If you wish to score a high band score in IELTS Speaking then you should know the answer to the above question. I hope by now you know that the secret lies in the IELTS Band descriptors.
Let's quickly take a look at the IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors. We will cover each section in detail in the rest of the lesson.
IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors by IELTS Online Practice
This is the document that IELTS examiners will use to mark your speaking task and assign a band score to it. In order to score a high band score you will need to demonstrate the skills that your examiners are looking for in this document.
NOTE: If you don't understand all the information in this chapter, don't worry too much. We will revisit every single one of them in a lot more details in the remaining topics for IELTS Speaking.
Let me spare you the boredom of going through that document and highlight the main things to watch out for to get a band 7 or more:
Fluency
To score a Band 7 or above you MUST do the following
- Speak without long pauses. Do not take a long break between words to think.
- Understand the examiner's question correctly and develop your answer accordingly.
- Keep hesitation, repetition and self-correction to a minimum.
- Use a variety of sentence structures and don't give yes/no answers.
Vocabulary
To score Band 7+ you must use some less common words in their proper context.
You should be able to throw in a few idioms and phrases in your answers too.
The more precisely you can uncommon words, idioms and phrases related to your topic in your speech the higher you will score.
Paraphrase Effectively
Paraphrasing refers to expressing the meaning of something using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity.
In order to score Band 7+ you need to show that you can paraphrase effectively.
Grammar range and accuracy
For IELTS Band 7+ you should be able to use a range of complex grammatical structures in your sentences correctly.
Pronunciation
Lastly, to score Band 7+ you should be able to pronounce words correctly. Bear in mind that pronunciation is not the same as accent. In fact you not judged on your accent at all. Pronunciation score is based on
- clarity (speaking clearly)
- speed (not too fast, not too slow)
- word stress
- sentence stress
- intonation (the rise and fall of your voice)
Share These Speaking Tips With Your Friends
Well done Grasshopper ;)
Tomorrow I will share strategies to quickly improve your English speaking.
Click on Mark Complete button below and move on to the next topic when you are ready.
Have questions or comments about this lesson or any other lesson add a comment below.
Can you explain more about intonation (the rise and fall of your voice) ?