The document provides tips and strategies for preparing for and taking the IELTS speaking exam. It discusses common questions examiners may ask and gives examples of effective responses. It also outlines common mistakes to avoid, such as overusing vague vocabulary like "good" and "nice" and misusing grammar structures. The document emphasizes the importance of fluency, pronunciation, and joining ideas when speaking to achieve a high score.

1. IELTS Speaking
By Chris Tang

3. You don’t have to be!!!
 Predictable
 Easy preparation
 Lots of tips to use

4. On Entering the Test Room
 Waiting out at the door
 “Do you have a mobile on you?”
 Psychological suggestion

5. So how do you say it?
 I’ve taken the test for … times. For my
previous … tests, I always got X for my
reading, X for my listening, and X for my
writing. But I haven’t got enough for my
speaking. So I have to take the test over
and over again until one day I can get at
least 6.5 for my speaking.

6. Why you can say it?
 The four official marking criteria:
 Pronunciation
 Vocabulary
 Grammar
 Fluency
 What you say doesn’t really matter, but
how and how well you say it!!!

7. General mistakes to avoid
 Vocabulary
 Overusing words like “good, nice, beautiful,
interesting, delicious…”
 Learn to paraphrase
 Can you list ten positive words (adj.) to
describe a person?
 What about ten negative ones?
 Good and well, Clever and smart, Bored and
boring
 Say “no” to Chinglish

8.  Grammar
 Plurality, third person pronoun, past tense, perfect
tense, misusing gender-related nouns
 Pronunciation
 Mispronunciation
 Be intelligible, so enunciate
 Fluency
 Speed is not fluency
 Join and expand ideas; Avoid pauses; Avoid repetition;
Expand rather than listing things

9. First things first
 Standard: What is your full Chinese name?
 Variants: What is your full name?/ How should I
call you?/ How should I address you?
 Answer: Long??? Or short???
 My name is ____. (even “Name is___.”)
 My full name is ____, and I also have an English
name, ____. You are welcome to call me ____.
 Remember what matters?

10. First runner-up
 Are you working or studying?
 Principle: Don’t make it too difficult.
 Eg. I’m studying. And I study ____ in
_____, one of the top universities in China
and I will be graduating in 2 years’ time.
 I’m working for ____ as an administrative
staff/sales/secretarial staff. I’ve been
doing this job for many years and I still
like doing it.

11. Like it and not like it.
 Eg. Why did you choose this major? Do
you like it and why? Do you like your job?
 Be prepared. You may stumble at the
easiest questions.
 Don’t talk big, talk small.
 Tell a story rather than giving empty,
lifeless reasons.

12. A dose of panacea
 It is all because of my girlfriend. She is the
one and only woman I love the most on
the earth. In order to make her happy, I
would like to do anything for her,
including…. Because I just want to be
with her, to be where she is.
 It is because when I was young, I had a
teacher and he always told me about …,
which has deeply influenced me. So I …

13. East or west, home is the best.
 Where is your hometown and could you please tell me
something about your hometown?
 Answers that may let people laugh their head off:
 My hometown is Xin Jiang.
 My hometown is .... But I’ve never been there before.
 My hometown is …. It is a very beautiful place. I love my
hometown.
 It is your homeTOWN in contrast to homePROVINCE,
homeCOUNTRY, homePLANET.
 It is where you were born and grew up in contrast to
where your parents or grandparents came from.

14.  Elaborate in four aspects
 Location, population, climate, and
something special.

15. Let me show you how!
 My hometown Taizhou, is located in the middle
part of Jiangsu province along the Yangze river,it
has a population of 5 million people, and the
mostly temperate climate here offers an
excellent environment for various agricultural
activities and for tourism; It has produced many
well-known scholars and intellectuals, one of
them is our Chairman Hujingtao, who has spent
his early years studying here.

16. A bit about climate or seasons
 Climate:
 Wet/warm/tropical, dry/arid/semiarid,
temperate/continental, etc.
 Four distinct seasons: spring, summer,
autumn/fall, winter
 Beijing's climate is defined as "continental
monsoon." The four seasons are distinctly
recognizable. Spring and autumn is the best
time to be in Beijing, particularly in the
months of April, May, September and October.

