IELTS Speaking: How to Improve Fluency with the "4/3/2" Technique | IELTS Master (2024)

In this articleI’m going to introduce a secret technique you can use to improve your spoken fluency, as well as your lexicaland grammatical accuracy.

It was developed bylanguage learning expert, Professor Paul Nation of Victoria University of Wellington and I’ve used it successfully in my classes as well.

Master’s Wisdom –

Student: Why is fluency important, Master Lee?

See Also

Level guide - Anglo-LinkA Guide to Emergent Readers and Stages of Development – AdaptEd 4 Special Ed, Inc.10 Signs Your English Fluency is Higher Than You Think - English with SutanuHow to speak English fluently: 10 key steps ‹ GO Blog | EF Blog Canada

Master Lee: Fluency is important because it is one of the four main areasthat is marked onthe speaking exam (click here for the detailed scoring criteria). And of course, everyone likes talkingwith fluent speakers!

Student: I understand now!

IELTS Master Secret Technique: 4/3/2

The 4/3/2 fluency activity is actually quite simple. You speak about the same topic for four minutes, then three minutes, andthenfinallytwo minutes.

Master’s Tip 1: 4/3/2 is best in groups of at least fourso you can speak to three different people. It’s ok if you have less, though. You can even do it by yourself!

Master’s Tip 2:IELTSSpeaking Part 2 is a perfect match for 4/3/2. Coincidence? I think not!

Here are the 7steps for the 4/3/2 spoken fluency technique:

1. Preparation: Choose an speaking topic (I recommend a speaking part 2 topic). Prepare your notes and any vocabulary words you might need for it.
2. Fourminutes:Set a timer for four minutes. Start the timer and talk without stopping until the timer beeps. If you get stuck, keep going.
3. Rest:After your timer finishes, take a short rest (30 seconds).
4. Threeminutes:Talk about the same topic for 3 minutes and then take another short rest (30 seconds).
5. Rest:Take your second short rest.
6. Twominutes: Talk about the same topic for only 2 minutes.
7. Victory! You have become more fluent.

Final Advice:

Use the 4/3/2 fluency technique to improve not only your IELTS speaking part 2 fluency, but also your vocabulary and grammar usage.

And like allpractice, do it consistently. For this technique, I recommend 2 or 3 times a week.