Today you’ll learn how to from a 6 to a 9 in IELTS Speaking Part 1.
In Speaking Part 1, you know that questions about your hometown are common.
The first group of questions will always be about ‘home’, ‘work’, or ‘studies’. Then, you’ll be asked about two more random topics.
The danger in knowing this is commonly asked, though, is to be too rehearsed in your response.
This is the opposite of natural, and doesn’t get a 7 or higher.
Students make this mistake a lot- flipping into ‘test mode’ on the IELTS Speaking test, and they end up sounding like robots.
Click here for sample hometown Speaking answers.
Recently, a 3 Keys student posted her description of her hometown to ask for feedback:
Piura is located in the Northwestern part of Peru, and, since it is on the coast, it has access to the sea. Piura has over 500,000 people and takes up 8 provinces. Piura is known for its colonial buildings, and the most famous is the cathedral of Piura.
This sounds like a Wikipedia entry. It does not sound natural.
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In order to get a 7 or higher, you have to communicate personal feelings and experiences, especially in Part 1.
Another 3 Keys student who got a 9 in Speaking, came back to our group to post.
He has been studying with other tutors and heard conflicting advice.
They told him that the IELTS Speaking Exam was a formal interview and he should not use informal language.
That’s wrong!
He already got a 9 using our strategies, and realized what he was learning was incorrect.
So, the first student corrected his answer:
The city where I live is a small but nice town. What I really like is that everything is super close, such as malls and supermarkets. There’s a little downtown which has beautiful Spanish colonial buildings, the most iconic of which is the cathedral of Piura.
Basically, native and natural is a 9, while ‘student’ and stiff is a 6.
Remember to sign up for our November webclass, about how to be a FEARLESS conversation starter in English!