Ielts speaking--how to improve your bandscore

How do you plan for the IELTS Speaking Test?

Luxury of time is not a thing granted in IELTS Speaking. You speak within a
time limit. So planning is greatly necessary. The one-minute preparation time is
intended for planning as to what you say for a maximum of two minutes.
After the examiner gives you the topic card, paper, and pen, read the questions
quickly and understand what you are asked. There might be many ideas
streaming in your mind, but you have to decide immediately as to what topic you
are to talk about. For instance, if the question asks about a place you have
visited, you need to come up with one of those many trips you have experienced
, and do not be tempted by weighing one with another. The recent one can be the
best trip you can talk about. Once you have decided, write it down on a sheet of

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paper provided.
Look at the following task 2 topics and time yourself. How many seconds does it
take you to decide what topic to talk about?
Describe a friend in school.
You should say the following:
Who is he/she?
When did you become friends?
Why do you like him/her, or why do you think that he/she is important to
you?
How does he/she influence you?
Describe a restaurant or a café.
You should say the following:
Where is it?
What does it look like?
What kinds of services are provided?
What kind of food do you like there, or what is their well-know dish?
Why do you like it?
Describe a kind of book you like.
You should say the following:
What kind of books you like most
What they are about
Why you like them most
What effect books have brought on you
Describe a traditional festival in China.
You should say the following:
What is it?
When is it celebrated?
How is it celebrated, or what do you usually do on that day?
What do you like and don’t like about it?

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Describe an interesting hobby.
You should say the following:
What it is
When you began to do it
How long you spend on it
How often you do it
Why you like it
After you have decided on the topic, read the questions on the cue card. These
points from the cue card help you think of the different aspects of the topic you
can talk about.
Using the above mentioned questions, see how the wh- questions can help you
with your talk.
Generate ideas for each question. There might be several or even few, but you
have to select what is best for you to talk about; and if time allows, brainstorm
for additional thoughts. This is better than staring at the questions because you
are confused about what to say. Using questions 1–5, practise generating ideas
and time yourself. How many seconds do you need to concretize your thoughts
for each question?
Now that you have decided on the topic or what to say, the next step is to decide
how to say it. This is on how you organize your ideas. Are you going to narrate
based on the order of questions presented on the cue card? This, as many experts
say, is the easiest way to organize your thoughts, but this does not limit you to
have your own way of approaching this task, provided that you do not miss one
of the supporting questions. You decide what comes first, next, and last.
Practise answering questions 1–5 and record yourself. Listen to yourself and take
note of the areas you have to improve on.
Part of planning is making brief notes. Writing keywords that would remind you
of the different details and examples that you want to talk about also helps. Do
not be consumed with correct spelling as you take note; the same goes with a
neat handwriting. However, you have to make it as legible as possible, or you
might have difficulty reading your own notes during your actual speech.

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Practise taking notes. It might be difficult at first, but given ample time to
practise it, you might be able to do so within one minute.