Foreign language instruction should begin in kindergarten

Overview – understand the rhythm of the test

IELTS, like many other speaking tests, has a particular rhythm. What I mean by this is that each part of the test is different and tests your speaking in a slightly different way. The candidates who are most likely to succeed are those that understand that rhythm and adapt their speaking as the test goes on. This means that they may approach each part of the test differently. In outline, the rhythm is this:

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  lots of short simple questions to make sure that you can communicate about basic social topics
  
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  an extended talk on a social topic and your views/memories on it
  
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  an interview with tougher questions to test how well you can think and speak at the same time
  

One point to note is that the tasks get more complex as the test goes on. You don’t want to waste all your mental energy on part 1. It helps if you “build into” the test.