IELTS speaking lesson

Bài giảng chi tiết, đầy đủ về IELTS speaking, giúp học viên nắm chắc nội dung, yêu cầu và phương pháp làm bài thi IELTS speaking IELTS viết tắt cho International English Language Testing System, tạm dịch là Hệ thống Kiểm tra Anh ngữ Quốc tế với 4 kỹ năng Nghe, Nói, Đọc và Viết. IELTS là cuộc thi kiểm tra trình độ thông thạo Anh ngữ quan trọng và phổ biến nhất thế giới cho mục đích học tập, làm việc và định cư với hơn hai triệu thí sinh dự thi.

Lesson 1: Structure & Procedure of IELTS Speaking test

In this lesson you will learn the following points about IELTS Speaking test:

o the purpose of IELTS Speaking test

o the structure of the test

o the length of each part

o the procedure on the test day

I Purpose of IELTS Speaking test

The Speaking test is an oral interview between you and the examiner The purpose

of the Speaking test is to determine how effectively you can communicate in

English.

Structure of the test

IELTS Speaking test is divided into 3 parts Each part is different in terms of the given tasks and how you and the examiner will communicate

Part Interaction Task and language

The examiner asks you some questions about topics that are familiar to you

Part 2

3-4 minutes

Individual long turn

The examiner gives you a card with a topic written on it and some prompts to help you withyour answer You are also given a pencil and a piece of paper to make notes if you wish You have one minute to think about the topic and prepare your answer

Then, you must speak about the topic for one to two

minutes The examiner may stop you if you speak longer than this After you finish talking, the examiner may ask you one or two follow-up questions.

Part 3

4-5 minutes

Two-way discussion

The examiner asks you some questions to involve you in a discussion The questions the examiner asks have the same theme as Part 2 The language required in the discussion is generally more abstract than inthe other sections

II Procedures on the test day

The Speaking test takes place on other day and in other place than other parts of IELTS

1. After you have registered for IELTS, the test administrator will inform you about your interview time and place

2. When you come to the test centre for your Speaking test, the test

administrator will tell you the room number when your test will take place

Close to the time of your test, you will be shown to a waiting area.

3. The examiner will call you into the test room and ask you to sit at a table facing him/her

4. When you come to the room, the examiner will turn on a recorder and start your Speaking test Don't worry about that - all interviews are recorded to make sure the Speaking test is fair.

III IELTS Speaking marking criteria

IELTS Speaking scores are calculated using 4 criteria:

1. Fluency and coherence (FC) = how clear and structured is your speech.

To increase score for FC:

o connect your sentences by linking words and signpoints

o extend your answers, add all the relevant details

o speak smoothly and continuously

o use pausing correctly

2. Lexical Resource (LR) = how good is your vocabulary.

To increase score for LR:

o use a wide range of vocabulary

o discuss different topics freely, using appropriate words

o speak formally or semi-formally

o choose words accurately

o use idiomatic language

3. Pronunciation (P) = how naturally you sound.

To increase score for P:

o pronounce words as clearly as possible

o record your speech and work on the words that you spell incorrectly

o stress words and sentences correctly

o use correct intonations

o try to be easily understood by the examiner

4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) = how good is your grammar.

To increase score for GRA:

o avoid grammatical mistakes

o try to use more advanced grammatical structures (passive voice, direct

speech, different tenses and conditional sentences etc)

IELTS Speaking score calculation

Each of these criteria receives a score from 0 to 9 points After that, an arithmetic mean is calculated to determine the section's total score For example, if your marksare: FC - 7, P - 8, LR - 7 and GR - 6, your total score will be (7+8+7+6)/4 = 7

For example, if your marks are:

• Fluency and Cohesion: 7.5,

• Pronunciation: 7.0,

• Lexical Resource: 7.0,

• Grammatical Range and Accuracy - 7.5

Then your total score for IELTS Speaking is (7.5+7.0+7.0+7.5)/4 =7.25,

which will be rounded to 7.5.

Lesson 2: IELTS Speaking Part 1

I Introduction

The purpose of this part of the Speaking test is to:

• confirm your identity (introduction)

• demonstrate your ability to respond effectively to general questions about

yourself (interview).

At the start of the Speaking test you will be greeted by the examiner and invited to sit down At this point, the examiner will begin recording the interview Don't worry - this is to ensure that the interview is conducted fairly for all candidates.Then, you will be asked to show some identification and the examiner will also ask you your name and what you prefer to be called (i.e your first name or nick name)

1. Introduce yourself in a relaxed and friendly way

2. Make a good impression by smiling and being confident

3. Be aware of your body language – sit up straight and always look at the examiner (eye contact is considered in Western cultures)

4. Do not tell the examiner that you feel nervous – the examiner already knows this :)

II Interview

During this part of the Speaking test you will be asked some general questions about yourself These questions relate to your personal background To answer

these questions well, see the recommended strategies below

Here some very common topic areas that you might be asked questions about:

• job & studies

a. Learn some topic vocabulary and see IELTS Speaking sample questions to

be more familiar with IELTS Speaking part 1

b. Don't give too short answers - answer with 2-4 sentences

c. Be natural and spontaneous, don't learn whole answers by heart

d. If you feel you got stuck, you may ask yourself a "leading question"

(like why? or how?) to help yourself to continue Example:

Examiner: Do you like fruit?

