Also by Steve Price How to Improve your IELTS Test bandscores IELTS Reading: How to improve your IELTS Reading bandscore IELTS Speaking - How to improve your bandscore IELTS Writing Task 2: How to Improve Your IELTS Band Score IELTS Listening: How to improve your IELTS band score IELTS Task 1 Writing (Academic) Test: How to improve your IELTS band score Standalone Proposal Writing - Smart Bids, Tenders and Proposals Also by Adonis Enricuso How to Improve your IELTS Test bandscores IELTS Reading: How to improve your IELTS Reading bandscore IELTS Speaking - How to improve your bandscore IELTS Writing Task 2: How to Improve Your IELTS Band Score IELTS Listening: How to improve your IELTS band score IELTS Task 1 Writing (Academic) Test: How to improve your IELTS band score Contents Copyright How This Book Helps You Understanding Band Scores General descriptors for IELTS band scores 0-9 The IELTS Speaking Test - General Advice The IELTS Speaking Test - Structure 11 Techniques for Better IELTS Speaking Band Score Chapter One: Paraphrasing the question to introduce the answer (part 1) Chapter Two: Giving reasons and examples to support the answer (part 1) Chapter Three: Brainstorming and relating ideas Chapter Four: Planning and making notes (part 2) Chapter Five: Linking devices and expressions Chapter Six: Useful expressions Chapter Seven: Determining and analyzing key words Chapter Eight: Concluding expressions Chapter Nine: Synonyms and related expressions Chapter Ten: Structuring and developing ideas Chapter Eleven: Pronunciation Chapter Twelve: How to get the band scores you need Chapter Thirteen: IELTS Preparation Checklist Chapter Fourteen: Helpful Resources Copyright © 2014, STMP Associates Ltd First published in 2014 The Copyright of this document is vested in STMP Associates Ltd., the parent company which owns the Pass IELTS Higher and IELTS Test Prepcast brands, the www.passieltshigher.com website, the www.ieltstestprepcast.com website and related products, and the document is sold only for the purpose for which it is supplied All rights reserved This book or any portion thereof may not be disclosed, reproduced, or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher Publisher: STMP Associates Ltd 27, Old Gloucester Street London, England WC1N 3AX www.passieltshigher.com www.ieltstestprepcast.com The names of companies and website addresses in this book are provided for information of readers with no intention whatsoever to infringe on copyright or trademarks All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing in this guide are the property of their respective owners The information contained in this book is for information purposes only Users of this book are advised to do their own due diligence when it comes to making learning decisions, and all information, products, and services that have been provided or recommended should be independently verified by your own qualified professionals By reading this book, you agree that the authors and/or the publisher are not responsible for the success or failure of your IELTS Test For more information on the IELTS Test, please visit the official website at www.IELTS.org About the Authors As with most books, this book is the work of many people Steve Price is creator and owner of Pass IELTS Higher and IELTS Test Prepcast (Businesses and brandsof STMP Associates Ltd.) He is passionate about delivering high-quality information and coaching products to students of IELTS His vision is to help IELTS candidates to help themselves to higher band scores Don Enricuso is a fervent aficionado of the English language A teacher by heart, he holds an AB English degree and a TESOL certificate (School of TEFL, Canada) Currently, he is pursuing an MA in applied linguistics He coaches candidates from all over the world in IELTS skills and English proficiency Authors’ Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Andrea Price, Fatimah Imam, Jedi Reston, and James England for their practical support and encouragement during the creation and editing of this book Front cover design by Jedi Reston How This Book Helps You This book gives you, the IELTS Test candidate, detailed guidance on how you can improve your IELTS Speaking Test band score The IELTS Speaking Test is no different from any other exam or test type There are techniques, which can be practised and which will place candidates in a better position to answer each given question type The main chapters in this book teach you those techniques for the IELTS Speaking Test Before we get to the techniques which can help you improve your band score, we set the scene by explaining more about IELTS band scores, by reference to the IELTS General Descriptors We also provide some general advice for the IELTS Speaking Test and explain the structure of the IELTS Speaking Test Understanding Band Scores Each of the three tasks is rated against four criteria: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation Scores range from 0–9; a 0.5 band is also possible, which makes a big difference (contrary to how it looks) In improving band scores, constant testing, which Cambridge tests provide, will not be sufficient After establishing your IELTS level, you then need to progress to building up the skills necessary and addressing identified weaknesses Realistically, this can only be achieved through continuous immersion in English The following table provides a high level description of the English language competences associated with each band score level These are called the General Descriptors for IELTS Speaking General descriptors for IELTS band scores 0-9 The IELTS Speaking Test - General Advice This section of the book