Don't lose band points by stopping talking!

An unwritten rule of the IELTS Listening test is that if a candidate stops speaking for more than 10 seconds at any point during the task, the penalty could be as much as a whole band point. This is particularly true during the so-called "Long Turn" in the middle of the exercise, when you are expected to speak unassisted for one to two minutes.

The reason is that one of the main thing the IELTS Listen task tests is a candidate's "fluency," which does not mean the ability to speak like a native-speaker but simply to speak "flowingly," without long pauses. The solution to any problem that may come up in the IELTS Speaking task is simple and always the same: speak. That is, find a solution that involves speaking.

Always make sure to make it clear that you have finished answering any question in the exercise. If your voice has not given a clear indication that you have finished your answer, the examiner may assume that you still have things you wish to say but don't know how to say them. Or the examiner may just assume you're stuck, have lost your thought, or lost concentration.

- If you have finished answering a question and the examiner does not respond with another question, make sure to say something like, "That's all I have to say about that question" or "Those are my thoughts on your question." It makes it clear that you have completed what you have to say and are not simply lost in your answer.

- Try to prevent this situation from occurring in the first place by using an English speaking pattern, such as lowering the tone or slightly increasing the emphasis of what you're saying, to communicate without words that you are bringing your answer to an end. That would constitute truly skillful speaking.

- When you finish the Long Turn, do so with a clear, unambiguous concluding statement. For example, if you were asked to speak about the importance of the Internet in modern life, conclude your remarks with something decisive, such as, "Those are the reasons I think the Internet is vital to modern life." (You should have begun the Long Turn with an introductory sentence, such as "Now I am going to tell you why I think the Internet is of such great importance to modern communications." Ending your Long Turn with an unmistakable concluding sentence gives it shape

- and stops the clock, so that any subsequent silence is not interpreted by the examiner as your having run out of things to say rather than having concluded what you have to say.)

- Take control of the situation throughout. Never passively wait for the examiner to ask you another question if you have finished answering one. The examiner may be testing your ability to make clear that you have finished speaking - and may still be timing you. If you have any doubt about whether the examiner knows that you are done answering a question, say that you are. Speak.