Candidate: Umm, yes [Why?] I like fruits because they are good for our health and because I like their fresh taste.

e. If you feel you need some time to think about your answer, you can say the

following phrases: "Oh, that's an interesting question ", "I have actually

never thought about that " or "It's a tricky question!" This way, you will

get extra 3-5 seconds to think of your answer

f. Use linking words

firstly, secondly, thirdly for example in general

first, furthermore, finally for instance generally

to begin, to conclude as follows: on the whole

Besides as a result/consequence especially

in the same way because of this/that in other words

Equally for this/that reason Expressing an alternative

Correspondingly under these circumstances on the other hand

in the same way Deduction the alternative is

as far as x is concerned in that case instead

with regard/reference to otherwise conversely

as for this implies that on the contrary

turning to Stating the obvious in comparison

unexpected)

to summarise as can be expected nevertheless

IV Easy ways to extend your Part 1 answers

I am often asked by students how long answers should be in Part 1 There is nodefinitive answer to this, but they should not be too short and not too long That’s aconfusing answer, I know Let me explain more

They shouldn’t be too short because you want to show the examiner that you canactually use English, so ‘I’m a student.’ is not really long enough

However, they should not be too long either, because Part 1 is on familiar topics(family, work, hobbies etc.) and you don’t normally talk for 2 minutes whensomeone asks you where you are from Also, you will have lots of opportunities togive longer answers in Parts 2 and 3.

As a general rule, if you only give a single sentence with a single clause like ‘I’mfrom Ireland.’ then your answer is too short I also don’t think Part 1 answersshould ever have more than three sentences Somewhere in between is just right.The main point is that you should not worry about length too much in Part 1 Youruse of English is much more important

Below are a few ways that you can easily extend your answers from a shortsentence to a more comprehensive answer that will sound better and hopefully getyou a higher score

Feelings and Opinions

You can easily extend your answer by saying how you feel about the question youwere just asked It will also make your answer more interesting

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Short answer: ‘I like shopping.’

Longer answer: ‘I like shopping because I love trying on new clothes and I always

feel more confident when I’m wearing a new outfit

Contrasting Details

One of the easiest ways you can extend your answer is to simply use the word ‘but’

to contrast details

How long have you worked there?

Short answer: I’ve worked there for three years.

Longer answer: I’ve worked there for three years, but I’m going to change careers

next year

Combining Details

Instead of giving a very short answer you can add in some extra details with ‘and’,

‘with’ or ‘also’

Do you live in a flat or a house?

Short answer: I live in a house.

Longer answer: I live in a house with my two brothers and my mum We’ve also

got a dog and a cat

Past Comparisons

You can talk about what you ‘used to’ do and how that has changed now in thepresent

Do you play sport?

Short answer: I play football.

Longer answer: I used to love basketball, but now I play football more because

that’s what my friends are into

Adding Reasons

Always try to explain why you think or do something in the test You can do thisusing ‘because’ or ‘so’

Do you like your job?

Short answer: Yes, I really love my job.

Longer answer: Yes, I really love my job because I get to help people with their

problems everyday

Future

If something will change in the future, you can use one of the future structures, like

‘will’ or ‘be + going to’

Do you work or study?

Short answer: I’m at university at the moment.

Longer answer: I’m at university at the moment, but I’m graduating next year and I

will hopefully get a job in advertising

Contrast Opposite Opinions

You might be asked a question where you have to talk about your opinion oranother person’s opinion Use ‘even so’ or ‘although’ to show that you haveconsidered both sides

Is your hometown a nice place for tourists to visit?

Short answer: Yes, it has a really nice beach.

Longer answer: Yes, it has a really nice beach, although it is getting really busy

these days, so it’s not as pristine as it used to be

Giving Examples

Real life examples are always the easiest things to talk about because you can talkabout them naturally and in more detail

Do you get along with your brothers?

Short answer: No, we’re not in to the same things.

Longer answer: No, we’re not in to the same things, like when we are both

watching TV we always fight about what show to watch

Frequency

You can use words like ‘usually’, ‘never’, ‘always’ and ‘more often than not.’ toextend your answers

What do you do at the weekends?

Short answer: I watch TV and play computer games.

Longer answer: I usually watch TV and play computer games, but sometimes I go

out for a drink with my friends

How can I use these?