provides a description of the IELTS Speaking Test You should take time to learn what the speaking test entails as it will help you to structure your preparation The speaking test is divided into three sections and lasts from eleven to fourteen minutes Candidates are being tested on; fluency and ability to express themselves in English, how complex grammar is used, and pronunciation But fluency is especially important You need to be aware you are being assessed from the minute you walk into the exam room, so should always try to use your most complex expressions in English and complex grammar to impress the examiner As mentioned above, fluency is very important, so try not to hesitate when speaking or try not to think too much about the accuracy of your answers This will make you sound less fluent and lose you valuable marks For the fluency point, students often ask if is it advisable to learn an opening by rote so that they can come in fully prepared, being able to talk about where they come from or what university they go to, or whatever The answer to this question is a resounding NO If the examiner realises that you’ve prepared something you’re speaking about, you actually get zero, so it doesn’t really help you A better approach would be to learn expressions and drop them naturally into your speaking The IELTS Speaking Test - Structure This section of the book provides a description of the structure of the IELTS Speaking Test You should take time to learn what the speaking test entails as it will help you to structure your preparation IELTS Speaking Test Part 1 is an introductory interview on the candidate’s personal background or other aspects which will be familiar to the candidate Topics could include: family, hometown, and hobbies, among others This part lasts for four or five minutes IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 is a two-minute monologue by the candidate; the task is to describe any familiar person, object, place, event, or idea - sometimes, for a period of two minutes IELTS Speaking Test Part 3 is a follow-up to the monologue The candidate is asked to answer more abstract and complex questions that are related to the topic given in the previous task Like part 1, part 3 lasts for four or five minutes Some of the topics include; traditional versus modern family, technology and its pros and cons, advertising and its attributes, animal rights, education, modernisation, climate change, aging societies, consumerism, morality, work, and success and failure Main idea: There are peculiar ways with which each group of people celebrates events Supporting sentence 1: This can be evident in the kind of food each prepares For instance, Filipinos usually prepare food that is sweet and sticky—the must-have during this occasion However, the Chinese always make sure that they have fish on their table on New Year’s Eve Supporting sentence 2: Another is the clothes they wear For Filipinos, they want to wear clothes with polka-dot prints regardless of colour, but the Chinese wear red Conclusion: All in all there are differences but these make the holidays very interesting Main idea: Festivals are valued by a society a lot for many reasons Supporting sentence 1: They reinforce social bonds During the celebration, people from different communities and societies gather to witness and participate in every activity This similar experience will serve as their union Supporting sentence 2: Festivals show the society’s culture and lifestyle Through this, a nation can showcase what it has and be known to others Conclusion: It is a good experience to celebrate festivals, and I think one must try it Main point: There has been a massive change on how people celebrate weddings in my country Supporting sentence 1: Firstly, in the olden times, the head of the tribe was allowed to officiate the wedding rites These days, this duty is given to the priests and religious leaders Thus, there are no government officials given the authority to officiate the union of a husband and wife Supporting sentence 2: Secondly, in the past, uninvited guests were welcomed, and in fact, the reception looked like a community event, for most of the people in the village gathered and attended the special event However, today weddings seem to be a family matter alone Guests are limited in number, and they must have an invitation card with them Conclusion: Everything is bound to change, and believe there will be more changes in the near future Main point: The major change in weddings can be seen mostly in the increasing age of the couple getting married Supporting sentence 1: In an industrialized time, most women surely prefer to stay single longer and focus more on their career Supporting sentence 2: Weddings will be very costly, and preparation for the financial requirement will be longer, and couples are likely to postpone their wedding day until such time that they are both ready Conclusion: These are some of the changes in weddings two decades from now Main point: Festivals will still be celebrated, but it won’t be as huge as now Supporting sentence 1: People will be much busier in the future than they are now, and they can’t find time to take part in some activities in the festival They will be more occupied with making a living than having leisure time Supporting sentence 2: The government will reduce the holiday duration in order to allocate more time on working to stimulate economy Conclusion: Indeed there will be several changes, but celebrating these or not will still be an individual choice Chapter Eleven: Pronunciation How important is pronunciation in IELTS Speaking? One of the criteria in assessing speaking is pronunciation