5 Tips for speaking exams

Last weekend I was assessing speaking examinations. While the overall results were great, some students didn't do as well as they could have done. The good news is that the problems can easily be rectified with some targeted work in the classroom. 

With this in mind, here are my top 5 tips for speaking exams:

• Leave it on the field    - As we say in sport, if you aren't good enough then fair enough, but make sure you give everything. So make sure you try to use all your best and most advanced language. Don't worry about mistakes! International exams such as Cambridge and PTE assess you on the language you CAN use and not on the things you can't do.  Think you can make a third conditional? Go for it!
• LIE LIE LIE -  Don't worry about the actual information you give. Instead, concentrate on the LANGUAGE you use. If you get a question about your best ever holiday, telling a made up story about your trip to USA will score higher points than sitting thinking for 10 seconds whether your Carpathian skiing trip was actually better than that Istanbul city break! It doesn't really matter what you say, only how you say it!
• Laugh and smile - Laughing can instantly release tension and make you feel less nervous, whilst having a positive friendly attitude will give the examiner a more positive view of your communication skills. If the interlocutor has to drag every last sentence out of you, this isn't going to be looked on favourably.
• Listen to your partner- When your partner is speaking, don't just stare out of the window thinking about lunch! Listening to what they are saying and then commenting on it will show that you are able to develop a conversation, and score you high marks on exams that require interaction
• Present perfect continuous is your friend- In most speaking exams you will first be asked a general question about where you live/work/study. Being prepared to use the Present Perfect continuous right at the start will instantly get the examiner looking at those higher level band scores. It's easy to remember, and can be used for the majority of opening questions! 

         Good luck!