4 Tips to Improve Speaking Score
Common Mistakes
- Speaking in short, choppy sentences without elaboration.
- Pausing too often while thinking of words.
- Overusing "umm" or "uhh" instead of speaking naturally.
How to Improve
- Practice speaking continuously without long pauses or hesitation. Use filler phrases like “That’s an interesting question…” if you need thinking time.
- Use linking words (e.g., “First of all,” “On the other hand,” “For instance”) to connect ideas smoothly.
- Avoid repeating the same words and phrases—paraphrase when possible.
- Engage in daily speaking practice, like recording yourself and listening for areas of improvement.
Tip
"Keep speaking naturally and use linking words to connect your ideas smoothly instead of pausing too often. You don't need to think of complex ideas."
Common Mistakes
- Overusing simple sentences and avoiding complex structures.
- Making frequent tense mistakes (e.g., saying “Yesterday I go to the market” instead of “Yesterday I went to the market”).
- Incorrect use of articles ("a," "an," "the").
How to Improve
- Practice using a mix of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound, and complex sentences).
- Work on tenses (past, present, future) to ensure you’re using the correct one.
- Use conditional sentences (e.g., “If I had more time, I would travel more”) to showcase variety.
- Pay attention to subject-verb agreement and prepositions, as these are common error areas.
- Record yourself and analyze mistakes, or practice with a tutor for feedback.
Tip
"It is better to use fewer grammatical structures with '0' mistakes than to use a wider range of grammatical structures with many errors."
Common Mistakes
- Using overly complex words incorrectly just to sound impressive.
- Repeating the same words frequently (e.g., always saying “good” instead of “fantastic,” “amazing,” “incredible”).
- Using idioms unnaturally or in the wrong context.
How to Improve
- Learn synonyms and paraphrasing techniques (e.g., Instead of "happy," try "delighted" or "thrilled").
- Use topic-specific vocabulary related to common IELTS themes (e.g., environment, travel, education).
- Incorporate idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs where natural (e.g., “It was a piece of cake” for “It was easy”).
- Read articles, listen to podcasts, and watch English shows to pick up new words in context.
Tip
"Think of vocabulary as tools in a tool kit - each of the tools helps you do a specific job. Each word you know helps you speak about a different topic."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) will receive a high band score if the candidate uses lots of complex sentences with few errors. Complex sentences are sentences that have subordinate clauses such as relative clauses. Punctuation, using full stops and commas accurately, is also important for GRA.
Common Mistakes
- Speaking in a flat, monotone voice instead of using natural intonation.
- Pronouncing every word separately instead of linking words (e.g., “I am going to” → “I’m gonna”).
- Overemphasizing every syllable instead of using natural stress patterns.
- Speaking too fast!
How to Improve
- Listen to native speakers and mimic their pronunciation (use YouTube, podcasts, or audiobooks).
- Focus on word stress and sentence rhythm (e.g., “I CAN’T believe it!” sounds different from “I can’t BELIEVE it!”).
- Learn common mispronounced words (e.g., "comfortable" is pronounced “kumf-ter-bl”).
- Practice reading aloud and record yourself to identify weak areas.
Tip
"Speak naturally, and use the grammar and vocabulary you already know. This will allow you to increase your confidence and speak slower."
Closer Look at Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Let's take a closer look at Grammatical Range and Accuracy by looking at two Sample Answers
Sample Answer 1
Read the IELTS question and sample answer and then answer the following questions:
- How many grammatical structures can you find?
- How many mistakes can you find?
How has your hometown changed since you were a child?
Sample Answer
"Growing up, my hometown was small village where everyone knowing each other, but now is big city with many tall buildings and different peoples. The transformation have been much big; fields where we used play now is commercial places, and close community I knew before is replace by fast life. Although I sometime missing old time, but I liking new chance and culture richness from change. Overall, it feel I witness the changing from small to big, each stage have own special good and hard."
"Growing up [past continuous], my hometown was [past simple] small village where everyone knowing [past simple] each other, but now [present simple] is [present simple] big city with many tall buildings and different peoples. The transformation have [present perfect] been much big; fields where we used [past simple] play now [present simple] is [present simple] commercial places, and close community I knew [present simple] before is [present simple] replace by fast life. Although I sometime [present simple] missing old time, but I liking [present simple] new chance and culture richness from change. Overall, it feel I witness the changing from small to big, each stage have [present continuous] own special good and hard."
"Growing up, my hometown was small village where everyone knowing each other, but now is big city with many tall buildings and different peoples. The transformation have been much big; fields where we used play now is commercial places, and close community I knew before is replace by fast life. Although I sometime missing old time, but I liking new chance and culture richness from change. Overall, it feel I witness the changing from small to big, each stage have own special good and hard."
Sample Answer 2
Read the IELTS question and sample answer and then answer the following questions:
- How many grammatical structures can you find?
- How many mistakes can you find?
How has your hometown changed since you were a child?
Sample Answer
"My hometown has changed dramatically since I was a child. It used to be a small village, but it has grown into a bustling city with new opportunities. Despite the fast pace, the sense of community has remained strong."
"My hometown has changed [present perfect] dramatically since I was a child. It used [past simple] to be a small village, but it has grown [present perfect] into a bustling city with new opportunities. Despite the fast pace, the sense of community has remained [present perfect] strong."
"My hometown has changed dramatically since I was a child. It used to be a small village, but it has grown into a bustling city with new opportunities. Despite the fast pace, the sense of community has remained strong."
There are "0" mistakes
Which of the above sample answers will receive the higher score?
If you compare the two answers shown above, Writing Sample 2, even though it is the shorter, and less complicated answer will score higher than Writing Sample 1.
Important
To score a Band 7.0 or above for Grammatical Range and Accuracy, 50% or more of your sentences, must have 0 mistakes.
What about showing Grammatical Range?
During your IELTS speaking, you will be scored on both range and accuracy. Don't worry, the examiner will be asking you a range of different questions. By doing so, the examiner will be testing your range of grammar. If you answer each question naturally, you will be able to show a range of grammar structures.
Q: When did you graduate college?
A: I graduated in 2008.
Question: How long have you been a teacher?
A: I've been a teacher since 2008.
Q: Would you like to do another job in the future?
A: I'm going to do a master's in psychology.