Improving your Fluency- IELTS Speaking
‘Fluency and Coherence’ is one of the four band descriptors in the IELTS Speaking.
But what does it mean to be fluent?
Being able to speak fluent English means the ability to speak smoothly, easily and, readily. It means the use of normal level of continuity, rate and effort which allows you to be understood by both native and non-native listeners. Overall, it is about the ability to produce continuous speech without a lot of pauses or hesitations.
Here is a small fluency checklist for you to help you improve your fluency in speaking:
Accuracy: You spoke the words correctly
Rate: You spoke not too fast or not too slow but at a normal pace
Expression: You expressed your views and spoke with feelings and did not sound like a robot
Punctuation: You followed most or all of the punctuation marks as you spoke and took pauses as required
It is important to keep in mind that it takes time to build up your fluency which is one of the reasons why you should spend a good amount of time practicing before you appear for your test. You can choose to practice with our instructors or, you could just practice with your friends or family members. The key point here is for you to practice speaking even if it means you are talking to yourself in front of the mirror. Remember! The best way to improve your speaking skills for the IELTS is by speaking in English.
What is Cohesion?
Speaking in English fluently isn’t going to be enough unless you are able to logically sequence your sentences. It is very important in the IELTS speaking to ensure that the sequences of your ideas relate to each other. Overall, cohesion is like glue that holds a speech together.
The use of cohesive devices that includes connectors, discourse markers, pronouns and conjunctions within and between sentences will help you in the clear marking of stages in your discussion, argument or narration. However, it is important to avoid overusing the cohesive devices as it could make you sound very unnatural.
Fluency and Coherence in IELTS speaking refers to your ability to speak at length while organizing your ideas logically and appropriately signposting. Additionally, it refers to your ability to express and justify your opinions and your ability to speculate and discuss about issues without repetition of same words or ideas and long pauses.
Here is a short video published by the British Council that explains about the Fluency and Coherence in IELTS speaking www.britishcouncil.org.np/speaking-fluency-and-coherence