It is 25 percent of your IELTS Speaking score It is as important as grammar, vocabulary, and organization of ideas Thus, a low mark in pronunciation might ruin your chances of getting a high band score Pronunciation is different from accent In IELTS Speaking, a candidate is not penalized for having an accent but for pronunciation errors These are mispronounced words and words that most people in your country pronounce incorrectly when speaking in English Your pronunciation score is based on clarity, speed of speech, word stress, sentence stress and intonation Speaking with clarity means that you have to speak clearly so that the examiner can understand you You do not need to sound like a native speaker, and you do not need to rush In IELTS Speaking, you have to speak at a moderate speed When we say moderate, it means that you don’t speak too fast or too slow Remember that you are communicating your ideas to be understood How can you improve your English pronunciation? Pronunciation practice is not done a week or a month before the IELTS exam It should be months before When you speak in English, it is not easy to break the old habit of not producing the right sound and to learn the right one Listen to spoken English as much as possible and imitate how the words are uttered Follow the way a native speaker utters a word Learn the phonetic transcription of words through a dictionary When you learn new vocabulary, do not just know the meaning but also the pronunciation This can be done by having a list of IELTS items of vocabulary for speaking with their transcriptions Make sure that you know how to read each phonetic symbol (see http://www.stuff.co.uk/calcul_nd.htm) Learn how to stress words correctly Every word has its own stress For example, the word conduct, which is a noun, has its stress on the first syllable con, while the verb form has its stress on the second Stress is very important A wrong word stress is more often the cause of misunderstanding than the wrong pronunciation of words In your dictionary, you will see an apostrophe (’) before the syllable to be stressed Take for instance: be’lieve The apostrophe is before the syllable lieve; therefore, this should be stressed A stressed syllable should be read emphatically Know which sound gives you difficulty in speaking English Practise the sound that you have difficulty enunciating You can use minimal pairs to distinguish the difference between sounds You may have difficulty distinguishing /p/ and /f/, /b/ and /v/, /r/ and/l/, among others For Mandarin speakers, work on the voiced /th/, Koreans with /r/ and /l/ and /p/ and /f/, and the same case goes for the Japanese Arabic speakers have difficulties in /p/ and /b/ sounds (see http://www.shiporsheep.com/) Know intonation and sentence stress It is common knowledge that our voice goes up at the end in a question and down in a statement With sentence stress, you have to remember that not all the words are stressed Stressed words are those content words—verbs and nouns Unstressed words such as pronouns, connectors, and prepositions don’t carry weight, and they are short in length This means that uttering them need not be long or lengthy Be familiar with spelling patterns Words with ough must have an /f/ sound, as in the words tough, enough, and rough; oh for the words dough and even though; and ot for bought and thought What are some peculiar features of English sounds? Certain sounds change when they are paired with another sound One obvious example is /s/ This can be pronounced in two different ways: /s/ and /z/ It is pronounced /z/ when se comes after a vowel, just like the case of lose, use, and cause When s is preceded by a voiced sound, it is read as /z/ These are the sounds that create a vibration in your vocal cords as you produce them Like /r/, /g/, /d/, /b/, /th/ (then), /v/, /l/, /z/, and /j/ Take for example eggs, beds, and dollars For the past tense of the regular verbs with infinitive forms that end in voiceless sounds like /p/, /k/, /s/, /ch/, /sh/, /f/, /x/, /h/, ed is pronounced as /t/ Examples are asked, baked, brushed, cooked, cracked, and crashed For infinitive verbs that end in voiced consonant sounds like /l/, /v/, /n/, /m/, /r/, /b/, /g/, /w/, /y/, and /z/ and vowels, the ed in the past form is read as /d/ Examples are the following: agreed allowed answered appeared arrived believe belonged burned called For verbs whose base forms end in /t/ or /d/, the ed is pronounced as id, such as in wanted or decided Activity A Look up the following words and write the transcription for each archipelago populace thoroughly migration comprehension preference usually exaggerate television 10 media Answer archipelago: [ahr-kuh-’pel-uh-goh], /ɑrkə’pɛlə,goʊ/ populace: [’pop-yuh-luhs], /’pɒpyələs/ thorough: [’thur-uh], /’θ∆r/ə migration: [mahy-’grey-shuhn], /maɪ’greɪʃən/ comprehension: [kom-pri-’hen-shuhn], /,kɒmprɪ’hɛnʃən/ preference: [pref-er-uhns], /’prɛfərəns/ usual: [’yoo-zhoo-uhl], /’yuʒuəl/ exaggerate: [ig-’zaj-uh-reyt], /ɪg’zædʒə,reɪt/ television: [’tel-uh-vizh-uhn], /’tɛlə,vɪʒən/ 10 media: [’mee-dee-uh], /’midiə/ Activity B Put the stress in the following words Example: Conduct: (n) ’con-duct artist remove record forget professor forgetful become musician music 10 record Answer artist: ar-’tist remove: re-’move Record: (v) re-’cord forget: for-’get professor: pro-’fes-sor forgetful: for-’get-ful become: be-’come musician: mu-’si-cian music: ’mu-sic 10 record: (n) ’re-cord Activity C Underline the word/s to be stressed in the following sentences: I love travelling and collecting stamps There is vast information stored in the Internet that anyone can access irrespective of time My hometown is