Shadowing Practice: How Do I Get A Band 9 in IELTS Speaking? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

320 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Imagine walking into your IELTS speaking test confident
2
and prepared knowing no matter what happens you're going to get the IELTS score that you need.
3
Now picture walking out of the exam centre knowing that you have got the score that you deserve.
4
This might sound impossible but it's not.
5
I know this because I've helped thousands of students who are struggling just like you get a band 7,
6
8 or 9 and in this video I'm going to take you on a journey
7
and tell you exactly what band 5
8
and six students do differently from bands seven eight and nine students
9
and these things that band seven eight and nine students do differently are easy
10
and simple to learn you'll discover the hidden traps and common mistakes
11
that trip up many students and learn the key techniques
12
that could skyrocket your score so if you're ready to go from fear
13
and stress to just knowing exactly what to do on test day
14
and having total confidence keep watching the video
15
so the ielts speaking test has three parts
16
so i've divided this page into three
17
and we're going to compare what do band five
18
and six students do very very differently from band seven eight
19
and nine students for parts one parts two and parts three
20
so let's start off with part one this is your opportunity to create a great first impression with the examiner
21
and also and i think more importantly it allows you to relax into the test
22
if you relax into the test in part one you're going to be much more relaxed
23
and more fluent throughout the entire test so it is very very important
24
that you get part one right so there are three things
25
that band five and six students do differently from band seven eight
26
and nine students and i'd like you to look at this clip of two students answering the same question in part one.
27
And I want you to think about
28
which one might be at a band five or a band six level and which one might be at a band seven, a band nine level.
29
But really think why.
30
Why are they at that level?
31
Not that they sound more impressive or they have a better accent or they're using fancier words.
32
What are the things that you could copy or that you could stop doing that will really improve your score?
33
So I grew up in Dubai and it's actually one of the most populated countries in the GCC.
34
People come here to visit for tourism and it's actually a good spot for to visit the largest,
35
the largest tower.
36
It's called the Burj Khalifa.
37
I'm from India.
38
To be specific I am born and raised in Delhi
39
and my mom is from Bombay and my dad is from Kerala
40
but I've grown up my entire life here in Delhi and I went to school here went to university here.
41
The first student is doing something that examiners are trained to spot.
42
This problem creates the worst first impression and could even get you a band zero and it is memorized answers.
43
So why is this such a big problem?
44
Well, first of all, the IELTS test is not a memorization test.
45
It is testing your ability to communicate clearly in English, not to memorize a bunch of sentences and repeat them to the examiner.
46
It's also considered cheating.
47
Think about it this way.
48
If you really knew how to speak English to the level that you are trying to get to, would you need to memorize answers?
49
No. And it also lowers your score in two very, very important ways.
50
It makes you sound worse.
51
Listen to this clip and think about how memorization might have led to a low score.
52
I come from India.
53
India is a very populated country.
54
It's the most populated country in the world right now.
55
And we have lots of cultures and lots of traditions and we have many,
56
many different languages and we also have different religions and we also celebrate them very much.
57
So did you notice the first problem?
58
I want you to think back to when you were a child in school
59
and think back to those lessons where the teacher got you and the other students to read out loud from the book.
60
How did you feel?
61
Do you think that you sounded fluent or not so fluent?
62
This is exactly how you sound when you memorize an answer.
63
You sound like a robot.
64
But don't worry there's an easy way to fix that and I'll tell you about it in a second.
65
So did you spot any other issues?
66
Let me explain here what the other issue was.
67
So I want you to imagine this is the destination that you're going for.
68
So you're trying to get to a band line and we have here student A and we have here student B.
69
So the examiner asks them, tell me about your hometown.
70
Student A talks about the history of their hometown, culture of their hometown, famous things in their hometown,
71
the food, the weather, the nightlife, and on and on and on.
72
Student B just directly answers the question, and this is what the students do.
73
They go off topic.
74
And this is why many of you complain about examiners constantly interrupt you and stop you mid -sentence.
