My tips for IELTS Speaking: Practice makes perfect
Probably my favorite part in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the Speaking test because not only did I get a high band score of 7.0 but also, I was able to express myself confidently. I remembered taking my exam in March 2021 during a pandemic and answering the interview questions with my face mask on. I sat one meter away from my examiner and there’s a glass shield between us. The quarantine protocols were strictly observed by the IELTS British Council where I took my test.
One thing that helped me a lot in my IELTS preparation is watching sample interview videos online and practice tests, especially those that gave me hints how to speak audibly and fluently while wearing a face mask. I also practiced in front of a mirror or ask a friend to conduct a mock interview with me. My friend also assessed and gave me recommendations in which areas I should improve better.
My actual Speaking Test for IELTS UKVI finished around 15 minutes. It was divided into three parts which include; (1) question about myself and my family; (2) a certain topic which I have to explain; and (3) discussion about the topic introduced in part 2 which includes telling my own experience to define an idiomatic expression.
Idiomatic expressions are a type of informal language that has a meaning different from the meaning of the words in the expression. Let me share my chosen story with idioms highlighted by my friends and family:
Pay it forward
This story was shared by my college friend as her appreciation post to a stranger who paid for her graduation dress. She narrates “I was quite hesitant to buy the dress because I’m not used to spending so much for myself. But I decided to buy it for this special occasion. While I was waiting for my turn to pay, the man in front of me gazed with familiarity at the dress and asked if I was buying it for graduation. I said yes.
We exchanged short conversations. Then, all of a sudden, he offered to buy the dress for me because he said he has so much admiration and respect for an “Iskolar ng Bayan”. He said they bring hope to the country and he also wants to share his blessings as a way of PAYING IT FORWARD.”
The phrase “Pay it forward” describes a way to honor, or amplify, an act of kindness. Receivers of a gift respond not by paying back the giver but by passing kindness on others, even strangers. “Paying it forward” is a selfless character channeled from gratitude.
Every storm cloud has a silver lining
Back in 2019, my college adviser shared a post on New Year’s Day that reads, “There’s always a silver lining at the end of every storm. Thank you, God, for the hope in 2019.”
The phrase “every storm cloud has a silver lining” is used to highlight the positive side of a situation. It is often used to reassure anyone going through difficulties by ensuring that somehow at some point, things will be better.
Indeed, it’s good to start the year with positivity.
Learn by heart
I was 16-year-old when I went to college and started living in a dormitory. At that time, my mom gave me a letter with a list of life lessons I learned by heart. I would never forget the first instruction to open and close my day with a prayer and be respectful to others. I am forever grateful for the life lessons I learned from my mother, which up to this day guided me as an independent woman.
The phrase “learn by heart” means to learn and memorize something very thoroughly.
Practice makes perfect
If my childhood memory serves me right, I remembered that my older brother is passionate about being a poet, he keeps a vintage journal, where he would scribble some romantic and inspiring verses.
As I read his poems, I realized that he gets better and better each day, I even captured one of his verses that spoke to me, “Let this be known. Towards our pursuit of success, we sometimes abandon what we used to love. Our desire to attain career growth makes us forget the things that we used to be passionate about. I say, get back to it. Do it again. Ours is finite time. Never forget what makes you happy.”
Truly if you are passionate about something and you want to achieve your goals keep honing your skills because practice makes perfect.
The phrase “Practice makes perfect” simply means that practicing or repeatedly doing something will make one proficient or skillful at it.
That’s it! I hope this article will inspire you to prepare and do your best at your IELTS Speaking test.
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To keep myself updated, I followed these online platforms:
Website: https://www.britishcouncil.ph/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ielts.britishcouncil.philippines
Twitter: https://twitter.com/takeielts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takeieltsofficial/
