The speaking test rewards communication, not flawless grammar. A candidate who
talks willingly, with natural pauses and a few mistakes, scores higher than
one who produces short, perfect sentences separated by long silences.
Extend every answer. For Part 1, aim for two to three sentences: answer
the question, then add a reason or example. “Do you like cooking?” → “Yes,
especially at weekends — it helps me relax, and I love trying recipes from
other countries.”
Buy thinking time naturally. Phrases like “That’s an interesting
question…” or “I’ve never thought about that, but I’d say…” are perfectly
acceptable and sound far better than silence.
Paraphrase when stuck. Forgetting a word costs nothing if you talk around
it: “the machine that keeps food cold” communicates refrigerator perfectly
well. Stopping to search your memory is the only real failure.