IELTS Speaking Tips In the IELTS test, the speaking section is quite short (it takes less than a quarter of an hour), but it does tend to cause candidates a lot of nerves for IELTS students. Are you ready for it? Here are 6 strategies to enable you to successfully confront the face-to-face IELTS speaking interview with the examiner: 1. Make a good impression and look the IELTS interviewer in the eye Difficult as it might be, smile! Talk with enthusiasm and confidence. The first impression is very important and may predispose the IELTS examiner favourably. Also, be sure to maintain eye contact with the examiner: look him/her in the eyes throughout the IELTS speaking test. 2. Listen to IELTS questions carefully It is important to understand the questions before beginning to speak your response: listen carefully to the interviewer. If the question is not clear, ask the examiner to repeat it to you. They do not penalize you for it (unless you do it every time!). Also, if the ...