5 Best IELTS Speaking Part 1 Tips

Summary

Keith from IELTS Speaking Success shares five top tips to enhance IELTS Speaking Part One performance. He demonstrates each tip with model answers, emphasizing fluency through connectors, complex grammar structures, idiomatic expressions, vocabulary richness with synonyms and antonyms, and the natural use of adverbs. Keith invites viewers to join his live lessons and encourages perseverance in language learning, promising improvement with consistent practice.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker, Keith, offers five top tips for excelling in the IELTS Speaking Part One.
• 🎓 Each tip is demonstrated with a model answer to illustrate its application.
• 🗣️ Tip one: Utilize connectors to enhance fluency and coherence in responses.
• 💬 Examples of connectors include 'in my opinion', 'but', 'on top of that', and 'however'.
• 📚 Tip two: Incorporate complex grammar structures to achieve a higher band score.
• 🕰️ The present perfect continuous is highlighted as an effective complex tense for speaking about ongoing experiences.
• 🌟 Tip three: Use idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs to enrich vocabulary and sound more native-like.
• 🔤 Tip four: Employ synonyms and antonyms to display a broad and flexible vocabulary.
• ✍️ Building vocabulary systematically through note-taking and learning by themes or topics is encouraged.
• 🗣️ Tip five: Add adverbs to responses for a more natural and varied speaking style.
• 👨‍🏫 Keith invites viewers to join his free live lessons on YouTube and Facebook for further English practice.
• 💪 He concludes with encouragement to stay positive and committed to improving English, especially during challenging times like lockdowns.

Q & A

What are the five best tips for IELTS speaking part one shared in the video?

The five best tips shared are: 1) Use connectors to improve fluency and coherence. 2) Use complex grammar including a variety of clauses and tenses. 3) Incorporate idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs. 4) Make use of synonyms and antonyms to show vocabulary flexibility. 5) Add adverbs to enhance naturalness and expressiveness.

What is the purpose of using connectors in IELTS speaking part one?

Using connectors helps to improve fluency and coherence in responses by providing a logical flow to the ideas being expressed.

Can you provide an example of a complex grammar structure that could be used in IELTS speaking part one?

An example of a complex grammar structure is the present perfect continuous, which is used to describe an action that started in the past and continues to the present, such as 'I have been living in Spain for two years.'

Why is it important to use idiomatic expressions in the IELTS speaking test?

Using idiomatic expressions is important because it demonstrates a high level of language proficiency and the ability to use less common and idiomatic vocabulary, which is a requirement for achieving a band score of six and above.

How can synonyms help in improving IELTS speaking scores?

Synonyms help in improving IELTS speaking scores by showcasing a wide vocabulary and the ability to discuss topics flexibly, which is a criterion for a higher band score.

What is the role of adverbs in making IELTS speaking answers sound more natural?

Adverbs play a significant role in making speaking answers sound more natural by adding emphasis and detail to descriptions, which is a characteristic of higher-level English proficiency.

What is the significance of the phrase 'to my mind' in the context of the IELTS speaking test?

The phrase 'to my mind' is significant as it is a natural connector used to introduce personal opinions or ideas, adding fluency and coherence to the response.

How does the presenter suggest improving English during lockdown in the video?

The presenter suggests improving English during lockdown by joining live lessons on Facebook or YouTube, engaging with the community, and consistently practicing and learning vocabulary.

What is the presenter's advice for those preparing for the IELTS speaking test?

The presenter advises IELTS speaking test preparers to use the five tips shared, practice regularly, and stay positive and persistent in their language learning journey.

What are the benefits of participating in the live lessons mentioned by the presenter?

Participating in the live lessons offers the benefits of interactive learning, exposure to different topics, and the opportunity to learn from a community of learners and the presenter.

How does the presenter encourage viewers to engage with the content and community?

The presenter encourages viewers to engage by inviting them to join live lessons, participate in discussions, and share their thoughts on the tips provided for the IELTS speaking test.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Introduction to IELTS Speaking Tips

The speaker, Keith, introduces the video's purpose, which is to share five effective tips for excelling in the IELTS speaking part one. He plans to demonstrate these tips through model answers, aiming to enhance viewers' fluency and coherence. Keith also promotes his free live lessons on YouTube and Facebook, which occur every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Spanish time, attracting around 400 participants. Additionally, he mentions his online course, 'IELTS Speaking Success, get a Band 7+', designed to help students achieve higher scores in the IELTS speaking test.