known as the City of Smiles Most old people wear traditional clothes at special events like weddings and birthdays Children are more interested in indoor activities these days Working in a very tight environment suffocates me literally Answer I love travelling and collecting stamps There is vast information stored in the Internet that anyone can access irrespective of time My hometown is known as the City of Smiles Most old people wear traditional clothes at special events like weddings and birthdays Children are more interested in indoor activities these days Working in a very tight environment suffocates me literally Chapter Twelve: How to get the band scores you need Are you looking for an easy, hassle-free way to ace your IELTS exam? Then look no further… Just follow these simple tips, to help get you on your way to IELTS success, without the stress When you go on a date, it’s natural to feel more confident if you feel that you look your best Putting on a spritz of perfume or aftershave and donning best suit or a slinky new dress are all essential parts of getting ready for meeting a new date It’s exactly the same with your IELTS exams If you’ve got the vocabulary sorted out and are feeling happy with your level of fluency then you’re set for success How many times do you want to take the IELTS Exam? Remember the saying “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”? This popular dictum is particularly applicable to your IELTS exams If you’re looking to achieve a particular band, you’ll need to make sure you do the work to give yourself the best chance of going into your exam feeling confident and ready to go Prepare Properly There are plenty of IELTS preparation materials out there, so make sure that you get hold of as many different revision notes and practice papers as possible, so you can gauge your current level and identify areas for improvement Looking at example materials will also help you to build your vocabulary, as you’re bound to pick up plenty of new words along the way Looking through practice reading papers and doing writing exercises might not sound lazy, but it’ll seriously increase your chances of doing well in your exams, saving you last minute stress and helping you avoid the need to resit Speaking is one area where many candidates fall down, whether or not they’ve been lazy in the weeks and months leading up to the IELTS exams When you have your speaking test, you’ll be expected to demonstrate a good understanding of the questions being asked and you’ll need to be able to show off your excellent vocabulary, impressive grammar skills and fabulous levels of fluency There is no short-cut to spoken fluency The only way to score a top band in your IELTS speaking exam is to practise, practise, practise Working with a coach or tutor is a really good idea, as it should help motivate you to develop a strategy and put in the necessary work well in advance of the exams Essentially, the lazy approach to doing well in your IELTS exams is not a question of doing minimal work, it’s all about breaking the work down into small, manageable chunks If you do a little bit every day, dividing your time between the various components of the exam, and paying particular attention to those areas you find more difficult, you should achieve a lot without feeling like you’re always working Or you will be preparing again! While this lazy approach might sound like hard work, it pays to remember that in IELTS, as in many things, slow and steady wins the race Avoid last-minute cramming by starting your preparation early and do a little bit every day, so you can go into your exams feeling in control and ready to face those exams head on Who said reaching the highest bands in IELTS had to be stressful? By Caroline McQueen Caroline McQueen is CELTA-qualified EFL teacher with many years’ experience teaching and coaching English to speakers of other languages With a background in Modern Languages, she has taught at Oxford University and has an in-depth knowledge of the requirements for English for Academic Purposes both in the UK and in the US Chapter Thirteen: IELTS Preparation Checklist As you enter the world of IELTS there are some key points to remember which will help you to achieve that important pass This checklist details some of the points for you We hope you find them useful The Weeks Leading Up to the IELTS Test Become very familiar with the test as soon as you can The skills being tested in the IELTS take effort on your part to learn and develop It will take some time for you to hone them Some people are able to cram their learning at the last minute and be successful Most people can’t So establish a pattern, or time table, of learning which suits you and your circumstances Use your study time efficiently Tiredness prevents easy learning Study when you are fresh, and make sure that you keep to your time table Set yourself learning goals, and ensure that you have adequate breaks to allow your brain to assimilate and process what it is learning In the IELTS Test, each of the four band modules—Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking—carries the same weight Study each skill carefully, and spend more time on the skills in which you feel you are weak Understand the exact procedure for the test Be very clear on the order of each section, its length, and the specific question types Pass IELTS Higher and its resources will be available to help you practice these skills and should be used Work with a study partner or join a study group This helps because all people think differently and other students may raise issues that you may not have considered or may know the answers to questions you