IELTS Speaking Anxiety – How to Cope

IELTS Speaking Anxiety is a hidden evil. If you’ve sat an IELTS examination before, you’ve probably experienced it. It’s the feeling that your world is collapsing around you and no matter how hard you try, words just can’t save you. Anxiety is probably the number one factor that reduces band score. Because the candidate is tense and anxious, anxiety takes over and as a result, any confidence that he or she did had is out the window and long gone. Glossophobia or (IELTS) speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking or of speaking in general. It causes acute hearing, dry mouth, uncontrollable shaking, increased heart rate, and stiffening of upper back muscles. Can you imagine experiencing that and then having to speak to a complete stranger in a second language? That’s a lot to confront and cope with but with these 5 helpful tips, you just might beat the IELTS Speaking Anxiety bug.

Tip 1

Don’t Expect Perfection from Yourself

None of us are perfect.  We all know that.  Yet when it comes to the IELTS speaking exam, we want to excel and score high and some of us tend to kick ourselves over every little perceived mistake we make.  We amplify our imperfections, second guess each answer we make, and review our answers over and over again while preparing for the rest of the exam.  The truth is, even the best, most experienced speakers make many mistakes.  When they do, they recover, keep going gracefully, and all is well.  This is one of the keys to IELTS speaking anxiety success: to keep going graciously.  The examiner will know most of your mistakes, but if you don’t let these mistakes control you, you’ll win. Carry on with composure.  Give yourself permission not to be perfect.

Tip 2

Avoid Being Nervous About Your Nervousness

Speakers who lack confidence often feel nervous, and then on top of that feel anxious about the fact that they’re nervous, which compounds the anxiety.  That’s a lot of stress to bear.

Nervousness is our adrenaline flowing, that’s all.  It’s a form of energy.  Successful IELTS speaking candidates know how to make this energy work for them, and turn nervousness into enthusiasm, engagement, and charisma.  They have fun with it. Walking into an exam and “turning the tables” over to your side so that you control the interview is a win-win situation. It’s okay to be nervous.  Make the energy work for you.

Tip 3

Don’t Memorize Answers

There’s nothing worse than stepping into an examination packed with prepared answers. Not only will you end up making crucial errors, the examiner will know. Some candidates have actually done this and they end up rehearsing the answers while in the examination but the questions rarely come. The goal in getting good speaking scores is being as natural as you can. It’s fine to prepare information for an answer such as “where you come from?” or “tell me about your family.” but if you use prepared answers for some of these questions you’ll end up answering out of content or just answering wrong. Being natural, waiting for the question before answering, and then answering accordingly helps to avoid IELTS speaking anxiety.

Tip 4

Get Comfortable with the Examiner

The examiner is human, usually older than you and more than likely tired. Breaking the ice is a good way to start off the interview. If you start off with general “get to know you” questions aimed at the examiner, he or she will more than likely be quite impressed with your enthusiasm and the interview will have been started off on the right foot. Not only will that show your confidence with speaking a second language, it allows you to relax and get focused on the task at hand, the exam. The examiner will not let the ice-breaking session last too long as there is a time restriction, but it’s a great way to get relaxed and comfortable with a stranger that you need to speak with. This is an effective way to beat the IELTS speaking anxiety bug.

Tip 5

Get Prepared Before the Examination

The final and most important tip to beat the IELTS speaking anxiety is get prepared. There is nothing worse than going into an exam not knowing what’s going to happen. If you are aware of the examination procedures, what questions could be asked, and understand how to handle answers, half of the battle is won. Take time to prepare. Study the IELTS Speaking Band Score descriptors and get to know what the examiner is looking for. Practice answering typical IELTS speaking questions with a friend or English teacher. If none are available, there are plenty of options online, especially with social networks. You may even make a new life-time friend. Understanding what the exam details and what is going to happen will help reduce those IELTS speaking anxiety moments.