75
It's not because the examiner is rude.
76
In part one, they have to ask you a range of different questions.
77
Think between nine and 12 different questions.
78
And if you're giving these very, very long memorized answers, they're going to stop you in the middle of your sentence.
79
You're going to feel, oh, the examiner thinks I'm doing really badly.
80
You're going to get more stressed and you're going to sound even more robotic and your score is going to be terrible.
81
So now you might be thinking, well, how long should they actually be?
82
You're saying don't give very long answers, but should I give short answers?
83
That's not good as well.
84
No, let's look at what band seven and nine students actually do.
85
The strategies students at band seven, eight and nine use are incredibly simple for part one.
86
I discovered this when I was teaching in Saigon in Vietnam
87
and what I used to do was I would go in maybe 10
88
or 15 minutes before the class started
89
and I would speak to the students about things
90
that happened at the weekend or sports
91
or the weather just normal chit chat questions
92
that you would talk to a friend or a work colleague
93
or a teacher about and during that 10
94
or 15 minutes before the class started a lot of students gave band nine answers
95
then once the class started I did something interesting I would get one of the best students the students
96
that were the most fluent, that were at a band 9 level in those 10 or 15 minutes.
97
And I would do a mock one -on -one speaking test with them.
98
And they would go from band 9 to saying something, at the weekend I went to Vongtao, I like seafood, they have nice seafood,
99
it was by the sea, it was nice by the sea.
100
So from a band 9 down to a band 6 or 7.
101
And I instantly improved the speaking scores of the entire class by just saying one thing.
102
Why don't you speak in the same way as you did 10 minutes ago?
103
You see, in the 10 minutes before class, they were talking to me like a normal human being, like a normal conversation.
104
They spoke naturally like they would to a friend or a work colleague.
105
And they answered the question directly without going off topic.
106
And I call this test mode.
107
Students go from sounding very, very fluent to as soon as the test starts, sounding like a robot.
108
But how can you overcome that?
109
There's one simple strategy that Bannan 9 students use, and I want you to watch these clips and try and figure out the strategy.
110
Is your daily routine different at the weekend compared to during the week?
111
Yes, 100%.
112
So the weekdays are for work, mainly being productive, paying the bills, and the weekends I get to do whatever I want to do.
113
So I really treasure and enjoy my weekends.
114
Do you prefer to read magazines or newspapers?
115
Definitely magazines, mostly on topics of fashion or interior design.
116
This is what I really like because I like to see creative sides from all over the world.
117
I like to see what people are talking about, what's new and what's trending.
118
And I like to learn, like I like to have knowledge of things of like, what is this called?
119
What is that called?
120
Because usually when you see pictures, you don't usually know what it's called.
121
So when you read a magazine, know where you get the knowledge that's that's where you get to know oh this fabric is called this
122
or this uh decoration is called that
123
so i think it's very good on information
124
so did you spot it they simply directly answer the question
125
and then add a little bit more detail this detail could be an explanation
126
or an example a personal story and if that's confusing
127
or overwhelming just answer the question like you would
128
if you were in a coffee shop with a friend remember they are testing your ability to speak naturally in English,
129
not to memorize a bunch of answers and impress the examiner with fancy structures.
130
So let's now talk about part two of the speaking test.
131
Part two is often the most feared part of the speaking test
132
because it requires you to do something that a lot of students are uncomfortable doing or they're not used to doing.
133
So in part two you'll be given a cue card
134
that looks like this and they'll ask you to speak about
135
that topic for up to two minutes this can be quite scary
136
because it's difficult to speak about anything for two minutes especially in a foreign language
137
when you're under stress and you have a scary examiner like me looking at you
138
but what if i told you it wasn't part two
139
that is scary it is the strategy that students use
140
that leads to low scores and what's also really interesting is
141
when students stop doing these things that band five
142
and six students do and they switch to our strategy that our band 7, 8, and 9 students use.
143
Not only do their scores improve, but part 2 becomes something that they look forward to.
