IELTS Speaking: How To Overcome Fluency Issues

Fluency is one of the four criteria that is assessed by examiners during the exam, it is also one of the toughest areas to improve in, as there are no hard and fast rules for this particular aspect like there are for the other criteria like vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. For this reason, it can be hard to know where to begin to improve your fluency. In this article, we will take a look at how to overcome some common issues with fluency

What Is Fluency?

Many students make the mistake of confusing fluency with speaking too quickly. Native speakers of any language tend to speak faster in their mother tongues since they are familiar with all the intricacies of the language. However, if you attempt to speak too quickly during your test before you have actually mastered the necessary skills you might sound incoherent and end up lowering your score.

Remember don’t put the horse before the cart. Put in the necessary effort to develop your speaking skills and your fluency will naturally improve as well.

Try To Think Of Good Ideas Quickly

Sometimes when a candidate hesitates when speaking it is misconstrued as a lack of fluency. Often this is just because the candidate is struggling to think of good ideas, instead of thinking of the correct words.

Remember the content of your answer is not being assessed, but rather the way in which you communicate these ideas, even if they are not very good. The examiner is not testing your knowledge, they are listening out for certain linguistic skills. So don’t focus on giving the perfect answer, start talking about the first idea that comes to mind when you get asked a question.

Don’t Fixate On Grammar And Vocabulary

Another issue that prevents candidates from sounding fluent is their unnecessary fixation with using the perfect vocabulary and grammar. If you spend too much time worrying about producing the perfect sentence, you will end up sounding very unnatural and probably almost machine-like.

How Can You Improve Your Fluency

One of the best ways to improve your fluency is to continually practice. Try to find a speaking partner or even try speaking to yourself. The more you speak, the more comfortable you become with the practical application of the concepts you learn during your speak preparation. Doing so will result in the gradual improvement of both your confidence and fluency.

Consider Getting An Outside Opinion

It is very difficult for second language learners to objectively point out their own weak areas when it comes to productive skills like speaking. This is why the best approach would be to work on your fluency with a trusted IELTS professional, who can guide on all the best methods and tips to improve your pronunciation.