What if You are missing out on ideas: Some Strategies to maintain the flow in IELTS Speaking

Have you ever paused while communicating with others? Have you ever noticed your fluency during your speech? Indeed, noticing such points may not be possible every time and are often overlooked. People either feel shy to speak in English or they prefer talking in their native language to feel easy. But, those who are planning to move abroad but have no fluency in English can learn to speak it through IELTS online coaching. IELTS speaking practice makes one confident enough to speak fluently in front of the examiner.

Candidates need to stay calm and relaxed during the exam because fretting and any kind of visible nervous behavior can affect their speech.

Therefore, convincing and fluent speech plays a vital role in obtaining a higher score. You must work on your pronunciation because speaking requires tweaking good grammar and vocabulary together. Continuous oral practice will make you a fluent and proficient speaker.

Also Read: What is Shadowing & How it Helps in Improving English Speaking Skills?

What does IELTS speaking consist of?

The IELTS speaking test is conducted like an interview where you and your examiner will be interacting for about 15 minutes. Moreover, there are three different parts of the test. At the end of each part, the examiner asks you different questions and you need to answer them.

IELTS Speaking Part 1:

The first phase of your speaking test is related to you, your job, your interests, your friends, and your family. Make sure that you don’t lie about your personal life. Also, there is no issue lying about some questions that you do not know the answers to.

For example: if they ask you about camping but you have not really experienced it so you may face difficulty saying about it. Hence, your answer can be either yes or no. If yes, then you ought to tell them why you prefer camping and what you like about it. And if you do not like camping then give a logical explanation for it. Remember, your spoken statements will not affect your score even if they are lies as long as your answers are logical and relevant.

IELTS Speaking Part 2:

The second phase is about 1-2 mins. It seems to be hard for most students. For instance: if the topic of IELTS comes from the latest book that you have read. The IELTS speaking questions can be:

What is the book about?

What kind of book is it?

What kind of people will love reading it? And elaborate on why you liked it.

It might happen that you take a pause to think about the last book you read. But you need to avoid taking a long gap or pause because it will form a wrong impression on your examiner. It will lead to losing your scores too.

IELTS Speaking Part 3:

The third phase is related to part 2 only. The IELTS speaking questions should be answered with full explanations and examples of your answers. For example What type of books do youth in your country love to read?

Suppose, you have no clue about it. Then, your response can be either yes or no or you may create a response based on your general awareness.

Just like you had been a child yourself so you may have an idea about what your class fellows or friends read in their childhood days. Hence, you can simply elaborate on that. There is no cross-questioning about it later on. Just make sure that you do not panic. The examiner will be testing your English and not your knowledge.

Also read:  Want to prepare for the IELTS speaking test? Here are some tips and tricks

Examiner will score you based on the followings:

  • Lexical Resource
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy
  • Fluency and coherence
  • Pronunciation

Problems that candidates face while IELTS Speaking Test

Isn’t it weird when you are unfamiliar with the question that the examiner asks you and you don’t know what to say next? Being stuck right after the question is asked gives a bad impression on the examiner. Keep in mind some of the following tips that can guide you in the IELTS speaking test:

1. What should you do if you don’t understand the question well?

In this scenario, try to use the sentences and phrases mentioned below:

  • Sorry, I don't quite get you. When you say …, do you mean …?
  • I am not precisely sure how to answer that question, but (mayhaps)…
  • I apologize, I am not sure I get you. Do you mean (that)…?
  • That is a rather tough question, but (maybe)…
  • Could you please rephrase that question or topic?

Using these will not affect your scores and will make your engagement with the examiner continue.

2. What should you say if you get stuck?

Getting blank or stuck in midst of a conversation happens quite often. Therefore, you can try to use the following words and phrases to show that you are actively in conversation with the examiner instead of keeping yourself numb.

  • Well, …
  • In fact, …
  • You see, …
  • Actually, …

Rather than saying “I think”, use the following phrases kindly:

  • As far as I’m concerned, …
  • It appears that...
  • From where I stand, it is …
  • What I reckon is …
  • I’d like to point out that…
  • If I may say so, this is…
  • I’m convinced that…
  • Personally, I consider….
  • I hold the opinion that..

3. What should I do if I can’t pronounce some words?

  • Vaguer Words: It is true that candidates wish to use advanced vocabulary words to impress the examiner. However, they cannot remember the correct pronunciation of certain words. Therefore, make sure that you use a vaguer word in place of it.

For example, if you forget to say any specific word then use the following sentence:

Siya experienced extremely hard times.'

Somehow, you forgot to say the word 'experience'. Instead, you can say it like this:

'Siya had extreme hard times.'

  • Use synonyms

The second most effective way to follow is to use synonyms. You can use your imagination and use phrases or terms that can convey similar meanings.

For instance, you do not remember saying:

'That woman is so talkative.'

Then use the sentence in a similar context:

'That woman never stays quiet.'

  • Word Expansion
  • How shall I put it, …
  • Give me a few seconds, …
  • Let me think for a second, ...

Remember, you can explain or expand most complex words using more straightforward phrases. If you don't feel easy using some of the words then you may try to keep it simple. It will help you score a higher mark due to your fluency and a good level of grammar usage.

For example, if you can't say the following:

'I have never seen such an impudent person.'

Then you can say this:

'I have never seen such a person who does not care about others’ advice.'

4. How should one start and end his speech?

Apart from being at ease while speaking in front of the examiner, you should focus on an impressive beginning and end of the speech. Nothing feels so awkward than mumbling 'Yeah, that's right...'.

Below are some interesting points that can help you make a beginning and provide you some time to think about your responses:

  • It seems that you actually know how to ask hard questions
  • Well, that's an interesting question.
  • Well, it's actually hard to say.
  • Honestly, I don't quite remember.

To finish your speech, you may try something like this:

  • If I can rephrase that, …
  • In other words, I am …
  • And that means .…
  • What I'm suggesting is …
  • All I'm trying to say is …
  • Let me put it another way, …
  • Perhaps I should make that clearer by saying …
  • Perhaps it would be more accurate to say …
  • What I'm getting at is …

Conclusion:

In last, candidates must feel confident and wear a smile while introducing themselves to the examiner. Keep in mind, that the above-discussed ways are beneficial to improving your speech. You can seek help from online IELTS training to guide you through every effective strategy to use. Use simple words and keep your interactive skills strong. You will surely hit the jackpot at last.

Dr.Roma

Content Writer