17. And if you choose to describe the
seasons
 Spring:
 Warm, windy, dusty, sand-storm, flowers start to
bloom
 Make it poetic. Eg. When spring comes, everything
wakes up from their long and cold sleeps. Trees
turn green, and flowers also start to bloom: it
seems like the world is, all of a sudden,
rejuvenated.
 Season of new life/rebirth

18.  Summer:
 Hot, rainy, wet (lots of rain), stormy, humid, sunny,
stuffy, sweltering, sauna-like
 Learn to use a variety of descriptives to say “very”.
 Quite, rather, pretty, fairly, really, so, extremely,
totally
 One can even use analogy. Eg. It is like an oven in
summer time.
 Activities: holiday…
 Holiday season

19.  Autumn/Fall:
 Cool, crisp, mild, cozy, clear sky, golden season,
azure sky
 Golden season, season of harvest
 Winter:
 Cold, freezing, snowy, icy, short days, long nights
 Silver season, Christmas season

20. I’d like to own my own house!
 Do you currently live in a house or an
apartment/flat? Where do you live? Can
you describe what is in your home?
 Let’s see a few pictures.

23. To compare two or more things
 Always think in terms of
 Cost/price
 Features (what makes it really what it is)
 Effects (popular?)

24. What are the differences between a
house and an apartment/flat?
House Flat
Price Expensive Cheap
(affordable)
Space Spacious Cramped
Location Far from town Near town

25. I’m a traveholic.
 Do you love traveling? Do you often travel?
 To answer “Yes” and “No”
 Sure. You bet. Absolutely. Definitely.
 Not if I can help it. Not a chance.
 Is ice cold? Does bird fly?

26. Shop till you drop, and sports stuff
 Do you play sports? What sports do you play?
 Do you often go shopping? What do you buy?
 Common answers: I play soccer, basketball,
tennis, table-tennis… (listing things)
 Better answer: I often buy lots of different
things from food to drinks, from clothes to shoes.
Anyway, I enjoy shopping, ‘cause it brings me
great joy.

27. Food, forever I like. Cooking, um,
yet to be answered.
 Avoiding overusing the word “delicious”
 Flavor: spicy, hot, sweet, sour, bitter, salty,
savory, light
 Vegetables and fruits
 Cooking methods: boil, fry, steam, roast,
bake, grill, stir-fry, stew, braise, barbecue
 Texture: chewy, tender, crispy, flakey

28. Other questions, but they are easy!
 What is your favorite kind of music/ book/movie/food? What
kind of … do you like?
 What is your favorite time in a day/ month/season in a year?
 What is your favorite kind of music?
 Genres: pop, jazz, blues, rock, classical, instrumental, rap
(urban), gospel…
 When it comes to music, I have to say…
 I’m very much into/ fond of/ fascinated by/about; …is the
greatest passion in my life
 When I am listening to…, I feel like…
 For example, for instance, once…
 Think outside of the box

29. Let’s give it a try!
 Well, I am not really into music. But sometimes I
do like listening to religious music, I mean,
Christian music. Christian music is always about
singing praises to God and reminding people of
their responsibility to live a pure and holy life. It
is music that purifies life. It helps me a lot.
Whenever I’m listening, I feel like being lifted up
to heaven and drawn close to God. It gives
peace to my mind and joy to my soul.

30. Let’s get serious: Topic/Cue Cards
 Four categories
 People
 Place
 Object
 Event
 And I don’t care what category it is. I
always have my way.

31.  Well, today I am going to talk about none other than my uncle. My
uncle is quite famous in his place. People often call him Mr.
Traveholic. And just as this name suggests, he loves traveling very
much. And actually traveling is one of the most important things in
his life. And he has been to many places throughout China, from
Harbin in the north to Guangzhou in the South, from Shanghai in
the east to Urumuqi in the west. And he always says his favorite
place of all is Qingdao, because of its natural beauty, its food and its
unique local culture, which all drive him to return to Qingdao to visit
over and over again.
 First, Qingdao is famous for many of its interesting places, its
beautiful beaches, and its clean streets. Hundreds of thousands of
visitors are attracted here from all over the world by its enchanting
natural beauty.
 Second, the local food and snacks are also something one can never
miss when visiting Qingdao. They come in various colors, shapes
and tastes, to suit different palates and wallets. They are not only
exotic and delicate to the tongue, but also to the eye.
 Last but not the least, Qingdao is also famous for its unique cultural
heritage represented in local festivals and Qingdao beer. Especially,
Qingdao beer. It is quite a big name in China. It is loved by millions
of people, including me.
 Anyway, that is my uncle, a traveholic, and Qingdao, a great place
to visit.

32. People Cards
 Who the person is
 What the person looks like
 What the person is like (character and
personality)
 What the person does/has done
 When and where you met this person
 Why you like/dislike/admire/choose to talk
about this person

33. “Who” question
 Well, I am going to talk about…
 When it comes to …, I would like to talk
about
 (Snow White) was a very good friend of
mine.

