This lesson gives useful advice on how to develop and improve your IELTS speaking at home for free. The tips run through what the examiner will assess you on in your test and what you can do to improve on your own without a teacher. Learn to analyse your answers for IELTS speaking, find your weaknesses and build your strengths.
Transcripthello in this lesson I’m gonna show you
how to improve
and develop your IELTS speaking at home so many
students
tell me that they cannot improved their
English
because they don’t have a foreigner to
talk to so I want to show you that
it is possible
to improve your speaking at home
on your own for free now the first thing
I want you to do
is to get a list of topics the common topics
for
speaking part 1 speaking part 2
and speaking part 3 if you cannot find a
list
please go to my IELTS blog www.ieltsliz.com
and you will find a
list
of common topics difficult topics and
the questions as well so you need to get
a list of these topics and develop
ideas I don’t want you to write down
your answers I want you
only to develop the ideas so for
example
if the topic is the topic weather
you can develop ideas about the kind of
weather you like
what you do when the weather is like
that
also how the weather makes you feel
different kinds of weather or maybe the
transportation problems
that come because of that weather so just
develop ideas that you can use
for that topic the next thing number two
is a word list so vocabulary if you have
the topic of
weather you need to have arrange a
vocabulary
for that topic so for example
hot weather hot is a very low band
score
but you could use boiling
scorching sweltering
there’s a whole range a vocabulary
you can build to impress the examiner
for that topic so you need to get that
list of vocabulary
and learn it number three
your next step to developing your
speaking
get the topic weather
choose probably about let’s say 6
questions for that topic take
your telephone and answered the
questions
recording your voice it’s very important
that you
do the recording rather than writing the
answer
when you write answers usually
you think more about the grammar you
think more about the vocabulary
and often you make less mistakes when
you speak
it’s direct so when you record your
answer this gives you a chance to find
your weaknesses finding your weaknesses
very important so that you can improve
so you need to
record your answers to those questions
on your phone
after that I want you to listen to
to your answers listen and
check now there are four things that I
want you to check for
I want you to check for fluency
vocabulary
grammar and pronunciation this is what
the examiner
will check you on now each one
in the exam the is 25 percent
of your marks with so their
all equal they are all very important
and the examiner is going to check your
answer
for each one now let’s have a look at
what you need to check
for each one fluency what does that
mean
well the first thing that you need to
check
is the length
of your answer did you give a very short
answer
or could you develop it a little bit
more
when you develop your answer a little bit
more
that is a higher band score you’re
offering
the examiner more language but you’re
showing the ability
to speak fluently so
develop your answer more higher band score
another thing that you can check for
your fluency
is how many times you say um
ah these are hesitations
and we don’t want hesitations in our
answer
so you need to check how many um how
many
ah that you have if
you have a lot that’s a problem I’m afraid
and you need to find a way to practice
more
so that you get rid of the ums and ahs
so we’ve got the length
of answer and the ums and ahs
another thing that you can check for
fluency how many times
you are silent
often when students start speaking
they can’t remember what they want to say
and suddenly they stopped
it is not good to stop and be silent
in the middle of your answer you need
to fill it
you need to keep speaking naturally with
a good flow
and that will give you a good band score
so those are
three things that you can check in your
answer
for your fluency now the next thing
is vocabulary
what do we need to check in the
vocabulary
for your answer well obviously the first
thing is
the range and the range means how many
different words are you using I’ll give
you an example
so paraphrasing
are you repeating the same word again
and again
or are you using different words
to describe same thing so again we use
the example of
hot you could say boiling scorching
sweltering those a three different words
that we can use
for the meaning of hot so you need to show
a good range
vocabulary that’s from your word list
and you need to paraphrase and show the
ability to use
different words for the same meaning
when you paraphrase as well you are
looking
at band score 7and band score 8
another thing you can look at with
vocabulary
of course are
mistakes
now one way that you can check your
mistakes
is by when you listen to to you answer
listen and write down the words that you
say
that way you can check more carefully
if you’re making any mistakes with words
are you using the wrong word are you using
the wrong
noun with the verb what problems do you
have
so check that in your answer
