How to feel more confident Here are some tips to help you feel more confident when you go for your IELTS
speaking test:
Be prepared: you should know exactly what to expect in the 3 parts of
the speaking test, and you should have read the suggestions on this
website about how to answer.
Lots of practice: a student who has practised answering all of the
questions in all eight Cambridge books, as well as the questions on this
site, will feel much more confident than a student who hasn't.
Write it down: when studying at home, you have time to prepare
'perfect' answers to practice questions; write your answers down, and
ask someone to help you check and improve them.
Speak aloud: start by reading the answers you wrote down (like an actor
uses a script), then gradually stop using the script.
Record yourself: this allows you to analyse the quality of your answers,
as well as your pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
Focus on ideas: it's difficult to think about grammar when you are
speaking, so I advise students to stop worrying about grammatical
structures, and focus on expressing good ideas (which means good
vocabulary).