144
It is their chance to shine and show the examiner how great they are without any worry, without any stress.
145
First, listen to this student and see if you can spot any problems with what they're doing.
146
Describe some food or drink that you learned to prepare.
147
I don't really prepare much food or drink because my wife does most of that for me.
148
But food or drink you learn to prepare does a cocktail count.
149
I know how to make a Bloody Mary.
150
When and where you learn to prepare this.
151
I learned to prepare it one morning when I was thirsty.
152
How you learn to prepare it.
153
I just looked up YouTube and explain how you felt about learning to prepare it.
154
I don't know.
155
It quenched my thirst.
156
So did you spot what the problem was?
157
What most students do is they look at the topic and then they talk about bullet point number one, then bullet point number two,
158
then bullet point number three, then bullet point number four.
159
But why is that a problem?
160
Well, first of all, there might be one
161
or more of these bullet points that you just don't have much to say about them.
162
So what food was it?
163
Cocktail.
164
It was a Bloody Mary but there's not much you can really say about that apart from what the thing is.
165
How I learned to do it again I learned
166
it on YouTube not a big deal I can't really talk much about
167
that so it's really limiting the amount I can talk
168
and remember it is a test of speaking for up to two minutes.
169
Then there might be a bullet point that you just feel uncomfortable talking about
170
or you don't really know what to say for that so explain how you felt.
171
I don't really have major feelings things about Bloody Marys and about cocktails.
172
I just made it up on the spot.
173
That makes it extremely difficult to speak fluently for up to two minutes.
174
And then once you get to the end there, after, I don't know, 20, 30 seconds for the average student,
175
you run out of things to say and you're like, oh, I've only been talking for 30 seconds.
176
I'm going to fail my test.
177
And everything gets worse and worse as you get more stressed and more stressed.
178
So this is the most common strategy and what does it lead to?
179
Poor fluency, run out of things to say and feel like you've failed.
180
I've done so many tests with students who were doing really well in part one
181
and I was like this student might be at a band 7
182
or a band 8 and then they use this strategy and completely fall apart.
183
So what do band 7, 8 and 9 students do differently?
184
I want you to listen to this student who got a band 9
185
and look at the cue card and think about what they're doing.
186
What are they doing differently to these
187
Barn 5 and 6 students?
188
Food that I learned to prepare.
189
I'm pescatarian so I don't eat meat,
190
but I love food and I have a gluten intolerance so I can't eat a lot of the Indian food.
191
So this is a little recipe that I learned how to make which is basically paneer.
192
We call it cottage cheese in English.
193
it's like a it's like a spiced tomato base with cottage cheese with paratha roti
194
but it's made out of ragi flour which is gluten -free
195
and super rich in calcium
196
and very good for people with diabetes although I don't have diabetes
197
it's very nutritious basically together it's the perfect meal it keeps
198
you full i love being healthy i try to be as healthy as i can
199
so um yeah that's probably my go -to meal in the evening
200
because i don't have to think about i have all the ingredients
201
i don't have to think about how to make it it's kind of automatic
202
and it's delicious which is the most important part it's not compromising on the taste
203
because i can't eat salmon and rice every day.
204
I want to eat something that's more flavorful and nutritious.
205
Sometimes when I'm feeling adventurous, I like to eat it with yogurt,
206
either Greek yogurt or regular yogurt and add a couple Indian spices into it and mix it up.
207
So the spiciness of the paneer, cottage cheese,
208
the texture like a drier stiffer texture of the ragi roti
209
and the creaminess and coldness of the yogurt is match made in heaven.
210
So hopefully you spotted
211
they don't stick to the bullet points instead what they do is they focus on the main topic
212
so they're always talking about the main topic but they're not necessarily using all of the bullet points.
213
What they do instead is they have the freedom to add other bullet points.
214
So within that main topic they are adding things that they feel more comfortable talking about whilst talking about that main topic.
215
For example if you got this cue card you might feel very comfortable talking about these two bullet points
216
but this third bullet point is going to take only a few seconds to talk about
217
and then this fourth bullet point is something
218
that you don't really know anything about and you don't feel comfortable talking about it.
