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IELTS Speaking Task 2

For those of you completely new to the IELTS, please take a look at this post before reading further.

Task 2 (also known as the Long Turn) is your opportunity to speak for a long time (roughly 2 minutes). The Task will require you to talk about a topic related to personal experience. The examiner will give you a task card with discussion prompts. After you have finished speaking on the topic, the examiner will ask you 1 or 2 short follow-up questions.

You are given 1 minute to prepare for your talk. The 1 minute given to you for preparation is very important – use this time to make notes to assist you when you are speaking. Plan your talk.

Planning: Managing your time

You will be given 1 minute to make notes about your talk.
The examiner will give you a pen/pencil and a piece of paper to write on.
When making notes on the topic and discussion prompts: use the language which is most useful for you. You don’t need to make notes in English. If you feel comfortable making notes in your native language, that is perfectly fine.
Read the task card carefully: If there is any part of the instruction that you do not understand: ask the examiner.
It is okay to ask for clarification.
Make notes for each part/prompt of the task. Avoid using whole sentences.
Focus on single words or short phrases to assist you when speaking.
The task card given to you by the examiner includes discussion prompts: You NEED to talk about each prompt.
For each prompt: Aim for 2-3 points to speak about.

How to start Talking

The simplest/easiest way to start speaking and introduce your topic:
“I’m going to. . .”
“I’ve decided to. . .”
“Well, there are many _____ I could talk about, but I suppose the _____ I’ve experienced/had is/was. . .” (This example will help you achieve a higher band score because the language used is much more advanced. If this example seems very difficult to you use the first or second example.)

Example: Suppose the topic was: “Describe someone who has had an influence on your life”

Student: “I’m going to talk about my uncle. . .”
OR
Student: “Well, there are many people who have influenced me in my life, but I suppose my uncle has had the most positive impact on my life.”

How to start Talking – PARAPHRASING the Instructions on the Card

Please note: this is not something you HAVE to do – it is merely a suggestion.

What you can do: pay close attention to the first instruction on the topic card given to you, you can attempt to reflect it:

Example: “Describe someone who has had an influence on your life”

Student: “My uncle has influenced me in a major way. . .“
Student: “My uncle has reshaped my outlook on life. . .“
Student: “A key influence on my life has been my uncle. . .”
If you are aiming for a high band score, you need to show the examiner that you can paraphrase and use synonyms appropriately.

Tips for Speaking for 1-2 Minutes

The topic card will contain 4 points you need to talk about: 3 short points and 1 long point which will usually ask you to explain/clarify something.
Recommended timings for discussion prompts:
Prompt One: 10-20 seconds
Prompt Two: 10-20 seconds
Prompt Three: 10-20 seconds
Prompt Four: 30-60 seconds

Additional Tips/Preparation

Follow the prompt order on the topic card given to you by the examiner. (This is not mandatory, just a good guideline to follow.)
For the first 3 prompts: aim to use 1-2 sentences for each.
WHERE RELEVANT: you can give some quick examples.
Remember conversation fillers – if you feel like what you have prepared to talk about is not long enough, make use of conversational fillers.
When you have finished, indicate this to the examiner:
You could say: “That’s it.” or “That’s all I have to say.” or “That’s that.”
When the examiner asks you the follow-up question(s): answer in 1-2 sentences.
Try and find a preparation partner. Better still, find an IELTS Tutor – a good tutor will show you how to do speaking task 2 in the best way, and will give you tips on how to improve.
Record yourself on your phone/computer – after listening/watching the recording, think of ways you can improve.
Practice making notes – when first starting, don’t time yourself. When you begin feeling more confident with your note-taking skills, give yourself 2 minutes, and then later, 1 minute.

What a typical Question and Candidate Answer will look like

Describe an Activity that you enjoy doing in your free time.
You should say:

Where you do this activity
Who you do it with
How often you do it
Explain why you enjoy the activity

Candidate: “I’m going to talk about an activity that I really enjoy, jogging. I go jogging in a park which is about two kilometers from my home.

I go jogging there because the air is a bit clearer than in my neighborhood. I usually try to run for at least thirty minutes and I always go myself.

I really enjoy jogging and try to do this activity every morning, although I occasionally get lazy and decide to skip it. If the weather is really hot, I will instead go jogging in the evening when it is a little cooler.

I really enjoy this activity because it keeps me fit. On top of that, it helps me to relieve stress and relax as I work long hours at my job. Mmm. . . what else. . . I suppose jogging also motivates me to try and stay healthy in general. For example, it motivates me to eat a balanced diet and get plenty of sleep. That’s all I have to say.”

Examiner: “Is jogging a popular activity in your hometown?”

Candidate: “I personally think it is very popular. I often see people jogging in the park, umm. . . especially over the weekend.”

Preparing for IELTS

For details regarding these steps, please see this article.

Some basic steps I recommend students follow when preparing for the IELTS:

Improve your General English – I recommend being at a B1 level.
If you are not at a B1 level and would still like to start preparing for the IELTS, I recommend reading this article.
Focus on input as much as possible. Use IELTS-style material.
Learn about the IELTS.
Practice mock tests slowly.
Identify your weak areas and focus on improving them.
Build your IELTS vocabulary.
Join study groups, find a practice partner, or consider hiring a tutor.
Practice mock tests using the time restrictions for each section.