Conclusion

Speaking to someone new is tough regardless of language and speaking anxiety only escalates the difficulties that are experienced with IELTS speaking exams. Overcoming the anxiety is key to success and doing so early on in the examination is important. Maintaining a positive attitude and building confidence will go a long way. The examination is only 14-15 minutes and it can be an eternity if you let it be so. Take control of your IELTS speaking anxiety and use that energy to demonstrate not only your ability to speak well in English, but your ability to handle stressful situations. It’s definitely the positive approach to success.

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IELTS Speaking Part 2 Time Management Techniques Explained

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Time Management Techniques provides a clear understanding how to plan the long talk. It’s your turn. The examiner has given you the topic card and 1 minute to think about your response. That’s correct, the nightmare has just been made a reality. I don’t know about you but trying to think of a good response, plan, prepare, and organize it all in 60 seconds is one tough task. That is what you have to do. Every cloud has a silver lining and here’s a proven technique to master the time management needed for that important 1 minute preparation.

Let’s have a look at a typical IELTS Part 2 topic question.

Describe a place that you would like to travel to
You should say:
                where you want to go
                how you would get there
                who you would like to go with
And talk about why you would like to go to this place

Straight forward question, right? It’s something we think about all the time and it’s probably a conversation you have with friends often. However, if you had to think deeply about all these sub-questions in 1 minute, the added pressure of doing so in such a restricted amount of time is a barrier. Not only that, you need to make notes about these sub-questions in order to recall them while speaking. Remember, you need to speak between 1 to 2 minutes so we need to develop a good plan. To deliver an exceptional talk, we need a good plan and that starts with brilliant time management skills.

Time Management

What is time management? In a nutshell, time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity. Too technical? Well, in other words, good time management is allowing enough time to get things done properly and effectively. There is only 1 minute to prepare a plan for this topic and in that 1 minute you need to do the following;

1. read the question
2. understand the question
3. make a plan for each prompt
4. organize your plan

That is a lot to do in 1 minute especially under the added pressure of a speaking examination. Let’s look at how to handle the time management and make an effective plan in 1 minute.

Make the Plan

Let’s read this question. The clock starts now, so go on and read.

Describe a place that you would like to travel to
You should say:
                where you want to go
                how you would get there
                who you would like to go with
And talk about why you would like to go to this place

How did you do? Click here and see if your time is similar to mine TIME. It takes on average 12 to 14 seconds to read this question carefully by a native speaker. Non-native speakers use more time between 14 to 17 seconds. Subtracting that from the 60 seconds you had at the beginning now leaves you with around 45 seconds to make a plan. Here are some things that you should do when making your plan.

1. choose a topic that you know
2. use keywords
3. use abbreviations
4. add extra “Wh” question words
5. Answer each prompt before adding more detail

Here’s a further explanation of these key tips. Keep in mind that each IELTS Part 2 topic will be different but the main principles apply across the board.

Choose a Topic That You Know

So many candidates choose topics that they are not familiar with or are not comfortable talking about. They do so because they think they need to choose something exciting or interesting. That’s not the purpose of the IELTS speaking exam. Candidates need to demonstrate his or her ability to effectively communicate in English not to entertain. Therefore, choose a topic wisely. Most candidates are taking the exam for a purpose and that it’s usually for international studies. Why not choose the country you are planning to study in over a tropical location that you probably don’t know very much about? This is the most crucial element of the plan. You need a solid topic that you can expand on.

Use Keywords

I’ll let you in on a little secret. You don’t need to write complete sentences, so don’t! Keywords are like bullets that guide you throughout your talk. Use these keywords only as a guide. You need to demonstrate effective speaking skills and you won’t be doing that looking down reading off a piece of paper. Besides, if you write out complete sentences, you’ll end up wasting all your preparation time. As you make your plan, write down 1 or 2 words as reference for your talk. The video tutorial later in this article will show how to make an effective plan using time management and keywords. Keywords will help you prepare the plan quickly allowing you to answer each prompt.