34. 昵称法
 A childhood friend
 I would really like to talk about Slobbery,
a childhood friend of mine. Slobbery is his
nickname, because he used to let saliva
dribble from his mouth while sleeping in
class. His real name is XXX. But anyway,
he is a nice buddy…

35. One’s Looks
 General descriptors: good/bad-looking,
handsome, beautiful, pretty, plain, homely,
ugly, awful
 Significant parts on the face: eyes (eye
color:black, green, blue, hazel), eyebrow,
nose(aquiline nose), mouth, teeth, cheek,
chin
 Other parts of the body: torso, limbs

36. Quotation from Gone with the
Wind
Scarlet O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom
realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton
twins were. In her face were too sharply blended the
delicate features of her mother, a Coast aristocrat of
French descent, and the heavy ones of her florid Irish
father. But it was an arresting face, pointed of chin,
square of jaw. Her eyes were pale green without a
touch of hazel, starred with bristly black lashes and
slightly tilted at the ends. Above them, her thick and
black brows slanted upward, cutting a startling oblique
line in her magnolia-white skin—that skin so prized by
Southern women and so carefully guarded with bonnets,
veils and mittens against hot Georgia suns.

37. Character and Personality
 Kind, warm-hearted, easy-going, faithful,
honest, responsible, accountable,
trustworthy, reliable, compassionate,
humble
 A giving person, a man of his word, a “me,
me, me” person, an angel of mercy,
double-crosser, double talker

38. What One Does
 Occupation
 Time, Location and Story
 Significance or meaning
 Eg. A friend looking after you when you are
sick. It shows that he has heart of gold.

39. Why?
 Good character/personality impresses or
touches you
 You have learned a life lesson from them
 Story

40. A Childhood Friend
 Relating topics: child, friend
Tell me about a child that you know
You should say:
 How you know them
 What they look like
 cute, short, chubby, messy hair, dirty hands, innocent
and pure
 Something about their personality
And say whether or not they are similar to how
you were as a child

41.  I would really like to talk about Slobbery, a
childhood friend of mine. Slobbery is his nickname,
because he used to let saliva dribble from his
mouth while sleeping in class. His real name is XXX.
But anyway, he is a nice buddy. Round-faced with
chubby cheeks, and usually dressed in his baggy
pants, he can hardly conceal his over-weighted
body. But you know kids. They never worry about
their body weight. Don’t be fooled by his looks. He
isn’t as tough as his may look. He is the tenderest
thing I’ve ever seen. Whenever other kids laugh at
him or bully him, he would run to a corner and cry
like a girl. Well, if you ask me whether Slobbery is
similar to how I was as a child, I would say no. But
he surely resembles that kind of people who are
one person on the outside, different on the other.

42.  When it comes to a childhood friend, I can’t
help thinking about Princess Fiona, my best
playmate. Her real name is Annie. Even now,
I can still recall her black curly but long hair,
and her favorite red dress with black strings
tied around the waist. She looked so
beautiful and elegant, just like a princess.
So we all called her Princess Fiona. Not like
me, Princess Fiona was a strong little girl.
She never cried, even when she stumbled
over rock and hurt her knees. Now she’s
become a big girl and even stronger, while I
am still who I am, never able to become like
her. And that is Princess Fiona, my best
playmate.

43. Common People Cards
 A person you’d like to spend time with
 Famous person
 A person who is good at cooking
 A person who has influenced you
 A person who helped you
 Old people
 Best friend
 Etc.

44. Famous person
 Who he/she is
 How you got to know this person
 What this person is famous for
 Why you choose to talk about this person

45.  Who: my uncle
 How: live in the same neighborhood
 Famous for: traveling
 Why: I also love traveling…

46. Place Cards
 What the place is
 When and with whom you visited that
place
 What did you feel when you visited that
place
 Why do you visit that place

47. What Questions
 Name of that place
 Location
 … be located/situated …
 … sits/lies …
 Features
 Ten adj. to describe a place

48. When and with whom
 Long time ago?
 Several years ago? Many years back?
 Just last year?
 A few months ago?
 A couple of days ago?

49. Feeling High or Down?
 Feeling:
 Sad, excited, thrilled, down, frustrated,
depressed, etc.
 Feeling like…

50. Why?
 Reasons:
 Tourist spot, beautiful
 Understand the local culture and customs
 Story

51. Common Place Cards
 Hotel
 Shopping mall
 A place where there is water
 Tourist site
 Library
 Historical site
 A place you want to visit
 Etc.

