Mastering IELTS:

Boosting Your
Speaking and
Reading Skills
Introduction: Your IELTS Journey
● Welcome to your personalized IELTS
improvement session!
● We'll focus on boosting your Speaking
(current score: 6) and Reading (current
score: 5.5)
● Our goal: Increase your scores through
targeted practice and strategies
● Remember: Consistent effort is key to
success
 Understanding IELTS Speaking

● 11-14 minute face-to-face interview with an examiner

● Three parts: Introduction, Individual Long Turn, and Two-Way
Discussion
● Assessed on: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource,
Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation
● What part do you find most challenging?
Speaking Part 1:
Introduction and Interview

● 4-5 minutes of general questions about

familiar topics
● Topics may include: home, family, work,
studies, interests
● Tip: Practice giving extended answers (2-3
sentences)
● Example question: "What do you like about
your hometown?"
 Speaking Part 2: Individual Long Turn

● 3-4 minutes (including 1 minute preparation time)

● Speak on a given topic using a task card
● Tip: Use your preparation time to jot down key points
● Practice exercise: Describe a memorable journey you've taken
Speaking Part 3: Two-Way Discussion
● 4-5 minutes of more abstract questions
related to Part 2 topic
● Tip: Use linking words to structure your
responses (e.g., "However," "On the other
hand")
● Example follow-up: "How has travel
changed in the last 50 years?"
● How comfortable do you feel discussing
abstract topics?
 Speaking Strategy: Expand Your Vocabulary

● Learn a new word or phrase daily

● Use synonyms to avoid repetition
● Practice using idiomatic expressions appropriately
● Challenge: Replace "very" with more descriptive words (e.g.,
"exhausted" instead of "very tired")
Speaking Tip: Improve
Your Fluency

● Practice speaking for 2 minutes daily on

random topics
● Use fillers wisely (e.g., "Well," "You see,"
"In my opinion")
● Record yourself and listen for areas of
improvement
● What topics do you find most difficult to
discuss fluently?
 Understanding IELTS Reading

● 60 minutes to answer 40 questions on 3 passages

● Total of 2,150-2,750 words
● Various question types: multiple choice, short answer, matching,
etc.
● Assessed on: understanding main ideas, details, opinions, and
implications
Reading Strategy: Skimming and Scanning
● Skim: Quick read for general idea (30
seconds per passage)
● Scan: Search for specific information
● Practice: Skim a news article in 1 minute,
then summarize the main point
● How often do you use these techniques in
your daily reading?
 Reading Tip: Time Management

● Allocate 20 minutes per passage

● Read questions before the passage to know what to look for
● If stuck, move on and come back later
● Practice: Set a timer for 20 minutes and complete a practice
passage
Reading Question Types:
Multiple Choice

● Read the question stem carefully

● Eliminate obviously incorrect options
● Look for synonyms or paraphrasing in the
passage
● Tip: If unsure, eliminate and make an
educated guess
 Reading Question Types: True/False/Not Given

● True: The statement agrees with the information in the passage

● False: The statement contradicts the information
● Not Given: There's no information on the statement
● Practice: Identify 3 "Not Given" statements in a news article
Reading Strategy: Building Vocabulary
● Learn 5 new words a day related to
common IELTS topics
● Use context clues to guess meanings of
unfamiliar words
● Create word family charts (e.g.,
environment, environmental,
environmentalist)
● What's your current strategy for learning
new vocabulary?
 Integrated Skills: Note-taking

● Useful for both Reading and Speaking sections

● Practice summarizing passages in bullet points
● Use abbreviations and symbols for efficiency
● Challenge: Take notes on a 5-minute YouTube video, then
speak about it for 2 minutes
Boosting Confidence:
Mock Tests

● Regularly take full-length practice tests

under exam conditions
● Analyze your mistakes and focus on weak
areas
● Familiarize yourself with the test format
and timing
● How often do you currently take mock
tests?
 Speaking Practice: Daily Routines

● Listen to English podcasts or radio shows daily

● Speak English with friends or language exchange partners
● Narrate your daily activities in English
● Challenge: Describe your typical day without using "and" or
"but"
Reading Practice: Diverse Materials
● Read a variety of texts: newspapers,
academic journals, novels
● Focus on topics often found in IELTS:
science, social issues, culture
● Practice summarizing what you've read in
your own words
● What types of English texts do you enjoy
reading the most?
 Maximizing Your Study Time

● Create a study schedule and stick to it

● Balance Speaking and Reading practice
● Use "dead time" (e.g., commuting) for vocabulary review
● Set specific, measurable goals for each study session
Final Tips and
Encouragement

● Stay positive and believe in your ability to

improve
● Remember: IELTS tests your English, not
your knowledge
● Practice regularly, but don't burn out
● You've got this! What's your next step in
your IELTS journey?
 Speaking Part 2:
Describe a Skill

● Task: Speak for 1-2 minutes about a skill

you'd like to learn
● Preparation time: 1 minute to make notes
● Use this structure:
● What is the skill?
● Why do you want to learn it?
● How would you go about learning it?
● How would this skill benefit you?
● After your turn, reflect: What aspects were
challenging? How could you improve?
 Reading: Paragraph Matching

● Read the following paragraph openings and endings

● Match the correct ending to each opening
● Time yourself: Aim to complete in 3 minutes
● Openings:
● 1. Climate change is a global issue...
● 2. The rise of artificial intelligence...
● Endings:
● A. ...and its impact on job markets is a topic of heated debate.
● B. ...that requires international cooperation to address
effectively.
● How quickly were you able to match them? What strategies did
you use?
 Speaking Part 3: Discussion on Skills

● Let's discuss some questions related to skills and learning:

● What skills do you think will be most valuable in the future?
Why?
● How has technology changed the way people learn new skills?
● Do you think schools focus enough on practical skills? Why or
why not?
● Remember to use examples and explanations to support your
answers
● Which question did you find most challenging to answer? Why?
Reading: True/False/Not
Given

● Read the following short passage:

● "Remote work has become increasingly
common in recent years. While it offers
flexibility, it also presents challenges such
as maintaining work-life balance and
effective communication."
● Determine if these statements are True,
False, or Not Given:
● 1. Remote work is a new phenomenon.
● 2. Work-life balance can be difficult for
remote workers.
● 3. Remote work is more productive than
office work.
● Explain your reasoning for each answer.
Which was the trickiest to determine?
 Speaking: Impromptu Speech

● Choose one of these topics at random:

● 1. The importance of lifelong learning
● 2. How social media affects communication
● 3. The future of transportation
● Speak for 1 minute without preparation
● Focus on organizing your thoughts quickly and speaking fluently
● After speaking, assess yourself: How well did you structure your
speech? How could you improve your fluency?