05:01

📚 Developing Fluency with Connectors

Keith emphasizes the importance of using connectors to enhance fluency and coherence in IELTS speaking. He explains that connectors such as 'and', 'also', 'but', 'however', and 'at the same time' help in organizing thoughts logically. He provides examples of natural spoken connectors like 'in my opinion', 'on top of that', and 'I'd also add that'. Keith then illustrates the use of these connectors in a model answer to a question about the importance of friends laughing together, demonstrating how they add value and quality to responses.

10:04

📈 Enhancing Grammar with Complex Tenses

The speaker discusses the significance of incorporating complex grammar structures, particularly tenses, to achieve a higher band score in IELTS. He differentiates between simple tenses like present simple, past simple, and future, and more complex ones such as present perfect and present perfect continuous. Keith suggests that using the present perfect continuous tense effectively can demonstrate a wide range of grammar skills. He exemplifies this with a model answer where he discusses the importance of history, using 'I've been reading' to indicate ongoing actions started in the past.

15:04

🌟 Incorporating Idiomatic Expressions

Keith advises the use of idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs to achieve a band six or seven in IELTS. He notes that these expressions are not just idioms but also include many phrasal verbs that carry idiomatic meanings. The speaker suggests sprinkling one or two idiomatic expressions throughout the speaking part to impress the examiner without making the response sound unnatural. He provides an example using 'second to none' and 'pull in' in a context about mountains attracting tourists.

🔄 Utilizing Synonyms and Antonyms

The speaker highlights the importance of synonyms and antonyms for demonstrating a flexible vocabulary in IELTS speaking. He explains that a rich vocabulary is essential for discussing various topics and suggests strategies for vocabulary building, such as noting word families, prefixes and suffixes, and learning by themes. Keith provides examples of how to use synonyms like 'I'm fond of' instead of 'I like' and antonyms to express opinions more vividly. He illustrates this with a model answer about zoos, using 'I'm not really into' and 'I get that' to show vocabulary flexibility.

⚡️ Emphasizing with Adverbs

Keith talks about the underutilized role of adverbs in IELTS speaking, which can help students sound more natural and flexible. He lists various adverbs such as 'absolutely', 'totally', 'completely', and 'once in a blue moon', explaining how they can add emphasis and detail to responses. The speaker demonstrates the use of adverbs in a model answer about visiting art galleries, where he describes the paintings as 'totally out of this world', showcasing the effective use of adverbs to enhance language.

🌈 Conclusion and Encouragement

In the concluding part, Keith summarizes the five tips discussed in the video and encourages viewers to review the model answers to spot each tip in action. He stresses the importance of patience and persistence in vocabulary building, assuring viewers that the effort is worthwhile. Keith invites viewers to join his live lessons and offers words of encouragement, especially during lockdown, advising everyone to stay strong and positive. He expresses his happiness in helping improve English skills and looks forward to future interactions, wishing everyone safety and success.

Keywords

💡IELTS Speaking Part One

IELTS Speaking Part One is the initial section of the IELTS Speaking test, where candidates are asked general questions about familiar topics such as home, work, study, and hobbies. In the video, the speaker aims to provide tips to improve performance in this section, using model answers to demonstrate effective strategies.

💡Connectors

Connectors are words or phrases that link different parts of a sentence or discourse, contributing to coherence and fluency. The video emphasizes their importance in IELTS Speaking Part One to enhance the logical flow of ideas, with examples including 'and', 'but', 'in the first place', and 'on top of that'.

💡Fluency

Fluency refers to the smoothness and coherence of speech. The video discusses how using connectors can improve fluency by reducing hesitation and improving the logical flow of responses, which is a key aspect of scoring well in the IELTS Speaking test.

💡Complex Grammar

Complex grammar involves the use of varied and advanced sentence structures, such as subordinate clauses, relative clauses, and various tenses. The video suggests incorporating complex grammar to achieve a higher band score, highlighting the use of present perfect continuous as particularly effective in Part One.

💡Idiomatic Expressions

Idiomatic expressions are phrases whose meaning cannot be deduced from the individual words, often adding color and nuance to language. The video encourages the use of idiomatic language to achieve a Band 7 in IELTS, suggesting phrases like 'chilling out' and 'second to none' to demonstrate vocabulary range.

