IELTS Speaking — why many candidates fail??

Ielts speaking:

There 4 criteria for assessing IELTS such as :  1, Fluency and Coherence    2, Vocabulary   3, Grammar accuracy  4, Pronunciation.

All of these are EQUALLY WEIGHTED but still why many tutors focus just on parts of it?  I think this criteria is an overrated one and at the same the most misunderstood or ignored one as well.

I often get enquiries  from some ‘Ielts students’ those believe that SPEAKING TEST is all about the idioms and phrases.It was very hard for me to convince these students that in IELTS idioms and phrases are not only going to help them, but also lose score or attract penalties. WHY?

Your IELTS speaking test is in less formal ( semi-formal) mode but it doesn’t mean any informal idioms of phrases can be used to impress the examiner/s. For example, the phrase ‘nitty-gritty’ (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nitty-gritty)    which means = nit·ty-grit·ty  (nt-grt) n. Informal =The specific or practical details; the heart of a matter.It is very clear that dictionary states that the phrase is informal so using these types of idioms only attract penalties. Also, it is not recommended by many examiners.

However, the more formal the vocabulary and the more complex the grammar is, the higher the IELTS score. In the case of vocabulary, for instance, the scoring scheme gives higher scores when “less common” or “uncommon lexical items” (words or phrases) are used – which is what

formal vocabulary is. Visit http://tinyurl.com/4uddkz to see the scoring scheme ( David Park/ British council)

Never use colloquial English or slang. Colloquial English is a type of informal English, and it includes words such as gonna or wanna, and phrases such as ain’t nothin’ and dead as a doornail. Dictionaries usually mark colloquial words and phrases with a label like “colloq.” Because colloquial English and slang are usually spoken rather than written, they’ll make your academic writing sound too conversational and so less

credible.(David Park) http://www1.ccs.k12.in.us/teachers/downloads/cms_block_file/44243/file/36397 IELTS Speaking Part 2: formula phrases

A student asked me whether the following formula is useful for speaking part 2:

I guess I could begin by saying something about (point 1) and I think I would have to choose…

Going on to my next point which is (point 2), I really need to emphasise that (explain point 2).

And now with reference to (point 3), the point I want to make here is that (explain point 3).

And so finally, if I have time, in answer to the question of (point 4), really I should mention that…

As an English speaker and ex-examiner, I find these phrases annoying. It’s obvious that they are memorised, and they do not address the question topic. Please don’t expect the examiner to be impressed by this kind of thing.

There are a couple of benefits to learning a formula: it gives your answer some structure, and it might make you feel more confident during the test. However, the disadvantages are greater:

Your focus is on the phrases you have memorised, when it should be on answering the question with relevant ideas.

The examiner thinks that you are using memorised phrases because you are unable to produce good language spontaneously. In other words, your use of long formula phrases suggests that your level of English is lower.  (http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/ielts-speaking/page/2/ )

The key to a high speaking score isn’t your use of ‘complex’ grammar structures, big words or idiomatic phrases. The key is to speak as naturally as possible, and real examples or stories help you to do this. (http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/ielts-speaking/)

By and large, using any informal idioms such as ‘GIVE A SHOT’ ( http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/give+it+a+shot )should be avoided at any rate.

Dominic: What about IELTS and idioms? Would you recommend IELTS candidates use idioms in the test?

Peter; Idioms can be difficult to understand, and even more of a challenge to use correctly. Not surprisingly, the examiner won?t be expecting to see much evidence of idiomatic English until advanced level. A general tip if you?re preparing for the exam is to make every effort to learn topic-based vocabulary on subjects that often come up. And it?s a good idea to sprinkle these with one or two idioms that you?re absolutely confident you can use appropriately.

One of the best ways to prepare for the Writing Paper is to become familiar with the kind of texts you are expected to write. As you read these examples look out for the use of idiomatic language. This will give you an idea of which phrases are less colloquial and more appropriate for semi-formal/formal use. For example, you probably wouldn’t find someone complaining that they are cheesed off (angry) in a letter of complaint but possibly might read that they want to get something off their chest? (to tell someone about something that has been a concern for some time) and it wouldn’t raise eyebrows (cause surprise or shock) to find the writer claiming that they had been sold something under false pretences? (dishonestly). (http://topfrenchnewspapers.vhssite.info/529/getting-your-head-around-idioms-dominic-coles-ielts-blog/ )

Stick to what you know and, again, don’t try so hard: foreign accents and some *mild* interference from your native language are expected and not penalised as long as they don’t get in the way (e.g. as long as you don’t revert to using your native language instead of English).

Remember this is a test about your ability to communicate in English, not a test about your inner thesaurus or your knowledge of big words. Saying ‘I’m particularly fond of enacting nutritional intakes of Neapolitan baked dough with sundry ingredients’ does NOT impress the examiner more than ‘I like pizza’ does.

Try remaining formal: they don’t expect a posh RP enunciation but I’ve seen and trained some people who’ve, again, tried too hard, and fell into using very informal language (e.g. slang, idioms, acronyms, shortened forms) just to prove they understand English well, but that’s not good for this case. An IELTS interview is not a casual talk with your m8s while in the pub watching football and yelling at the ref, d’you Adam it?

“However, IELTS speaking test focus on the formal expression not idioms or slang”. (Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-language/review-of-the-ielts-speaking-task-english-language-essay.php#ixzz2TFtAsV5L )

Avoid slang or very informal language. We only use such language with our close friends. (http://www.teacherjoe.us/IELTSSpeakTips.html )

To sum up, Ielts speaking test is not a platform to  impress your examiner or using some idioms or phrases for the sake of using it but naturally speak English in a semi-formal tone.Whoever teaches against this misleads students as they are inept to teach IELTS according to the stipulated criteria. It is so pity that many students get into the trap and waste their money. An experienced tutor or service should be able to present BEFORE and AFTER (verifiable) certificates of their students( rather than their verbal claims) in order to prove the quality of teaching. By the bye, how many of these charlatans had Ielts?  Perhaps, just some claims.

Refer this one as well:

http://www.idp.co.th/IELT/A_SeekGoodSpeakingTestAdvice.aspx

Hope you will kill these IELTS myths and ghosts!

Make sure you want to use the idioms such as ‘ hey, you’ve got ants in your pants’ after reading this.

Godspeed!