Fluency

Fluency in a language means speaking easily, reasonably quickly and without having to stop and pause a lot. Becoming fluent in a language can take many years, but here are some tips to help you sound as natural as possible in speaking exams.

• Good speakers communicate and get their message across smoothly, even though they may make mistakes. Communication is the most important part of speaking and it is important to communicate your ideas as naturally as possible. Here are some tips to help you speak more fluently.
• Use every opportunity in class to speak English. Speak to your classmates and your teacher in English. The more English you speak, the easier you will find speaking.
• Be confident about speaking in English. You do know a lot of English – use your English and show the examiner what you know!
• Be very clear about the message you want to communicate. That is your goal.
• Don’t worry about making mistakes. The important thing is to communicate what you want to say.
• Practise at home with a speaking game. ‘Speak for one minute without stopping about ...’ Choose a topic, e.g. video games, and talk in English for one minute about video games without stopping.
• Use little expressions like ‘Er’ or ‘Erm’ to fill the gaps while you are thinking about what to say.
• Use communication strategies to make your English sound more natural.