In this research study, it is aimed to explore the causes of anxiety, specific situations that causes anxiety and the strategies which might be used by students of University College of Ratmalana, Colombo, Sri Lanka to overcome anxiety in speaking English as a second language. When analyzing this context, different educational scenarios may consider such as English knowledge of the students who have transferred from secondary education to territory education, students who have not gained a sufficient basic English knowledge through primary education and the students who have not improved their English knowledge at the secondary education. The research study followed a group of 30, selected male and female students in the University College of Ratmalana, Colombo, Sri Lanka to assess the causes of anxiety in speaking English as a second language. To collect the data, a questionnaire was designed by the researcher with six direct questions. As per this results obtained the common causes of anxiety in speaking English among the students were 'lack of confidence' about the English language, 'lack of proper knowledge about the grammar rules' and 'lack of opportunity to practice' the language. In this study, it is suggested several recommendations for educators and students to solve the problem of students' anxiety. Educators might consider focusing and promoting strategies of continuous practice of English language and self-evaluation methods to access language proficiency.