Before you take the IELTS Speaking test, you are advised to spend time practising your language skills.
The skills you will need to demonstrate in the Speaking test are:
- a range of accurate and appropriate English vocabulary
- a range of accurate English grammatical structures
- awareness of and attention to English pronunciation
- the ability to speak fluently.
In this section each skill is explained separately, and there are some practice activities to help you to practise each skill.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary assessment is taken from not only the number of words you are able to use to express
ideas but also how accurate the words are in choice and formation, and how appropriately placed
the words are in a variety of contexts.
During the exam the examiner will listen for vocabulary:
- range: whether you have enough words to talk at length on a topic, and are able to speak on
common and less common topics
- accuracy: how correct the words and phrases you use are
- appropriateness: how correct or appropriate your words and phrases are to the context
- paraphrasing: your ability to substitute a word or phrase for another or to explain meaning using
different words
- precision: the ability to use the most specific word.
Vocabulary range
Having a wide range of vocabulary will give you the ability to say a lot on a topic, or to extend the
conversation. It will also enable you to speak on unfamiliar topics; not just topics related to your life
and family but also more abstract ones. Try the activities below to practise increasing your range.
There are no answers given for these activities as they will vary
Vocabulary Range Activity
- Everyday topics:brainstorm a range of topics to do with our daily lives. See what you can add
to this list:Food; Weather; Health; Travel; Education; Hobbies; Employment; Sport ...
- Current affairs:brainstorm a range of topics that deal with current issues. See what you can
add to this list: Health and Nutrition; Keeping Physically Fit; Using Technology; Population;
Migration; Global Warming ...
Vocabulary Range Activity
- Choose a topic from the lists above, and brainstorm every word and phrase you associate
with that topic. For example, Education: school subjects, schools, teachers, timetable, exams,
learning, teaching methods. Can you add to the list?
- Take any word from above (example: exams) and break it down further into its subgroups. How
many words can you add to this list on exams? Timetable, study, cram, revise, review, summarise ...
- Try the same process with other words from the list.
A good way to increase your vocabulary range is to find synonyms of words. These can help you
to explain something when you can't quite find the exact word.
Vocabulary Range Activity: Paraphrasing and using synonyms
- Find as many synonyms as you can for this word: strong [adj.]: powerful, great, forceful ...
- and this one: fantastic [adj.]: amazing, magnificent, wonderful ...
- study [v.]: learn ...
- revise [v.]: review ...
Vocabulary Range Activity: Prefixes and suffixes
English has a whole range of prefixes and suffixes that are added to words to create new ones.
Using prefixes and suffixes can increase your vocabulary range. Some common affixes are in-,
un-, con-, post-, anti-, -tion, -able. Can you decide which are prefixes and which are suffixes?
Prefixes are probably easier to recognise. Consult a good dictionary of prefixes if you can. First check the meaning, then see how many words you can make.
Try the following prefix exercises:
trans-: transport, transcontinental, transcript
post-: _______________________
in-: _______________________
un-: _______________________
re-: _______________________
Try the following suffix exercises:
-tion: _______________________
-sion: _______________________
-able: _______________________
Can you think of more prefixes and suffixes?
Vocabulary Range Activity: Finding language
Where can you find language related to different speaking topics? One of the easiest ways to start is to pick up your Local newspaper and read the topics. Note the words that are used in the articles.
You can also do this with TV programs.
Vocabulary accuracy
Accuracy refers to the ability to use words and phrases correctly. Many candidates know lots of words,
but they don't always use them in their correct form.
English has many words that are formed from the same root. The form of those words varies
slightly depending on tense and what part of speech they are. Take the word image. It is a noun
meaning the 'visual representation of something'. A lot of words are formed from image, and they
can be nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs. They might look similar to image, but they are not that
word and they are spelt and pronounced differently. Words such as imagine, imaginary and imaging are
examples. The correct use of prefixes and suffixes as well as phrases and more colloquial language is
also important.
Vocabulary Accuracy Activity
Think of the word understand. How many different forms of this word do you know? Check with a
dictionary.
