Begin by skimming the passage quickly. Don’t read every word—look for the overall subject and tone. Notice how many sentences there are, where the full stops and commas appear, and what the main topic seems to be.
Example: For a passage on “technological innovation,” notice whether it’s explaining a trend, presenting a problem, or offering a solution. This helps you mentally prepare for the style of reading you’ll need—explanatory, descriptive, or persuasive.
Key tip: In under 10 seconds, you should know: What’s the passage about? Is it a list, a process, an argument, or a description?
Avoid getting stuck on a difficult word here; just get the gist. This “big picture” scan saves time and focuses your mind.

Mentally underline or rehearse any unfamiliar or advanced vocabulary. Think about how you would pronounce tricky words, especially academic terms, long nouns, or expressions with silent letters or unusual stress.
Example: Words like “sustainability”, “collaboration”, or “biodiversity”.
Key tip: If you aren’t sure about a word’s pronunciation, break it down into syllables in your mind: e.g. “bio-di-ver-si-ty.” Try mouthing the word silently.
Common mistake: Many students skip this step and stumble when recording. Take a few seconds to silently rehearse the hardest words or ask yourself, “Which word could block my fluency?”

Break the passage into natural ‘chunks’ or phrases. Look for commas, conjunctions (like and, but, because), and the end of sentences. Plan to pause briefly at these points—not too long, just enough for a breath.
Example: “Professionals must adapt / to virtual collaboration tools / and maintain clear boundaries.”
Key tip: Say these phrases in your mind. Where would a native speaker pause? Mark it with a quick blink or tiny breath.
Common mistake: Reading word-by-word with no grouping makes your speech sound robotic and unclear.

Mentally pick out and emphasize key content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs). These carry the main meaning.
Example: “productivity”, “self-assessment”, “renewable energy”.
Key tip: Plan to stress these words slightly more when speaking—use a higher pitch or louder voice for content words, and keep grammar words (like “the”, “of”, “and”) less prominent.
Common mistake: Stressing every word equally or missing the important words entirely.

Visualize how words connect in natural speech. Some words link together or change slightly when said out loud. Practice this in your mind.
Example: “Digital communication” is said as “dig-i-tal communication” (not separated).
Key tip: Practice speaking a short part of the passage under your breath. Notice how your mouth and tongue move for connected phrases.
Common mistake: Over-pronouncing each word individually so it sounds unnatural.

Set a steady, confident pace before you start. Not too fast (which causes mistakes) and not too slow (which loses fluency).
Example: Try reading “Public health campaigns play a vital role…” in your mind at a comfortable speed.
Key tip: If you tend to rush, plan to slow down a little. If you are hesitant, push yourself to keep moving forward smoothly.
Common mistake: Speeding up at the beginning and running out of breath, or dragging every word.

Take one deep breath and calm yourself before the microphone appears. Relax your shoulders and jaw. This prevents a shaky start.
Example: Before saying the first word, silently breathe in and let out slowly.
Key tip: Start your first word after a half-second pause. This ensures the microphone catches your whole answer.
Common mistake: Rushing to speak the first word and it not being recorded, or sounding nervous at the start.

Read the passage aloud, matching your earlier plan: pause at phrases, stress key words, and use a lively tone.
Example: If a sentence is important or expresses an idea, raise your intonation slightly. For facts or conclusions, lower your intonation.
Key tip: Imagine you are presenting to an audience—speak with confidence and clarity.
Common mistake: Reading in a monotone voice or letting nerves take over.

Never add, omit, or change any words from the passage. If you make a mistake, correct yourself instantly and keep going.
Example: If you say “adapt for” instead of “adapt to”, just say the correct version and continue.
Key tip: The scoring system expects you to match the original text perfectly.
Common mistake: Skipping difficult words or substituting easier ones, which reduces your score.

Don’t use fillers like “um”, “uh”, or long pauses. If you lose your place, jump back in smoothly.
Example: If you forget a word, pause briefly and then continue—don’t say “uh…”
Key tip: Keep the flow going, even if you need to correct yourself.
Common mistake: Panicking and freezing, or apologizing aloud.

Use rising and falling intonation to make your reading sound natural and academic. Vary your voice to show meaning.
Example: For questions or lists, let your voice go up. For conclusions, let it fall.
Key tip: Listen to sample audios and copy the intonation style.
Common mistake: Using a flat or “robotic” tone with no variation.

End your last sentence with a clear, firm intonation. Pause briefly at the end so the microphone records your whole answer.
Example: “Maintaining ecological balance for future generations.” [voice drops, slight pause]
Key tip: Don’t rush to stop or move your head away before the last word.
Common mistake: Fading out or mumbling at the end.

Listen to your recording carefully. Notice any mispronunciations, awkward pauses, or parts where you sounded unsure.
Key tip: Compare your performance with model answers. Make notes on which words you stumbled on, where your tone was strong, and how you could improve for next time.
Example: Did you clearly pronounce “infrastructure” or did you hesitate?
Common mistake: Ignoring your own errors and repeating them in the next task.

Set one goal for your next attempt. This could be to speak more slowly, to emphasize certain key words, or to pause more naturally.
Key tip: Improvement comes step by step. Use each task as a learning opportunity.
Example: “Next time, I will make sure to connect phrases more smoothly.”
Common mistake: Trying to fix everything at once—focus on one skill at a time.