IELTS Speaking Part 1 - Essential Tips!

Hi I'm Keith. And I'm Vicki and in this video we have some

great tips for part one of the IELTS speaking test.

Part one of the test lasts four or five minutes and it's a Q & A ñ question and answer.

In the first part of the test I'm going to ask you some questions about yourself.

The examiner will usually ask questions about three different topics ñ familiar topics

So what are familiar topics? They're questions that are related to you and your day-to-day

life. These are just some of the different things

examiners can ask about. They'll often ask questions about your experiences and things

you like and dislike. And sometimes they'll ask about people in your country or town,

or about your culture. But normally the questions are about you and

your experiences. There are many different topics so they're hard to predict.

But here's some good news. You CAN predict the first topic. It'll be about one of two

things: where you live or what you do. The first topic is always about one of these things.

If it's where you live, they will ask about your hometown or about your home.

What's your favourite room in your home? My bedroom.

And why's that? I like it.

And is it a large room? No.

Jay's answers are too short here. One way to extend your answers is to give reasons.

I like my bedroom because it's where I keep my pet spider.

Oh! That's better. Jay gave a reason and explained

why he liked the room. Where are you from?

Sviyazhsk in Russia. It's on the Volga and Sviyaga Rivers.

And is it a good place for children to live? Yes, because it's a tightly-knit community

so everybody knows one another. And also, it has a lot of parks where they can play.

Ksenia's answers were a good length. She added extra detail about her hometown and gave two

good reasons why it's a good place for children to live.

Now where you live is one possible first topic. The other one is what you do.

So let's talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student?

I'm a student. Do you work or study?

I work. A short answer is fine for this question.

The examiner just wants to know so they can choose the best follow up questions. If you

say you're a student they'll ask questions about your studies. If you say you work, they'll

ask about your job. Do you work or study?

I work for a large telecommunications company. It has 100,000 employees in 60 countries.

Our revenue's been declining for the last four years so I think they're about to cut

back. We restructured a couple of years ago and I have a new boss. I donít think she

likes me. She says I have to listen more ... Thank you. Now I'd like to talk about recycling.

This time, Jay's answer was too long. Think about it like this. Part one lasts 4 to 5

minutes and the examiner wants to ask about 10 questions. That's just under half a minute

per question. So you need to extend your answers a little, but not too much.

Do you work or are you a student? I'm a student.

And what are you studying at the moment? Animal sciences. I'm taking a three-year course

at the community college. I started last September. Uhuh. And why did you choose this course?

I've loved animals ever since I was a child and one day I hope to become a vet.

Ksenia's answers were a good length and she added the right amount of information ñ a

little, but not too much. After one or two minutes on the first topic,

the examiner will move on to another one, but you can't predict what it will be.

Now I'd like to talk about recycling. What kinds of things do you recycle?

Recycling. Recycling is important because waste has a negative impact on the natural

environment. Recycling conserves raw materials and saves energy.

Jay's English is correct here, but he sounds formal and academic. And he's not answering

the question. The examiner asked what HE recycles, and he talked about recycling in general.

Do you often recycle? Yes, I separate my rubbish at home into plastics

and paper, and oh yes, I also use recycled paper for writing whenever possible.

This is better. Ksenia is answering the question directly and she sounds more natural and conversational.

The examiner isnít going to ask about abstract theories or concepts in this part of the test,

so stick to your experiences. Now let's look at another topic.

When did you start to learn maths? I think it was in primary school. Like most

children we had to learn addition, subtraction and the times tables at school.

Another good answer. Ksenia added detail and shows she knows some good vocabulary about

maths. Did you enjoy learning maths at school?

No, I hated it. I didn't like my teacher because she didn't explain things very well.

Jay said NO here and that's fine, because he extended his answer and gave a reason.

The examiner will score the quality of his English, not his opinions.

Is maths important? Yes, because we use it in our daily lives.

This isn't a bad answer, but it would be so much better with an example.

Is maths important? Yes, because we use it a lot in our daily

lives. For instance, when we go shopping, we need to know addition, so we can check

the receipt and make sure we get the right change.

Ksenia extended her answer with an example. Giving reasons is one way to extend your answer.

Giving examples is another. Another thing to understand is this part of

the exam is more like an interview than a real conversation. The examiner is following

a script and each topic is separate from the last.

Is maths difficult for you to learn? Oh no, not at all. Math is beautiful. Numbers

are much easier to understand than people. Now let's talk about the sky. Do you like

the sky? The sky? You want to talk about the sky?

Most of the time the examiner's questions will flow naturally, but sometimes, when they

change topic, they may seem strange. If you listen to the examiner, you'll hear signals

like this. Let's talk about fruit and vegetables....

Now I'd like to talk about smilingÖ Let's move on and talk about music...

It's OK to ask the examiner to repeat a question. In part one, they won't explain words, but

they will repeat the question. Sorry, could you say that again?

Could you repeat that? And that's how part one of the IELTS exam

works! Make sure you've subscribed to both our channels

so you don't miss our videos on parts two and three.

And please share this video with a friend if you've liked it, and give it a thumbs up.