Tips for English Speaking Exams (IELTS, TOEFL, FCE, CAE)

Hello. This is Jack from tofluency.com, and this is Ask Jack. The free series where I

answer your questions about learning English and the English language.

In this episode, I'm going to talk about speaking exams. So, here is the question for today:

Gema from Spain asks, "How can I prepare for an English speaking exam?"

Fantastic question Gema. Now, I remember taking speaking exams back in school, and this was

for French. Things were very different back then, but I still felt really nervous about

it because you're speaking in a foreign language, and people are assessing you, so it is quite

nerve-wracking - this experience. To go into an exam and to have to speak.

So, there are lots of things that you can do to prepare for this exam. To help you feel

less nervous and to help you get a better mark in the speaking section of your exam.

The first thing to know is that there are different types of speaking exams. So, it's

really important that you research exactly what you're going to do in this exam. For

example, you might be in the room with one (other) person. You might be in the room with

more than one person. Or, you might be speaking into a computer. So, knowing exactly what

you have to do in the exam will help you prepare for it.

Additionally, research the questions that have been asked in this exam before. So, do

the search for the exam and then, type in, "speaking examples" or "speaking questions

/ common questions," and then you'll be able to find the type of questions that are usually

asked in these exams. That will help you prepare for the questions you are going to receive.

It's also important to work on your speaking in general. Because there is so much you can

do with the questions you're going to get. So, work on your pronunciation. Work on your

speaking in general. Do things like repeating after native speakers; listening to your answers

and evaluating yourself. And do the things that I always talk about to help you make

progress with your speaking and your English in general. So, get as much practice as you

can before you go into the exam. And don't just concentrate on the questions, but concentrate

on your English in general.

The last tip I have for you is to get feedback on your speaking. So, work with someone who

knows the exam you are going to take. And, ask them to do a trial exam with you. They

can ask you questions, you can answer, and then this teacher is going to give you feedback

on what you need to improve. They can tell you what level you currently have and they

can tell you what things you need to work on for the exam. It's all about practice,

practice, practice - but get that feedback as well. That is really going to help you.

If you are taking an exam in the near future, then take my advice from this video and take

action. And, I've created a free download for you that goes through these tips, and

also, gives you some bonus tips too. So click the link to download that. It's also in the

description.

Thank you for watching this video, and I'll see you next time!