Did you know that the second part of the IELTS Speaking test can be the most difficult for candidates, even Native Speakers.
There are many things you can do do to achieve the The Perfect Long-term Response
So 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.
IELTS 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: Something you have been taught
Describe something you have been taught.
You should say:
what the situation was
what you were taught
who taught you
and explain how this has helped you.
I have recently been taught how to use Zoom, the online conferencing tool which is quite famous now. So, as you probably know, most countries have been affected to some extent by Coronavirus and in the UK, schools, colleges and universities have been closed.
This happened in March 2020 while I was working with students at an international college. The situation moved quite quickly and within a week, all our face-to-face classes went online. I know my situation wasn’t unique, as there was suddenly so much online-information and training about conducting classes online. Lots of people had to adjust to the situation but all the tutorials seemed to make this transition more manageable and I generally think I am quite tech-savvy and able to pick things up quite quickly. The university also provided their own online tuition in using Zoom where an Education Technologist ran through the options, features and limitations of using Zoom and how it could be used for teaching. So, we learnt about scheduling classes and emails, designing learning activities, sharing screens, organising breakout rooms where students could work in groups, and sharing files for example.
However, for many of my colleagues it was problematic, so it was nice to be able to communicate with other people in the online class about what was not working and the problems we were experiencing. So, we were taught by the technologist, but we also taught each other which I have found to be an effective way of being taught. It really wasn’t easy making the sudden transition to online classes and the experience as a teacher is completely different to being in the classroom, I am still getting used to it, but having a reasonable level of confidence and competence in the technology used for delivery has helped me to continue and enjoy the teaching we do.
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
I’m Jonathan, an online-IELTS preparation specialist.
I help IELTS students achieve the IELTS score they need with courses, training, feedback and advice.
I have taught IELTS and University English in more than a dozen universities and schools around the world.
I’m a parent, traveller and passionate about language teaching and helping students achieve their dreams.
Whilst living in Austria or working in Asia, I run IELTS courses to help students get to where they want to be.
If you are serious about IELTS, connect with me to see how I can help you.
