Preparing a speaking topic

Do not memorise a script.

What the speaking task asks

Speaking is assessed in several IGCSE and International GCSE English routes. You usually talk about a topic you have chosen, and then you answer questions about it. The examiner wants to hear a speaker who understands the topic, explains it clearly and replies naturally.

You cannot do that by reciting. A memorised talk sounds flat. It also breaks the moment someone asks a question you did not plan for.

A six-step method

1. Choose a topic you can sustain. Pick something you know and care about. “Sustain” means you can keep talking about it without repeating yourself. A topic that bores you will bore the listener too.
2. Find your angle. Do not try to cover the whole subject. Decide the one question or opinion you want to explore. An angle gives your talk a direction.
3. Order your points. Plan a clear opening, two or three developed points and a short ending. This helps the listener follow you.
4. Write short notes. Use a few key words, not full sentences. Notes remind you of the order and leave the words free.
5. Predict questions. Ask yourself what a listener might ask, and decide how you would answer. This prepares you for the discussion, not only the talk.
6. Practise the order, not the wording. Speak around your notes until the order is secure but the sentences still change each time.

Step six matters most. If you memorise every word, one surprise question can make you lose your place. If you only know the order, a surprise is just another thing to talk about.

A worked outline

This is our own example. It shows notes a student might write, not a script.

Topic: Should students choose what they study?

• Open: the time I chose an optional subject, and how it changed my attitude to school.
• Point 1: choice builds motivation, because you work harder at what you picked.
• Point 2: but total freedom can leave gaps, because some subjects matter even when they are unpopular.
• Point 3: a middle path is guided choice, with advice from teachers.
• Close: what I would change about how my school offers choices.
• Likely questions: “What if a student chooses badly?” and “Should there be limits?”

These are prompts, not sentences. A student who knows the topic can speak to each prompt in new words every time. That keeps the talk alive and makes questions easier to handle.

Common mistakes

• Memorising a script. The talk sounds flat and collapses when a question interrupts it.
• Choosing a thin topic. The speaker runs out of ideas and repeats themselves.
• Having no order. The listener cannot follow, and the speaker loses their own thread.
• Preparing only the talk. The student freezes when the questions begin.
• Speaking too fast when nervous. Slow down on purpose and pause between points.

How to practise

Talk to your notes aloud, then do it again the next day. If the words come out differently, you are speaking and not reciting.

Next, ask someone to throw in unexpected questions about your topic. Most students skip this step, yet it improves their answers the most.

Finally, record yourself and listen for speed and clarity. Do not worry about perfect wording. Recordings quickly show rushing, filler words (“um”, “like”) and places where your order slips.

Where students usually get stuck

Many students either write a script they cannot let go of, or choose a topic that runs out after one minute. In 1-to-1 lessons, our teachers help you pick a topic with real depth, shape the notes and practise unexpected questions until you can answer calmly.

The words always stay yours. See how this fits into speaking and listening preparation, and for students taking the ESL route, English as a Second Language tuition.

Tuition starts from RM70/hr. You can book a paid one-hour trial, where the teacher who would continue with you listens to one attempt and shows you what to fix first.

What to read or try next

Study the annotated model response for ESL speaking: discussion. Then try the ESL speaking: discussion practice tasks. For a related skill, see how to answer ESL listening questions.

Next, visit our original practice tasks to try the skill on a task of your own. Our English as a Second Language tuition page explains how lessons run. When you are ready, the paid one-hour trial is the first step.