Lindsay McMahon
"The English Adventurer"

Are you using your prep time wisely? Are you doing all you can to prepare for success?

On the IELTS Speaking exam, you are graded in 4 categories. Yes, your final mark is an average of these 4 categories, which are in turn averaged over all 3 parts of the IELTS Speaking test.

However, you want to impress the examiner immediately. You want to show the examiner right away that you are not a “6 student”, and that you have prepared for higher scores than that.

Practice talking about your country/culture

All the topics in IELTS Speaking Part 1 are personal, “easy” topics, such as free time, shopping or food. There are very often questions asking you to explain what happens in your country/culture with regards to the topic.

For example, “How do people stay in shape in your country?”

These questions sometimes challenge students because they are not used to describing their own culture or traditions in English.

Armed with this knowledge, you need to start preparing for these questions now.

Prepare the common IELTS Part 1 topics

You will be asked 3 groups of questions on Part 1. The first group is always about home/city, work or studies.

The questions could be about your where you grew up or where you live now, about your house/apartment or the city/town itself.

However, knowing that these are always the first topics mean you are definitely preparing for what you need on IELTS Part 1 by practicing them.

Also, a very common question on IELTS Speaking Part 1 is to ask you if you “enjoy” something. Again, knowing is half the battle. The other half of the battle is preparing for what you need.

You should learn and practice interesting vocabulary associated with opinions and common topics. Slang, for example, is vocabulary you must practice to show the examiner the range needed to score a 7 or higher.

It is also a good idea to practice what to say in case you are asked about an unfamiliar topic.

Listen to model IELTS Speaking Part 1 answers

On our podcast, we have published many episodes featuring model answers for all parts of the speaking exam. Here is the latest for IELTS Speaking Part 1 model answers.

(And IELTS Speaking Part 2, and IELTS Speaking Part 3. We are productive!)

One term that Lindsay and I like to use is aiming for that “native 9”. Aim higher than you need, or even than you believe you can achieve. Who knows? Even if you miss the 9, maybe you’ll hit the 8!

Know what the IELTS examiner wants

We designed our course, the 3 Keys IELTS Success System, with the test and the examiner first in mind. This means we reversed engineered all strategies and practice, basing everything on satisfying IELTS Exam requirements and expectations.

Basically, if you don’t know what the examiner needs in order to give you that 7 or higher, how can you provide it?

Do some research, follow a solid study plan, and start preparing for success today!

What did you think of today’s advice?

Leave us a note in the comments section below!

  • Badges (1)
  • Badges-1 (1)
  • Badges-2 (1)
  • US_ListenOn_AmazonMusic_button_black_RGB_5X
  • App-Store-Button
  • google-play-badge
  • Badges (1)
  • Badges-1 (1)
  • Badges-2 (1)
  • US_ListenOn_AmazonMusic_button_black_RGB_5X