another thing to look at of course
grammar
and with grammar you need to check again
the range so for example the range
of tenses are you
giving only present simple
now I know maybe the six questions that
you have are
all present simple questions but that
doesn’t mean
that you can’t give another tense
so for example what kind of weather do
you like
I just love hot weather scorching
weather last week
it was perfect so it was a present
simple
question but I gave a little bit
of past simple in the answer
so you can practice doing that and
develop the technique
of putting different tenses into your
answer
another thing you can look at is
sentence structure
and that means how complex are your
sentences
are you using a lot of short sentences
so don’t forget listen to your answer write
down the words that you’re using
and then check how complex the sentences
are
you can perhaps start using some linkers
and start extending the sentences
and of course another thing for grammar
again are
mistakes this is very important
more mistakes you make lower your band score
will be so remember that the examiner
is listening for mistakes with
vocabulary and grammar
so please check what mistakes you’re
making and correct them
and practice and of course the last one
is pronunciation so what is
the examiner looking for
pronunciation
well the first one of course is word
pronunciation are you pronouncing
those words correctly
if you are not sure about that you can
go online
there are free dictionaries online so
that you can
lesson to the pronunciation of the word
so check that and make sure your words are
correct
another thing is individual
sounds so for example sh
s ch are you pronouncing these sounds
correctly
and again you can find practice
online for that
and one other thing for pronunciation
is intonation
intonation is if your voice is
going up and down or if you are speaking
like this if you’re speaking
very flat this is not good
for your band score you need to learn to use
intonation in your voice we often use
intonation
to make something more interesting or to
show when something is important
so you can practice that at home and try to
improve it
now the last part of the last thing once
you have
got your topics in your ideas you’ve got
your vocabulary for the topic
you have your questions and you record
them
you listen you check your answer
don’t forget you can write down the
answer to check
what you say write down the words you’re
using
check your fluency vocabulary grammar
and pronunciation
and then after that
practice practice and practice
find your weakness get rid of your
weakness
improve your strength so you practice
and record again don’t forget to keep
recording your voice keep recording your
answers
get used to that I know
it can feel uncomfortable to sit in a
room
alone and record but really
it’s good practice you need to do it
right well that’s all for this lesson
I really hope that you practice this at
home
honestly the more you practice the
better you IELTS will be
particularly if you check
your answers correctly well
keep practicing good luck and I’ll see you
in
another IELTS lesson
this is my first time here. thank you very much for this. hoping to learn learn a lot from you.
thank you
Enjoy my free website lessons 🙂
hi Liz
tomorrow is my speaking test, any last minute tips for preparation
See this page for last minute tips on all sections: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-exam-tips-on-the-day/ and review this page to check you understand the test on this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/
hi Liz,
here is shazia from Pakistan I am you big fan you are really an excellent teachers All the qualities I can found with you which I was searching from long time , you a matchless
love you so much for giving me guidance regarding IELTS
❤🧡💛💚💙💜❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Thanks for your message and support. Wishing you lots of luck in your test!!
wow,this is really great.i love it. thanks so much Liz.
I will be having my ielts exam in a few months
Good luck!
Hello Liz, hope you are doing well. I am Monalisa from India and I am big admirer of yours. I want to share a good news with you that I got an acceptance letter from a German University. However, it’s an conditional letter and I need submit a good IELTS band, otherwise they will reject me. So I am here and learning through your given lessons which is really useful and not so complicated. I am can practicing more and more so that I can get my desire band. You are the phenomenon teacher I have ever seen in my life. Thank you so much for providing those lessons and tips, it’s the way more helpful. All the good wishes for you.. take care and much love and respect for you.❤️
Wishing you lots of luck in your test!! 🙂
Thank you so much 🥰
Hi Liz
Good day. It’s great to listen to your advice always. They are unique and easy remembering. I always feel that you are the best.
Wish you in good health and be happy.
Thank you for being the best teacher I have ever seen.
Love
Israt Parvin
Bangladesh
Good luck with your test preparation !! 🙂
Hi Liz! Is the video on this page really down? When I tried accessing the link in my browser, it says video unavailable. Your blog is really helpful!
