Ideas for IELTS speaking practice.

IELTS is designed to be tricky, and even the best students can struggle to get those higher bands.

Over the next few weeks I will provide tips, ideas, and strategies which can easily be used by teachers and students to really help get that IELTS score that will open doors. As an IELTS teacher with several years experience and 100% of students who took the exam getting 6.0 and above I have discovered some great methods and approaches that really make a difference. I will share these below to try help those who are scratching their heads about this prestigious yet notorious exam.

Below are 2 strategies and ideas for each of the speaking sections.

IELTS Speaking part 1

This is arguably the easiest section yet many can make silly mistakes.

Strategy 1 - concise yet correct - In this section the examiner is focusing on the everyday speaking skills. The point of the section is to  reflect authentic conversation. Too often people speak too much and end up waffling. It may sound odd but simple yet effective answers are what the examiner is looking for. In real life if someone asked where you were from you wouldn't spend 5 minutes describing its precise geographical location, size, and your personal opinion.You would simply answer 'I am from...'. By the same token remember to use full sentences. A word will not be enough.

Activity 1: Question jumble: Write down as many get to know you questions as you can think up e.g. what is your name? how are you? what are your hobbies? Are you a student?. Cut them up word by word and give them to your partner. Next your partner should put them back together and finally they should try to answer the questions using full sentences but no more than 10 words.


Strategy 2 - Confident and creative - The examiner will have heard a million answers to the same questions. Usually these answers will be the same repetitive going through the motions dull answers but there will have been a few long winded yet boring answers and only a few that were unique and interesting. Your goal is to be the last type neither mechanical, nor a boring lecture. With the first few questions like 'where are you from?' your answers are bound to be mechanical, but as part 1 continues the questions become a bit more open ended and this is where things can get more fun.

Activity 2: Whose line is it anyway: This when done in a supportive class or friends will help build confidence and allow you to be able to give better answers. Participants stand in a semi circle facing the board. The teacher or leader writes a question down from later on in part 1 (great ideas can be found on here  https://www.ielts-exam.net/ielts_speaking_samples/387/ or by a google search). Participants step forward 1 by 1 and try to give the funniest or happiest, or strangest answer (you can change the tone to whatever you like).

IELTS Speaking part 2

Strategy 1 - Question the question - You are given your question and you must take notes. Most people script what they will say, which actually hinders many. A better suggestion is to take the question and see if you can think of any follow up questions. Try to think of 5 questions and write them down.

Activity 1: Question association: I'm sure we've all played word association where you sit in a circle and say a word and the net person says a similar word, this is similar. Make a circle and show a topic card to the group.  each person takes it in turns to think of a follow up question. You can then go around again and think of a answer to each question. Use this to talk about the topic for at least 1 minute to your partner.

Strategy 2 - Have an easy to follow structure to guide you.

Here is a link which provides structures for all of the question types. It is easy to follow, easy to memorise, and easy to use. Link


IELTS Speaking part 3

Strategy 1 - linkers - Use linkers of contrast and discourse to improve fluency and level.

Activity: linkers bingo: This is great for all stages of the exam but can really help here. Participants take a bingo card and are given a list of linkers. They write 1 word in each square. Participants are given a list of questions from task 3 (again a google search will bring many up) and have to take turns asking their partner. and answering. When answering participants should try use one linker. Participants should continue until they have used a line or full house. Note* Someone should listen for any mistakes usage.



One final thing use youtube: Type in IELTS speaking and watch candidates taking the speaking exam. Think about what was good and bad about their grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation fluency, and answer. Did they make any mistakes with grammar an vocabulary? Did they use different tenses, conditionals, a wide vocabulary etc? Were they easy to understand? Did they answer the question correctly? Did they give an appropriate amount of detail? Did they use linkers? These videos are great because they allow you to see the exam and what is asked and expected, and what happens in each stage, finally they tell you what band the candidate got (some tell you more than others).

Secret life of Walter Mitty: Past vs Present perfect

This is a great lesson for reviewing the past and present perfect tenses.

Level: Elementary/Pre-intermediate adults

Materials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW2JsQyqJl8, This presentation and its links, fly swatters, mini-whiteboards and markers, string, tablets/laptops, wifi, dice

Pre-class: Check the internet and technology works, its sods law that it won't.


Warmer: Spiders web - students stand in a circle. Teacher gets a ball of string and holds one end. The teacher throws the ball to a student creating a line of string. Teacher asks the student with the ball a question. The student answers and throws the ball while holding onto their part of the string and asks the next student a question. Repeat until the ball of string has formed a web and the other end is in a students hands.Try to keep questions in present perfect and past tenses try to make them personal.


Lead-in: When students are sat back down ask them 'Have you ever been on an adventure?' Get them to talk to their partners.

Next show them the video and ask them do you want to go on this adventure?


Vocabulary: Meaning - Show students the vocabulary with matching pictures. Answer any questions your students may have. Next show students the list of words and get them to define the words. When they have finished talking get them to come up 1 by 1 to write a definition the board for each word.

Form - Circle writing race: Show students the pictures without the words and get students to write the words on mini whiteboards. Students work in teams and each student must only write 1 letter each.

