IELTS, The International English Language Testing System is the world’s most popular English language proficiency test for higher education and global migration. For nurses and midwives seeking to work in the UK or Ireland, it is mandatory to take the IELTS exams as it is required by Nursing and Midwifery body of both countries.
There are two types of IELTS tests, The General Test and the Academic Test which all compose of four elements: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
IELTS SPEAKING FORMAT
The candidate will talk to a certified examiner in the IELTS Speaking test. The test is interactive and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get. A variety of accents may be used, and the test will be recorded.
The content of the IELTS Speaking test is the same for both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests. The IELTS Speaking test is designed to assess a wide range of skills.
The examiner will want to see how well you can
- communicate opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences; to do this you will need to answer a range of questions
- speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language
- organise your ideas coherently
- express and justify your opinions
- analyse, discuss and speculate about issues
Make sure that you relax and talk fluently. You will need to speak naturally.
FORMAT
Part 1: The examiner will introduce him or herself and ask you to introduce yourself and confirm your identity. The examiner will ask you general questions on familiar topics, e.g. home, family, work, studies and interests. This section should help you relax and talk naturally.
Part 2: The examiner will give you a task card which asks you to talk about a particular topic, including points to include in your talk. You will be given one minute to prepare and make notes. You will then be asked to talk for 1-2 minutes on the topic. You will not be interrupted during this time, so it is important to keep talking. The examiner will then ask you one or two questions on the same topic.
Part 3: The examiner will ask you further questions which are connected to the topic of Part 2. These questions are designed to give you an opportunity to discuss more abstract issues and ideas.
Timing: 11-14 minutes
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Marks: You will be assessed on your performance throughout the test by certificated IELTS examiners. You will be marked on the four criteria: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, pronunciation. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.
BEST SPEAKING APP
While the IELTS speaking is the easiest among the four formats of the examination, one needs to prepare adequately to get the required band score. While there are a lot of materials available only a few provide accurate and reliable resources. So far, the best IELTS app on both Play Store and the App Store is IELTS Speaking Assistant. The app provide sample answers for all the three parts of the speaking exam. Even though the app is free, to gain full access, you will have to subscribe to a 1, 3 or 12 month plan.