52. Object Cards
 Eg. A useful equipment, a gift, a toy
 Elements:
 What it is
 What it looks like; what functions it has
 Where/when you got it; who gave it to you
 How/why

53. Common Object Cards
 A piece of news
 A book
 A TV program
 An artistic statue
 A gift
 A piece of clothing
 A course
 A childhood game
 An advertisement
 Etc.

54. A Useful Equipment
 What it is: cell phone, mp3 player,
computer
 What it looks
 …in color/in…color, … in shape/in…shape
 Trendy, classy, hi-tech, “in”, fashionable
 Function
 Why it is special

55. Sample Answer
 Well, I would love to talk about my little “girlfriend”—
iPod, a trendy mp3 player, which I would always take
along with me wherever I go. Though it is a mp3
player, I seldom use it to listen to music, but
something called Podcast, which basically is a kind of
“radio” program broadcasted on the web. There are
so many different programs, about culture, news,
politics and even language learning. I am particularly
fascinated by the free educational resources it
provides. Now I have French, German and Japanese
learning programs on my iPod. Given me some time, I
am pretty sure I can speak some French, or German,
or Japanese, at least some daily phrases. In a word,
iPod is special to me not only because it can
accompany me wherever I go just like my girlfriend,
but also because it is a new technology that I have
greatly benefited in language learning.

56. Event Cards
 Topic questions:
 What it is
 When and where it takes/took place
 Who (participants) and how (effects)
 Why

57. Common Event Cards
 A journey
 A change in life
 Help/advice received
 A sport/traditional/public event
 An important/difficult decision
 A traffic jam
 A successful experience
 Etc.

58. A Change in Life
 What it is
 Going to college, graduation, going to work,
getting married, divorced, becoming a
gay/lesbian???
 When and where it happened
 How it changes/has changed your life
 How you feel
 Why

59. Sample Answer
 Honestly I haven’t thought about this much. The one
and only great change I can think of now is leaving
school. Look, after going to school for more than 16
years, all of my life has been so used to school, my
daily schedule, my mindset, my social life, etc. The
world outside the school seems so familiar and yet so
strange. My feelings are mixed with ambition, hope,
expectation, as well as uneasiness, insecurity and
worries. It is such a difficult time. I am like a person
lost in the no-man’s land, not knowing where to turn.
Anyway, most people have to face this change once
they leave school. It is a total challenge. But just as
one great mind has once said, “life is always full of
changes and uncertainties; we just do all that we can
and hope for the best.”

60. Help/Advice Received
 What it was
 When and where you received it
 Who gave it to you
 Feeling
 Why

61. Sample Answer
 When it comes to this topic, I can’t help thinking about last
year when I was overwhelmed by lots of works that I have
to do. It was my college graduation year. Besides all of the
lectures I had to attend, the graduation paper alone was a
heavy task: there were tons of reference books to read, a
series of surveys to be conducted and also the revision and
editing works. It was just too much for me. But thank God,
my professor XXX offered to give me a hand. Basically he
gave me some very good ideas and challenged me to
consider a slight modification of my project structure. Then
he introduced me to someone who happened to have done
the similar kind of project. Woow, I was feeling just like
“Oh, thank you dear God.” I choose to talk about this,
because it means so much to me. Without his help, I just
can’t imagine myself successfully completing such a great
project and finishing my graduation paper.

62. Stage III
 Two principles:
 Take evasive action
 Relate it to yourself (don’t talk big, talk small)

63. Evasive Action
 Version 1: That is a good question. I never
thought about this question before. But if
you look at this question from different
perspectives, you may just have different
answers. Well, I am not really sure. Thank
you.

64.  Version 2: That is a very good question. I
remember reading about this before somewhere.
I have read about it on the Internet. But I don’t
wear their “colored” glasses and remember
exactly what it said about this. There seem to be
many different views. Because people all have
different education backgrounds and
experiences. They tend to look at things through
thus have different ideas. Well, this is not my
field. I am not sure. Thank you.

65. Relate to yourself
 Example:
 What do you think the government should do
to end the economic crisis?
 That is a good question … (evasive action).
But I don’t think it is very bad for everyone,
both poor and rich. So I sincerely hope the
government can do something about it.

66.  Example:
 Do you think primary school students should have
homework?
 That is a very good question … (evasive action). But I
do remember when I was young, I had too much
homework to do. I don’t think I had very happy
childhood. So I think when I have children, I would
like them to have no homework or little homework. I
they can really have a good memory of their
childhood.