Pronunciation (optional) - Drilling followed by Slap and shout!: Students work in pairs and slap the desk with the fly swatter when they see the picture. The first person to slap the desk shouts the word. Any prior drilling should be done in a number of registers and be choral, group, and individual.


Reading: Gist - Students use their tablets/laptops to read the mini article on the link and answer the gist question. Give students 1 - 2 minutes

Specific information - Students answer the true and false questions on the next slide.

Grammar - Students read and find 1 example of present perfect simple, 1 of past simple, and 1 of past continuous. Students must match them to the timelines.

Pronunciation: Past tense regular sounds - Students are presented with the 3 phonemes used in regular past. Spend a short time eliciting these. Students work in pairs. They will see and hear the words on the slides below. and must write the correct phoneme. Fastest pair wins a point.

Dice game: Get a dice and on 1 and 3 write /d/ on 2 and 4 write /t/ finally on 5 and 6 write /id/. Students role the dice and must say a past tense verb with the sound the dice lands on.


Speaking: Sushi line - Students are given numbers 1-2. 1s. They stand in two opposing lines facing each other and a re presented with some questions. They must try to share their answers for 30 seconds. Students then share with the class. Move line 1 clockwise after each question so each person has a new partner.

Follow this with some quick error correction.


Homework: Students watch the film at home and next class share the story, and whether they liked the film or not.

4 great ideas for 1:1 classes

Here are some great ideas for 1:1 classes which focus on speaking and listening.

1) Headline - This is a great way to begin you lesson. Student writes down a 2-4 word headline about something they did this week. They have to talk about this for 1 minute.


2) IELTS speaking task 2 - Everyone wants to do the IELTS, and this can really show the student that classes are useful. Search google for some speaking cards from IELTS task 2. Explain the scenario to the student, let the student read for 1 minute, then get them to talk for up to 2 minutes. You can also take note of errors for a follow up activity.

3) Take a trip - You don't always have to stay in the classroom, there is a world of fascinating places that can really make learning more 3 dimensional. For past tenses and the present perfect, why not go to a museum? Take your student, and send them on a guided discovery task! They can find information to jot down using the audios, videos, information plaques, and artifacts. For food vocabulary agree to go to a little eatery and create a sheet for your student to complete. For discourse markers take them to an art gallery and get them to look around completing a sheet. There are so many options, and can easily be turned into a discussion afterwards.

4) Multimedia - We have a wealth of resources at our fingertips thanks to the internet. I have mentioned these before in previous posts but they are particularly useful for this context. TEDXESL, and Film English offer fantastic pre-planned lessons on a range of grammar and vocabulary topics for a range of abilities.

links
https://www.usingenglish.com/files/pdf/101-ielts-speaking-part-two-tasks-about-sports-and-hobbies.pdf
http://film-english.com/
https://tedxesl.com

Make a difference - Christmas appeal

Over the last few weeks I have been working with my school to fundraise for a fantastic charity called Xuan. They do tremendous work for children in some of Vietnam's poorest regions. Xuan helps build schools, provide sanitation, resources, and teachers for schools, and sponsor children for many years to help give them a leg up. A lot of their work is in the central highlands, which is very rural, faces typhoons, and has very little in the way of infrastructure or opportunities.

Donations are always welcome as are volunteers, and/or sponsoring children. If you want more information about the fantastic work that they do, want to donate, or get involved check out the links to their website, and youtube channel below.

http://assoxuan.org/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnRnUQQVoh06qvRZbGvLkA

CLIL lesson: Natural sciences - Animals

Below is a great lesson that you can use to teach natural sciences.

Level: Elementary -  Pre-intermediate

Age: 9 - 12
Materials: Kids encyclopedias of animals, fact file template, paper, crayons, pencils, Koalas gapfill, words, blindfolds, pictures, soft ball
Pre-class: Put books in each corner of the classroom. Cut the words for the reading like  a grass skirt.

In class

1) Put students into teams and get them to choose team names. Each team gets a castle when they win they choose whether to build their castle or destroy another.

2) Warmer: Blindfolded pictionary with animals - Bring one person up from each team and get each of the participants to draw an animal. When finished change participant.

3) Lead in: Make a circle - A soft ball is passed around and questions about animals are asked e.g what is your favorite animal? what animal are you scared of?... To make this extra fun you can put a bomb timer on.

4) Vocabulary: Meaning - Give students a list of words in the reading: Show pictures for 3 seconds for each word. Students then check with a partner.
Pronunciation - Drill the vocabulary.
Form - Take the words away and do a board race, teams are given a word and have to write it letter by letter.

5) Reading for gist - Students have 30 seconds to read and find out what country koalas live in. pass the ball to the student who knows and get them to answer.

6) Reading for specific information -  Students read and complete the factfile on koalas. Use the softball for answers asking on student for one answer.

7) Project skills research: Corners - In each corner put some facts about one animal. Choose tropical animals like tigers, elephants, monkeys etc. Students are given a blank piece of paper and told to work in pairs to choose an animal, find the information, and make a poster. Students will either be a runner or a writer but should find 1 fact and change runner.

8) Project skills presenting- Students have to present the poster and the information they have found to the class.

9) Extra craft activity: Make animal masks - If you have any extra time you can make animal masks.

Below is a link to the reading and fact file activity.

Koalas