IELTS Speaking Band 8 Strategies: A Complete Guide for Nepalese Students
For many students who wish to pursue their studies abroad, like UK, Australia, Canada and USA, achieving band 8 in IELTS speaking is a desired goal. If you get a high score in the speaking section, you’ll not only realize a higher IELTS band, but you will also have a better chance of passing university admission and visa applications.
In Nepal, many students think that they need a perfect British/ American accent to get a Band 8 in IELTS Speaking. However, in the real world IELTS examiners are more interested in how well you communicate clearly, confidently and naturally. Working towards a Band 8 is achievable with appropriate preparation strategy and practice.
Here is an IELTS Speaking Band 8 Guide that covers IELTS Speaking Strategies, frequent errors and some useful tips to help you succeed in your IELTS Speaking Test.
IELTS Speaking Test is an excellent study guide. IELTS Speaking Test is a great study guide.
It is crucial to know the format of the IELTS Speaking test prior to preparing for a high score.
The test takes about 11 – 14 minutes and consists of three parts:
Part 1: Introduction and interview.
The examiner asks questions about familiar topics such as:
Hometown
Family
Education
Work
Hobbies
Daily routines
This section assesses your skill in comfortably discussing routine matters.
Part 2: Cue Card
A topic card is given and you must prepare for 1 minute and speak for up to 2 minutes.
In this area, you will be assessed on your ability to structure your ideas and to produce running speech.
Part 3: Discussion
The examiner asks questions which are more detailed and analytical about the topic of the cue card.
In this section you will be judged on your ability to give opinions, explain ideas and discuss complex topics.
The Examiners’ requirements for a Band 8 Score
IELTS Speaking examiners assess four skills:
Fluency and Coherence
Speak smoothly and use few pauses, and use logical connections between ideas.
Lexical Resource
Consistently use a variety of words well and fluently.
Grammar: Range and Accuracy
Use a range of sentence structures with very few errors.
Pronunciation
Speak clearly so that ideas are easily understood.
Band 8 candidate has a strong performance in all four areas.
Strategies1: Focus on Fluency, Not Perfection.
The worst thing that students do is to try to speak perfectly. This can lead to stumbling and stuttering.
Don’t get stressed out over all your grammar errors: Concentrate on stating your ideas with assurance.
In particular, when answering questions:
Instead of:
“Yes… um… I think… maybe…”
Try:
Yes, I do enjoy that activity as it helps me to unwind after a long day’s work.
The aim is to keep the conversation as normal as possible.
Plan ahead and answer more questions.
A lot of students lose marks due to giving very short answers.
For example:
Examiner: Do you like reading?
Weak answer:
“Yes, I do.”
Band 8 answer:
Yes, I love reading as it enables me to acquire new ideas, broaden my word power especially in biographies and personal development books.
Give reasons for your answer and details to support your answer.
Strategy 2: Enhance Vocabulary without Strategy
While it’s essential to have a good vocabulary, some words will be hard to learn, and memorizing them can cause unnatural reactions.
Avoid the unnecessary use of complex words; use words in an accurate manner.
Useful phrases include:
From my perspective
One of the primary reasons is that
In my experience
Generally speaking
As far as I know
Using these expressions will make your speech more natural and advanced.
Strategies 3: Speaking Everyday Practice.
Practicing every day is the quickest method to study IELTS Speaking.
You can:
Communicate in English with friends
Join speaking groups
Record your answers
Repeat/Repeat Cue Card Practice.
Describe daily activities in English – learn how to talk about daily activities in English.
As little as 20-30 minutes of speaking practice a day can make a world of difference in terms of fluency and confidence.
Students will master IELTS Cue Cards through Strategy 5.
In Part 2, usually students will struggle with the most difficult part of the exam.
The use of a simple structure will help:
Introduction
Introduce the topic in a brief manner.
Main Details
Describe a situation, experience or event.
Personal Opinion
Describe your thoughts and feelings and why it was important.
This helps to maintain the organization and coherence of your answer.
Strategy 4: Improve Pronunciation
It is not necessary to have a foreign accent to earn Band 8.
Instead, focus on:
Clear pronunciation
Natural rhythm
Correct word stress
Appropriate intonation
Listening to English podcasts, TED Talks and BBC programs can help you to practice English pronunciation naturally.
This was a strategy I used to use to avoid memorized answers to questions.
Memorised responses are clearly detectable by IELTS examiners.
If students can regurgitate rather than explain, they can sound like a robot and have trouble if the questions are repeated in an unanticipated manner.
Do not memorise, plan ideas, vocabulary on common themes such as:
Education
Technology
Travel
Environment
Work
Hobbies
With this, you’re able to respond in a natural fashion.
Learning Goal: To think in English.
Most of the students do mental translation from Nepali to English before speaking.
This habit is a factor that slows down the response and makes it harder to be fluent.
Try to:
Read English regularly
Watch English videos
Talk in English to yourself
Direct thinking, or think in English.
As time passes, answers are quicker and more natural.
The most frequent errors in the IELTS Speaking test.
Students who are working towards Band 8 should not include:
Giving one-word answers
Speaking too fast
Memorizing responses
Using vocabulary incorrectly
Often stops and starts in thought
Ignoring pronunciation
You can reduce the number of these errors and thereby boost your score.
The importance of IELTS Mock Speaking Tests cannot be overstated. IELTS Mock Speaking Tests are extremely important.
Through mock speaking tests, students are able to:
Build confidence
Improve fluency
Receive expert feedback
Identify weaknesses
Know what you can expect in an actual exam.
Mock interviews are a very effective method of preparing for the actual Speaking test.
Final Thoughts
Practicing, confidence and strategic preparation are essential in order to achieve a Band 8 in the IELTS Speaking test. There is no need for students to have a perfect accent or have a high level of vocabulary to get a high grade. Rather, they should concentrate on fluency and clear communication, natural vocabulary, and structured responses.
If you are studying IELTS in Kathmandu, Nepal, joining IELTS classes which are professionally designed will boost your ability in speaking, taking part of mock speaking tests will further help in enhancing your speaking skills and feedback from experts will help you boost your skills even more.
By following some tips and practicing diligently, scoring Band 8 in the IELTS Speaking is attainable for any dedicated student aspiring for higher education abroad.
