Perceptions of IELTS Test Takers towards Speaking in Pakistan

Abstract

The current study aims to find out the perceptions of IELTS test takers toward speaking in Pakistan. The study is qualitative in nature. The study implies the use of a purposive and snowball sampling technique for the selection of the 10 participants in the study. The results of the study show that the IELTS test takers who had taken the test have positive and negative perceptions towards the speaking test environment, speaking test tasks, washback of the speaking test, speaking score, and time of the test. According to the findings of the study, IELTS test takers perceived enough time for discussion. Furthermore, the study shows that the feedback from the speaking not only encouraged the participants to improve their speaking and pronunciation but also helped them identify their speaking problems. Furthermore, the study discovered that test takers' positive perception of the IELTS speaking skill was influenced by the familiarity and ease of the topic in speaking. Because the study is limited to speaking, the results cannot be generalized; however, a more in-depth study of all four IELTS skills may be helpful in generalizing the results in the future.