IELTS Speaking Section: How to Improve Your Fluency and Confidence

IELTS is one of the most popular tests designed to provide a fair and accurate assessment of  your English speaking, reading, writing and listening skills. The reading, writing and listening module tests happen on the same day, in one session of about 2 ½ to 3 hours without any breaks in between. The IELTS speaking test, which we are focusing on today, could happen either on the same day or a few days before or after the other tests. 

Test takers who know the format of the test are always at an advantage, which will become pretty clear to you when you do the IELTS speaking mock tests, so be sure to acquaint yourself with the exact structure of the test so that you are not taken by surprise on the test day.    

The Speaking test Assessment Criteria

The test is designed to assess a wide range of speaking skills using varied IELTS speaking questions on a wide range of IELTS speaking topics. Half the battle is won if you have a thorough understanding of the assessment parameters. It will help you to focus specifically on those aspects of your performance that you will be marked on and you can plan your preparation accordingly. The criteria are  - 

1. Fluency & Coherence 

Fluency refers to your ability to speak at length with ease, without noticeable hesitation, unnatural pauses like ‘umm’  or  ‘hmm’ or repetition. Sounding natural and conveying the right tone are also integral aspects of fluency. Coherence is your ability to link your thoughts and ideas with apt cohesive devices which makes it easy for the listener to understand and follow what you are saying. 

2. Lexical Resource 

To score high on the speaking test, any reputed training institute providing IELTS speaking tips will emphasise the importance of using a wide range of vocabulary, naturally and in the right context. It includes your ability to paraphrase, use idiomatic language and include a wide range of collocations and phrasal verbs in your speech.

3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Using a limited range of grammatical structures, albeit correctly, will result in a low score. Hence, using a mix of simple, compound and complex sentences, a range of tense types, the active and passive voice, modals, etc., is what will get you a high band score for grammar. While practicing the ielts speaking mock tests, make it a point to keep track of this parameter to maximise your band score.

4. Pronunciation 

Pronunciation does not require you to have a native accent. You just need to ensure that words are pronounced correctly such that the person listening to you understands you without having to put too much stress and strain on himself/herself.

How Do I Improve My Fluency and Confidence?

Now that you have understood the assessment parameters, it is quite apparent that fluency is critical to getting a good band score in IELTS speaking. Fluency naturally translates into confidence because both are closely intertwined. Improving your fluency and confidence may be challenging but it is definitely not impossible. 

I am now going to share with you some simple but vital tips to help you in your quest to enhance your English language fluency and confidence, thereby ensuring that you get your desired band score on the IELTS speaking test.

• Practice 

All of us know that practice makes perfect. Experience shows that the fear of speaking can be overcome through practice. While preparing for the IELTS test, you are sure to come across many other potential test-takers with whom you can practice the language. If you are practicing alone, do it in front of a mirror. It gives you the illusion that you have a partner. 

While doing your practice, your focus should be more on sounding natural. If you focus too much on speaking perfectly, your fluency will be impacted. 

The more you are exposed to the language, the quicker your progress. Practice helps you to reduce the trepidation, anxiety and stress that you experience while speaking. Eventually, it increases your confidence levels.

• Record Yourself

Not all of you will be fortunate enough to get opportunities to practice the language in your daily life or to have a speaking partner to practice spoken English with. So, what does one do?  Record yourself when you practice IELTS speaking. Listen to the recordings subsequently and take note of where you are lacking. Focus on improving your weak areas and enhancing your strengths by making use of the IELTS speaking tips shared by us. 

If you follow this for even 2 weeks consistently, I can assure you that you will observe a marked improvement in your fluency.  

Ideally, you should practice using the IELTS test questions because that is ultimately what you will be tested on. IELTS speaking questions are provided by many of the leading IELTS training institutes, one of them being Yuno Learning.  This method will help you to track your own progress and enhance your fluency continuously. 

While speaking, make it a point to speak at a moderate pace, not too fast, not too slow. Speaking fast is a sign of nerves and you also tend to make more mistakes. Speaking at a moderate pace gives your brain those few extra seconds to think and therefore, you tend to make fewer mistakes. 

• Listen to English Music 

This is one of the most effective and fun ways of immersing yourself in the English language and becoming fluent in it. However, listening to music is not enough. You should sing along as well. So, why music? One, it is not boring, two, it is an activity that most of you enjoy and three, it has multiple benefits. You can perfect your pronunciation, your listening skills improve and what’s more, you enrich your vocabulary as well. In fact, there are a number of English songs that can actually help you acquire IELTS-specific vocabulary.

For instance, the old classic ‘Summer Holiday’ by Cliff Richards is a song that will help you with words related to ‘holidays’, questions pertaining to which are quite common in the IELTS speaking test.   

• Tongue Twisters  

Using tongue twisters is another fun way of improving your pronunciation and therefore, your fluency. Being confident about pronunciation impacts your ability to speak fluently. Tongue twisters are an enjoyable way to practice the language and get fluent. Some interesting tongue twisters that you could try out are:

She sells seashells by the seashore

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Black background, brown background

Which witch switched the Swiss wristwatches?

A proper copper coffee pot.

• Listen to the language  

Listening to podcasts, audiobooks and the news, and watching movies or even TV shows are all excellent methods to improve your English communication skills.  What’s more, they are fun as well. These expose you to the language and help you work on your pronunciation and widen your vocabulary. You can improve your listening skills as well, thus killing two birds with one stone.

Stress and intonation and the pace at which you speak are integral aspects of fluency and listening to the language being spoken by native speakers exposes you to these finer nuances as well. 

• Read Aloud 

Read whatever catches your fancy. It could be English books or newspaper articles - anything that interests you, be it sports, politics, world news or entertainment. Reading out aloud will give you the confidence to start speaking in English. What’s more, it will expose you to new vocabulary and a variety of grammar structures as well.  

Listening to the language combined with reading out aloud will give you conviction in your own speaking abilities.   

• Be Consistent 

Acquiring fluency in the English language requires consistent efforts. Commit a fixed amount of time every day to your IELTS speaking practice. It could be just 15 minutes a day, but be sure to devote that time regularly to your speaking practice. Do it and you are bound to see amazing results, not only in your fluency but also in terms of higher confidence levels. Being confident reduces nervousness and anxiety while speaking which translates into better fluency.

IELTS Speaking Mock Tests 

Once you are confident about your fluency, practice the IELTS speaking questions consistently to get yourself thoroughly comfortable with the format. So where do you access the IELTS speaking questions or even the vocabulary related to IELTS speaking topics? All you need to do is get access to Free Online IELTS Preperation content and lay your hands on a wide range of material, that too free of cost, to help you with not only your speaking test practice but all the other module practice test material as well. 

Last, but not the least, practicing under the guidance of an expert trainer might make all the difference to your ability to achieve a good score as against an excellent score. You could consider taking a speaking course with one of our expert trainers at Yuno Learning to improve your English language fluency and your confidence levels. Book a demo session with us and enrol in one of our courses that matches your needs, to help you achieve your desired IELTS band score.

Before signing off, just a reminder that it’s all about your faith in your own abilities.  On the test day, be relaxed, and stay calm. Be confident and have a positive attitude. You are sure to ace it!