IELTS speaking test 1

IELTS Speaking Test

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1. Introduction

With the increased international mobilization of people, particularly for emigration

and higher education, there is a greater demand for those with advanced language skills

(Bachman 2014). Thus, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is

famous around the globe as it tests English proficiency for purposes like studies, migration,

and job opportunities. Only a few researchers have studied the examinee's experiences in part

3 of the IELTS speaking test in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) countries

like China (Sultana, 2021). Hence, this literature review will focus on the IELTS speaking

test, and the challenges Chinese IELTS students face in the speaking test. Some of the

subtopics to be discussed will include the IELTS speaking test, speaking test-taking strategies,

and challenges Chinese IELTS students to face in part 3 of the speaking test.

2. IELTS speaking test

IELTS speaking test is a one-on-one informal discussion with an IELTS examiner

(British Council, n.d). The test consists of three sections to test pronunciation, vocabulary,

grammar, and fluency (Seedhouse & Nakatsuhara, 2018). The three parts include IELTS

listening part, reading passage, and writing section (Cambridge Assessment English, n.d). Part

3 of the speaking test consists of scripted questions and lasts about 4 to 5 minutes. In this part,

the questions mainly aim around setting goals, being successful, reaching objectives, and

motivation. An international team of experts develops the content found in the test. It

undergoes research to ensure it remains unbiased and fair for all candidates regardless of

nationality, gender, lifestyle, and background.

The content is found in two different academic and general training (Cambridge

Assessment English, n.d). The academic module is for those who wish to study at

undergraduate and postgraduate levels or those who want to seek professional registration.
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The general training module is for those who wish to migrate to English-speaking countries

and those who wish to train and study below degree level. According to Deng (2006), Chinese

candidates who want to further their studies in English-speaking countries usually need an

IELTS score of 6.0 or above. Many universities require students to achieve at least 6.0 in each

module.

3. Speaking test-taking strategies

Speaking test-taking strategies is among the factors that make the test difficult for the

test takers (Fernandez, 2018). Fernandez looked at how test-takers use the approach to

complete part 3 of the IELTS Speaking Test. Thus, he employed a simulated IELTS test to

investigate the strategies used by 12 ESOL students in the IELTS speaking part 3. He pointed

out that test-takers used meta-cognitive, cognitive, and communicative strategies during the

test, focusing on cognitive and metacognitive strategies. According to Tuarez (2021), the term

"cognitive strategy" refers to the processes and techniques that assist us in learning. Memory,

problem-solving, reasoning, learning, evaluation, and decision-making are examples of

mental processes and thinking abilities humans use regularly.

On the other hand, meta-cognitive strategies are processes and techniques for

evaluating how we learn. Thinking is a part of this method. It considers the cognitive

strategy's application and determines how the students used it if they applied it correctly. If

not, how it could be applied differently, or what could be done differently while applying it.

In another study carried out by Cohen (2014), students mainly use three types of

strategies: language learner strategies, test management strategies, and test wiseness.

Language learner tactics help examinees prompt the language they need for a task. Test

management tactics are planned activities and thoughts that assist examinees in responding

meaningfully to a test topic or assignment. They are theoretical concepts because they prompt
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examinees' task-related linguistic knowledge or skills (Cohen 2014). Test wiseness techniques

rely on understanding the test format and its components rather than language skills to

complete a test task.

Two scholars, Ma & Chong (2022), carried out research to determine the test-taking

strategies used by Chinese examinees. The results showed that students strategized on five

main areas of test predictability for IELTS preparation to help them attain high scores. These

are; examination support materials, the scope of language skills, test conditions, performance

format, and test format.

Regarding test condition and test format, students improved their familiarity with the

format and administration procedure of IELTS by completing mock examinations supplied by

their college and actual IELTS many times, according to the study (Ma & Chong, 2022).

Attending a real IELTS exam is particularly beneficial to students to obtain first-hand

familiarity with how the test is delivered. Some students value prior IELTS administration

expertise since it allows them to focus more on responding to test items rather than dealing

with the test's unforeseen administrative procedures. Students reported that their tutors in

private tutorial institutions could provide correct information on assessment tasks such as test

themes since these tutors can receive the most up-to-date data about IELTS from comments

supplied by other students who recently took the test.

In terms of performance structure, most participants enroll in test preparation classes,

where pupils are given scripted responses to memorize. Private training agencies, in

particular, play an essential role in student test preparation. According to the research carried

out by Elwood et al. (2017), students were enrolling in IELTS preparation programs to gain

access to test-taking skills or anticipated answers. They saw these classes as a quick way to

improve their IELTS scores in a short amount of time.

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In terms of test preparation materials, students mostly rely on two sorts of materials:

an official book and an online discussion forum. Because the authorized IELTS test providers

prepared the material used in their college preparation course, the students believe in it.

Furthermore, students can get additional IELTS resources via an online site where IELTS

test-takers submit test items that they memorized depending on their previous test-taking

experiences (Ma & Chong, 2022). According to (Reinders & Benson, 2017), some students

find the materials in digital IELTS preparation courses valuable as they can review them at

their leisure. To summarize, IELTS test-takers appear to use both official and

informal learning materials to plan for their exams, reflecting on the concept of language

learning outside of the classroom in the analysis of language testing preparation.

