Ways to Extend Your IELTS Speaking Part 2

Ways to Extend Your IELTS Speaking Part 2

Students often complain to me that they don’t have enough to say on part 2 of the IELTS speaking test. Typically, students follow the bullet points on the cue card and run out of things to say after a minute or so. But speaking for two minutes shouldn’t be so daunting. After all, if you are taking the IELTS test, it means that you are probably able to converse in English with your English teacher or English-speaking friends with a degree of ease. My students regularly talk for well over two minutes at the start of my classes when I ask them about their weekend or their work. I’m going to show you how you can transfer that fluency to the IELTS speaking part 2.

1.    Learn lots of adjectives and get good using relative clauses (sometimes known as adjectival clauses).

     The key to extending your answer in part 2 of the speaking exam is to give lots of details. To do this, you need to use a variety of adjectives and be able to confidently use relative clauses.

2. Understand the different topics and how you describe them. There are four basic topics in part 2 of the IELTS speaking test that you will be asked to describe: objects, events, people, and places. You can describe each in detail by using the points below.

·       People 
a) Appearance
b) Personality
c) Actions -> What do they do? How do they behave?

·       Objects
a) Appearance
b) Function -> What does it do?
c) Importance -> Why do you use it? Why is it used?

·       Places
a) Appearance
b) History -> When was it built/established?
c) Function -> What is used for?

·       Events
a) People -> Who attends? Who is invited?
b) Purpose -> Why is this happening?
c) Activities -> What is happening there?
d) Atmosphere -> How does everyone at the event feel?

3. Make sure you answer all the points on the IELTS cue card.

4. Tell a story that is personal to you about the person, place, object or event.

There are a number of advantages of telling a personal story. Firstly, we tend to have plenty to say when we are talking about ourselves, so you won’t be lost for words and what you will say is already planned for you as it has already happened. Though, don’t be afraid to exaggerate or even make up details. Lying is okay on the IELTS test! Secondly, we tend to be more emotional when we’re talking about our own experiences. As a result, our pronunciation improves as we speak less like a robot!

5. Practice, practice, practice. To get confident at answering questions on each of the basic topics, you need lots of practice. It’s also important to time your answers using the timer on your phone so that you get used to speaking for two minutes. Remember, practice builds confidence, and confidence builds fluency.