Many of us are stuck at home right now!
You need to keep learning and fill your time with something other than eating and watching Netflix.
We will continue publishing podcasts, the same as always.
We’re even doing a webclass that will teach you how to excel on the Speaking exam.
The sessions are April 25 and 27 and you need to grab your spot now!
What is the best way to prepare for an exam?
Don’t just do practice questions!
You don’t want to sound too rehearsed.
Sounding robotic and rehearsed is the opposite of fluency.
This will get you a band 6 Speaking score!
Combat this by finding someone to talk to.
Where can you find a speaking partner?
- Find someone to speak with on iTalki
- Look for a speaking partner on Facebook
Especially now when many of us are isolated at home, it is vital to keep up human connections.
Talk with someone over Zoom, FaceTime, Skype or WebEx.
Your speaking partner doesn’t have to be a native!
Fluency can be developed by speaking with a friend who is also learning English.
The goal isn’t to improve your vocabulary, it’s to get used to speaking!
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Talk to yourself!
Speak out loud!
This creates muscle memory.
All the experience getting words out easily strengthens the connection between your brain and your mouth.
Talk about a lot of different things.
You need to prepare for fluency practice.
Practice speaking about every topic you can think of!
It’s difficult to walk up to a native speaker and know exactly what to say.
Prepare questions and things you want to say.
- search All Ears English for episodes that have conversation topics
- search for more conversation starters online
- choose a news article and develop ideas for each topic
Speak like a character from a movie or TV show.
Mimic the way the character speaks.
Say something out loud you think they might say.
While watching a show, try to say what you think they’ll say next.
Creating a new character for yourself takes the pressure off of you talking about yourself.
Start a book or magazine club!
Michelle recommends The Paris Wife, about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife.
Historical fiction is always interesting!
Jessica recommends anything written by Edward Rutherford.
His books are long, but they are page-turners!
He charts a city through a family line and are very interesting.
Improv
This is a type of comedy where you improvise, meaning you don’t plan what you are going to say.
There are games you play that give you a situation and then you speak about it.
It’s a great way to practice being spontaneous and not sounding rehearsed.
You’re able to practice not sounding rehearsed and not knowing what the other person will say.
Alphabet Game
Jessica and Michelle found this game on an improv website.
- One person says a line that starts with the first letter of the alphabet.
- The next person has to say something starting with the next letter.
- Keep going as long as you can!
Anything that helps you think on your feet is great practice!
- think on your feet: an idiom for saying something you haven’t rehearsed
Takeaway
Make good use of this time when many of us are stuck at home.
The more Speaking practice you can get, the better prepared you will be!
These strategies will give you confidence and improve your overall fluency.
Use them so you’ll be prepare when test centers reopen!
For all the strategies you need in order to get the IELTS score you want, sign up for 3 Keys IELTS today!
What questions do you have?
Let us know in the comments section.
