Simon’s Advice on Speaking Part 1

Posted by 
Simon
 in 
IELTS Speaking
 | 
Permalink
 | 
Comments (15)
 
Friday, October 27, 2017 
IELTS Speaking Part 1: 'health' topic 
Let's have a look at some questions from Cambridge IELTS book 12. I've answered the first two 
questions; can you answer the others in the same simple, direct way? 
1. Is it important to you to eat healthy food?
Yes, I prefer to eat healthy home-cooked food, rather than fast food or pre-prepared meals, because I 
want to stay fit and healthy as I get older. 
2. If you catch a cold, what do you do to help you feel better?
I usually take paracetamol tablets, and I sometimes buy a nasal spray or cough medicine. It also 
helps to stay at home and relax. 
3. Do you pay attention to public information about health?
4. What could you do to have a healthier lifestyle?
Posted by 
Simon
 in 
IELTS Speaking
 | 
Permalink
 | 
Comments (22)
 
Friday, November 03, 2017 
IELTS Speaking: pauses and hesitations 
A student asked me for advice about avoiding pauses and hesitations in the speaking test. So here 
are some tips: 

First, don't worry 
too
much about this. It's normal, even for native speakers, to pause or hesitate to 
some extent. The more you worry, the more likely you are to hesitate. 

Don't "overthink". If you're thinking about grammar, linking or using "difficult" words, you're more likely 
to hesitate. Just focus on answering the question with the first idea that comes into your head. 

Slow down. Many candidates speak too quickly; hesitation or repetition occurs because their brains 
can't work fast enough to keep up.