Survey Series: Based On Your Attempts, Which Is The Best Way To Excel In IELTS Speaking?

Have you ever had the sensation of being overwhelmed right before or during your IELTS Speaking module? With a ton of strategies and tips flying around in your head, it is only natural to feel so. That’s why we have conducted a survey to quench our thirst for knowledge about the best way to excel in IELTS Speaking. Read on to know more!

Check out this video by Entri in Malayalam!

Introduction: Survey Overview

Many a time IELTS aspirants come across various strategies and plans for their Speaking module, through social media, coaching classes, or even peers. They may use it or may not even think about it while appearing for the test. However, what they, or the whole IELTS learning community, lack is a solid proof or alibi that these strategies work. Often, the absence of such proofs lead to an unsuccessful usage of such strategies.

This got us thinking, why not ask those who have actually given the exam. They would have a stronger accountability since they know the result of using such strategies. This led us to crating a question with 4 options for the IELTS community to vote in. Here is the question:

Based on your attempts, which is the best way to excel in IELTS Speaking?

• Focus on speaking fluently and clearly
• Using a variety of vocabulary and grammar
• Extending your answers with relevant examples and details instead of one-liner answers
• Speaking naturally

There’s no doubt that each of these options are valuable components of an IELTS Speaking module. But which one is preferred by the test-takers to gain maximum success? Let us find out!

Want to get a 8 band score in IELTS? Enrol now with Entri!

Analysis of the Survey Result

Here is the snapshot of the survey and the percentage of people who voted for each option, conducted in our YouTube channel:

To sum it up, ‘extending your answers with relevant examples and details’ comes out as the top-voted option, followed by ‘speaking naturally’. Focusing on fluency, vocabulary, and grammar are at a tie. Now, let us deep dive into each option and analyse them.

Fluency and Vocabulary – Underrated?

It was a bit surprising and interesting that “fluency and clarity” and “vocabulary and grammar” just got 14% each. Does this mean these aspects are not relevant for the IELTS exam? Rather, they are essential factors to get that desired band score. The natural reason for this result might be due to the fact that learners consider them difficult to be achieved over a short period.

There’s also the notion, that fluency, clarity, vocabulary, and grammar are open to improvement after establishing a strong communication core. There’s no doubt that they are are important in determining your score especially for the Speaking module. We can assume another sect of learners who believe that these options becomes relevant only in real-test scenarios – which can be another reason for the less votes received.

The Power of Extending Answers (43%)

This option was the clear winner in our survey with almost half our respondents preferring it as the best way to excel in IELTS Speaking. To put it in detail, learners suggest that they were granted higher scores when they were able to extend their answers by moving from one-liners and responding in multiple long sentences, along with examples and details.

Now, you may ask, is it really that relevant. Remember, IELTS rewards scores on the basis of fluency, coherence, and the depth of the response. When you elaborate your answers with such details and examples, you have a chance to showcase your mastery in communication, vocabulary, and grammar. Additionally, it creates an impression of speaking naturally and not being forced at all. Check out this example:

Q. What is your favourite music genre?

Answer 1: “My favourite music genre is hip-hop.” (Weak)

Answer 2: “I love listening to hip-hop music, especially the ones with rap in it. One of the major reasons why I love it is due to its role in defining culture along with its rhyming and catchy nature. One of my favourite hip-hop artists would be Eminem and I always listen to his songs at the gym – for that extra motivation to keep me going.” (Strong)

The difference speaks for itself, right?

Struggling with Speaking? Enrol now to study with our expert IELTS mentors!

Speaking Naturally (29%)

Remember when we used to memorise lessons in school, just to blurt them out or write them down in exams? When we look back, learning lessons in that way was pretty boring and mechanical. Ultimately, very few lessons stay with us throughout our lives. And that’s one of the main reasons why respondents selected ‘speaking naturally’ as the second most best way to excel in IELTS Speaking.

Examiners can easily tell when you are answering with the help of rote memorisation of advanced vocabulary and phrases. Speaking in a natural, genuine, and emotional tone is way better than sounding robotic and emotionless. Remember, the goal is not to sound perfect or like a native speaker; rather, it is to sound just like yourself, naturally.

Are Learners Aligned with the Criteria

The IELTS Speaking test is evaluated on this criteria:

1. Fluency and Coherence

2. Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)

3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy

4. Pronunciation

When it comes to our survey, this is how the options are faring when we align with the criteria:

In short, the aspirants are not far off when it comes to focusing on the criteria which is what the examiners look out for. This proves the fact that learners value what they feel would help them in exceling as well as boost their confidence.

Thinking about levelling up your vocabulary game? Enrol now at Entri’s IELTS course!

Conclusion: Learners’ Insights That Made the Difference

Upon reaching conclusion, the biggest takeaway that we gained through an analysis of the survey results is simple, yet it makes a huge impact. Learners find more success when they discard memorisation and take up speaking naturally with a shift towards speaking like themselves. After all, all that matters is how you present your answer rather than what you actually say. Make sure to get those brownie points by making use of examples from your everyday life.

Do you feel like you want to do better in Speaking but can’t do it by yourself? Enrol now at Entri’s IELTS course for dedicated mentorship especially in Speaking. With one-on-one sessions with experts and test-like scenarios, you can easily improve on your skills and get that score you’ve been eyeing on. So what are you waiting for? Enrol now to secure your future!

Have you tries any of these strategies yourself? Or do you have another one that we need to know?

Drop a comment on our YouTube post and don’t forget to follow for more! Happy studying!