IELTS Speaking Part 2: what is it?
In IELTS Speaking Part 2, you give a talk.
You should be prepared to speak for 2 minutes (the examiner will ask you to speak for 1 to 2 minutes: ignore this! Aim to speak for 2 minutes.)
It’s your chance to show the examiner how well you can talk for an extended period.
Many people call it “The Long Turn” because it is your turn to speak for a long time.
2 minutes doesn’t seem like a long time, but if you’ve never done it before, it can seem like forever! Even for native speakers. So practice speaking for 2 minutes!
IELTS Speaking Part 2: what happens?
1-In IELTS Speaking Part 2, the examiner will ask you to speak for between one and two minutes on a topic.
The IELTS examiner will give you a topic card. On the card, there will be a short description of a topic, with some ideas for what to include. The topic will be related to personal experience, for example, a person you know or an event you participated in.
2-The examiner will give you exactly one minute to prepare your talk. The examiner will give you a piece of paper and a pencil to write down some ideas. You could make a list of ideas and keywords, or draw a mind map.
3-After one minute, the examiner will ask you to start your talk.
4-You give your talk. You are expected to speak, without interruption from the examiner, for up to two minutes. The examiner will listen and say nothing, but she/he might nod and gesture in order to encourage you to continue talking.
5-After 2 minutes the examiner will interrupt you. They will probably ask you one extra question about the topic (sometimes they will ask 2, and sometimes 0ne question). You only need to give a short answer to this question.
6-Then, you go straight into IELTS Speaking Part 3
NOTE: during the IELTS Speaking Test, the examiner will write some numbers down on a piece of paper. These are the times that different parts of the test started. For example, one time they write down is the start of your 1-minute preparation. Don’t worry about these numbers! They have nothing to do with your band scores!
What is the IELTS examiner looking for?
In IELTS Speaking Part 2, the IELTS examiner will assess your speaking task against the IELTS assessment criteria. There are 4 areas: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.
To get a band score of 8.0, this is what you must achieve in these 4 areas:
Fluency and Coherence: you should speak fluently. Occasional hesitation for language or ideas is acceptable. Your talk should be coherent and well-structured. Your talk should also be relevant to the topic given.
Lexical Resource: you should use a wide range of language appropriately with some idiomatic language (some mistakes are accepted). Your vocabulary needs to show that you can talk about a variety of different topics. This is what is meant by flexible use of language.
Grammar: you should be using a wide range of grammatical structures with only very rare errors.
Pronunciation: your pronunciation should be easy to understand throughout, and you should use a variety of pronunciation features, such as intonation, connected speech, word and sentence stress, and a steady pace of speech (not too slow and not too fast). Speaking too fast will hold your band score down.
IELTS Speaking Part 2 Tips
1.You Don’t Have to Talk About Every Bullet Point
In the Official Marking Criteria for the Speaking Test, there is nothing that states that you have to talk about every bullet point.
2.Have a Strategy
IELTS is much easier if you have a strategy for each part of the test.
3.Preparation
They say practice makes perfect and this is very true for IELTS Speaking.
4. Use 1 Minute Wisely
You will have one minute to prepare before you start talking. You will not have enough time to write full sentences. You will, however, be able to write keywords.
5.Personal Experiences Are Best (but telling a lie is OK too.)
The best answers are always about things you have actually experienced in your life.
6. Expand Your Ideas
It is much better to fully expand each main idea than to simply state lots of main ideas and not develop them at all.
7. Mistakes are OK
Everyone makes grammar and vocabulary mistakes. Even students who get a Band 8, or even 9, make small mistakes. When you make a mistake simply forget about it. Don’t panic and continue.
IMPORTANT: It’s a good idea to find a preparation buddy to practice speaking with. You can practice alone too. Simply choose a topic and talk to yourself in the mirror