IELTS SPEAKING MODULE - Know The Basics

IELTS Speaking Module - Basics

The IELTS Speaking Module starts with an introduction of the candidate. The interviewer will begin with asking questions about the candidate for example,

• Where do you live?
• What do you do? or What is your occupation?
• What is your favourite pass time? or Tell me about your hobbies? etc.

This is to allow the candidate to introduce themselves, feel comfortable and confident as the candidate will be speaking about things he/she knows.

Then the interviewer will provide the candidate with a topic. The candidate will also be provided with a question paper with the topic written on it. The candidate will be allowed one minute to think about the topic and take down notes or points if he/she wishes to about the topic. The candidate will then have to talk for about two minutes on the topic.

The interviewer will move on to asking questions about the topic after the candidate has finished speaking. The questions will be relevant to the topic but may also slightly touch other related areas. The questions will be open ended. This means that there is no right or wrong answer. The candidate has to express their own point of view.

What is assessed in the Speaking Module?

The Speaking Module assesses a candidate's ability to communicate verbally in English. This includes:

• The candidate understands what the interviewer has asked them, hence his/her answers should be relevant and show their understanding. (The candidate can always ask the interviewer to repeat their question if they haven't understood what was asked.)
• Speak clearly and fluently in English (with normal stops and breaks as used in everyday spoken English).
• Use appropriate language (accurate grammar and relevant vocabulary as far as possible). For example, if the candidate is talking about a football he once bought, he may say that the ball was quite big, but not fat! Similarly if talking about a person, he may say ' the man was fat', however, if he says 'the man was thick', it will be absolutely wrong and inappropriate use of vocabulary....so candidates need to make sure they do not confuse words and use them appropriately even when speaking fluently.

(More information on using appropriate vocabulary both in speaking and writing will be provided in later posts)

Listening Module – Down to the basics

Introduction:

The IELTS listening module is the same for both Academic and General Training modules. It consists of approximately 40 questions. The questions may of the following type:
• Sentence completion or fill in the blanks in a diagram, description, summary, flow chart or table

• MCQ’s (multiple choice questions)

• Diagram labeling

• Matching

What is expected from you as a candidate?
The Listening module is divided into 4 sections and time is allowed to read the questions before the tape is played for each section. Time will also be given at the end to transfer your answers on a separate answer sheet. (Remember you must transfer your answers on the answer sheet when the time is allowed because only the answer sheet will be checked and marked by the examiner!)
Candidates are expected to listen to the tape and answer the questions as they listen (and later transfer to the answer sheet when time is allowed).

How to attempt:
You will be allowed to read the questions of the specific section before that section’s tape/recording is played, (for example 5 minutes will be allowed to read the questions before section 1 tape is played, then 5 minutes to read section 2 questions before the section 2 recording is played) therefore you should make the most of this time, read the questions thoroughly and try to make an idea of what the situation is about. For example,

Read the following questions: (Source:Cambridge Practice Tests For IELTS Book 5)

What comes into your mind after reading these questions?
The obvious thing which might come into our mind is that someone is buying cots and comparing the different features of each brand in order to make the right choice.

Important:
The simple purpose of reading the questions is to accustom or familiarize yourself to the situation you are just being exposed to (going to listen to in the recording). If our brain feels familiar to a situation it reacts better and absorbs information more quickly, hence answering the questions becomes easier!

USEFUL  TIP:
You should not just try to find the words to match answers in the tape and miss out on what is being said, because you need to “listen” to all that is being said in order to answer the questions. If you just keep looking for answers or words to match the answers then you might not listen carefully and even miss out the real answer


So in order to answer the questions, listen to the tape/recording. The questions are in sequence, which means you have to answer as you listen. The answer to the first question will of course be somewhere in the beginning and not at the end of the tape! So be careful as you listen.


Good Listening Strategy: Don’t Panic!

Stay focused and do not think about anything else as you attempt the paper even when you have missed out an answer. Leave it and move on so that your thoughts do not make you lose concentration and miss out on another answer. Remember the tape will be played only once! So forget all the other worries and just listen. The recording is in simple plain English and if you stay focused, success will be yours.

This was an overview of the Listening Module. Individual tips will be fully explained in upcoming posts. Best of luck!