In learning speaking skills, students concentrate on particular skills during their

English studies to attain a high total score in a short amount of time. According to Ma &

Chong (2022), most students claimed that they focused their studies on the IELTS speaking

component because they believed they could improve the speaking segment's scores more

quickly than the other sections of the test. Students also chose their study emphasis based on

two factors: personal reflections on their weaknesses and practical evaluation of the area

where they are most likely to enhance their results in a short amount of time.

4. Challenges faced by students in IELTS speaking test part 3

Because the younger Chinese population is typically eager to obtain a foreign academic

certification, getting the needed IELTS score is a prerequisite before applying to a foreign

university. However, some of these students find it challenging while tackling the third part of

the test. According to a study done by Zhang & Hope (2021), four factors could contribute to

Chinese students' challenges while partaking in the trial. These include locating and

identifying keywords vocabulary size, recognizing and identifying topic sentences, and
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comprehending long sentence structure. Other factors include different social-cultural

backgrounds, examiners' unfriendly attitudes, coherence problems, and inappropriate word

choice.

a) Social-cultural background

Another study carried out by Khan (2006) used questionnaires and follow-up focus groups to

investigate the cultural bias of the IELTS speaking test among Bangladesh test-takers. The

researcher discovered that the speaking test's themes, vocabulary, and colloquial expressions

are more oriented to western culture, which ESOL examinees are unfamiliar with. As a result,

students found it difficult to comprehend them, leading to poor performance.

b.) Examiner’s unfriendly attitude

A study carried out by Sultana (2019) used a qualitative approach and semi-structured

interviews and interviewed eight Bangladeshi IELTS examiners to discover challenges they

experienced while taking the IELTS test. Sultana's study showed that when candidates felt the

examiners were unfriendly, they felt nervous and confused, increasing their likelihood of

making errors during the test.

c.) Coherence problem and inappropriate word choice

According to the research done by Dashi and Razmjoo (2020), they used a mixed-methods

approach to investigate 59 Iranian IELTS candidates' strengths and weaknesses in the IELTS

speaking test. They found that participants face coherence problems, with the main problem

being connectors and conjunctions. In addition, candidates used many out-of-context

vocabularies, as they did not know enough about what each word meant in different contexts

(Dashti & Razmjoo, 2020). Although this study investigated Iranian students, the results

represented general challenges students face from ESOL countries, including China.

5. Conclusion
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Conclusively, the IELTS speaking test is a one-on-one test with an examiner and is taken by

students from ESOL countries who wish to further their studies, migrate, or seek job

opportunities in English-speaking countries. The test consists of three parts: listening, reading,

and writing. Some of the main strategies used by the students to tackle the IELTS speaking

test include meta-cognitive, cognitive, and communication strategies. On the other hand, some

of the main challenges faced by the Chinese students while undertaking the test have a social-

cultural background, examiner's unfriendly attitude, coherence, and inappropriate word

choice.
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References

Bachman, L. F. (2014). Ongoing challenges in language assessment. In A. J. Kunnan (Ed.), The

Companion to Language Assessment (Vol. III, pp. 1538–1603). Hoboken: Wiley/Blackwell.

British Council. (n.d). Free online IELTS speaking practice tests. British Council.org.

https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/take-ielts/prepare/free-ielts-practice-tests/speaking

Cambridge Assessment English. (n.d). IELTS (International English Language Testing System).

Cambridge Assessment English. https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-tests/ielts/

Cohen, A. D. (2014). Using test-wiseness strategy research in task development. In A. J. Kunnan

(Ed.), The Companion to Language Assessment (Vol. II, pp. 893–905). Hoboken:

Wiley/Blackwell

Dashti, L., & Razmjoo, S. A. (2020). An examination of IELTS candidates’ performances at different

band scores of the speaking test: A quantitative and qualitative analysis. Cogent

Education, 7(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2020.1770936

Deng, N. (2006). Guidelines for teaching IELTS listening to Chinese postgraduate candidates.

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/1470

Elwood, J., Hopfenbeck, T., & Baird, J.-A. (2017). Predictability in high-stakes examinations:

Students’ perspectives on a perennial assessment dilemma. Research Papers in Education,

32(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2015.1086015.

Fernandez, C. J. (2018). Behind a spoken performance: Test takers’ strategic reactions in a

simulated part 3 of the IELTS speaking test. Language Testing in Asia, 8(1), 1-

20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-018-0073-4
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Khan, R. (2006). The IELTS speaking test: Analysing culture bias. Malaysian Journal of

ELT Research, 2(1), 20. www.melta.org.my

Ma, H. & Chong, W.S. (2022, January 10). Predictability of IELTS in a high-stakes context:

a mixed-methods study of Chinese students' perspectives on test preparation.

Springer. https://languagetestingasia.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40468-021-

00152-3#Sec17

Reinders, H., & Benson, P. (2017). Research agenda: Language learning beyond the

classroom. Language Teaching, 50(4), 561–578.

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444817000192.

Seedhouse, P., & Nakatsuhara, F. (2018). The discourse of the IELTS speaking test:

Interactional design and practice. Cambridge University Press.

http://hdl.handle.net/10547/622706

Sultana, K. S. (2021). Challenges experienced by Bangladeshi IELTS test-takers. Doctoral

dissertation, Brac University. http://hdl.handle.net/10361/15001

Tuarez, J. (2021, February 7). Cognitive and meta-cognitive definition. Neuro Tray.

https://neurotray.com/cognitive-and-metacognitive-definition/

Zhang, R. & Hope, J. (2021, December 6). What factors most impact Chinese students'

performance in the IELTS academic reading sub-test? Scirp.org.

https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=114249
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