IELTS spoken section tips Avoid repeating the question. For instance the interviewer asks, What is your preferred book? Prevent saying “My most liked book is…” The interviewer studies how well a candidate can modify syntax and play with grammar. Echoing the question will not give job hopefuls a high rating. Listen to the question properly. Some applicants answer the question right away without definitely understanding the task. As a result, they fail to answer the question efficiently. Individuals should pay attention carefully on what the task needs to create an efficient answer. Avoid long pauses: It is okay to pause for a few seconds but not long. Pausing too long generates an opinion that one does not obviously understand what the question is all about. Rather than taking long pauses, one can say, This question is a little tough, but I think…. As a result, the applicant can buy some time for him or her to think about his or her solution.