I’m really grateful you posted a comment. I didn’t realise this video wasn’t showing. I’ve just edited the page and the video should work now 🙂
Thanks so much, Liz! Confirming that it’s already working. 😊
Wow, this is great. I have determined to practice as you advised. Thanks a lot.
Good luck 🙂
Hello Mam,
Hope you are in good state of health. I want to know about speaking evaluation by examiner. Are they evaluate based on the recording of conversation or directly during the time of evaluation? Please help me to know it.
Your E-Books of grammar is awesome.
With Regards
You can find the answer in the speaking section of this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-help-faq/. Glad you like the Grammar E-book 🙂
Dear Liz
Thank you for the tips. My last holiday was 7 years ago. what should I do if I am asked about a recent holiday? Should I let the examiner know that I have not recently been on holiday but will talk about my last holiday?
You are not being marked on the information you provide or your ideas. The topics are just a chance to speaking English and showcase your language skills and range. Just be open, honest and chatty – like when you are speaking to a friend. “I haven’t been on holiday for ages. In fact, the last time was about 7 years ago …..”
Hi madam my speaking test is on 3rd october but still i am very lack in speaking.could you give me some suggestion regarding this.
Use the RED MENU BAR to open the speaking section of this site – use all the tips, lessons and model answers to help you prepare.
Hello Liz. Thanks your advise. Your advices are very useful for me
Hi,Liz!
I’m a student preparing for an IELTS and I’m 16. My problem is in Speaking section. Personally, I can’t control myself, I mean I can’t make sentences with an academic vocabularies moreover I can’t speak fastly and fluently.So I need the best method which will help me with your guarantee, please.
Why would you want to use academic vocabulary in an informal speaking test? Just be chatty and friendly. Anyway, vocabulary only counts for 25% of your marks. Please watch the video above about developing your speaking at home.
Hi Liz,your lessons are really helpful and I am feeling that I am improving day by day…I am from Pakistan….a house wife and having five children.. It’s very difficult for me to go outside and take classes from any institute…. I am struggling hard and your lesson are supporting me a lot….God blessed you…
I’m glad you found my site. My free materials are there to help you understand IELTS and develop skills. Keep a positive mental attitude and always review your own performance – take control of your learning 🙂
Mam,
Thanks for your lessons.
It’s a great help.
Thanks for everything. Ur lessons really work for me.
Dearest mam.
I’m very thankful to you for yours lessons …
GOD BLESS YOU..
hey liz i just want to tell u that ur amazing i love ur lessons and u know exactly what problems a student faces …thank you for everything ur amazing 🙂
Hii Mam,
Firstly thank you very much for giving so helpful lessons.i felt before that IELTS exam is very tough but when I started listening your lessons, I found it very interesting.Here ,please tell me that is it important tto uso complex words in speaking part 2.If we use simple words then how many bands can i get????
You need to speak naturally. If you try to use complex words, you will probably make mistakes and lower your score. Just use the English you know well and be fluent. The aim in IELTS is to avoid mistakes, not to impress.
But how can I use simple words while strong and uncommon vocabulary is required
Even band score 9 will use simple words. Not all words need to be unusual.
Hi Liz,
Firstly thank you very much for a free and selfless help. I need one clarity on a topic of pronunciation. What is a right pronunciation? Do i need to pronounce it exactly as google tool prnounce it or anything which is understandable by examiner is alright. Please help.
Speak naturally.
I want to call you and say thank you!
You don’t need to thank me.
Hello Liz,
I need a bank score of 8.5 and above and have attempted IELTS thrice.I always end up with a 7.5 score in all the modules nevertheless of how much ever preparations I take.
I have been referring to your lessons for past few weeks and have the below queries wrt speaking . Hope you would help me by answering them for me.
1. How do I introduce myself. I always say -> Hello , Good morning. My name is Preethi Sundar and you can call me Preethi…..
Can I stop there or shall I add on.. I come from Chennai …… and so on’
2. I have the habit of fidgeting and I feel I will be comfortable if I hold a pen/pencil in my hand while talking. Can I do this.. will examiner notice this and feel that I am quite nervous.
3. No matter of my practices , I seem to use ahhh’s and ummm’s during the exam ..any other efficient way to curb this .. Pl advise
P.S : Would be more obliged if you can provide me a feedback about my writing and vocabulary with the above post..
