IELTS Speaking – How to Get Band 9.0
When helping students prepare for the IELTS test, one of the biggest fears is how to do well in IELTS Speaking.
IELTS Speaking is a face-to-face, informal discussion with an IELTS examiner, and is the same for both Academic and General Training. The test is divided into 3 parts and is designed to test your pronunciation, fluency, grammar and vocabulary.
However, not all IELTS Listening practice questions are genuine. Most are fake, so we have collected all the REAL IELTS Listening practice questions and listed them below.
Smart Strategies
IELTS SPEAKING FORMAT
The key to speaking well isn’t sounding like a native
it’s being clear, confident, and relevant. Here's how to approach each part like a pro.
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
Relax and breathe, remind yourself of natural expressions and avoid memorized lines.
DURING THE INTERVIEW
Answer naturally, extend answers, add examples, and avoid long pauses.
AFTER THE SESSION
Reflect on your performance calmly, note where you paused or repeated unnecessarily.
Believe in Yourself
Speak Naturally. Answer Smartly.
Confidence beats memorization. Learn how to sound fluent, think fast, and respond clearly even when nervous.
Top 5 IELTS Speaking Tips
1. Speak some English every day.
This is something that all my Band 7+ students have in common.
It is better to practice a little bit every day and improve your skills gradually than to speak your native language all week until you have an IELTS class. You’ll find more advice for IELTS Speaking practice here.
2. Ask the examiner questions if you don’t understand.
Your IELTS Speaking test is meant to be like a normal conversation between 2 people. Therefore, if you don’t understand a word, you can ask the examiner to explain what it means. Just say, ‘I’m sorry, could you explain what X means?’
You can also ask them to repeat the question. However, you can’t ask the examiner to explain the whole sentence.
Here’s what to do if you get an unfamiliar topic in your IELTS Speaking test.
3. Do a 24-hour English warm-up.
It takes most IELTS students 10-15 minutes to ‘warm-up’ and perform to the best of their ability on test day. Just like an athlete needs to warm up before a sporting event, you also need to warm up before your IELTS exam.
Therefore, you should speak, write, read and listen to English for 24 hours before your IELTS Speaking test. Your family and friends might think you are crazy, but it will greatly affect your score!
4. Give full answers.
‘Yes’ and ‘No’ are NOT satisfactory answers in your IELTS Speaking test – you need to show the examiner how good your English is.
If you give very short answers, there is no way the examiner can know how good you are. Therefore, you should try to extend your answers with explanations and examples.
5. Correct your mistakes.
People make small mistakes when they speak all the time, especially when they are nervous about an exam. Correcting your mistakes as you make them can show the examiner that you really do know your grammar and vocabulary.
When you make a small mistake, say sorry and repeat the sentence correctly.
IELTS Speaking Practice
There are many ways that you can practice your speaking. The most important things to remember are:
- It is better to practice on your own than not practice at all. Don’t let the lack of a partner stop you from practising.
- There are thousands of ways to practice with a partner online. You’ll find some in the articles below.
- Focus on the 4 marking criteria. Everything else is irrelevant.
- Be a reflective learner. Record your practice sessions and honestly appraise your performance.
- Practising for the sake of it will not help. You need to identify your weaknesses and take action to improve those shortcomings.
This article will show you how to practice on your own, find other people to practice with and find an IELTS expert to help you with your speaking.
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