Collins Speaking For IELTS – A resource to improve IELTS Speaking skills

Collins Speaking For IELTS is the book that prepedu.com wants to introduce to you. This is an effective resource to help you improve weaknesses and build a systematic communication skill along with a rich vocabulary. In addition, the book also comes with Audio for you to practice Listening and Speaking with standard pronunciation, with in-depth exercises. Let's explore this together with Prep!

I. Introduction to the Collins Speaking For IELTS series

1. General information

Collins Speaking For IELTS is a book that helps improve pronunciation as well as communication skills for students who are collecting IELTS Speaking practice materials, especially for those at the Basic level who need to improve their band score from 5-5.5 to 7+.

Collins Speaking For IELTS is one of the six books in the Collins for IELTS series, so the structure of the book will be similar which allows test takers to review the full set of books covering all four skills of Listening - Speaking - Reading - Writing. Compared to other Speaking books, the lessons in the Collins book will be more systematic and detailed, including 12 Units, with each Unit covering a different topic commonly found in daily life. Additionally, test takers can effectively practice pronunciation and vocabulary for each topic. This method helps with long-term retention.

2. Main parts of the book

Collins Speaking For IELTS Answer Key focuses on skills and tips to solve exercises and tests at the end of each part. The topics covered in the book include Family matters, Health and fitness, Education, Nature and the environment, Language and Communication, Science and technology, Employment and finances, Youth, People and Places, Culture and modern society, Holidays and travel. Furthermore, each unit helps students clearly define learning objectives at the start of each unit. This allows for effective goal-setting and planning for a detailed IELTS Speaking study schedule. 

Each lesson is divided into 2 parts: 

• Part 1: General Introduction to the Unit - The main structures and vocabulary forms that appear in the exercises will be noted here for students' reference.
• Part 2: Answers and Answer Key - The exercises' questions will be answered at the back of the book to allow students to self-check answers and identify areas for improvement.

Furthermore, at the end of the material, you will find transcripts of selected dialogues. These can serve as valuable resources for students looking to enhance their pronunciation and speaking skills. Notably, Unit 12 replicates the authentic format of an IELTS Speaking test. Consequently, it is recommended that students complete Units 1-11 before proceeding with Unit 12 to assess their proficiency level after studying.

For a book specializing in Speaking, an accompanying audio CD is essential for students to practice sample speaking exercises and improve pronunciation. Collins Speaking For IELTS Audio will be provided along with the eBook. Learners need not worry about self-evaluation as they can check answers and listen to model intonation and fluency on the audio recordings. This fully equips students to boost their IELTS Speaking score.

3. Targeted learners

Collins Speaking For IELTS is a specialized book for improving Speaking skills. Appropriate users of this book include:

• Learners at IELTS Band 5.0-5.5, who want to review for the IELTS exam and raise their band score to 6.5+. Whether they have taken the exam or not, this book will help practice Speaking with strategies and familiarize them with daily communication topics to improve reflexes and support language learning and international work environments.
• Students who need the book as supplementary speaking material for an IELTS course. The author has researched and compiled lessons corresponding to 50 hours of classroom time, so students can bring it to class or self-study at home according to their schedule.

II. The pros & cons of the Collins Speaking For IELTS series

1. Pros

• One of the notable advantages of Collins' book is the variety of exercises provided for each topic from different perspectives, helping learners consolidate knowledge and vocabulary. This is an effective way to transmit and retain information. Learners can create mind maps for each topic studied.
• The second strength is providing Audio files, allowing learners to simultaneously practice Speaking and Listening skills, improving comprehension, and listening abilities as well as pronunciation, and intonation like native speakers.
• The book also includes practice tests at the end for learners to familiarize test structure, question types, and time limits for the Speaking test. Each topic offers detailed tips on vocabulary and sentence usage, applying them to sections to effectively review Speaking skills. Learners can memorize these Exam Tips to quickly handle different IELTS Speaking questions.
• Each topic offers detailed tips on vocabulary usage and sentence construction for the different sections to effectively review Speaking skills. Students can memorize these Exam Tips to be able to quickly handle various types of IELTS Speaking questions. 
• Finally, Collins Speaking For IELTS encourages self-study as exercises often involve open-ended questions requiring learners to independently formulate suitable responses while ensuring correct grammar and expanding their own vocabulary. Learners can then refer to the Answer Key section for feedback. This allows students to autonomously develop strategies and practice speaking in the most natural tone.

2. Cons

The only weakness of Collins Speaking For IELTS that needs improving is the limited number of exercises provided in each unit. For learners desiring more practice questions, the book may not fully meet their needs. Therefore, future editions of this book should provide additional exercises and tests. This would allow students to gain more productive practice opportunities.

III. How to learn Collins Speaking For IELTS effectively

To maximize the functionality of a book, it is crucial to adopt an effective learning approach. Now Prep will guide you on how to use the Collins Speaking For IELTS PDF book to achieve high scores.

• Determine your current level: First, always start by identifying the issues you are facing, so you know exactly what to improve. You can test your level by taking the IELTS entry test on prepedu.com, then the system will point out areas needing work.
• Develop a suitable study plan: Next, determine a learning plan to reach your goals, or you can refer to the objectives outlined at the start of each unit for guidance on what topics and question types to focus on, as well as vocabulary to supplement. Additionally, you can practice all 11 Units if wanting comprehensive training.
• Do other online tests: When you have completed reviewing the topics from the Units you selected, we can move on to doing Practice Tests with the authentic IELTS Speaking test format to see how far your level has come after studying. Since there are few tests in the book, you can supplement your learning by practicing additional Speaking tests available in Test Practice compiled by prepedu.com such as IELTS Speaking Forecast set, IELTS Speaking Essential, etc. Here, the test sets will be divided into separate skills, and feature a variety of questions researched over the years, so you don't need to worry about whether the current IELTS exam is accurately updated or not.
• Schedule time for each Unit reasonably: You should spend 2-3 hours studying and practicing each Unit thoroughly according to the sections provided. It's also very important to memorize vocabulary and grammar by topic. This will greatly help with developing fluent and rapid speaking reflexes..
• Practice speaking by the Shadowing method: Leverage the transcripts at the back of the book to apply the Shadowing method, which involves six systematic steps at each phase. This approach demands patience and consistent practice. Begin by listening and reading along with the transcript at a slow pace, gradually increasing the speed to enhance both listening and speaking skills to a more advanced level.
• Enhance your speaking proficiency with Partner AI 9.0 Speaking: For a more comprehensive improvement in communication skills, having a companion or teacher for feedback is essential, enabling more authentic practice on everyday conversational topics. An efficient and convenient method for sharpening your skills at home involves practicing speaking directly in the Virtual Speaking Room (VSR) on prepedu.com. This platform offers prompt and scored feedback aligned with IELTS band standards. Many students have successfully attained band scores of 7 or higher through this effective approach. Utilize topics from the book and apply conversation strategies learned directly in the VSR for optimal results.

IV. Download Collins Speaking For IELTS for free

Currently, the Collins Speaking For IELTS book is available in both PDF and Audio formats completely free of charge, making it extremely convenient for learning and practicing at home. With just a few minutes of downloading, you can immediately possess the entire set of the book. So, why hesitate? Seize the opportunity to acquire this Speaking preparation material and achieve impressive IELTS scores right away!

V. Learn Smarter, Not Harder—PREP's Expert IELTS course Await 

This article shares Prep's views on the Collins Speaking For IELTS book, which is highly anticipated and impactful. If you want guaranteed improvement in IELTS, don’t miss these game-changing courses:

• IELTS course: Improve Your IELTS Scores With Tailored Strategies