In part 2 of the Speaking Test you will need to speak about a topic for 2 minutes. You’ll be given a card and you’ll have one minute to take some notes. Many candidates don’t take notes. That is a mistake! My advice to you is TAKE NOTES.

In fact what you need to do is to think of 2 or 3 examples you could talk about. The topic on the card below is one that I don’t like. Festivals aren’t very big in Australia and it is not a topic I’m particularly interested in. So what can I do in the test? I could panic and think, “What a terrible question. I don’t want that question!” Or, I could deal with it.

The best way to deal with it is to think of 2 or 3 examples to talk about. If I run out of ideas about one festival, I can simply go on to another one. “Another important festival is the Jazz Festival which is held in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast each year. It takes place in March each year and started about 15 years ago. It’s a great  …”

IELTS Speaking 5

Fillers are words, sounds or phrases that we use in normal speaking. They give us a bit of time to think while we are speaking. Your speaking will sound more natural if you use them correctly. Start using them now. Practice.

Did you know that 25% of your mark in the speaking test is for FLUENCY? You can make your language sound more fluent by using fillers. Fillers are little words, sounds or phrases that give you a moment to think. If you use them correctly, your English sounds more natural and more fluent.

Examiner: Tell me about your home town.
You: Wellll, um, let me see. I grew up in Melbourne in Australia. My home was in the inner suburbs and it was, and still is, a hub for transport and shopping. I remember …

In that example, three fillers have been strung together. It gives the speaker a moment to think, and it is quite a natural thing to do. Other options could be:
1. Um, my hometown. Let me see.
2. Wellllll, my hometown was quite large, but in the area where I lived everyone knew eachother when I was child. Today, it is quite different, …

In the first example above, the speaker has used a filler, then has repeated part of the question and then added another filler. It’s a good strategy.
Why are there so many llllllls on ‘well’ in the second example? Welllll, that’s because we often stretch out that final sound as an indication that we are thinking.

You should practice using fillers like these in your speaking. They give you time to think and they make your English sound more natural. (But, don’t overuse them … don’t say ummm, ahhh and then leave a long silence.)

Many IELTS Speaking questions will be about something that you liked or did as a child. You need to be able to speak easily about the past. Practise using phrases like these to sound fluent and in control of your use of language.