IELTS Speaking assesses the ability of a candidate to communicate freely in English. Unlike the other three modules, you cannot fully prepare for IELTS Speaking using the readily available material. You can only know and learn the basics and techniques, but the real problem arises when you apply i.e. when you have to speak. This is because you need to be spontaneous and speak instantly on the given topic.

The topics often asked in the IELTS Speaking will be usually of general interest. In fact, all the topics will be familiar to us. Hence, you will not have any difficulty to speak on the topic. But, the real challenge is that you have to speak in a very short time, almost instantly, which most of the candidates fail to do. This is not because you are bad at English, for even if you are given a topic and asked to speak in your mother tongue, you may not do it properly.

Spontaneous thinking and delivery is what is needed for IELTS speaking. This will not happen just by reading or listening. It has to be practiced and developed and cannot be gained from books or any other material. I had seen people with very good English, who can even write great essays find difficulty in speaking. Not that they are not capable of doing it, but they are used to it. This implies that practical work is absolutely necessary to gain good command over any skill, no matter how good you are at it, and the same applies even to speaking.

To be continued