have Seek help from teachers, friends, native English speakers, and the Pass IELTS Higher resources Days before the Test This is not a time for intensive study It is a time to review skills and your test technique It is important to exercise, eat, rest, and sleep well during the week in which you will take the test Leave nothing to chance If you do not know how to get to the test centre, try going there at a similar time one or two weeks before the real test The Night before the Test You must have a good dinner and go to bed at your normal time—not too early and not too late, as you do not want to disrupt your sleep pattern if possible Prepare so that you have everything ready that you need for the test so you can simply pick it up in the morning Collect together the test registration form, passport, test number, pens, pencils, erasers, etc A pen that runs dry or a pencil that breaks can take several minutes to replace Check before the exam exactly what articles you need Set your alarm clock the night before or arrange to be woken On the Morning of the Test Eat a good breakfast You will have several hours of concentration ahead of you, and you will need food and drink in the morning You may even want to bring more food or a snack with you, especially if your Speaking test is at a later time that day Nuts are especially good as they are packed with calories which release slowly You cannot, however, take food or drink into the exam room Wear a watch in case you cannot see the clock in the exam room Time keeping during the test is a key technique to master Give yourself plenty of time to travel to the test centre You will be required to complete a registration form and prove your identity before you enter the examination room, so you must arrive at the time specified by your test centre If you are early, you could go for a walk If you are late, you will not be allowed to enter Avoid the added tension of having to rush Most students at the test will feel nervous This is quite normal and is the body’s way of preparing It can actually be quite helpful in terms of motivation It may make you alert and help you to focus The aim is for you to try to perform at your best In contrast, high levels of anxiety can affect a student’s performance The best way to overcome this anxiety is to make sure you have prepared well and have familiarity with test details and a positive attitude The examination room should be suitable for testing—that is, the lighting, ventilation, and temperature should be appropriate If you find that you are uncomfortable because of any of these factors or if there is some other problem, such as not being able to hear the recording of the Listening Module, make sure you raise it with the person in charge for them to do something about it General Examination Techniques This book teaches specific techniques for the IELTS Listening Test However, using good general examination techniques could help improve your overall score for the IELTS Test Remember that every section is marked independently Do not jeopardise your performance in one section just because you believe that you have done badly in another Do not underestimate or try to predict your outcome You may, in fact, have done better than you imagined Focus on what you know rather than on what you don’t know while you are doing the test Ensure that you adhere to the times suggested as they usually correspond to the number of marks given for a particular question In the Listening and Reading Modules, it is a good idea to write down an answer, even if you are not sure of it, before moving on to the next question Many students intend to return to the answers they have omitted at the end of the test but do not have enough time to do so Furthermore, by writing your best answer at the actual time of reading the question, you save the time you need to spend again on rereading the question and reacquainting yourself with the subject matter If you are not confident about your answer, mark it in some way and return to it at the end Do not leave any answers blank You are not penalised for incorrect answers, so ‘guess’ wisely Here is a list of possible IELTS topics: Environment IT Health Education Science The natural world Sport Nature or nurture Advertising Cultural differences Social issues Language and communication The arts The ideas and vocabulary for each topic will be recycled in all the exam skills of Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking You will feel much more confident in the exam if you have prepared yourself as much as you can You can do this if, for two months leading up to your exam date, every morning for 30 minutes you think about one topic, read an article or watch a programme about the topic, and extract useful vocabulary and expressions and write them down Spend 5 minutes at the end of your day reviewing and remembering these new expressions Remember, IELTS Test success lies in thorough preparation The more you practise, the luckier you will get! Chapter Fourteen: Helpful Resources We thought it would be helpful to create a resource page that you can always come to for all of your IELTS needs It will be added to as new resources emerge - that we like and recommend We reference this page quite often both in our published books and also on our website It provides links to free and premium (paid for) resources which help with all aspects of preparation for the IELTS Test: IELTS Listening IELTS Reading IELTS Writing Task 1 IELTS Writing Task 2 IELTS Speaking Here is the link/address to the resource web page: www.passieltshigher.com/IELTS-Resources We recommend bookmarking it for your reference and convenience To your IELTS Success!