The difference between band 7.5 and band 8.5 is your level of English. Tips and techniques will not make your language more accurate or give you a better range. The examiner is interested in the English language you say and nothing more in IELTS speaking.
Hi Liz,
I attended speaking test today. Questions in the first section are as expected. The examiner asked me whether I work or study. Why did you choose this profession? Do you like your job? What aspect of your job is most challenging? Do you want to continue ? What is the importance of being polite? Who taught you to be polite? What are the advantages of being polite?
Section 2 topic :
Tell me about a stranger you met recently.
When did you meet?
What did you talk about?
How did you feel about the person?
Section 3:
Why do people chat with strangers
Do you think women chat more when compared with men?
What’s your opinion about social media sites?
Do you think young generation use social media sites more than old people?
I think that I did well in the exam. Hoping for the best. Fingers crossed…
Thanks a lot for providing variety of training topics, tips and suggestions.
Regards
Kiran
Thanks for sharing 🙂 Good luck with your results 🙂
Dear Kiran,
If you don’t mind,how much did you score?
Thank you so much for all.
Your website is very helpful for everyone who will set for IELTS
exam.
Thank u so much madem,i m dixit frm india .
Recentaly im cmplt ielts speaking test nd examinar ask me in in inroductive question abt ,do u like leave in pattern .plz ans this que .
You need to write the question clearly with mistakes so I can understand. Try typing it again.
Thanks so much Liz! I have found your site very useful to my preparation for IELTS. I sit for my exam on the 25th of March in Nigeria. Your site was recommended to me by a friend of mine who was successful in her IELTS. Your site contains a wealth of information and they are all useful. I just wanted to say thank you.
That’s really kind. I’m really happy to hear that you find my site useful. I hope your friend can benefit from it too 🙂
Hi!
Thank you so much for all of your study materials! They are extremely helpful!
I have recently found a question on an IELTS Speaking practise test and I could not find any ideas.I really hope that you have time to answer and help me with it.
The question is: what do you think are the disadvantages of having a lot coverage of sports on TV? (Part 3 of the Speaking test)
Thank you in advance!
I’m glad you find my materials useful 🙂 Here’s a possible answer to your question:
On the whole, the main disadvantage is that people become more involved with watching sport rather than doing it. The main reason sport is so important is that it keeps us healthy. It strengthens our muscles and immune system. But by only watching sport on TV, we are not promoting our health and just becoming couch potatoes. Another problem is that people often get so wrapped up in following their favourite sports, which can be numerous, that they cut themselves off from family live and instead their life revolves around sports competitions and the box.
You can see it’s a long answer. The examiner will cut you off at any point that they want to in order to move on to the next topic. That’s normal and fine – it doesn’t affect your score at all.
Hello liz mam
Firstly lots of thanks for your adivises and your tips are very helpfur for me for ielts exam
I want to know about…if there are giventwo bar graph ….then we only describe them…..or we describe their overview also
See the model for two charts on this page; https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-writing-task-1-lessons-and-tips/
Dear Liz,
Thank you very much for your very helpful lectures.
I am new in IELTS and have to sit exam. on December 3rd.
The date is too near for me and because of time limitation, I just got time to start to learn.
Luckily, I found your page and now learning there.
It’s very useful for me.
Thanks again and please help me since I need to get at least Band 6.5.
Best regards,
See my last minute tips: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-exam-tips-on-the-day/. Good luck!!!
Mam, your classes are awesome,it gives more knowledge to me, the tips used for different tests etc…thanks
You’re welcome 🙂
Your video is awesom and also understandable. Thank you very much
I am from Nigeria. I have my speaking test in less that 40 hours. I am currently practicing with your materials on your site…Wish me luck!
See this page for last minute tips:https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-exam-tips-on-the-day/ Good luck!! 🙂
Thank you for the tips.. I ve had my exam… I will definitely post the outcome.
Just to share, My writing tast 1 General was:
You have a spare room to rent in your flat(apartment). Write a letter to a college accomodation administrator telling him:
1. Where the flat is located
2. Describe the room.
3. What type of person you want to rent it to.
It seems easy.. Fingers crossed, waiting for the result.
