Hi Everyone,

I hope you are having a good week.

In my column today, I want to write about something which I see many times when I am helping to prepare students for the IELTS speaking exam. Some Japanese students tend to lack confidence, and are afraid of making mistakes. As a result they sometimes give short answers to questions.

I can understand how my students feel, and my main advice to them is:

• relax, smile and enjoy speaking English.
• be confident and don't worry about making mistakes.

I usually find that my students already know a lot of vocabulary and grammar, but in their first lesson, they are afraid of making mistakes. After only a couple of lessons however, I quickly see students becoming more confident and as a result their speaking improves. Seeing my students quickly improve their speaking ability is one of the main things I love about teaching. 

I hope my advice helps you to be more confident when you speak.

Good Luck with your studies!!

Mark