Do you speak English as well as you think you could?
Many students want to speak English well, but speaking English well is very difficult!
What should you do when you want to say something in English, but the words just don’t come to you?
Maybe, you are preparing for the IELTS Speaking Test and you are worried. What should you do when you don’t have enough time before your test date? How can you know what to expect on the speaking test?
Is there a way to find other English speakers who can talk with you and help you practice speaking?
You Need a Plan!
If you want to become a good English speaker, you must have a plan. Students who are intentional about their goals make more progress. Do you have a plan?
If you make a plan, you will
- make progress in speaking English.
- get better options for university studies.
- see more career opportunities.
- feel proud of your accomplishments.
If you don’t make a plan, you might not . . .
- make as much progress as possible.
- be able to enter the university of your choice.
- find the job you want.
- feel proud of yourself.
A 3-Step Plan for Success
- Design a schedule and measure your progress.
- Know and understand what is being tested.
- Listen and learn from feedback!
1. Design a schedule and measure your progress
Begin with the end in mind. This is called reverse engineering.
Here are the steps:
- Decide your big goal.
- Decide the time to accomplish this big goal.
- Break the big goal into smaller parts.
- Set dates on your calendar to complete the big goals and the smaller parts.
- Check off each part when finished! (See example below)
2. Know and understand what is being tested
The best way to do well with IELTS speaking is to speak English well. So, keep working hard to improve your English speaking.
The most strategic way to get a higher speaking score is to know what the IELTS examiner is looking for. Where can you learn what the examiner is looking for?
IELTS examiners evaluate 4 categories of your speaking:
- Fluency and Coherence
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Pronunciation
It is a good idea to learn how IELTS examiners check these 4 criteria to provide a band score. You can download specific details about each assessment criteria from this page on the IELTS.org website. Then click “Download Speaking Assessment Criteria.”
There are many strategies, but one strategy is to use discourse markers well. This helps with getting a higher score for the fluency and coherence criteria. Can you use all of these discourse markers well?
3. Listen and learn from feedback
Great athletes listen to their coaches’ advice. They learn what their weaknesses are, then work hard to become stronger in those areas.
This approach is a great way to improve your English skills and get a higher IELTS score. Learn what your weaknesses are and ask a good teacher how to overcome these weaknesses. Then, put in the repetitions to overcome these weaknesses.
The Bottom Line Is
“You must make a plan and take action
if you want to become a good English speaker!”
What is the next step you are going to take? Let me know! Tell me in a comment below or a DM on Instagram.
I look forward to hearing from you!