I didn’t know exactly where to post this.. So help me move it to the right section.
Thanks for sharing 🙂 It can be posted here: http://www.ieltsliz.com/recent-ielts-questions-and-topics and your results here: https://ieltsliz.com/post-your-ielts-test-results/
Results out..scored LSRW 9/7/7/7. Thanks a whooooollle loot..I m posting it in the results section
Well done!!! Sorry for the late reply 🙂
Hi Liz
I’m Abhishek from india. I have an exam on Tuesday of speaking but i’m not fully prepared so please suggest me which type of topic would i go through.
Check the recent questions page:http://www.ieltsliz.com/recent-ielts-questions-and-topics
Hello Liz,
I wanted to know something about speaking part 2 I.e. Cue card. Is it OK that we could change the points to describe the topic. I mean say for example, the holiday u visited recently
– Where
-When
-With whom
-What u did
-Why u liked
So in this topic can we start like I visited xyz place last month, this was most memorable holiday for me because……..
I went there with my……
We did…..
Like this… Or should we follow the order of points strictly… Please reply…
Yes, you can develop your talk in any direction you want and add any information you want.
Hi Liz,
You are doing an amazing work by providing tips and lessons. I am from India.The day after tomorrow,on 1st september I have a speaking test.I can not speak fluently and not extend my answers.I am very nervous about it and tensed. Please guide me and give me suggestions.
Thank you.!
All I can say it practice and prepare topics as much as you can.
hi liz . i can’t buy your books.so what should i do?
Hi Liz,
I am Pankaj. First of all, thanks a lot for such important lessons for IELTS.
Currently I am working in Singapore but originally I am from India. As you mentioned 25% of score is for pronunciation, I need your help in choosing test centre location.
Will it be advantage if choose to take test from India instead of Singapore? I think Indian examiner can understand my pronunciation better compared to Singapore examiner. Will this make any difference?
I just want to know your thoughts on this.
Best Regards
Pankaj
It doesn’t really matter where you take your test as the examiner will mark your pronunciation objectively. You decide what works best for you.
A very great job liz…..
will u please suggest me some ways to improve my fluency in english within a period of two months?
Thank you very much Liz.You are really doing a nice job.
my question is this..For people who stutter/stammer.They have problem maintaining a long sentence structure and also fluency can be an issue for them
how will this affect their band score.
any help on this Liz?
If the examiner realises that this is a natural stutter or stammer, it won’t affect your score too much. As long as you are confident and expand all your answers with good examples of language and grammar tenses.
All the best
Liz
Hey Liz,
I have something to ask. Is it okay if I suddenly change my sentence during my IELTS speaking part 2 ? Because I couldn’t find an appropriate verb, it was like this : I don’t like people to use more social websites as it will … Then I pause for a while and I changed my sentence to we will not be able to communicate effectively in daily life. Will it be a major mistake in speaking test to do this ? My overall fluency was okay. I am quite worried about this. Thank you.
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
hey Liz..I recently joined with ur blog…. it is very helpful…. thanks for providing us very good information n teach us with a great way….I wanted to thank u for this….
Hi Liz I watch your all videos.They are very good.I have a question.My exam will be in Augst.What should I do to get Score 7 in speaking??
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
Hi Liz I watch your all videos.They are very good.I have a question.My exam will be in Augst.What should I do to get Score 7 in speaking??
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
Hi Liz
in my last IELTS exam the examiner was looking many times to the watch when i was answering part time questions. This made me confused as always I thought my answer is short and I have to speak more and more. Is there any consideration for speaking time in part 1 ?
best regards
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
I have a difficultly in passage reading can you plz give me some usefull tipsi couldn’t complete it on time
https://ieltsliz.com/liz-notice-2015-2016/
Hi Liz….
This is my 4th time IELTS exam on Oct 24th, every time i got band 5,
And my class sir says that i am much poor in grammer and sentence contruction …
colud please help me in this ..
Thnak you
See my useful website page (right hand column) for links to grammar websites.
All the best
Liz
Liz, in speaking test do they allow candidate to record the conversation during the test? I mean to do the recording for own reference?
