- Hi, I'm Jessica Beck from allearsenglish.com and the podcast, IELTS Energy.
I am going to share with you today, the three most common mistakes that candidates make
on the IELTS Speaking Exam every Saturday, or Thursday, if you're taking it on Thursdays.
But, regardless, students make these mistakes all the time.
So, please, as you watch this video, take out a pen and paper, write these things down
so you review this advice and you will not do these things on test day.
So, the first mistake is not listening to what the examiner is saying, or not listening
closely because I know that students are nervous.
So, what you're doing is, is you're thinking ahead and worrying about what you're gonna
say, worrying about what vocabulary you should use, what grammar is correct, and while you're
worrying about this, the examiner is talking to you, and you're not actually listening.
So what you need to do is: stop for a second, try and stop all of your worries and thoughts
for just a second, and listen carefully to the question that the examiner is asking.
So, if you don't do this, for example, the examiner might say, tell me about the house
that you grew up in.
If you're not listening, maybe all you hear is grew up, for example.
And so a bad response would be: I live with my mom and dad in Riad and I have five brothers
and sisters.
Like, that doesn't answer the question at all.
The question was asking you to describe the house.
So, if you are not listening and you start talking about something that's vaguely related,
and not directly answering the examiner, your fluency and coherence scores might drop.
Also, your vocabulary scores might drop.
Okay, it's very important to listen to what the examiner is asking and also, listening
to the examiner's directions.
Okay?
It's a test right?
You have know what to talk about.
So, first thing, stop worrying for a couple seconds, relax and listen to what the examiner
is asking, and if you don't understand the question, you can ask for clarification.
You can say, I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that.
Can you repeat the question?
Like, that's a great phrase, alright?
Okay, so the second mistake is, and this is very common, is answering in incomplete sentences.
I understand that the questions in part one are very informal.
And in normal day to day conversation you would not answer in complete sentences.
I understand that, so if someone says, where in the city do you live?
You'd say downtown, like that's one word.
On the IELTS Exam, you can't do that.
Alright, the IELTS Exam, it's an exam.
It's not natural conversation.
So even if the question is informal, your response cannot have informal grammar.
You must always use complete sentences.
So, if the examiner asks, where in the city do you live?
You must say: well I currently have an apartment downtown.
Obviously that's a much higher scoring answer than, downtown, than just one word.
So, remember, always use complete sentences, okay?
The third mistake, and this is related into the first one, but it's slightly different.
The third mistake is talking about something that's unrelated to the topic.
And again, this might effect your fluency and coherence scores as well as your vocabulary
scores.
Okay, you must be able to show the examiner that you understand the topic you're talking
about, and you are able to give them vocabulary for that topic.
Alright, that's how it can effect your scores.
So, in speaking part two, sometimes candidates will not fully focus on what the question
is asking, and maybe they'll just choose, like, one word, from the question and go off
and talk about that for two minutes.
It won't drop scores by like, two band points, or whatever, it's not the biggest mistake
that you can make, but, it is a mistake, and it can decrease your scores.
Alright, and your job as an IELTS candidate, is to everything in your power to increase
your scores.
So please, pay attention to what the examiner is saying.
Pay attention to what the part two card is asking you to do.
And try and develop your answers in which, all of the information is directly connected
to the topic, alright?
That's the best way to show your coherence and your organization.
So, thank you very much for watching today.
If you would like more ideas on how to increase your IELTS scores and more ideas on what the
examiner is looking for, please check out our website: ielts.allearsenglish.com, and
our amazing IELTS course, Three Keys IELTS.
Thank you so much for watching today, have a wonderful day.