IELTS Speaking Part 2

IELTS Speaking Part 2: ‘day out’ topic

Let’s look at a new speaking topic:

Describe a day out that you enjoyed recently. You should say

– where you went
– whom you went with
– what you did that day
– and why you enjoyed the day out.

Note: When we talk about a “day out”, it means that you went somewhere for leisure purposes. I wouldn’t talk about anything related to work or studies here.

February 21, 2020

IELTS Speaking Part 2: using the prompts

An IELTS teacher asked me the following questions:

Is it compulsory for candidates to address all of the prompts on the cue card? What happens if candidates ignore the prompts but speak well about the topic anyway? And what happens if the candidate misunderstands the question and speaks about a different topic?

Here are the answers that I gave the teacher:

I tell my students to use the prompts because they help you to structure your answer. However, it is still possible to get a very high score even if you don’t address all of the points e.g. if you speak well about the topic but miss the last point or two. I don’t recommend ignoring the points completely, because there’s a danger that you’ll go off task if you do that.

If you misunderstand the question and give an unrelated answer, I’m afraid you’ll get a very low score. The reason is that candidates could memorise a perfect answer if off-topic answers were allowed.

February 14, 2020

IELTS Speaking Part 3: use adjectives

Look at the following question and my sample answer, in which I’ve highlighted the adjectives.

What do you think are the characteristics of a good speaker?

I think good speakers are confident and passionate about the subject of their speech. They need to be interesting and engaging. I think a speaker’s body language is also really important. A famous example of a great speaker is Barack Obama; he seems to be a naturally inspiring speaker, but I’m sure that practice and preparation are more important than natural talent.

Note:
Can you see how the adjectives bring my answer to life?