IELTS speaking part 2 Archives - Preparation for the IELTS Exam

Paraphrasing in IELTS speaking

September 25, 2023December 6, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

The key to a higher score in IELTS speaking is paraphrasing.

Updated: September 2023

You are probably aware that paraphrasing is a key skill in IELTS writing and is important for a good Band score if it’s done skillfully, but what about in the speaking section of the exam?

In the IELTS speaking Band descriptors for Band 7 lexical resource, it says: ‘uses paraphrase effectively’ and for Band 4 lexical resource it mentions: ‘rarely attempts to paraphrase’. So clearly this is important to consider when you are in the IELTS speaking exam.

9 tricky IELTS speaking part 2 topics

September 26, 2023August 22, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

Tips and ideas for difficult IELTS speaking part 2 topics.

Updated: September 2023

Sometimes in IELTS speaking, you will get a tricky topic to answer in part 2. It can cause anxiety if you go into the exam and get presented with one of these. The important thing here is to use your imagination if you cannot think of a story.

Be prepared with a few ideas beforehand as that will go a long way to easing your nerves. I haven’t given any model answers here because there are so many variations on how you could answer these. Click the blue buttons to see the tips and ideas.

IELTS speaking part 2 structure

September 26, 2023February 8, 2019 by Ray IELTS Focus

Use a structure to help you talk for the full 2 minutes.

Updated: September 2023

In IELTS speaking part 2, you have to talk for 2 minutes on a particular topic. The examiner gives you a cue card with 1 minute preparation time to make notes. It is important to have a strategy in this part of the speaking as 2 minutes is a long time to talk non-stop, even I would find that a challenge!

The way to make this easier is to structure your talk. Remember that you need to develop your speech like you are telling a story. This is very important for a higher band score.

Common questions about IELTS speaking

September 26, 2023September 5, 2018 by Ray IELTS Focus

18 commonly asked questions about the IELTS speaking test.

Updated: September 2023.

There is a lot of misinformation, wrong advice, and myths out there surrounding IELTS writing and speaking, so hopefully, this blog post should help clear up any confusion before you go into the IELTS exam. This post goes over common misconceptions and common questions about the speaking part of IELTS. Click on the blue buttons to see the answers to the questions.

If there are any questions not listed or if you have any suggestions, leave a comment in the comments section at the bottom of this post. I will try to answer them for you.

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Strategy

August 1, 2019December 12, 2017 by Ray IELTS Focus

A useful technique when presented with a difficult topic in IELTS speaking part 2.

In the IELTS speaking test part 2, you are given a cue card and have to give a 2-minute talk where you must ‘Describe’ something or some situation.

Often this can be stressful for people during the exam, many people just go blank and cannot think of ideas or many people may have no experience of the topic presented to them. This can be a cause for anxiety but in fact, you do not need to worry. There are 2 ways to deal with this.