💡Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms are words with similar meanings, while antonyms have opposite meanings. The video advises using synonyms and antonyms to display a rich vocabulary and flexibility in language use, which is valued in the IELTS Speaking test. Examples from the script include using 'fond of' instead of 'like' and 'outstanding' instead of 'good'.

💡Adverbs

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, often providing additional information about manner, frequency, or degree. The video highlights the underutilization of adverbs by students and suggests incorporating them for a more natural and expressive speech, such as using 'absolutely' or 'completely'.

💡Model Answers

Model answers are example responses provided to illustrate how to effectively answer questions in the IELTS Speaking test. The video uses model answers to demonstrate the application of the discussed tips, aiming to guide viewers on how to construct their own answers.

💡Band Descriptors

Band descriptors are the criteria used by IELTS examiners to assess and score candidates' performance. The video references band descriptors to explain what aspects of speaking, such as fluency and coherence, are important for achieving higher bands.

💡Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are idiomatic expressions consisting of a verb and a preposition or adverb, where the combination has a meaning different from the individual words. The video mentions phrasal verbs as a type of idiomatic expression that can enhance language use in the IELTS Speaking test.

💡Live Streaming Lessons

Live streaming lessons refer to the interactive online classes conducted by the speaker, where participants can join to learn and practice English. The video invites viewers to join these live sessions as a way to improve their English skills and prepare for the IELTS test.

Highlights

Introduction to five best tips for IELTS speaking part one with model answers.

Tip 1: Use connectors to improve fluency and coherence in speaking.

Examples of natural spoken connectors like 'and', 'also', 'but', and 'however'.

Tip 2: Incorporate complex grammar structures to achieve a higher band score.

Explanation of complex grammar including subordinate clauses and various tenses.

Tip 3: Use idiomatic expressions to enhance vocabulary and sound more native-like.

Importance of idiomatic vocabulary for a band seven in IELTS speaking.

Tip 4: Utilize synonyms and antonyms to demonstrate a flexible vocabulary.

Strategies for building vocabulary including word families, prefixes, and suffixes.

Tip 5: Add adverbs to responses for a more natural and varied speaking style.

Examples of adverbs that can be used to modify adjectives and verbs.

Encouragement to join live lessons on Facebook or YouTube for additional practice.

Mention of an online course 'IELTS Speaking Success, get a Band 7+' for further learning.

The presenter, Keith, introduces himself and his role in IELTS Speaking Success.

Invitation to participate in live streaming lessons with a community of learners.

Discussion on the importance of laughing together as a model answer example.

Explanation of how to use the present perfect continuous tense effectively in IELTS speaking.

Advice on the appropriate use of idiomatic expressions to impress the examiner.

Illustration of how synonyms can enhance the flexibility of one's vocabulary in speaking.

Final thoughts and words of encouragement for staying positive during challenging times.

Transcripts

- Hi guys, today I'm gonna share with you

my five best tips for IELTS speaking part one,

and I will do this with five model answers,

so you can see how to use these tips,

so you can improve your answers

and get a higher score in the IELTS speaking test.

Let's do it.

(upbeat music)

So, I'm going to illustrate each tip with one model answer,

and a total of five model answers.

And in fact, if you go back later and watch the whole video,

you'll see that each tip is applied in each model answer.

Ha, clever, hey?

So, let's begin.

First of all though, in case you don't know,

my name's Keith, I run IELTS Speaking Success,

and I really hope I can help you improve your English,

give better answers, and so do much better

in the IELTS speaking test.

By the way, if you haven't joined me yet,

every Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 a.m. Spanish time,

YouTube and Facebook are live streaming free live lessons

where we're looking at different topics.

We have about 400 people on the lesson.

Come and join us, it is a ball.

It's great fun.

You don't wanna miss out,

especially in this time of the lockdown,

what a better way to come together and learn English

from each other, not just from me.

There's some brilliant ideas and language being shared.

In addition, I also have an online course.

It's on You to Me.

It's called IELTS Speaking Success, get a Band 7+.

Clus check it out if it's right for you,

it will also help you do really well

in the IELTS speaking test.

So what about those tips?

Let's have a look first of all, tip number one.

Use some connectors, maybe one or two,

to improve your fluency.

Now, if you know the band descriptors,

you will know that fluency

includes things like hesitation, but also coherence.

That's the logical flow of your ideas.

And that logical flow is helped by connectors,

things like, and, also, but, in the first place.

So here are some very, very common connectors

we use particularly in speaking natural English, right.