- Try the word manage now.
- Test your knowledge of the correct form of a word by making sentences with different forms.
- Take the word belief. Try using its verb form:1, believe, in a sentence. Be careful with
pronunciation. Watch tense forms as well.
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing refers to the ability to substitute words and phrases when you don't know the exact word
to use or have forgotten it. It means you are never 'lost for words' and can make yourself understood
when you cannot remember a word.
Paraphrasing is like summarising. Let's imagine you've learnt the word fussy, but then you forget it.
Well, you know what it means, so simply describe that! This is something even native speakers need
to do from time to time.
Vocabulary Paraphrasing Activity
Example 1: Imagine you want to use the word skinny. How would you describe the meaning of this
word to someone? You could say: 'The man was-I've forgotten the word-but it means not fat or big.'
Example 2: You want to talk about a centipede. Here is an example of a paraphrase: 'In our country
we get a lot of those tiny creatures that look like worms with a lot of legs-/ can't remember the exact
name'.
• Paraphrase the following words to a partner: natural, proud, apple, innocent.
Vocabulary appropriateness
Vocabulary appropriateness refers to the correct use of words according to the context.
Although English has lots of synonyms, words that seem similar often have precise uses in particular
contexts. In addition, the many collocations (words that go together) and phrases or idioms also have
their own unique place.Precise use of words can affect tone and levels of formality.
For example, consider the word long. You might describe your dress as long, or your hair, but would
you describe a mountain as long? Hopefully, you'd describe it as tall or high! Would you describe a
road that wasn't very wide as skinny? Or would you call your thin friend narrow? These examples
don't sound right, do they? Swap them around, though, and things look better.Your skinny friend is
walking down a narrow road.
Vocabulary Appropriateness Activity
Consider what the following words mean and where you think you might use them:
- Tall or high? A building can be tall or high. What about a mountain? A person?
- Audience or spectators?
- Valuable or invaluable? Are these opposites or something else?
- Priceless or worthless? Are these the same?
- Mend or repair? The sock with a hole in it?
- Mend or repair? The broken computer?
Appropriateness also refers to correct use of language in particular situations.You wouldn't ask
your friend to extinguish their cigarette; you'd probably ask them to put it out. The use of the less
formal phrasal verb reflects the context: you and your friend.If the context is changed to an aeroplane
announcement, extinguish seems appropriate.
Vocabulary Activity 1
Change the following sentences to something more formal:
Vocabulary precision
As well as its meaning of 'correct for the context or situation', precision means using the best and
most defining word for something.
There are words in English that, unless used precisely, can be vague. Many words in common use
are vague and do not convey much meaning.The biggest problem is that they are simply over-used.
Such words include nice, Jantastic, awesome,great,fabulous, awful, beautiful, like and so on.
What does it mean when you say your meal was fantastic? Why do you describe your neighbour
and an ice-cream with the same word: nice?
Are they really the same?You need to learn to use other, more precise meanings to really describe
what something is about.You might mean that your neighbour is a very kind person, who always
gives you the extra apples off her tree, and that your ice-cream has a lovely creamy taste that makes
you feel good when you eat it. Can you now see that nice just isn't adequate to describe them?
Another word that is used so often these days without thinking whether there is a more precise
substitute is like. Listen to young native speakers and count the number of 'likes' you hear. What
exactly do they mean?What do you think the 'like' in this sentence means? 'He was like so nice and
we were like laughing at all his jokes!' In this case, the word is used for emphasis. However, the word
has other uses too! See if you can work them out in the following activities.
Vocabulary Precision Activity
Substitute another word(s) for the word in italics in the following sentences:
- Mrs Jones is really nice. She gave me some apples from her garden.
- That movie was awesome. I loved the special effects.
- Mr Robinson is a fantastic teacher. He made me want to study mathematics at university.
- The rollercoaster ride at Disneyland is wonderful.
- Sam is a really cool guy.
- Annie is a beautiful person.
- It was like he was trying to please everyone.
- He was like telling me what to do.
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