There are many ways of improving your speaking by yourself.
For example:
- recording yourself
- listen and repeat (listen to clear audio and try to repeat what they say in the same way)
- talking aloud to yourself
- doing daily practice (see my challenge below)
- finding a speaking partner
- learning about pronunciation features
My free 30-day IELTS Speaking challenge will
- help you get used to speaking for 2 minutes non-stop
- give you plenty of ideas for when you do the real exam
- help you notice some things about your speaking that you could improve
- build your confidence and fluency
- increase your vocabulary
- improve your grammar
Every day you have to
- speak for 2 minutes on a topic
- record yourself
- listen to your recording
How to do the challenge by yourself
- Print off the PDF of all the questions from the 30-Day Challenge here.
- Put it somewhere visible so that you get a daily reminder.
- Get an App for recording on your phone. I use Voice Recorder but there are plenty of others, or just record on your phone.
- Cross off the days/tasks as you go through them, so that you can feel a sense of progress.
- Listen to your recording and write down one mistake you made.
- Ask someone to listen for you.
What to listen for
It’s not easy to listen for your own mistakes but here are a few things that are easy to spot and improve:
- Repetition – how can you say something different?
- Hesitation – how can you fill the gaps when you’re thinking? (Use fillers like ‘well’ ‘you know’ ‘anyway!’ ‘so’…)
- Grammar – check Past Tenses, 3rd person ‘s’, plural ‘s’
- Natural speech – use contractions e.g. ‘I’m’ rather than ‘I am’
- Vocabulary – could you choose more interesting adjectives e.g. ‘freezing’ rather than ‘cold’?
- Linking words – are you just using ‘but’ and ‘so’? Could you try ‘even though’ or ‘Anyway…’?
- Pronunciation – are there any sounds you have difficulty with? (click here for more advice on how to improve your pronunciation)
Do I need to answer all the bullet points?
Nobody cares about the bullet points in IELTS Speaking Part 2!
Least of all the examiner.
The examiner DOES NOT CARE if you use them or not.
There is NO BAND CRITERIA for TASK ACHIEVEMENT in the Speaking Test.
Need more help with Speaking?
How to get off to a great start with Speaking Task 1: The 30-Day Task 1 Challenge.
Get the full set of videos (Days 8 – 30) in the Members Academy.
What to expect in the IELTS Speaking Test.
Find a list of the best websites and apps to help you prepare for the Speaking test by yourself.
How to use the phonemic alphabet to improve your pronunciation for IELTS (my YouTube video).
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