If I want to give an idea or an opinion,

I can say, in my opinion, in my view,

to my mind, I would say,

as far as I'm concerned, right.

Some nice, natural connectors.

If you want to add to an idea,

if you want to add ideas, we often say, on top of that,

also, what's more, I'd also add that.

Okay, and of course if you want to contrast ideas,

you can say but.

You could say, however,

that said, mind you,

at the same time, whilst that's true, I also think.

Right, so these are natural spoken connectors,

and it's really important to organize your answer

and to improve your fluency.

So let's see in a model answer

for the question, what's the question?

For the question, do you think it's important

for friends to laugh together?

And you're going to laugh, what's that?

Sorry, to laugh.

The queen says, to laugh,

but because I'm from Manchester, Manchester,

we say to laugh.

So the question is, from me, and this is important

because just in case your examiner is from Manchester,

listen for the flat a.

Do you you think it's important

for friends to laugh together?

To my mind, it's extremely important

because it helps us to chill out.

I haven't been going out much lately with my friends,

the lockdown, but we do go out together,

we love to crack a few jokes together.

On top of that, I just think that laughing

is a great way to stay healthy and positive.

So did you see there?

We had, to my mind, but, on top of that.

Different connectors that really added value

and quality to my answer.

And tip number two is to use some complex grammar.

Okay, now, to get a band seven,

you need to be using some complex structures,

complex grammar is really divided into two areas.

There is the clauses.

So a mixture of subordinate, dependent

or non-dependent clauses, relative clauses.

And then there's the tenses, okay.

Let's look here just at the tenses.

So we have simple tenses.

So when you use the present simple, there's the clue,

the simple past, another clue, the future,

these are all quite simple tenses,

but we could be using more complex ones

like present perfect,

present perfect continuous, conditionals.

And these show off a wider range of grammar,

especially when we use them accurately.

So I think in part one, talking about yourself,

one of the easiest tenses to use effectively

is the present perfect continuous.

I have been doing something, right.

I have been living in Spain for two years.

So this is where we talk about something

that started in the past and has been continuing until now.

It's often used to emphasize

recent activities in progress also.

So here, instead of saying, you know, where do you live?

Well, I live in Spain.

Okay, simple, right.

But you could just change it a little bit and say,

where do you live?

I live in Spain, I've been living here for two years now.

Right, present perfect continuous.

It gives a real, simple,

no, complex, added edge to your answer.

And you can use this all over the place,

check out all of the answers today

and you might just notice it, okay.

So let's take a very specific example here

for the question, do you think history is important?

Yes and no.

On the one hand, it's important

because it shapes our identity.

But on the other hand, I've been reading

a few history books recently and it strikes me

that history always repeats itself.

It seems like we never learn.

There, so can you see it?

I've been reading a couple of history books lately.

Very simple, very effective.

Let's move on.

Number three is use idiomatic expressions.

To get a band six and especially a band seven,

for a band seven, you must be using less common

and idiomatic vocabulary.

Idiomatic expressions are not only idioms, right?

Don't forget phrasal verbs.

Some phrasal verbs, in fact, a lot of them are idiomatic.

So that means that the meaning of the whole phrase

is different from the individual words.

So when I say, I was chilling out with my friends,

it doesn't mean I was cold, right.

It just means I was relaxing, chill out, to relax.

It's idiomatic, so a lot of phrasal verbs are idiomatic.

So, how many do you need to use?

Well, you're not gonna use them in every answer.

And if you use too many, it will sound unnatural,

but you can sprinkle one or two,

I guess one or two, in all of part one

would be very, very nice.

Again, it's not mathematics.

You just get a feeling for it, but not too many,

but somewhere in the test,

you do want the examiner to go, oh, wow.

Two or three times where they're hear

either a nice idiom or idiomatic expression

impressing the examiner.

So let's take an example here.

Indeed it does, as a matter of fact, recently,

I've been visiting some of the mountains near my hometown

and they are second to none.

I mean, they pull in a huge number of tourists

and you can see why, I mean,

because the views are outstanding.

So yeah, I did sprinkle in actually two.

There was 'second to none',

which means 'the very best', right?

This mountain is second to none as a tourist attraction.

This book is second to none, it's the very best.

And then the phrasal verb, pull in,

to pull in tourists is to attract tourists.

So I use two, again, it's not mathematics.

You could use one, none, two, but just not too many.

Let's move on, tip number four is waiting for us.

Let's get over there.

Tip number four is to make use of synonyms and antonyms.

