Formal English Sounds Smart… But Hurts Your IELTS Speaking Score

You spent weeks memorizing sophisticated vocabulary. You practiced using complex sentence structures. You worked hard to sound impressive. And yet, your IELTS Speaking score is still stuck.

Here is the uncomfortable truth: the very thing you think is helping you is actually holding you back. Overly formal English — the kind you use in academic essays and legal documents — signals to the examiner that you lack flexibility and are unaware of context. And context, in the IELTS Speaking test, is everything.

I scored a Band 9 in IELTS Speaking, including a Band 9 across all four marking criteria. In this guide, I’ll break down exactly why formal language is a trap, which specific words and habits to cut immediately, and three practical shifts you can make right now to sound natural, confident, and genuinely high-level.

Why the IELTS Speaking Test Is Not a Writing Test

This sounds obvious, but most test-takers treat the speaking exam like a spoken version of an academic essay. They don’t.

The IELTS Speaking test is a test of your ability to communicate in spoken English. Spoken English and written English operate on completely different registers. When you write, you naturally use longer, more complex vocabulary and formal structures. When you speak — even at a native, educated level — you use contractions, phrasal verbs, and conversational connectors. That is just how the language works in real life.

The problem is what I call exam brain. The examiner sits down in front of you, the nerves kick in, and your brain decides: formal equals smart, smart equals a high score. That logic is completely backwards for this test.

Take a look at the Band 9 criteria for Lexical Resource. It specifically requires “idiomatic language used naturally and accurately.” Using words like hereinafter, heretofore, or thereupon to talk about your weekend plans does not sound sophisticated — it sounds alien. It signals to the examiner that you lack the awareness to match your language to the situation.

The Three Practical Shifts That Fix This

Shift 1: Stop Showing Off Your Vocabulary

There is a trap I call the vocabulary show-off. It happens when you reach for a complex, advanced word when a simpler one would actually communicate better.

Here is an example of what not to say:

“I am currently pursuing my academic endeavors at a prestigious educational institution.”

Grammatically? Technically fine. But the communication is terrible. No native speaker, and no Band 9 speaker, talks like that.

Here is what you should say instead:

“I’m studying at a well-known university.”

That version is clearer, it flows naturally, and it actually sounds more confident.

Words and phrases to drop from your spoken English:

• Subsequently, hence, thus → Replace with so, because, that’s why
• Commence → Replace with start
• Terminate → Replace with end
• Ascertain → Replace with find out

Accuracy is always more impressive than complexity. And in the context of IELTS Speaking, accuracy means using precise, idiomatic language naturally — not throwing out the longest word you know.

Shift 2: Sound Like a Human, Not a Robot

Two specific habits will make your speech sound instantly more natural: using contractions and using phrasal verbs.

Use Contractions

When you say “I do not like it because it is too expensive,” you sound stiff. More importantly, you are also hurting your Pronunciation score because you lose out on the natural rhythm of connected speech.

Compare that with: “I don’t like it because it’s too expensive.”

The contracted version improves your flow, sounds more natural, and actually boosts both your Fluency and Pronunciation scores in one move.

Use Phrasal Verbs

Here is something many test-takers do not realize: phrasal verbs count as idiomatic language. The Band 9 descriptor for Lexical Resource does not mean you need to be dropping idioms every other sentence. It means you should be using the language the way native speakers actually use it — and native speakers use phrasal verbs constantly.

Swap these out:

Using phrasal verbs correctly is one of the fastest ways to push your Lexical Resource score from a Band 6 into the Band 7, 8, or 9 range.

Shift 3: Use Frameworks Instead of Formal Linking Words

Many students believe that to sound high-level, they need to use formal academic connectors like firstly, secondly, in conclusion. The reality is that you don’t — and if you lean on them too heavily, your answers start to sound rehearsed and robotic.

The real solution is to use structured frameworks that organize your response automatically, without needing heavy transition language.

I created and personally used three frameworks during my own IELTS preparation and in the real test itself:

• A.R.E. Framework™ (Answer, Reason, Example) — for Part 1
• Topic Diamond™ — for Part 2 cue cards
• I.D.E.A. Framework™ — for Part 3 abstract questions

Using the A.R.E. Framework™ as an example: you state your Answer, then connect it with the simple word because to give your Reason, then introduce your Example with like or for example.

That’s it. Clean, logical, and natural — no need to say “firstly… secondly… in conclusion” every single time.

Don’t Overlook Your Tone

There is one more adjustment that most guides miss: your tone.

Formal language has a physical effect on your voice. It flattens your intonation and makes you sound monotone. When you switch to more natural, conversational language, your voice automatically becomes more expressive. You can show enthusiasm, signal uncertainty, and communicate your personality — all of which are things that real, high-level communicators do.

This matters because intonation is a key criterion for Pronunciation. Speaking with a natural, varied tone can directly boost that score. The examiner wants a conversation, not a memorized formal speech.

How I Practiced This Myself

When I was preparing for my own test, one of the things I genuinely struggled with was knowing exactly how formal or informal to be for each part of the test. Part 1 has a different register from Part 3. The tone that works for a simple question about your hometown is not the same tone you need for a discussion about global economics.

What helped me was going back to the actual IELTS Speaking marking criteria, understanding how each part is graded, and then practicing daily — recording my answers and checking whether my language was too stiff, too formal, or not natural enough. This is the exact workflow I built into the SpeakPrac app. It records your answers, transcribes them, and gives you feedback mapped directly to the IELTS Speaking criteria so you can see exactly where your register is off.

Your Checklist: Fix Overly Formal Speaking Today

Use this as a quick reference every time you practice:

• ✅ Swap academic connectors for conversational ones — use so instead of thus
• ✅ Use contractions — use it’s instead of it is
• ✅ Use phrasal verbs — say find out instead of ascertain
• ✅ Focus on clarity over complexity — the simpler version usually sounds better

Do these four things consistently, and you will stop sounding like a formal academic robot and start sounding like the high-level, natural communicator that Band 9 actually requires.