219
But you might find it easy to talk about other things related to the main topic, such as a description of the main topic,
220
a story, how you feel about it, something about the past or something that you hope to do in the future related to the main topic,
221
or any other point that you feel comfortable talking about.
222
Now, should you use.. all of those ideas?
223
No, just the ones that will help you speak fluently for up to two minutes.
224
And anyone that tells you you must talk about each bullet point in order doesn't know what they're talking about.
225
Now let's move on to, in my opinion, the most difficult part of the speaking test, part three.
226
Why is it so difficult?
227
I want you to listen to these students and think about the questions.
228
Don't focus too much on the answers, but focus on the questions being asked.
229
And think Think about how you might respond to them.
230
Do you think that it's better to buy a property or rent a property?
231
Should the same regulations apply to online advertising?
232
Everywhere.
233
You mean by the regulation, I cannot find the name how to say it,
234
let's jump to another question.
235
So as you heard, part three questions are a lot more challenging than the typical part one question.
236
But like everything with the IELTS test, the problem is not the questions.
237
The problem is the strategy that students use to answer them.
238
So let's start off with the things that you should not do.
239
The most important thing that you should avoid is no response.
240
If you say to the examiner, I don't know, or just nothing comes out of your mouth,
241
or I've even had students burst out laughing in my face when I ask them some part three questions.
242
What you are saying to the examiner is, my English is not good enough to answer this question.
243
But what happens if you really do have no idea?
244
Some of these questions are very, very difficult.
245
We'll give you a strategy for how to tackle any question, no matter what the topic is in a second.
246
The second thing that you should never do is give a short answer.
247
And short answers in part three of the test normally have nothing to do with your English level or your speaking skills.
248
15 minutes of talking in a foreign language in a very stressful situation with somebody scary
249
and horrible like me looking at you and judging you is an exhausting process.
250
It is often more related to fatigue, to tiredness than it is to English ability.
251
So what they do is something that you should never do is they surrender, they just give up.
252
They're just saying, I surrender, I don't want to answer more of these questions.
253
My level is not as high as you really think it is.
254
But I have some really, really good news for you.
255
And this is something that not many IELTS students know or understand.
256
I think it's a bit of a secret.
257
I don't know whether I should be telling you this.
258
But in part three, the examiner has lots of different questions that they could ask you.
259
They have some easier questions and some more difficult questions.
260
If you get a really difficult question, that is an exceptionally good sign.
261
That means that the examiner thinks that you might be at a band seven,
262
eight or nine and they're asking you these more difficult questions to really stretch your speaking ability
263
and separate the band sevens from the band eights from the band nines.
264
So now that you know if you get a difficult question that it's a good thing and you're very happy about it,
265
how do you tackle those difficult questions?
266
The first and most important thing is always attempt an answer.
267
But what if you have no idea?
268
Well you could do something like this.
269
I'm not too familiar with the topic of AI and its relation with education.
270
However in my knowledge I do know that AI is developing more
271
and more and it might be able to replace some teachers jobs
272
or tasks but it will not replace the trait of empathy.
273
Remember it is not a knowledge test it is not an IQ test
274
it is not a test of how much you know about
275
that topic it is a speaking test again
276
if you say nothing what you're telling the examiner is I don't deserve a high score
277
but if you attempt an answer even if it is in
278
that limited way the examiner will think okay they might not know much about
279
that topic let's change topics let's ask them about something slightly differently
280
and see how they get on and you'll probably get something you do know about
281
but it is far more likely in part three, you will get some kind of a topic that you do know something about.
282
So how do you shine?
283
How do you show the examiner that you do deserve about seven, eight, or nine?
284
Watch this clip and think about what the student does in terms of how they structure their answer.
285
What skills does a person need to be a great chef?
286
Interesting.
