IELTS Speaking Task 1 - How to get a high score

Do you need to take the IELTS? I will teach you everything you need to get a higher score in Task 1 of the Speaking section of the exam! A lot of people have to take the IELTS exam when they immigrate or study overseas. Even if your English is good, you could get a low score in the Speaking section if you are not prepared. If you are taking this test, this video will help you. I'll tell you what to expect and give you a lot of tips and strategies to do well! To test your understanding of the video, take the quiz at http://www.engvid.com/ielts-speaking-task-1/ and for more IELTS tips, strategies, secrets, and sample questions and answers, go to Good Luck IELTS: http://www.goodluckielts.com/

Hi, there. My name is Emma, and in today's lesson, we will be looking at how to do well on the speaking part of the IELTS. So the speaking part of the IELTS is divided up into three sections. Today, we're just going to be looking at section No. 1. So first of all, I will explain how to do well -- oh, sorry. First, I'll explain what happens in Part 1 of the IELTS. And from there, we'll look at some things you should do to do well and some things you shouldn't do, okay? So let's get started.

So what happens in Part 1 of the IELTS? Well, first of all, the speaking Part 1 of the IELTS is for both those taking the General IELTS exam and the Academic. So whether you're taking the Academic or the General IELTS, it's the same test with the same questions.

Okay. It lasts between four to five minutes. It's made up of first an introduction. So the examiner is going to introduce himself or herself. Then, you will introduce yourself. So for example, "Hi. My name is Emma. Nice to meet you." Okay, so there's an introduction. And then, the examiner is going to ask you some questions about yourself. So these questions aren't that difficult. Usually, they're about where you're from. So for example what city you were born in, where you grew up. They might be about work. They might be about what you study, about your friends, about your hobbies, food, sports, and another thing I don't have up here, family. Family is also common on this part of the IELTS. Okay? So usually, the examiner, after introducing himself or herself, they will talk to you about two of these topics. Okay?"

Now, the way they mark this part of the IELTS is they're looking specifically for pronunciation, okay? So can they understand what you're saying? Do you pronounce things well? They're going to be looking at fluency. So what's "fluency"? Well, do you go, "Uh, um, uh, uh" a lot during the test? Or do you speak very clearly, in a very nice rhythmic way? Do you use organizers or transitions? "First of all, secondly, finally." Do you use words like this? "Another reason." Or do you have problems speaking at a normal rate? So they look at that in fluency."

Then, they mark you also on vocabulary. Do you use words like "good, bad" a lot? Those are very low-level words. Or do you use high level words that really show off your vocabulary?"

The final thing you're marked on is grammar and accuracy. So for example, do you only use the present test for the whole test or are you able to correctly use the present tense, the past tense, present perfect, future? How well is your grammar? Okay?

So don't panic. Maybe you're weak in grammar. Maybe you make some mistakes in grammar. But you're marked equally on these four components, okay? So now, let's look at some tips on how to do well on Part 1 of the speaking part of the IELTS.

Okay. So what are some of the things we should do to get a good mark in Part 1 of the IELTS for speaking? Well, we have a list here of dos. Okay? So these are things you want to do. So the first thing that's very important is when you first meet the examiner, okay? If you're very nervous, and you don't make eye-contact, and you look at the floor the whole time, you're not going to do well on the IELTS even if your English is pretty good. So it's very important to present yourself with confidence, okay? You want to go into that test and know you're going to do well. If you think you're going to do well, you're going to do a lot better. Okay? If you think you're going to do badly, you're probably going to do badly. So think you're going to do well, and be confident. Okay?

Another important thing is be friendly. Okay. You want to smile. Body language is actually very important in the IELTS.

You want to make eye-contact, okay? So don't look at your feet. Don't look at your hands. Look at the examiner. But you don't have to stare at them, okay? Just look at them when you talk.