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Useful Resources

Useful resources for the IELTS Speaking Test:

While this website already has plenty of resources and materials to help you prepare for the IELTS Speaking test, we have tried to list a few more impressive resources here to help you learn about the test and prepare for it as best as possible. We recommend that you first read sample answers from our website, get ideas for different cue card topics - including the difficult ones, and finally, learn how to get a good band score. We believe these resources and websites would help you gain confidence, enhance your understanding of the test and get ready to take your speaking test in the best possible manner. 

You can also find some great video resources by browsing the Video Resource Section.

Some of the recommended websites and resources for your IELTS Speaking success:

1. Speaking lessons and important tips from IELTS Liz:
https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-free-lessons-essential-tips

2. Free practice test for IELTS Speaking from British Council:

3. High band score speaking samples  - Dedicated to IELTS General Training test takers:
https://www.ielts-gt.com/category/speaking-sample

4. Ted IELTS Speaking resources:
https://ted-ielts.com/category/ielts-tips/speaking

5. Free Speaking Samples from IELTS Exam:
https://www.ielts-exam.net/ielts_speaking_practices

6. IELTS Speaking Samples from IELTS Mentor:
https://www.ielts-mentor.com/speaking-sample

7. Cue Card Samples from IELTS Mentor:
https://www.ielts-mentor.com/cue-card-sample

8. Resources to help you prepare for the IELTS speaking test:
https://www.ieltsadvantage.com/speaking

9. IELTS Speaking resources:
https://www.ielts-blog.com/ielts-speaking

10. General as well as IELTS Speaking video resources:
https://www.engvid.com/topic/speaking

11. Useful Expressions to use in IELTS Speaking part 3:

12. 10 useful tips by IELTS Experts:

13. Important tips and advice on IELTS Speaking Exam - by IELTS IDP India:

14. A comprehensive guide to IELTS Speaking Test by IELTS Podcast:

IELTS Speaking - Free Online Courses:

Online courses can be quite useful for many candidates especially during this time of the COVID-19 Pandemic. So here is our initiative to list a few online courses related to the IELTS Speaking module (and one for the whole IELTS test) that you can take for FREE at the conform and safety of your home.

Please bear in mind that some free online courses are often not as resourceful and as comprehensive as their paid counterparts. So, if a course does not meet your expectation, don't throw your hands up in frustration. Consider it a free gift that has taught you at least something.

We would like you to comment here if you like a free course that you find useful. This will help others pick the most helpful courses based on recommendations from candidates like you.

Course 1: 
IELTS Academic Test Preparation
What you are expected to learn from this course:
  • Learn about the test format and procedures. 
  • Enhance your understanding of the IELTS test. 
  • Grasps some useful test-taking strategies.
  • Enhance your skills for the IELTS Academic test.
  • Develop your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.
  • How to achieve a higher band score.
Click IELTS Academic Test Preparation to enroll in this course for free.

Course 2:
Essential IELTS Speaking Skills
What you are expected to learn from this course:
  • Learn about the IELTS Speaking test.
  • Learn some practical and reliable strategies for the IELTS Speaking test.
  • Enhance your grammatical skills.
  • Learn about the sentence structures to use in the IELTS test.
  • Understand what IELTS examiners really want from candidates.
  • What the specific demands of the IELTS scoring criteria are.
  • Learn the truth about the most common problems with the IELTS Speaking test.
  • Know about the misconceptions about the IELTS Speaking test.
Click Essential IELTS Speaking Skills to enroll in this course for free.

Course 3:
Improve your IELTS speaking by repeating after me!
What you are expected to learn from this course:
  • Learn how to speak in an IELTS context with perfect intonation.
  • Discover how to use a variety of IELTS appropriate words and phrases.
  • Learn how to engage all parts of IELTS Speaking at a band 9 level.
  • Find out how to sound natural when pausing and pacing your speaking.
  • Use this course to become an IELTS Speaking success story!
Click Improve your IELTS speaking by repeating after me! to enroll in this course for free.

Course 4:
How to boost your IELTS Speaking band score.
What you are expected to learn from this course:
  • How to structure your answers.
  • How to improve your IELTS speaking band score.
  • How each of the different sections of the test is conducted.
  • How the examiner calculates your band score.
Click How to boost your IELTS Speaking band score to enroll in this course for free.


7 tips to get a higher band score in the IELTS Speaking exam: 

Tips # 1: Have confidence and faith in yourself when you take the test. Yes, your confidence can make a difference in your performance, gesture, answers and explanations you give to the examiner. You won't be too worried about the type of questions you are asked when you are confident. It will help you ask the examiner to repeat a question or to explain a difficult issue as well.

Tips # 2: Take some practice tests with a teacher or with a friend. If you simulate the IELTS Speaking exam several times and record the conversation to hear the recording at a later time, that would be quite useful to do well in the original test. If you have a teacher who would agree to help you, make an appointment to take a mock test. If this is not possible, you can ask a friend or even a family member to do some conversations or mimic the real speaking test. This will make the exam much easier than taking it without any mock practice tests. 

Tips # 3: Learn what to expect in the test. If you have any confusion about what type of questions you might be asked when you take the IELTS Speaking test, this is the right time for you to do so. Not knowing about the question types, timeframes and how to answer or handle difficult questions are great predicaments to achieving a higher band score.

Tips # 4: Always give a full answer. If you are asked where are you from, it is pretty obvious that some of you would prefer to say "London" for example. While the answer is correct, it is not what you should do when you take the IELTS Speaking test. Your answer should be something like: 

"Well, I'm from Barnsbury, which is an area in north London. I have been living in this area for as long as I can remember and this is a beautiful area which is not away from the city centre and has strong local trades and tourist attractions."

Also, remember that you should never answer just "Yes" or No" to a question that the examiner asks. For instance, if the examiner asks "Do you have any hobbies or interests?" what he is actually asking is  "Do you have any hobbies or interests? What are those? which one do you like the most? Why? How long have you been pursuing this hobby? & finally, How this is helpful to you?" 

Seems strange? Well, this is pretty normal in an IELTS Speaking Test. 

Tips # 5: Correct your mistakes. People make mistakes when they speak. Even native English speakers make mistakes. So whenever you make a mistake while talking to the examiner, correct the sentence and repeat it correctly. This will show that you know the grammatical rules and vocabulary but you made a mistake as others do, especially when they are nervous while taking a test.   
 
Tips # 6: Ask the examiner to repeat something or explain it when you can't understand the question. You will not be negatively judged for asking the examiner to repeat a question or if you need more detail about a question. However, do not do it every time the examiner asks a question. 

Tips # 7: Speak naturally. Do not try to mimic a British or American accent if this accent is not natural to you. It is perfectly okay to speak in your own accent. Just speak at a natural pace (not too fast or not too slowly).

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