You cannot take a recording device into the test room. However, IELTS records the test for the purposes of remarking.
All the best
Liz
Hi Liz,
First of all, thanks for your help and efforts. My GT Speaking test is scheduled on 8-May-17.
Do you mean to say that the same person who is going to take my interview will evaluate and give marks also?
Thank you
Kiran
There is no GT speaking test. All students take the same speaking test. There is no difference in questions or marking. The examiner who talks to you will decide your score at the end of the speaking test. Good luck!
Thanks for clarification Liz.
Will let you know how my test went.
Regards
Kiran
Hello Liz,
I would like to share a few tips which you can share with others. You can use a smart phone to practice pronunciation. For example, Android phones come with Google Voice recognition engine, and Iphones are equipped with Siri. I really don’t know how to use Siri for this purpose but the concept is the same even across different platforms. So let’s focus on how to improve pronunciation using an Android smart phone.
To compose an SMS, or email or any other textual passage, we often use the keyboard and type, but Android has a feature where you can select the voice typing keyboard and speak to the phone. If your pronunciation is good then the phone can recognize the words that you say, if not, it won’t recognize and usually end up in wrongly selected words by the speech recognition engine. Imagine you say the sentence “I want to come home” (couldn’t think of a better example) then if the phone recognizes and types as “I won’t to come home” then probably you will know what words you need to improve on pronunciation. (I guess you already know that Vietnamese usually don’t sound consonants or diphthongs, hehe). So this technique will help them to study by themselves.
About listening, I will elaborate the 2nd technique in summary. What people can do is that, by a movie DVD (or download the movie file along with the subtitle file [*.srt format]) and choose a time period from the movie, let’s say for example, from 00:14.23 to 00:24:01. Listen and watch the movie clip, write down the conversation (can use pause and rewind buttons as much as they want) and then after completing, compare with original subtitles against the script you have written. This way a person can see what words they have misheard or couldn’t comprehend.
Thank you, and I did learn a lot of things from your website. Can you grade my write above. 😀 I have IELTS next month and I hope to get >=8 score but at least not less than 7.
Thanks for sharing your tips. They are very good. I’m sorry but I don’t grade writing.
All the best
Liz
I am unable to extend my answers,am afraid and what can be done?
You should review all my model answers for speaking to see how I expand answers. You must learn to do this if you want to get a high score. Just add a bit more information to your answers as you would when talking to a friend. If your friend asked you “Do you prefer pasta or pizza?”, would you answer “pizza” or would you answer “I usually prefer to eat pizza because …”. When we talk to friends we always add a bit more friendly information. Do the same for your test.
Liz
Its very useful.
Hi Oybek, don’t hesitate to contact me. We can practice more to improve your band score in speaking part.
Hi Liz,
Firstly, thanks for the awesome videos. It’s a great help.
I also have a question. I have this habit of saying phrases like ‘pretty much’ and words like ‘really’ , ‘such’ etc. in my conversation. Is that okay? Because I doubt if ‘pretty much’ is correct English.
It is very good to use them in speaking. They are natural words to use, native speakers use them all the time and they will help your band score. However, just make sure you don’t use them in writing because they are not suitable.
Liz
hi liz, i need your help to get my score in ielts for reading.
Try this page: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-reading-tips-how-can-i-improve-my-score/
Liz
Hi !
Kindly guide me about “how should i greet the examiner?”
thanks!
See the video section on this page for your answer: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-free-lessons-essential-tips/
Liz
Dear Liz,
Would you please help me? I am looking for a book which can help me to improve my grammer (advanced grammer book) as well as a book which is full of useful collocations.
Best regards,
Shima
Try Collins grammar for IELTS book or any free website for English grammar. You can find them on google.
Liz
Hi Liz, I would like to know which type of vocabulary should be used in Ielts speaking to get high score? Is it less common and informal?
thanks!
Yes, that’s right. Phrasal verbs, collocations, less common words. Most are informal but if the question (particular in part 3) is technical, you will need to use formal, technical words as well, for example talking about global warming.
Liz
thank you!
Hi liz
Plz suggest the best ielts books to prepare exam.
Thanks
Please see the IELTS Extra page.
Liz