Did you know that the second part of the IELTS Speaking test can be the most difficult for candidates, even Native Speakers.
But don’t despair it can also be the easiest part, and the most enjoyable.
There is a valid reason for this part of the IELTS test, and I will explain this below.
One reason for Part 2 is to allow the candidate speak at length and meet the fluency criteria.
A second reason is to allow the examiner to grade your ability for the follow up questions in Part 3.
They are trained to listen carefully for language range, grammar accuracy and pronunciation is normal speech.
They can then chose the best question sets in Part 3 that allows you to display your real language ability. So it’s important to fill that 2 minutes the best you can.
Part 2 Structure
You are given a set of prompts and a question.
The prompts are not particularly challenging, but follow a pattern to give you ‘ideas’ and ‘structure’ for your 2 minute talk.
This gives the examiner ‘a further opinion‘ to your level, ready for Part 3.
One way to do well in this section is to try and relax.
A relaxed candidate always performs better and responds well.
If you don’t understand something, always ask the examiner to repeat the prompt question.
The examiner can’t help you directly, but repetition might help you understand the prompt better.
Other tips are
- Don’t give the examiner an opportunity to ask ‘can you say anything else about that’.
- Speak for the full 2 minutes until the examiner stops you.
- Don’t hesitate too much, you are allowed to make some mistakes, it’s natural.
- Connect your sentences and use the structure given in the prompt.
- Attempt to use complex sentences rather than short, simply ones.
and
- Don’t be afraid to correct yourself.
What if you really don’t understand the prompt or even worse the prompt doesn’t apply to you?
If you’re preparing for IELTS, and feel you cannot answer some of the speaking questions properly, simply because they really do not apply to your current life experience, then don’t worry as you’re not alone.
For example:
Q. Talk about an object you own that is especially valuable or important to you.
Problem: I have a quite spartan lifestyle and I don’t have any emotional attachment to any objects I own.
Q. Talk about an object that has had great influence in your life, and explain how it influenced your life.
Problem: While I could talk for hours about books that I love, I don’t really feel that there is a book that has truly influenced my life.
IELTS Speaking Topic: An experience abroad
Describe an experience abroad that you have had.
You should say:
where you went
why you went
how long you went for
and describe what the experience was like.
Okay, so I want to talk about going abroad. In actual fact, I don’t think I have ever been abroad because going abroad means crossing an ocean or a sea and not just a country’s boarder. So, for that reason, I am going to talk about going to another country. In China, its very popular to travel in the New Year to see family. Young people often live very far away from families because of work or the university is on the other side of the country. At this time of year, it has become very popular to fly home or travel by bullet train so it’s really congested when people travel at the same time.
In 2018, our family, which is quite small, decided to escape the congestion by going away at this time. We chose to go to Thailand because it’s not so far from South China by plane. The journey really didn’t take that long, just over 3 and half hours and it was a good flight. It was another 2 hours to reach our hotel where we stayed for 7 days.
It felt quite unusual to be away from home, but we soon adjusted to the situation quite well. The food was different to what I am used to, but excellent all the same and being close to the beach meant there was the opportunity to enjoy relaxing walks in the evening.
Although this trip was probably quite expensive, it was a positive experience for all the family, as it felt like a family get-together and a holiday, all in one!
Just to finish, I would really like to go abroad someday in the future. When I finish my studies, I’d really like to fly to Europe and visit some of the well-known European cities, such as the fashion capitals like Milan and Paris, as well as Berlin and London, for the history. Some of my friends have been there and they say it’s a once in a lifetime experience and opportunity before they start their careers.
Solution to this problem
IELTS is a test of your language ability, not intelligence or knowledge.
You may think the IELTS test is an interrogation, but you don’t really need to answer with the truth.
However, I would feel more comfortable with the be honest approach, even if it does not directly answer the question.
You would probably be able to answer more naturally, and therefore be more fluent.
Which one do you think is a better strategy?
You can use tips and information on this website to help make it easier to obtain a higher score, but remember you still need to work at learning the language to be successful.
Please share to someone you know and in the meantime take a look at my Facebook Page and Website for IELTS answers and you can also join my Facebook Group here too.
Good Luck
Jonathan
