Foundations Newsletter

Each month thousands of people from all over the world take the IELTS exam for a variety of reasons. The speaking interview is an integral part of the exam. For UAE nationals it is often their strongest skill. Despite this many mistakes are made repeatedly which could make or break a candidate.

You can share these tips with your learners to help prepare them for the speaking test:

1. Although you will feel nervous and stressed remember to walk in the room feeling confident. Smile at the examiner and say “good morning or afternoon”.
2. The examiner will always ask you for your full name. They will then ask you about one of two topics. The first will be about your home and where you live. The other is about what you do, where and why you study. You must be prepared to talk about this for 2 minutes.
3. The more you talk the better. You get credit for talking and for trying to speak at length. It is much better to talk and make mistakes than give short one word answers.
4. When you give an answer explain why. There is no right or wrong answer. Give your answer and explain why. Give an example to support your answer.
5. In part 2 you have one minute to think about what you are going to say. Do make notes but just short bullet points NOT sentences. The examiner will collect the paper but not look at them.
6. In part 2 many of the questions ask for an example of something e.g. your favourite restaurant or website. It’s often difficult to talk about one thing for 2 minutes so talk about your second favourite as well. The crucial thing is to talk for two minutes until the examiner stops you.

There are many videos on YouTube that provide helpful examples for our students.  This video is one of many that show common errors and how they can be overcome.