The Speaking test is an essential component you need to ace in order to get the IELTS band score necessary to pursue your overseas dream.
However, preparing for it shouldn’t be seen as a chore. In fact, you should relish the opportunity to test your speaking ability in real-world conditions where the stakes are high.
Whether you are looking to enter your dream course or about to embark on an exciting career, good speaking skills are essential to helping you maximise your chances of advancing ahead.
In this article, we will take you through what exactly the IELTS Speaking test evaluates and how those particular speaking skills are critical for your future educational and business success.
Four critical speaking skills being evaluated in the IELTS Speaking test
1. Fluency and coherence
Fluency represents how easy you are able to speak without pauses, hesitation or repetition. It is about assessing how comfortable and confident you are in speaking while maintaining a good speaking pace.
Coherence on the other hand is about the logical sequencing of sentences and ideas and how they link together. You will be assessed to see how easy your listener can understand and follow your ideas and point of view.
2. Depth of vocabulary
Also known as lexical resource, you will be evaluated on the range of your vocabulary as well as how you use them.
This means stringing about simple and complex words during the appropriate time and relevant context. Showcasing your vocabulary depth includes using phrasal verbs, figurative language and paraphrasing using a variety of expressions.
3. Grammatical range
The grammatical range refers to how accurate, complex and appropriate your use of grammar is when speaking. This means that ‘playing it safe’ by focusing only on short and simple sentences won’t give you a good score.
You will need to showcase a wide range of sentence structures, the ability to switch between passive and active voices as well as use hypotheticals and conditional clauses when you speak
4. Pronunciation
The final skill being tested is how comprehensible your speech is to the listener. Will the listener have to strain to hear and process your words?
Will the right emotion be conveyed as well as the correct level of stress at the word and sentence level? Examiners will want to see that you can pronounce each word correctly and use the correct phonemes (individual sounds that distinguish one word from the other)
How speaking skills help you in your future career and educational journey
1. It helps you communicate better with your teammates and professors
Be it in the classroom or boardroom, you will be working and interacting with different stakeholders. These can be your fellow peers in school or your colleagues in the same work team.
Powerful speaking skills allow you to communicate better and more convincingly to them. This helps to stand out from the pack and be seen as an expert in your field.
2. You are able to give more engaging presentations
Imagine yourself giving a class presentation where your peers are grading you. Or perhaps you are presenting a business proposal to a few important clients, you’d definitely want to give the best speech possible.
With an impressive vocabulary and wide grammatical range, you will be able to deliver your ideas smoothly in a compelling way. This doesn’t just help your audience to understand you better, it instils trust and confidence in your abilities.
3. You are able to converse better during your job and school interviews
Whether you are looking to impress your future employer or a panel of professors, communicating your viewpoints, beliefs and story, speaking skills are critical to conveying the information in an engaging way.
Besides being easily understood, speaking skills allows you to hook your listeners into your story and really connect with them on a deeper level. This is essential as it adds points to how personable you are as well.
Prepare for the IELTS Speaking test with IDP today
Preparing early for your IELTS Speaking test is the key to success.
It gives you time to get familiar with the format and practice speaking to help you gain confidence on test day to attain the band score you desire!
Take the time to go through our resources and prepare yourself better with our wide range of sample tests at your disposal!
And once you are ready, you can book your IELTS test here!