Many students ask me if they should speak fast or slow in their IELTS speaking test. Some students think that if they speak more quickly, they will get better results. Before I answer the questions of how fast to talk, lets look more at how your speaking test is assessed.
IELTS Speaking Tips: Speaking Fast or Slow
All this falls under the criterion of ‘fluency‘ which accounts for 25% of your final marks for your IELTS speaking.. Fluency relates to the flow, smoothness and coherence of your speech as well as hesitations and pauses.
FLOW– this is about your ability to keep talking. If you are aiming for band score 6 and above, this will be important. You must show the ability to answer at length rather than just give short answers.
SMOOTHNESS– this relates to how often you break your speech with pauses, hesitations, self-corrections and silences. All of this interrupts the flow and stops the smoothness of your speech. If you are aiming for band score 6 and above, it is important to avoid any long pauses and to avoid repeating yourself.
COHERENCE– this is all about being understood. There is no point having a good flow with smooth speech if you are not talking in any logical order. This means organising your ideas so that the listener can understand and also using some linking devices to help the listener follow what you are saying.
How Fast Should I talk? So, how fast should you speak? As long as you keep a steady pace, you will be fine. Avoid speaking very slow because the listener can get lost in what you are trying to say if it takes you a long time to say it. Alternatively, don’t speak very fast as you may lose your coherence and the words might not be clear or easy to understand. Instead:
- Keep a steady, even pace when you are talking.
- Extend your answers.
- Avoid long pauses.
- Don’t repeat yourself too much.
- Avoid correcting yourself more than once or twice.
- Keep a logical order to what you are saying.
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