Use Abbreviations

I teach this technique to all my students with brilliant results. So much time is lost writing out complete words when you really don’t need to. Why? You know the answer. Look at this situation. Prompt 3 asks who you would like to go with. Can you imagine writing Montgomery MacGeoghagan as your friend’s name? That alone would exhaust a lot of time. However, if you just jotted down M M, you can move on to a different point a lot quicker. Abbreviations is a time saving technique so use them when making your plan.

Add Extra “Wh” Question Words

You need to speak for 1 to 2 minutes and if you only rely on the prompt, you’ll probably fall short of that requirement. In a later article, I will explain how to deliver an effective talk using extra “Wh” question words. For this explanation, let me mention that it’s very important to expand on your speaking. For example, Prompt 1 – “Where you want to go?” can be expanded like this;

          Where?                         England
          Where specifically?       London
          When?                           Autumn
          Why?                             Nice weather  

You don’t need to expand quite like this but it gives you an idea on how to develop a thorough response.

Answer Each Prompt Before Adding More Detail

Sometimes candidates focus too much attention on one specific prompt and end up running out of time. Once the examiner asks you to begin speaking, you need to do so. I’ve always stressed the importance of completing all the prompts before adding more details for a couple of reasons. First, it helps to develop organization. Your response needs to be organized and if you’ve had a chance to think about each prompt during the preparation time, the organization will show. Secondly, it will save you during your response. When you have finished speaking about one particular prompt, you can look down at your plan and more on. If you’ve missed a prompt or two because you spent too much time on the previous ones, you might not have anything to talk about. The video tutorial explains this more in detail.

Let’s take a look at a video that shows just how to make an effective plan using all the tips and techniques mentioned.

 

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Time Management Techniques

Hope these IELTS Speaking Part 2 Time Management Techniques tips helped you out. In a later article, I'll demonstrate how to expand the IELTS Part 2 long talk so that it reaches two minutes. Any comments or suggestions are always welcomed.

For further reading, visit http://myieltssolutions.com

Academic Writing Band Descriptors and Marking Explained

The IELTS Academic Writing Band Descriptors provides a marking scheme for the task writing module, one of the most challenging aspects of the IELTS examination. According to research in 2014, task writing received the lowest band scores of all modules tested. Graph summaries and timed essay style writing are obvious obstacles that candidates face as high school curriculum's around the world fail to prepare students adequately in respects to academic writing. A lack of vocabulary comprehension is also a factor with candidates relying on a limited amount of words. A final factor that seems to be one of the easiest issues to combat is understanding exactly what IELTS examiners are looking for when marking the task response. Made public, the IELTS Academic Writing Band Descriptors not only provides a candidate with a detailed description of each band score, but it also provides a clear platform on how to score exceptionally well in writing.

IELTS Task Writing Public Band Descriptors from Raymond Ebertt

There are 4 main criteria that grade the task writing band score.  As well, task writing is broken into two marks with task one receiving 40% of the total band score. Understanding the task requirements should be fully understood before entering an examination. Candidates who come ill-prepared enviably struggle receiving a decent band score in task  writing.  This post will look at the four criteria used to score the task 1 and task 2 writing modules of the IELTS examination.  Understanding what the examiners are looking for will greatly increase your choice in achieving a desirable band score.

Task Achievement and Response

Both task 1 and task 2 writing questions require the candidate to satisfy the criteria noted on the band descriptors.  Apart from the first criteria seen on the descriptors, both task 1 and task 2 are basically scored the same way. The first criteria is the Task Achievement (task 1) and Task Response (task 2). Though labeled differently, they basically are scored the same way.

The following comparison shows the differences between task 1 and 2.

Task 1

Task 2

Both criteria are asking the candidate to completely answer the question. That being said, the candidate needs to be sure that all parts of the question (rubric) is answered fully in order to receive full credit for this criteria.  

The candidate needs to ensure that;

To achieve a top band score, this criteria and probably one of the most important ones for the writing module. Be sure to study the IELTS Academic Writing Band Descriptors in detail.