287
I think, I mean, from what I've heard, I've never worked as a chef or worked in a kitchen before,
288
but I think it takes a lot of trial and error
289
so for that reason I would imagine
290
that the person would have to be very patient and with
291
that patience you need to have an inherent passion for the food that you're making.
292
I think chefs usually specialize in in one or more cuisines
293
so just having an understanding of the background of the spices
294
where it comes from of the meat where it comes from if you're not passionate about that
295
It can probably tire you out to be that invested in learning.
296
So patience, passion and a good environment like access to good teachers,
297
access to good books, access to good produce would probably help you hone your craft a lot more.
298
So they did four things here.
299
They directly answered the question.
300
They then explained why they think that or why other people think
301
that they then backed it up with examples
302
or you could include a personal story
303
and then they developed it even more by showing the other side
304
or you could give a new point
305
but here's the most important thing here's the key lesson for
306
the entirety of the speaking test what do all of these band 7 8
307
and 9 students have in common well
308
when you're talking to a band 7 8
309
or 9 student it doesn't feel like a speaking test it feels like having a normal conversation band 7 8
310
and 9 students answer questions naturally.
311
And they do that by steering the conversation to things that are easy and comfortable for them to talk about.
312
They don't use tricks or hacks to try and cheat the test.
313
It can't be cheated.
314
Instead, they use the English they already have,
315
the ability they already have to clearly communicate naturally with the examiner and show them the score they really deserve.
316
And that's how they get the score that they really deserve.
317
But very importantly, if you don't practice all of that, you're never going to be able to do it on test day.
318
So here's a video that gives you access to more than a thousand IELTS speaking questions
319
and shows you how to practice at home for free.
320
I hope you enjoyed the lesson and I'll see you again next time.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “How Do I Get A Band 9 in IELTS Speaking?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: student, band, test, answer, examiner. This video has 320 sentences and 3946 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:48. The speaker talks fast, about 181 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
topic noun/ˈtɑpɪk/A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest.
examiner noun/əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/A person who investigates someone or something.
bullet noun/ˈbʊlɪt/A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed.
differently adverb/ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/In a different way.
fluent adjective/ˈfluənt/That flows; flowing, liquid.
naturally adverb/ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/In a natural manner.
scary adjective/ˈskɛə.ɹi/Causing fear or anxiety
clip noun/klɪp/Something which clips or grasps; a device for attaching one object to another.
hometown noun/ˈhoʊmˌtaʊn/An individual’s place of birth, childhood home, or place of main residence.
yogurt noun/ˈjɒɡ.ət/A milk-based product stiffened by a bacterium-aided curdling process, and sometimes mixed with fruit or other flavoring.
lesson noun/ˈlɛs.ən/A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
relax verb/ɹɪˈlæks/To make something loose.
chef noun/ʃɛf/The presiding cook in the kitchen of a large household.
cheat verb/ˈt͡ʃiːt/To violate rules in order to gain, or attempt to gain, advantage from a situation.
cottage noun/ˈkɒt.ɪd͡ʒ/A small house.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

WordPronunciationMeaning
go off verbTo explode.
burst out verbTo appear suddenly from within something else.
fall apart verbTo disintegrate, to break into pieces.
figure out verbTo come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
give up verbTo surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone).
grow up verbTo mature and become an adult.
look forward to verbTo anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
look up verb/ˌlʊk ˈʌp/To have better prospects.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

  • How did you feel?
  • Do you think that you sounded fluent or not so fluent?
  • Do you prefer to read magazines or newspapers?
  • I'm going to fail my test.
  • I think it's a bit of a secret.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowI've helped · i've divided · I've grown
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itare trained · is memorized · is called
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thingstudents who are · students who were · student who got

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 84 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

  • The “th” sounds: thirsty /ˈθɝs.ti/, empathy /ˈɛmpəθi/, thirst /θɝst/
  • The “sh” and “zh” sounds: chef /ʃɛf/, passion /ˈpæʃən/, impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/, shine /ʃaɪn/
  • Long words — get the stress right: examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like topic, examiner, bullet.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →