Method, Blueprint
Show Display, Exhibit, Indicate, Reveal, Demonstrate
Tell Disclose, Reveal, Expose, Narrate, Inform, Divulge
Use Employ, Utilize, Exhaust, Spend
Wrong Incorrect, Inaccurate, Mistaken, Erroneous, Improper, Unsuitable

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4 | Grammatical Range and Accuracy  

Below is a brief summary and some examples of the three main types of sentence structure:
a. Simple sentences
consist of only one independent clause – e.g. I drink coffee in the morning.
b. Compound sentences
consist of two independent clauses joined together – e.g. I drink coffee in the
morning, but I don’t drink it at night.
c. Complex sentences
consist of a combination of dependent and independent clauses joined together – e.g.
Although I drink coffee in the morning, I don’t drink it at night because it keeps me
awake.

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5 | Fluency and Coherence  

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Most Common Problem in Fluency

Problem 1 - Trying to Speak Too Quickly

Students with good fluency speak smoothly, not quickly. It is a common
misconception that good fluency means very rapid speech. Trying to speak too
quickly in any language will cause a loss of coherence because your brain simply
can’t keep up with your mouth. Combine this with speaking in a second
language under exam conditions and the result is going to be a loss of coherence
and lots of mistakes.

Solution – Focus on speaking calmly and smoothly. This will not only help your
fluency, but will also give you more time to think of ideas and find the correct
grammar and vocabulary.

Problem 2 - Trying to Think of Ideas

Students often complain that they can’t think of ‘good’ or ‘correct’ ideas and
this causes their fluency to suffer. This is often caused by a misunderstanding
of what is actually being assessed on the speaking test. If you look at the official
marking criteria, you will notice that there is no mention of ‘good’ ideas. As
long as you give an answer that is related to the question asked, you will be
fine. It is not an ‘ideas’ test or an ‘intelligence’ test, it is a speaking test.

Solution – Do not worry so much about the quality of your ideas and focus on
the quality of your speaking. Talk to the examiner about what you know about
the question being asked. If you know nothing, or very little, about the topic,
don’t be afraid to tell the examiner.

Problem 3 - Not Having a Structure

This problem is mostly related to Part 2. You will be given a cue card before
you talk. You are given a general topic to talk about and then there are three
or four things that they suggest you should talk about. The problem here is that
many people run out of things to say and then their fluency normally suffers.
This is for two main reasons. Firstly, many people think that they can only talk
about the three suggested things on the card. It is difficult to only talk about
three small things for 2 minutes. Secondly, most people do not prepare
anything else to talk about apart from the three things on the card.

Solution – You must talk about the general topic at the top of the cue card,

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 but you are free to talk about whatever you like within that topic. Therefore,
you could: Introduce the topic, give your opinion about the topic, talk about
the past, present, future of the topic, Give a description of the topic, Tell a
personal story about the topic.

Problem 4 - Focusing Too Much on Grammar and Vocabulary

If you focus on them too much you will be constantly thinking of the correct
language to use and this will lead to lots of hesitation and pausing.

Solution – Record your speech. If you do this exercise on a regular basis, you
will soon learn that you should have more confidence in your language ability
and realise that fluency is what you really need to work on.

Problem 5 - Not Enough Practice

Many students have great vocabulary and grammar, but they never actually
use this language by speaking or writing. The biggest problem for students is
not being able to find partners to speak with.

Solution – Record your speech, try to find native English speakers in your own
area or find partners in your group.

Problem 6- Trying Not to ‘Umm’ and ‘Ahh’

Many students associate making ‘ummm’, ‘ahh’ and ’emmm’ sounds with poor
fluency. If you hesitate frequently and makes these sounds, then it is a
problem, but making them sometimes is not only fine, it is totally natural.

Solution– Accept that making these hesitation sounds will happen and they
are totally natural and acceptable. If you make them infrequently, don’t
worry.

Problem 7 - Stress
If you are very nervous and stressed out during your test, you are going to be
less fluent than normal. The main reason that people are nervous during their
test is that they are not fully prepared.

Solution – Follow the suggestions above and you will be fully prepared and
confident.

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