Coherence and Cohesion

In this criteria, the examiner is looking for how well information, paragraphs, and linking transitions are organised. Demonstrating strong writing skills will go a long way in this criteria. Candidates need to, particularly with task 2, show coherence and cohesion in the response. "Coherence" in an essay means the overall comprehension of what is written. "Cohesion" refers to the degree to which sentences are connected so that ideas are easy to follow.

The following comparison shows the differences between task 1 and 2.

Task 1

Task 2

Here the criteria looks at the development and comprehension of the response. Developing sound and structured paragraphs that include clear and supported sentences will benefit the overall band score.  

Candidates need to ensure that;

Candidates need to focus and develop strong paragraphs that contain a topic sentence, supporting idea, and examples with task 2 responses.  Task 1 responses need an introduction sentence, an effective overview, and support paragraphs. Practicing various styles of task 1 and 2 question rubrics will provide you with a broaden understanding of this criteria. Be sure to study the IELTS Academic Writing Band Descriptors in detail.

Lexical Resource

Lexical resource means using a range of vocabulary and examiners are looking for a good, effective range of uncommonly words words in your response. Not only is lexical resource a range of good vocabulary, it is vocabulary used correctly. The ability to use vocabulary effectively in sentences takes time and practice. Developing a wide range of vocabulary is equally important and needed for higher band scores.

The following shows how lexical resources is marked.

Task 1 and Task 2

As you can see, to obtain a higher band score, the candidate needs to focus on the use of his or her vocabulary and the way that the word is being used within the sentence. Having an arsenal of good, effective vocabulary is fruitless without knowing how to use them correctly. Understanding the use of vocabulary and how to incorporate them into the response will go a long way. 

Candidates need to ensure that;

As you can see, you can only make occasional errors in your word choice, word formation and spelling. This means the majority need to be correct. Using lots of new words that you don't know how to use properly can damage your band score tremendously, so be careful. Only use words you know how to use properly. Be sure to study the IELTS Academic Writing Band Descriptors in detail.

Grammar Range and Accuracy

Examiners will be looking at the grammar structure of the sentences in the response as well as how correctly they are written. Examiners are also looking at the range or frequency of the vocabulary that is being used. Are the words just simple vocabulary or is there an attempt to use more sophisticated, technical words?

When examiners are checking for the accuracy of grammar, they are looking for error free sentences. To obtain band scores of 7 or greater, sentences in the response need to be consistently free of errors. This doesn't mean that one or two mistakes can be made, it's the regularity of them that will lower the band score.

Range of vocabulary is just as important as accuracy and both go hand-in-hand with task writing. A good range of vocabulary is crucial for developing strong or coherent sentences and needed for the development of complex structures. It’s important to note that grammar is just note about tenses, but also about how the sentence is organised.

The following shows how grammar range and accuracy is marked.

Task 1 and Task 2

A good answer will have a range of appropriate structures and tenses. Many students try to insert complex sentences and tenses in to their answers to make look more complete. This is a bad practice and will often result in answers looking unnatural and riddled with mistakes. If you write a good answer, complex sentences, such as conditional and relative clauses will flow naturally. 

Candidates need to ensure that;

Understanding the foundation of good sentence construction is vital in achieving a higher band score in this criteria. With practice, experimenting using various tenses and word order, more complex sentence structures will come naturally. Be sure to study the IELTS Academic Writing Band Descriptors in detail.

How the Task is Scored

As mentioned previously, task 1 and task 2 are not scored the same. However, both tests are given a band score which is in turn calculated into the total writing band score. The following band score table, courtesy of Chris Green, provides an idea on how both Task 1 and Task 2 band scores are combined to give an overall band score.

As you can see, if a candidate excelled in Task 1 and achieved a Band 7.5 but could only manage to achieve a Band 6 with Task 2, the two band scores will average giving an overall band of 6.5.  The above table is only an estimate of how IELTS Academic Writing Band Descriptors work but from the comments of Chris Green, it is quite accurate.

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