It's almost like you're doing an essay, but you're saying it. You
want to introduce the topic, then you want to address all of the points, the three points,
and then you want some sort of conclusion. You can say: "So this is why this was a very
memorable experience.", "To sum up, my trip to Holland was a fantastic experience I'll
never forget." Okay? So you want a conclusion as well.
Okay, like I said earlier, it's good to imagine in your head the object, person, or place.
This is a very good thing to do. It will help you to be less nervous as well.
Okay, use introductory phrases. So when you introduce your topic, first thing you should
say: "I want to talk about blank.", "I'd like to talk about blank.", "I'm going to talk
about blank." You can use any of these, but it's good…
This can be your introduction:
"I'm going to talk about my trip to Spain.", "I'm going to talk about my teacher, Mrs.
Fitzgerald.", "I'm going to talk about the most precious object in my life which is my
pocket watch." Okay? So you can say whatever you'd like, but use an introductory phrase.
This is a very important point: use transitions. So what do I mean by that? Well, transitions
help to organize what you're going to say. "First of all", "Secondly", "Thirdly", "Finally",
these are all examples of transitions. And if you're… In this case, you may be talking
about what happened somewhere, you might be describing an event. "First, we went to the
soccer stadium. Then we watched the game. After that, we went for ice cream." So you
can use these types of transitions: "First", "Then", "Next", "After that", "Finally".
These
will help you in your cohesion marks, so in your fluency and cohesion mark.
Finally, very important: speak loudly. Okay? You don't want to mumble, you don't want to
be shy. You want to be confident. So be confident, make eye contact when you talk, speak loudly.
These are all important tips. Another thing: practice. Okay? Practice talking
for two minutes. You might have to build up to this. For some people, talking for long
periods of time is very difficult. So maybe speaking English for one minute is really
difficult for you. Start with 30 seconds, then move that to one minute, then a minute
and a half, then two minutes. But you must practice speaking for two minutes. One thing
that a lot of people do is they think: "Oh, okay. I need to speak for one to two minutes
in this part of the IELTS." That's true, but the closer you get to two minutes the better.
So if you're at one minute, that's a little bit of a short answer.
Ideally, you want to
be able to talk for two minutes. Okay? And also, don't rush with what you're going to
say. Speak nice and at a good rate, so not too fast, not too slow.
Okay, one other thing I wanted to say about "Do", it's not on this list but, often times
you will be using the past tense. Okay? So for this part of the IELTS, the past tense
is very important. Get used to talking about past experiences using the past tense.
Okay, so now let's look at "Don'ts". Okay, so now I have a list of things you should
not do. Okay? So these are the "Don'ts", so don't do this.
Okay, the first one: a lot
of ESL students want to do this, they want to memorize answers in advance. So they look
up a whole bunch of different questions and then they write down what they're going to
say, and they spend so much time memorizing for each question. This is not a good idea
because first of all, it's easy to tell when you've memorized something; it doesn't sound
natural. You're going to lose marks if it sounds like you've memorized something. And
there are just too many different questions they can ask. So don't memorize answers. That's
not a good way to prepare. Instead, focus on expanding your vocabulary.
Okay? Practice talking about museums. What words do you need to know where you can talk
about museums? Same with objects, teachers – how can you describe someone? So try to
come up with descriptive words, expand your vocabulary. That would be a better way to
prepare for this.
Okay, don't write too much. I told you for
the first part of this section, you get to write for one minute. Don't write full sentences.
It's good to write about one to two words per point. So there's about three points,
one to two words is good. Don't panic. Okay? A lot of students, as soon
as they get to this part of the exam, they get really nervous and they panic, and their
English just goes down. So don't panic. Use stress management techniques. Breathe, that's
a good thing to do when you're nervous. Okay? Imagine you're in a nice green forest or on
a nice beach. You can do these things, it will help you not to panic. It's also good
before the IELTS, I find, before the speaking part if you can go on a walk. Walking actually
calms your heart, it calms you down; it's a good thing to do.
Don't focus too much on one point.
So there are three things you have to address at least.
Don't spend your whole time talking about the first thing. So for example: if you have
to describe your favourite teacher, and the first question is: when did you have her as
a teacher? Don't spend your whole time covering this point. Okay? Make sure you cover each
point they ask you to. Don't use boring words. Okay? Remember: you're
getting marked on vocabulary. You want to use interesting vocabulary. So for example:
"good", that's a boring word, "bad", again a boring word. Use something interesting like:
"My favourite teacher was really exciting. She was very enthusiastic." That's so much
better than just saying: "My favourite teacher was good." Okay? Or my, you know, "The museum
I went to was bad." No, use something better.
Don't give short answers meaning you have
to talk for at least a minute, make sure you do this. It's better to even talk for close
to two minutes. Make sure your answers aren't too short. So for example: "I once went to
the ROM [a museum in Canada], it was a good experience. The end." Too short. You need
to expand your answer. Don't go off topic. So what do I mean by this?
Well, if you have to describe the most precious item you have, don't start talking about education
or technology. Unless it's relevant to what you're talking about, don't go off topic.
Just talk about what they want you to talk about. Okay?
This is actually a very important point: a lot of students tell me they really worry
about their accents.
They think: "Oh, I can't pronounce things very well. You know, I might
mispronounce a word. I have problems pronouncing 'r'" — for example, or certain letters, "ch".
It's okay if your pronunciation is not perfect. The main thing… And if you have an accent,
it's okay if you have an accent. Most people have accents. So you don't have to worry about
your accent. It's also… Well actually everybody has an accent. I have a Canadian accent for
example. Now, does my Canadian accent mean my American friends cannot understand me?
No. So it's okay if you, if you have an accent. The main thing is that people understand what
you're saying. So don't worry about your accent. Worry more about enunciating things, about
saying things clearly. That's what you want to do.
And again, grammar is one thing you're marked on. Your grammar does not have to be perfect.
So if you make a mistake, that's okay, move on. Okay? You can mistakes, it's okay if you
make mistakes. Okay, so I'd like to recommend a website where
you can get more tips on part two of the IELTS and also practice questions.
Again, very important
to practice. Practice with a timer. Make sure you're speaking for two minutes.
Go to www.goodluckielts.com. Okay? So www.goodluckielts.com
— here you will find more tips. And also come visit us
at our website www.engvid.com where you can do a practice test on what you've just learned.
So until next time, take care..