Good luck with your IELTS studies!

Signpost Language

Some common expressions you can use for your presentations and meetings:

Introducing the Topic
My topic today is. . .
My talk is about. . .
The subject of my meeting/talk/presentation is …

Beginning a new Section
Now, moving on to. . .
I’d like to discuss. . .
Why don’t we look at. . .
The next topic/issue I’d like to focus on. . .

Finishing a Section
I think we’ve covered this for now.
That’s all I have to say about. . .
For my next point, I’d like now to discuss. . .

Analyzing a Point and offering Recommendations
We could. . .
This can mean. . .
Translated into real terms. . .
Let’s explore that in more detail. . .
What does this mean for. . . ?

Giving Examples
Case and point. . .
To you give you an example. . .
For example. . .
To illustrate this point. . .
A good example of this is. . .

Overview of the Presentation
Basically, I have four things to say. . .
First of all, I’ll. . .
There are several points I’d like to make. . .
I’m going to divide this talk into two sections/parts.

Paraphrasing and Clarifying
In other words, . . .
To put it another way. . .
To put it more simply. . .
What I mean to say is. . .

Summarizing and Drawing Conclusions
Now let’s recap. . .
In conclusion. . .
In short. . .
Unfortunately, that’s all the time I have for today, so let me sum things up briefly by saying that. . .
Let’s briefly summarize what we’ve covered. . .
Let me remind you of what I’ve covered, . . .

Signposts are incredibly important to learn as they inform your audience of what to expect, keeping them engaged at all times.

IELTS Speaking Test Assessment

The IELTS Speaking Test consists of three parts and your overall band score is determined according to four categories.

Fluency and Coherence (25%)
A student’s ability to discuss topics without pausing or hesitating too much, or repeating the same word/phrase.
Some general advice for this category:
– avoid pausing/hesitating too much.
– avoid repeating the same words.
– develop your answers: when expressing your opinion on a particular topic, give examples. Answers formed from your own experiences can improve your band score.
– organize your ideas logically: when organizing your ideas, make use of linking words such as “… because …”, “… so that …”, “Also …”, “In addition …”
Lexical Resource (25%)
The range of vocabulary that the student can use when speaking. Correct usage of collocations also falls under this category.
Achieving a good score in this category requires the student to use less common vocabulary. (An example would be: “It was scorching outside.” Scorching = very hot in this example.)
If you are looking to achieve a band 7 or higher score, you will need to be able to use less common words and phrases as well as make use of synonyms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (25%)
The number of grammatical structures a student uses when speaking and how frequently they make mistakes.
To achieve a high band score, you will need to be able to comfortably use past, present and future tenses.
Practice speaking about hypothetical situations or about topics where you need to speculate about something.
An important note regarding Grammatical Range and Accuracy: You don’t need to speak perfectly, making mistakes will not lead to a worse score as long as your mistakes don’t block communication with the examiner.
Pronunciation (25%)
Be aware of how you pronounce individual sounds. Do you stress the correct syllables in a word? Do you have good intonation?

Additional Tips:

Stick to vocabulary you know and know how to use. (Don’t use unfamiliar words/phrases/idioms)
Listen to the examiner’s question(s) carefully. Not listening carefully may result in you misunderstanding the question.
Always answer questions with relevant answers. Stay on topic and answer the question the examiner asked.
Ask for clarification: If you don’t understand a question or you think you may have heard the examiner incorrectly: ask for clarification. Asking for clarification also allows you to make use of clarification phrases such as: “I’m sorry. I don’t quite understand the question.”
If you find you are stuck and need time to think about what you are next going to say: use conversation fillers.
Use adjectives.
Don’t rush through your sentences when speaking. You want the examiner to easily hear and understand you.
Don’t give short answers! Develop your answers/expand your answers.
Don’t memorize answers – it does not sound natural.
Taking an exam is a very stressful situation and you will probably be feeling nervous, but remember to try and enjoy yourself and smile at the examiner.

Good luck with your IELTS preparation.

Phrasal Verbs in Business English

Phrasal verbs are often used by native speakers in a variety of different settings, so it is crucial the you are aware of and understand them. Learning these and actively using them will make you sound more natural.

Phrasal verbs help to create what is known as a neutral register. A neutral register is most effective for less formal writing – such as exchanging emails with your business associates. If you feel like your business writing style is too academic, or you sound overly formal when speaking, learning and using phrasal verbs will help you in these areas.

You can find an excellent list of phrasal verbs with examples here.

Listening in Business English

Business people tend to focus on their productive skills (writing and speaking), but, in an intercultural context, greater attention should be placed on receptive skills (listening and reading). With regards to listening in Business English, one needs to be aware of the types of listening styles people from different cultures prefer.

Some general listening guidelines for Business English students to consider:

Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Listen to understand rather than just waiting for your turn to speak.
Before responding, make sure the person has actually finished speaking.
Use body language to convey to the speaker that you are engaged and actively listening.
If you are unsure about the message the speaker presented, don’t be afraid to ask polite, follow-up questions.

We need to be respectful of all cultures. When engaging with a client, or another business associate, respectfully listening will result in a positive communication outcome for all parties involved.