English for Exams Karen Kovacs

Now read the advice for the answers you chose.
1 
a 
If you are so worried about accuracy that you speak slowly and hesitate often, this w ill 
impact every aspect of your performance in the exam. Practise speaking as much as 
possible to increase your confidence. It is good to w ork on your accuracy before the 
exam, but in the exam, do not worry about accuracy and try to speak freely, 
b 
You may score w e ll for fluency, but m ight score less w e ll fo r gram m atical accuracy 
and pronunciation. Record yourself and listen carefully to the mistakes you make, 
then re-record yourself trying to answer more accurately, 
c 
You w ill probably score w ell for accuracy, pronunciation and fluency. Make sure you 
are aware of any faults you have so you know what to improve.
Speaking for IELTS

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You are doing the right thing by attem pting to use new and more complex grammar. 
However, ensure that you make few mistakes with more basic grammar.
To achieve a high mark, you must attem pt a range of complex grammar. You do not 
always have to use complex gram m ar correctly, but you must attem pt it.
You w ill probably achieve high m arks for gram m atical range and accuracy. Make 
sure you keep pushing yourself to use new structures.
You w ill probably score w e ll fo r lexical resource. Continue to note down new 
vocabulary, including collocations, and make sure you can use it appropriately.
Read the sample answers and newspaper articles, noting down any new vocabulary 
(single words and collocations). Memorise it and test yourself frequently. Practise 
answering the exam questions using your new vocabulary.
W rite a list of at least ten 'd iffic u lt’ topics. Use the sample answers and newspaper 
articles to find and learn vocabulary on these topics. Then practise talking about 
them, giving your opinion, and talking about the topic in relation to your country and 
experiences.
You must think about it, as pronunciation represents a quarter of your m ark in the 
exam and w ill also affect your marks for fluency. Record yourself answering an exam 
question and listen to your pronunciation. Ask a friend and/or teacher to listen, too. 
Check a ll the pronunciation points in this book, and score yourself on each one, e.g. 
word stress, and linking. Study again the ones that need the most improvement and 
practise speaking, focusing on these pronunciation points, one at a time.
If a friend and/or teacher agree with you, you w ill probably score w e ll for 
pronunciation. Do you use more complex features, such as linking and the schwa? 
Maybe your pronunciation is not as bad as you think. It doesn’t m atter if you have 
a foreign accent, as long as people can understand you w ithout making special 
effort. Ask friends, preferably with a different m other tongue, or a teacher to 
te ll you honestly what they think of your pronunciation. Study the pronunciation 
points in this book again. In addition, listen to the native speakers on the CD 
accompanying the book, pause the CD after each sentence and repeat w hat they 
say, focusing only on your pronunciation.
Read the Part 2 sample answers aloud. See how the speaker expands on the sub­
topics, giving details and personal responses, etc. Then record yourself answering 
the same questions - where could you expand your answer? Think about what else 
you could say and make some notes. Then try speaking fo r two m inutes again. 
Record yourself answering a Part 2 question and then practise elaborating more in 
each part of your answer. What more relevant detail could you add? Find synonyms 
fo r words and expressions you have overused and learn them.
Is everything you say relevant to the question? Does w hat you say have structure 
(with logical sequencing and a clear beginning, middle and end)? The examiner 
m ust be able to follow your speech easily.