IELTS Speaking Practice: On Your Own

Most people think that practicing by themselves is a waste of time. Speaking is normally a two-way thing, so you need a partner, right? Not necessarily.Below is a very effective technique for practicing your speaking before your test that I recommend to all my students:Step 1- FormatUnderstand the format of the speaking test first.The British Council have a very good overview of the test here.Step 2- Marking CriteriaUnderstand how the test is marked. This is absolutely crucial. The examiner is going to use defined, objective criteria to evaluate your speaking level; understanding how they do this is one of the keys to success.I created this guide on IELTS Speaking Criteria for you.Read the guide above and understand the main principles.Step 3- Practice TestsFind reliable IELTS Speaking practice tests.A great resource for this is IELTS Generator.Step 4- RecordDo a full mock test. Record yourself. Do this using your phone or any other recording device.Step 5- EvaluateListen back and note down any areas that you think could be improved.Remember to only consider things mentioned in the official marking criteria.This is the most important step. What you are doing here is raising your awareness of the different issues you have. Most people are completely unaware of their weaknesses so this will give you a huge advantage.You can then work on these weaknesses and repeat the steps above. You will notice an improvement each time you do the above exercise.

IELTS Speaking Practice: With Other Students

Years ago, it would have been very difficult to find someone to help you with your IELTS speaking practice, but thanks to the internet, it is very easy.The best place to find a study partner is in Facebook Groups. However, not all groups are the same and you should be very careful about which group you decide to join and who you decide to study with.

Here are some things you should think about before you join a Facebook Group:

Once you have decided which Facebook Group to join, you should then think about who to approach within the group to do your IELTS speaking practice with.

Simply post in the group that you want to prepare for the IELTS speaking test with someone, but you should also state:

Be very careful. You will get people who pretend to be a student, but they are really ‘teachers’ who want to do a lesson with you rather than just practice.You will find hundreds of Facebook Groups by just typing ‘IELTS’ in the search bar of Facebook. 90% of them are full of spam and people claiming to be teachers, so again, be careful.

IELTS Speaking Practice: Expert Coaching

The fastest and most effective way to practice and improve your speaking is with an IELTS expert. If your car broke down, you could try and fix it yourself, but it would probably be a much better idea to take it to an expert.An IELTS expert should have IELTS examiner experience and also have lots of testimonials from people who they have helped in the past.Be very careful here. There are thousands of people out there that claim to be ‘experts’ and ‘examiners’. Unless they come highly recommended from someone you know, don’t be shy to ask them about their expertise and experience. A real professional will have no problem with taking the time to talk to you about their qualifications.Also, make sure they have a money back guarantee that you can enforce if you are not happy with the service.The great thing about doing it this way is that the expert will be able to pinpoint your particular weaknesses after just one mock test, so you’ll be able to prepare for the test in a very efficient manner.If you are interested in using my service, feel free to check out my offer.

Next Steps

I hope that helps you out with your IELTS speaking practice. For lots more free information about the IELTS Speaking test, please check out our Speaking page.