IELTS Speaking TipsThese *IELTS Speaking* tips will make you aware of what is required of you in the oral interview and what you can do to achieve your highest possible score . Before the interview Your oral interview will take place at a different time, and probably on a different day, from the rest of the exam. Make sure you understand when and where your interview should take place. Very often, the location of the oral interview is different from that of the main exam. As with the main exam, try to keep your stress levels low by making sure you have everything you need well before you leave for the interview. You must carry your ID with you and it must be the same as that used on your application form. Leave plenty of time in case you are delayed in your trip. A late arrival could cause you to forgo your interview. The interview If we could only give one piece of advice for the oral interview, it would be to relax and be natural. Try to control your nerves and answer the questions as best you can without worrying if you run into difficulty or have to ask the other person to repeat a question. After all, even native speakers sometimes pause and hesitate or have to ask for a question to be repeated. We will not go into detail about the interview procedure itself as this information is given on our Speaking module page. (If you haven't already read this page, we suggest you do so now.) What you need to think about is what is required of you. The interviewer is there to assess your spoken English in a short period of time. He or she will evaluate you on four criteria: mastery and coherence, lexical resources, grammatical breadth and precision, and pronunciation. It's up to you to produce enough language for them to do this. Part of what the interviewer is assessing is your range of language and whether it is accurate and appropriate. Try to use a variety of vocabulary and grammar, but be sure to use them appropriately and accurately. The best way to do this is to be relaxed and speak naturally. Do not answer questions with simply “Yes” or “No”. Where possible, expand on your answers using, for example, “Yes, because...".