This post is intended to help you find an IELTS speaking partner. If you want to know why it is important to have speaking partner, then check this article. To search for someone, visit the official TED-IELTS speaking partner Facebook group. (We have more than 100,000 members!)

Please follow this advice if you want to be successful in finding a speaking partner:

1. Be Open and Clear

When you post in the IELTS speaking partner group, you should be very clear about who you are and what you want. This lets other people know whether they really want to speak with you or not.

For example, you might say:

Hello everyone! I recently got band 6 in my last IELTS speaking test and I want to move up to a band 7. Is there someone of a similar level who wants to help me?

This is clear and tells other people exactly what you want (ie advancing from 6 to 7). If you don’t give this sort of information, no one will have a good reason to contact you!

2. Contact Details Are Helpful

These days, there are many different kinds of communication platform: WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, Messenger, and so on. Do not assume that everyone in the world knows what you prefer to use. Of course, you should be careful about giving away your contact information because there are many spammers who will try to contact you, but say something like this:

Hi! I am looking for an IELTS speaking partner. I prefer to use Google Meet but I can also use Skype if you prefer.

This really helps people to know who they can communicate with.

3. Tell Everyone Which Time Zone You Are In

Imagine you are in Japan and your speaking partner is in France. When it is morning for one person, it will be night for the other! This means that you cannot just say “I want to speak with someone at 6pm!”

Instead, try to give clear information about your location and/or time zone. For example:

Hello. I need to find an IELTS speaking partner to talk every day for 30 minutes at about 8pm. My current time zone is GMT+7. I prefer using WhatsApp.

4. Say How You Like To Study

Everyone has different ideas about studying. Some people like to learn lists of vocabulary but others prefer chatting informally. Some like strict grammatical rules and others prefer a looser style.

It is useful when seeking an IELTS speaking partner (or any kind of study partner!) to keep this in mind. Tell them how you want to proceed. You might say:

I am looking for an IELTS speaking partner to practice vocabulary and grammar. I would like to have a one-hour session twice a week where we share new vocabulary and then practise using it in sentences. We can give each other feedback.

5. Be Respectful Of Each Other

You are more likely to find a speaking partner if you are a respectful and decent person. That means do not say offensive or creepy things. In particular, this group has no tolerance for men who write unpleasant things to women. This is also not a dating group, so do not come here in search of a girlfriend.

Use polite language and be open to others. Do not slander any group of people or act in an exclusionary way. Here is an example of a respectful post:

Hi everyone! I’m looking for an IELTS speaking partner. I want to practise several times a week and I am open to people from all around the world. My level is band 6 and it does not matter to me your gender, religion, sexuality, race, or anything else! I am just happy to talk with others.

The Ideal Post

Ok, now let’s put those 5 tips together and see how we can come up with a good post that will help you find an IELTS speaking partner easily.

Here’s a perfect example:

Hello everyone. I am from Brazil and my IELTS level is about band 6.5. I need to get at least band 7 in order to study in Canada, so I would like to meet people who are of a similar level and have similar goals. I mostly use Zoom to talk with people but I can consider other communication platforms. I am looking to build up my fluency, so chatting freely is a priority for me, but it would also be good to share some vocabulary. My time zone is GMT-2 and I am free every day from 8pm to 10pm. Comment below if you want to be my speaking partner!

This is very effective because it contains all the important information necessary to find a partner and it is written in clear, concise English. The person sounds friendly and organised, which means they would make a good speaking partner.

Real Examples

Here are some real examples of posts from the IELTS speaking partner Facebook group.

First of all, we have a pretty good post. It contains some useful information about times and levels. It would be better to say what platform she prefers, but still this is a quite good post.

Here is another reasonable post. Unfortunately, it lacks enough detail but it still contains some useful information.

Here is another good example. Notice that it is quite long. However, that shows that the person has invested some time and effort into preparing their request, which gives the impression of sincerity:

Finally, let’s see a bad post. This is not good because it lacks any detail. There is no reason for anyone to get in contact with this person!

Conclusion

When you are looking for an IELTS speaking partner, be clear and open about what you want and act respectfully and intelligently. Give plenty of information, but do not give away too much in public or else someone might steal your data.

Once you find a good partner, treat them as you would want to be treated. That means you must be sincere and helpful. You might even find that you can introduce each other to other speaking partners, increasing your circle to include a diverse range of helpful people from around the world!