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IELTS guides
Every guide on the site, written around the official band descriptors. Narrow the list by skill or by test type, or search for a word.
Speaking
IELTS Speaking Topics: How to Prepare
The test owners give examples of Speaking topics, not a list. This guide shows how topics link across the parts. It also shows how to prepare for a topic you cannot predict.
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Speaking
Do You Need Idioms in IELTS Speaking?
Not for band 6. From band 7, the Speaking descriptors mention idiomatic items. No set number of idioms is required. This guide shows the wording band by band and how to learn idioms without a list.
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Speaking
IELTS Speaking Part 1: What Happens and How to Answer
Part 1 is a few minutes of short questions about you and familiar topics. Give a direct answer, add one reason or example, and stop.
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Speaking
IELTS Speaking Part 2: The Cue Card and the Long Turn
In Part 2 you get a task card and one minute to make notes. Then you talk alone until the examiner stops you. You may then answer one or two short questions.
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Speaking
IELTS Speaking Part 3: The Discussion
Part 3 is a discussion with the examiner about bigger questions from your Part 2 topic. Answer first, then give a reason and an example. Speak about people in general, not just yourself.
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Improvement planSpeaking
How to Improve Your IELTS Speaking Score
Find which of the four Speaking criteria holds your band down. Then work on what the next band adds in that criterion, and practise it out loud.
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Speaking
Lexical Resource in Speaking: Why Paraphrase Is a Scored Skill
Lexical resource in Speaking is not only the size of your vocabulary. Paraphrase, style and word pairs are marked too. This guide shows the bands, and what changes from band 6 to band 7.
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Speaking
Pronunciation in Speaking: Why Band 7 Has No Wording of Its Own
In the Pronunciation column, bands 7, 5 and 3 have no wording of their own. Your accent counts only through how easily you are understood. This guide shows the bands, and what band 7 needs.
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Speaking
Fluency and Coherence: What Counts as Fluent, and What Does Not
Fluency and coherence covers two things: how smoothly you speak, and how well your ideas connect. Speed is not what the descriptors reward. This guide shows the bands, and what changes from band 6 to band 7.
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Speaking
Grammatical Range and Accuracy in Speaking: How Errors Are Counted
This criterion has two halves, the range of your grammar and its accuracy. A few basic errors are allowed even at band 8. This guide shows the bands, and what changes from band 6 to band 7.
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Speaking
How IELTS Speaking Is Marked: The Four Criteria Explained
Four criteria decide your Speaking band, and each one counts equally. This guide explains what each one measures. It also shows how the four scores combine, and what changes from band 6 to band 7.
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