Common mistakes, a practice routine and test day

The mistakes that most often limit IELTS Speaking scores, how to practise alone or with a partner, a four-week plan and what to do on the day.

You now know how the test works, what each part demands and what the examiner is listening for. This final lesson brings it together: the mistakes that hold candidates at Band 5.5 or 6, a way of practising that produces real improvement even if you have nobody to talk to, and a plan for the last four weeks and for the day itself.

Fifteen mistakes that limit scores

Approach

1. Memorised answers. The delivery changes, the content does not quite fit, and the examiner moves to another question. Prepare ideas and vocabulary, never scripts.
2. Answers that are too short. ‘Yes.’ ‘I like football.’ Nothing can be assessed.
3. Answers that never end in Part 1, or a Part 2 that finishes in forty seconds.
4. Not answering the question asked. Listen for the tense and the exact focus: ‘Did you…?’ is past; ‘Would you…?’ is hypothetical; ‘Why do people…?’ is general.
5. Treating Part 3 like Part 1. Personal, brief answers to abstract questions.

Language

6. Trying to impress with words you do not control. Use what you know well, and paraphrase the rest.
7. Essay language in speech: moreover, furthermore, in conclusion, to put it in a nutshell.
8. One tense for everything. Especially past stories told in the present.
9. Repeating the same words: good, nice, very, I think, like, you know.
10. Overusing one filler or one opening phrase.

Delivery

11. Speaking too fast because of nerves.
12. Monotone, or reading from notes in Part 2.
13. Long silences instead of thinking aloud.
14. Stopping to apologise after every error.
15. Speaking too quietly.

Go through the list and mark the three that apply most to you. Those are your priorities.

Practising on your own

Most candidates do not have an English-speaking partner available every day. You do not need one.

The record–listen–repeat cycle

1. Record yourself answering a question (your phone is enough).
2. Listen once without stopping. How does it sound overall? Would you be easy to follow?
3. Listen again with a checklist (below).
4. Repeat the same answer, fixing one or two things.

Most people dislike hearing their own voice. Persist; within a week it becomes normal, and it is the single most effective thing you can do.

Self-assessment checklist

Using sample answers properly

Each practice test on this site includes sample answers for every Speaking question. To learn from them:

1. Answer the question yourself first, recording it.
2. Then read the sample. Compare length, structure and development.
3. Underline three expressions you would like to use.
4. Answer again in your own words, including those expressions.
5. Never learn the sample by heart.

Other solo activities

• Think aloud in English while doing routine tasks.
• Describe photos on your phone for one minute each: who, where, when, how you felt.
• Summarise a news story or a video you watched in sixty seconds.
• Argue both sides of a simple question (Is it better to live in a city or the countryside?) for one minute each.
• Shadow recordings for rhythm and intonation.

Practising with a partner

If you can find a study partner, in person or online:

• Take turns as examiner and candidate, using the practice tests. The ‘examiner’ keeps time strictly: 4–5 minutes, then 1 + 2 minutes, then 4–5 minutes.
• The examiner notes two good things and two things to improve under the four criteria.
• Do not correct during the answer. Give feedback afterwards.
• In Part 3, the examiner should push: ‘Why?’ ‘Can you give an example?’ ‘Some people would disagree. What would you say to them?’

Playing the examiner is also instructive. You quickly notice what makes an answer easy or hard to follow.

A four-week plan

About 30–40 minutes a day.

Week 1 – Part 1 and foundations

• Lessons 1–3.
• Daily: ten Part 1 questions on two topics, recorded. Focus on answer + extend.
• Prepare ideas (not scripts) on work/study, home and home town.
• Pronunciation: ten minutes of the daily routine from Lesson 9.

Week 2 – Part 2

• Lessons 4–5.
• Daily: one cue card under test conditions (1 minute + 2 minutes), then again after reading the sample.
• Build four core stories and adapt each to three cards.
• Twice this week: the 4–3–2 fluency exercise.

Week 3 – Part 3 and language

• Lessons 6–8.
• Daily: six Part 3 questions, 30–45 seconds each, using opinion–reason–example–concession.
• One ‘record and transcribe’ session mid-week and one at the weekend.
• Choose a ‘structure of the day’ (conditionals, used to, relative clauses, comparatives, modals).

Week 4 – Full tests

• Three or four complete Speaking tests, timed, recorded, ideally with a partner.
• After each, score yourself roughly on the four criteria and pick one target for the next.
• Keep the daily pronunciation routine.
• The last two days: light practice only. Talk about everyday things in English; do not cram.

On the day

Before you go in

• Speak English for ten minutes beforehand, to anyone or to yourself. Warm up your voice and your brain.
• Have your identity document ready.
• Breathe slowly. Some nervousness is normal and even useful.

In the room

• Greet the examiner as you would any polite stranger. A natural ‘Good morning’ is enough.
• Listen to each question to the end.
• Part 1: direct answer plus one or two extensions.
• Part 2: use the whole minute to plan; glance at your notes, look up, and keep talking until you are stopped.
• Part 3: take a second to think; speak generally; give reasons.
• If you do not understand: ‘Sorry, could you repeat that, please?’
• If you make a mistake: fix it and move on.
• If your mind goes blank: ‘Let me think for a moment…’, then paraphrase or approach the question from another angle.

What not to do

• Do not ask the examiner how you did.
• Do not apologise for your English.
• Do not give memorised introductions about yourself.
• Do not worry if the examiner stops you or looks at the clock.

Frequently asked questions

Does my accent matter? No, as long as you are clear.

Can I ask the examiner to explain a word? In Part 3, yes. In Part 1 the examiner can only repeat the question. In Part 2 you can ask about a word on the card.

What if I don’t know anything about the topic? Say so naturally and then speculate: ‘I’ve never done that, but I imagine…’ You are being tested on language, not knowledge.

Should I speak formally? Speak as you would in a polite conversation with someone you have just met: natural, with contractions, without slang.

Is it bad to say ‘I don’t know’? Only if you stop there.

Can I disagree with the examiner? Of course. Politely.

How is the Speaking score reported? As a band from 0 to 9 in whole or half bands, averaged from the four criteria.

A final thought

The candidates who do best in the Speaking test are rarely those with the most grammar or the longest words. They are the ones who treat it as a real conversation: they listen, they answer what was asked, they explain what they think, and when they cannot find a word, they find another way. Everything in this course is meant to help you do exactly that.

Key points

• Identify your top three mistakes and work on those.
• Record, listen, repeat: it works even without a partner.
• Use sample answers as models after you have tried the question yourself.
• Four weeks: Part 1 → Part 2 → Part 3 and language → full tests.
• On the day: warm up, listen, extend, keep talking, stay natural.

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