As I'm sure you know, a synonym is a word

with a similar meaning like big and large, right?

Antonym is a word with the opposite meaning,

like big and small.

Now it's really important 'cause it says here, band seven,

you have a wide enough vocabulary

to discuss a variety of topics flexibly.

So you need to be building your vocabulary all the time,

right, it's an ongoing process.

It takes time, but there are things you can be doing

to do it systematically.

So always be making notes of vocabulary.

Look at word families, right?

The noun, verbs and adjectives of a different word.

Look at prefixes and suffixes.

They can really help you, look at synonyms and antonyms.

Look at learning vocabulary by theme or topic.

Look at collocations.

All of these are ways to build your vocabulary.

And I think one of the quickest and easiest ways

is synonyms and antonyms, let's have a look.

in IELTS speaking, right, we often say, I like this.

I like music, I like painting.

And here's the examiner.

But we could spice it up a little bit

and use different expressions.

I'm fond of, I'm really into, right.

I'm fond of reading, I'm really into reading.

I'm one for reading history books.

And then the examiner's like, oh, nice.

So synonyms help.

Another example, right?

We often say, oh, it's really good,

the film was really good.

The dinner with my family was really good

and there's the examiner.

Okay, right, we could spice it up again, right?

The dinner was out of this world.

The dinner was a cut above the rest.

The dinner was outstanding.

And now your examiner is,

mental note, possibly band seven.

So you're opening up the doors for your band seven.

Synonyms, really important.

Let's see one in a model answer.

Do you like to go to the zoo?

To tell you the truth, I'm not really into zoos.

Actually, I've been thinking about this a lot recently

and I get that zoos can be educational, right,

but I don't think it's fair

to keep the animals cooped up in small cages all day.

They should be out in the wild I'd say.

Right, nice, so did you see there?

I'm not really into, right, a bit different, a bit nice.

'I get' - I understand that zoos can be educational.

I get that zoos can be educational.

So it's not necessarily fancy, difficult vocabulary,

but synonyms and they're so powerful, showing flexibility.

Excellent, I can see tip number five

just coming in right now, here it comes.

Let's go and find out what it's got to say.

Tip number five is to add adverbs, add adverbs, right?

Adverbs like slowly, quickly, completely, absolutely.

Normally they have a LY on the end and they describe

adjectives or verbs and how we do things.

Now adverbs are seriously under-used by students,

but they're really important, right?

Native speakers use them an awful lot.

As you can just see, it helps you sound more natural,

helps you be more flexible and show off your vocabulary.

And they're so easy, right?

I'm sure you know these adverbs,

but you may not be using them.

So in order to say really, we can say absolutely, totally,

completely, extremely.

In order to say quite,

that film was quite interesting, right.

It was somewhat interesting, it was fairly interesting.

It was rather interesting.

And to say, not often, rarely, I hardly ever do that.

I do that once in a blue moon, one of my favorites.

Remember or notice, if it's a long adverb,

an adverbial clause, like once in a blue moon,

it goes at the end, right?

I do it once in a blue moon.

Okay, so let's see it in action.

Have you ever been to an art gallery?

To be honest, I've been visiting quite a few art galleries

recently because my wife is a bit of an art buff.

We went to a modern art exhibition last week

and I was completely bowled over by the paintings.

They were totally out of this world.

Did you see that?

Completely, totally, nice adverbs.

Give it a touch of naturalness, excellent, good.

So we have looked at five different tips.

If you now go back and listen to each model answer,

see if you can spot every single tip in each answer.

A few of these tips have talked about vocabulary, right?

Learning vocabulary takes a long time.

It takes patience and persistence.

It's something you need to dedicate time to,

but believe me, it's worth it, it's well worth doing.

I hope these tips have helped you.

I'm curious, which one do you think

is the most useful for you?

Write a comment below and let me know.

And my final word, two final words.

(laughing)

First of all, remember,

come and join us on Facebook or YouTube live,

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 o'clock Spain time.

Be great to see you there.

Second thing is, I know a lot of us are in lockdown.

These are very hard times, right?

Just to say, stay strong, stay positive.

I'm sure things are going to get better.

The good news is, your English is surely getting better,

day by day if you turn up and you keep going,

you will get there, so stay positive.

If I can help you on your trip of improving your English,

I'm a very, very happy man.

In the meantime, do take care, stay safe.

Can't wait to see you here soon.

All the best, bye, bye

(upbeat music)