The best candidates use English naturally in the Speaking test They don’t think

‘Should I extend this with an example or talk about the future?’ and then give ananswer, they just reply spontaneously

You can improve by doing something I call practising ‘slow and fast.’ Practiceslowly first with old exam questions and think about how you could extend youranswers and even have notes and books in front of you Think deeply about whatstructures you need to use and focus on getting your answers perfect

You can then practice ‘fast’ with new questions and without any help and hopefully,because you have studied the structures in detail, you will be able to use themnaturally without any help

Can I use more than one?

Of course! They are totally flexible Combining two or three of the above structures

in a single answer is very impressive

Where are all the complicated structures?

Trying too hard to use ‘complex structures’ normally leads to mistakes Rememberthat the main goal in the Speaking test is being able to communicate effectively andfluently with the examiner If you are thinking about complicated grammarstructures, you probably won’t be able to do either of those things.

You do have to use a ‘range of structures’, but that does not mean that you have touse every complicated phrase and tense in the English language Focus on realcommunication and the ‘range of structures’ will look after themselves

V Dos and Don’ts

Speaking Part 1 lasts between 4-5 minutes and you will be asked questions about familiar topics, such as:

Notice that these questions are all about you It is considered easier than the other

two parts because it is much easier to talk about yourself than more abstract topics, but that doesn’t mean it is not important

Below are 5 Dos and Don’ts to make sure that you start your Speaking test in the best possible way.

Do # 1- Know What to Expect

You will probably be a little nervous and you don’t want any surprises that will make you even more anxious, so you must be aware of exactly what will happen when you walk into the room

Before Part 1 begins four things will happen.

1. The examiner will introduce themselves and ask you what your name is Youcan simply reply ‘My name’s _’ Make sure that you use the

contraction ‘name’s’ rather than ‘name is’ This will remind you to use

contractions (e.g I’m, We’d, they’ll) in the rest of the test

2. The examiner will then ask you ‘What can I call you?’ You can simply say

‘You can call me _’ If you have an English name, it is fine to use it, but make sure that you pronounce it correctly If you can’t say your own

name properly, it does not create the best first impression If unsure, just use your normal name.

3. They will then ask you where you are from Simply state “I’m from _” There is no need for you to give any extra information about your answers at this stage

4. The examiner will finally ask to see your identification Show it to them and then the test can begin

By knowing these four things will happen you will be more confident and start the exam well

Do # 2- Create a Good First Impression

My students often ask me, if they smile, are friendly and give the examiner good eye contact, will they get a higher mark The answer is no and yes

There is nothing in the marking criteria which says that being nice, or looking the examiner in the eye will improve your grade However, being confident helps you because it will have an effect on your answers

If you look at the floor and give the impression that you would rather be anywhere

in the world apart from in the room with the examiner, you will normally give very short monotone answers and this will lower your score

However, if you are open and friendly with the examiner, you are more likely to give natural sounding answers

Don’t overdo the eye contact thing It feels really strange when someone looks you straight in the eye for 15 minutes Pretend that you are having a normal

conversation with a friend If you were looking at the floor the entire time, a friend would ask you if you were OK If you were staring them dead in the eye, they would get a bit freaked out

Pretend it is just a normal conversation and you will be fine

Do # 3- Pretend You’re Interested in the Questions

Let’s face it, most IELTS questions are really boring If you listen to someone answer a boring question you will notice one thing- their voice is monotone i.e it does not go up or down in pitch at all, it sounds very flat If you speak like this you will get a lower mark for pronunciation because one of the crucial factors you will

be tested on is intonation

When native English speakers talk, their voice naturally falls and rises depending

on how they feel about what they are saying

Imagine you are late for class, you walk into the room and the teacher says to you

in a falling tone ‘Sit down, please.’ They are probably telling you, through their intonation, that they are not very happy with your lack of punctuality However, if they said it with a rising tone at the start, they would probably be telling you they don’t mind that you are late and are happy to see you

Similarly, if you pretend that you are interested in what the examiner is saying yourintonation should become more varied However, be careful not to overdo it and make your voice really high, or really low because you will sound like a crazy person

Listening to native speakers talk and copying their intonation will give you a good idea of what natural intonation sounds like

Do # 4- Extend Your Answers

There is no set amount of words or sentences that you should use in Part 1

They shouldn’t be too short because you want to show the examiner that you can actually use English, so ‘I’m a student.’ is not really long enough

However, they should not be too long either, because Part 1 is on familiar topics (family, work, hobbies etc.) and you don’t normally talk for 2 minutes when

someone asks you where you are from Also, you will have lots of opportunities to give longer answers in Parts 2 and 3

As a general rule, if you only give a single sentence answer, with a single clause like ‘I’m from Ireland.’, then your answer is too short I also don’t think Part 1 answers should ever have more than three sentences Somewhere in between is just right

Do # 5- Practice

It is a very bad idea to prepare memorised answers before your speaking test, but because Part 1 is very predictable, you should practice the familiar topics

mentioned above in number one

Try recording yourself and then listen back and think about the following:

1. Could you improve the vocabulary?

2. Did you make any grammar mistakes that could be fixed?

3. Did you speak fluently or did you speak at an unnatural speed?