IELTS — Speaking Test
The speaking module is an interview taken by a professional native English speaker who will ask the candidate for several questions related to their test as well as their daily life.
This module is divided into three sections. The maximum time consumed by the speaking module is up to 15 minutes. There will be questions about work, home, family, interests, and education.
In the next part, the interviewer can ask you to deliver a small speech over the subject mentioned in the given cards and lastly, the interviewer will ask you questions about the information you provided in the rest of the three modules during your test.
Questions related to the test theory as well as your personal life and interest are asked. Total time this module takes in about 15 to 16 minutes.
Does Accent Matter In IELTS Speaking?
To answer this particular question first; no. The accent does not matter in IELTS speaking, however, the way you pronounce your words definitely does. There is a very thin line between the accent and the pronunciation.
You must understand that all your marks are given on the basis of your pronunciation rather than the accent.
The IELTS test administrator would test how clear and accurate you sound as compared to how much of an accent you have.
Since most of the audio files in IELTS listening are British or Canadian, the test taker understands at one point what accent is being used.
But you are not obliged to practice conversing in the English language by faking British or North American accent.
You must understand what accent and pronunciation mean first. It refers to the speaking style of a group of people from a particular area. But pronunciation refers to how a word sounds like on the basis of its letters and sounds.
So, your accent does not matter in IELTS speaking test but pronunciation does.
Focus on pronouncing each of the letters in a word correctly.
You cannot speak in British language if you are not from Britain all of a sudden and your IELTS test administrator knows that.
So practice conversing in the English language, and as long as you are getting the pronunciation of the words right, you are great to go.
Which Accents Are Used In IELTS Listening?
A lot of people who want to take the IELTS test are often worried about the accents used in IELTS speaking and listening module.
The question about what accents are used generally in both the modules is asked quite often.
British, Australian, North American and New Zealand accents are used in both the modules.
The listening module of IELTS takes up to 30 minutes with 10 minutes extra to transfer your answers to the answer sheets.
It is ideal to know about the test format and what kind of questions will you be asked all through-out the test by practicing the test format several times before the actual test.
In IELTS listening, there are four sections in each of which a pre-recorded CD-ROM is played.
The recording comprises of a conversation between two people in a social situation, a group of people discussing something in an educational situation.
The last two recordings will get more difficult as compared to the first two in which there will be two monologues.
One about a social situation and the other will consist of an academic subject spoken to you.
Remember that you will hear all four of the recordings only once all through-out the listening module.
The accents you will mainly hear are either British or North American but they can also be Australian or New Zealand.
Should I Work On My Accent?
Many students stress about their accents before taking the IELTS speaking test thinking how unprofessional and foreign they sound while they try and converse in the English language.
This eventually gave rise to the question whether they should work on their accents or not. Unless you grew up talking and listening to the English language in an English-speaking country, you cannot change your accent.
It is not possible to fake an accent in such less timing when you should be practicing the flow of your conversation, pronunciation, and vocabulary.
So, you should not work on your accent but on other things such as your pronunciation, vocabulary, the flow of conversation, organizing your sentences, ideas and thoughts, natural pace and the clarity of your words, stress, and intonation of each word you will speak.
Your goal is to make sure that your interviewer understands you under every circumstance.
If you try to twist your words too much just to sound like a person belonging from a particular native English-speaking area, you are likely to mess up your IELTS score.
What works best in this situation is that you practice speaking in the English language as much as you can to earn the flow.
How Can I Improve It If Needed?
If you want to score a higher band in IELTS speaking, following are a few tips that you can practice to get closer to the score you want to achieve.
1. Be Confident
This is the number one tip you can follow to improve your IELTS speaking band.
Most of the students, since they are not native English speakers, most of them facing an English native speaker for the first time tend to lose their confidence and ease.
In this situation, it is fairly normal to get nervous and stammer a little in your interview but what matters more is your ability to retrieve back your ease and confidence.
Be calm and relax. It will only be another person speaking to you as you speak with your friends or family on a daily basis. Remember that your confidence will gain you half of the score, this depends on the interviewer though.
2. Interesting Vocabulary
While you practice speaking in English at home, please use as much vocabulary as possible.
You do not have to go an extra mile and use excessive vocabulary to the point that your sentences lose their actual meaning.
Just use enough good vocabulary and construct your sentences well. Not too short, not too long, just enough to convey your ideas and opinion on the subject matter to the interviewer.
3. Conjunctions
It is fairly understandable that you are not a native English speaker however, you must refrain from speaking one line, simple sentences.
You must speak using conjunctions to add more thought and flow to your conversation.
Do not stop your sentence with periods all the time. It is alright if you do not have much to say on a tricky question. But other than that, use longer sentences that add up to both; the natural pace of your conversation and the meaning of what you are trying to say.
4. Speak More
Another important thing is to make sure that you speak more than your interviewer does.
They are bound to ask you fairly predictable questions such as your favorite food or season.
These questions are easy to answer but also the trickiest ones. The interviewer does not care about what food you mention or what season you name as your favorite, what the interviewer cares about is how prolonged, detailed and factual your answer is.
So you must speak three or four medium-sized sentences instead of just one-lined answer such as my favorite food is pizza. Practice speaking more and more at home.
5. Voice Your Opinions
Expressing your mind gains you a fair amount of points because you are able to voice your opinions or what you think on a particular topic.
This is important because the interviewer needs to know whether you are able to express your point of view and talk it out in proper sentences or not.
This indicates your ability to communicate and survive in an English speaking country.
If you are giving IELTS Academics, it will ensure the interviewer that you are able to speak your mind and confidently answer the teacher’s question in your class or let the students know what you have learned in a group project.
6. Converse Instead Of Answering
IELTS speaking module may be introduced to you as an interview but remember that you are not taking this test only to answer a few questions the IELTS administrator will ask you.
Instead, you must remember that you need to talk more in the English language rather than stopping after just answering the topic.
This does not mean that you should not let the interviewer speak at all. Remember that you are here to converse and not just answer questions.
You can pause between the sentences and be as calm as possible. Converse with ease and do not give away a single hint of nervousness. Balance your conversation with good fluency and vocabulary.
