One of the biggest fears that IELTS aspirants face when it comes to undertaking the exam is the speaking section.
Be it academic or general, the exam takers find the speaking section unnerving and gravely impossible to finish through.
Today, in this article we discuss what the speaking section entails for a candidate and how they are evaluated.
What is the speaking section?
The speaking section of the IELTS exam gauges the ability of a candidate when it comes to English language. The vocabulary, fluency and grammar of the candidate are tested upon. The speaking section test is conducted to elicit the command of the candidate over the language.
The speaking section can be completely conducted in under 15 minutes.
How is the speaking test conducted?
The speaking section of the IELTS exam measures a candidates proficiency of the language through spoken words and sentences. In this particular part, the examiner ascertains the will of the candidate when it comes to their potential and capability to speak the language.
The speaking section of the exam shall be conducted in three major steps.
- Introduction and Interview
The first part of the speaking section will be conducted just like an interview. The examiner will first introduce themselves and will ask you to introduce yourself as well.
They do this in order to make you feel comfortable. The questions are read out to you in a reliable manner and can touch upon various aspects about your life, namely: your home life, your work life, personal interests and hobbies, details about your family, etc.
The interview is conducted to gauge the ability of a candidate to give out opinions about their life and answer a few basic questions about some of the most common occurrences in your life.
If you talk about the most common things in your life in a perfectly fluent manner, you leave a great impression upon the examiner. The total number of questions in an interview like this vary every year. The total time spent on this process could be approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Ability to organise ideas coherently
The second part of your speaking test focuses on you explaining your information, opinions and views on a certain topic.
A random card will be provided to the candidate and their ability to talk about the important aspects around the topic will be judged.
Command over the language and fluency as well as the command over the imagination of the candidate shall be judged accurately by the examiner. If you are able to express your opinions and views in a fluent and coherent manner and talk about the topic at length, you will fall in a great band score.
The total time that can be spent on this part of the speaking test will be approximately 3-4 minutes. Your examiner will offer you one minute to prepare an appropriate response for the topic and speak at length about it in further 1-2 minutes.
- Discussion
If we talk about the three steps that comprise the speaking test at your IELTS exam, the third part will be classified under the heading of a conversation. The conversation will be between you and your examiner.
This particular section is not greatly talked about, since not much light is shed on the same. However, it is a fluent and smooth conversation between a candidate and an examiner. The topic that you were asked to discuss about in the second part of the exam will most likely form the basis of a conversation in this third part.
You will not just be discussing the topic further, you will also be debating upon the abstract ideas surrounding the same. Your ability to express cohesive opinions and develop rational arguments coherently will be assessed greatly. This step of the exam can last approximately 5 minutes. The total number of questions here could depend on how well your discussion is going on.
On what basis is a candidate evaluated?
A candidate is evaluated on four basis, as far as the speaking section of the IELTS exam is concerned:
- Fluency and Coherence
This assessment criterion focuses on your fluency when it comes to speaking the language at length. How you can talk to people without any major pauses or without any hesitation and self-correction. This criterion also focuses on the efficient use of the right grammatical devices in a cohesive and coherent manner. Devices like connectors, pronouns, conjunctions, etc.
If you can speak in the right manner, in the right accent which can be easily understood by the examiner, you are good to go!
- Lexical Resource
This criterion examines your ability to use a wide range of vocabulary in an efficient manner. If you are able to use difficult words or a wide array of words easily, and you can convey the meaning easily, you are going to get a great band score. Using different words, unlike the words that are more commonly spoken is greatly taken into considerations. Paraphrasing sentences, using collocations are also focussed upon. The more you use a wide range of vocabulary, the more you avoid errors, the better it is for you!
- Grammatical range and accuracy
The way you structure your sentences, the way you use the basic nuances of English grammar while speaking, the better your band score can be determined. The structure and syntax of the sentences that you are speaking must be accurate, natural sounding and appropriate in nature.
- Pronunciation
If you are easily able to use the right intonations, if you can vary your voice as per the alphabets of a word, you can shine above the others. The way you pronounce a particular word is greatly stressed upon. Not only should your accent be easily understood but also the way you speak the words out. Every single word should be spoken clearly and efficiently, as much as you can.
How will the total score be determined?
As far as your IELTS speaking section is concerned, you will be scored based on the basis of the above mentioned four criteria. Every single criteria gets you a score from 0 to 9, based on your performance.
Once your evaluation is completed, an arithmetic mean is calculated based on all four criteria to determine your total band score for the speaking section.
To explain further, if you scored a 7 in terms of Fluency and coherence, an 8 on the basis of pronunciation, again a 7 on the basis of Lexical resources and a 6 on the basis of Grammatical Range and accuracy, your total band score would come out to be 7.
It shall be calculated in the following manner: (7+8+7+6) divided by 4, which gives you 7.
Every single criteria has a 25% weightage in determining your total band score for this section.
How can you practice?
- As a non-native speaker, who is aspiring to undertake the IELTS exam in the coming future, you can prepare for the speaking section with a few tips and tricks.
- You can pick up a random topic and try to speak at length on it with your friends or family or your mentor or even alone in your room in front of a mirror.
- Try and speak in English every single day. Even if you are beginning to speak, it is better to speak in the language for better command over the same.
- Read a lot of books and reading material. Once you read more, you will absorb more intricacies and nuances of the language. The more you take in, the more comes out of you!
- Correct your grammar structures and rules everyday. No matter what stage of preparation you are at, if you are speaking a sentence and the syntax is wrong, it is not worth it. Therefore, practice a little every day. The learning never stops, even when you think you will fall under the top 9 band score.
Follow our YouTube channel “Unlock IELTS with Richa” for more such great tips and tricks to crack your upcoming IELTS exam in an easy way. All the best!
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