IELTS Speaking
Learn about IELTS speaking with an overview of each part of the speaking test as well as practice tests.
by Tim Martyn
Overview
Here are some key points about IELTS speaking:
- It’s a face-to-face interview with a human examiner.
- You may do the speaking test on the same day as the listening, reading and writing, but it could be on a different day.
- There are 3 parts.
- The entire speaking test takes 11–14 minutes.
- The audio is recorded.
Part 1
In Part 1, the examiner will begin by introducing him/herself and will then ask you for your name and where you’re from. He/she will also check your identification document.
The examiner will then ask you a few questions about either:
- what you do (i.e. work or study); or
- where you live, which could be about your town/city or your home (i.e. your house or apartment).
The examiner will then introduce another familiar topic by saying something like Let’s talk about … and ask you 4 or so questions about that topic. If there’s time, the examiner will then do the same with another topic.
Here are some questions asked by an examiner. Notice where the examiner introduces the main topics.
– Good morning. My name is Tim. Can you tell me your full name please?
– And can you tell me where you’re from?
– May I see your identification please?
– Thank you. That’s fine. Now, in this first part, I’d like to ask you some questions about yourself. Let’s talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student?
– What do you study?
– Why did you choose this subject?
– What do you hope to do when you finish your studies?
– Let’s talk about music. What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?
– How often do you listen to music during the day?
– Do you play any musical instruments?
– Is there a particular type of music you don’t like?
– Let’s talk about the weather. What’s your favourite type of weather?
– How do you usually prepare for bad weather?
– Do you enjoy outdoor activities regardless of the weather?
– Is there a type of weather that affects your mood?
Part 1 will last 4–5 minutes.
The purpose of Part 1 is to test how well you’re able to communicate your opinion and information on everyday topics and common experiences or situations.
How should I approach Part 1?
Here are some tips to help you do well in Part 1:
- The topics in Part 1 will be very familiar, so try to relax.
- Don’t give a prepared speech. If you do, you won’t answer the examiner’s specific questions and he/she will interrupt you.
- Because the examiner will either ask you about what you do or where you live, make sure you have the necessary vocabulary to speak confidently about these topics.
- Don’t give very short answers to the examiner’s questions. If you do, the examiner will try to get you to extend your answers by asking why? or why not?, so it’s better to just give longer answers to begin with. One or two sentences for each question is usually enough.
Part 2
In Part 2, you’ll have to give a short talk (up to 2 minutes in length) on a personal experience. The examiner will give you a task card with prompts. You’ll have 1 minute to prepare and you can make notes if you want to.
The task card will look something like this.
Describe a special meal that you had with friends or family.
You should say:
who you were with
where you had the meal
what you ate
and explain why this meal was special.
Here’s an example of what the examiner might say.
Now, I’m going to give you a topic, and I’d like you to talk about it for one to two minutes. Before you talk, you’ll have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes if you wish. Do you understand? Here’s some paper and a pencil for making notes, and here’s your topic. Please don’t write anything on the booklet. I’d like you to describe a special meal that you had with friends or family.
After the 1-minute preparation time, the examiner will say something like this.
Alright. Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. I’ll tell you when the time is up. Can you start speaking now please?
If you finish speaking too soon, the examiner will encourage you to continue by saying something like Can you tell me any more about that?
After 2 minutes have passed, the examiner will ask you 1 or 2 follow-up questions on the same topic. Don’t worry if the examiner interrupts you to ask these questions – it’s how he/she will let you know that time is up.
For this question, the examiner might ask a follow-up question like this.
How often do you have meals with friends and family?
At the end of Part 2, the examiner will say something like this.
Thank you. Can I have the booklet and the paper and pencil back please?
The purpose of Part 2 is to test your ability to talk for an extended period of time, organise what you say and speak fluently.
How should I approach Part 2?
Here are some tips to help you do well in Part 2:
- Choose something that will be easy to talk about for 2 minutes. You need to make sure you’ll have enough to say.
- There will always be 4 points on the task card, and you should talk about all of them. That said, you don’t have to talk about the points in the same order as they’re presented on the task card and it’s OK to speak about some of them for longer than others.
- The topics used in Part 2 are carefully chosen to make sure they’re easy for test takers to talk about. If you really can’t think of anything to say, though, it’s OK to make up a story. But this may impact your fluency and coherence, so be careful.
- Make the most of the 1-minute preparation time. Even though it isn’t required, make sure you take notes. You won’t have time to write sentences – just add a few words about each point. This will also make it easier to refer to your notes while you’re speaking.
- Keep your notes organised. There are many ways to do this, but I like to put my topic in the centre of the page and organise my ideas in a clockwise direction around it.
Part 3
In Part 3, you’ll have a more general discussion with the examiner about the topic you spoke about it Part 2. You’ll need to answer the examiner’s questions by giving your opinion and supporting it with reasons.
At the start of Part 3, the examiner will say something like this.
We’ve been talking about a special meal you had with friends or family, and I’d like to discuss with you one or two more general questions related to this.
The examiner will then introduce a couple of topics related to what you spoke about in Part 2.
Here are some questions asked by an examiner. Notice where the examiner introduces the main topics.
– Let’s consider first of all eating out. What are the advantages of eating out compared to eating at home?
– How has the popularity of restaurants changed in your country?
– What factors make a restaurant popular, do you think?
– Let’s now talk about food and culture. How does food reflect cultural identity?
– What are some traditional dishes in your country that people still enjoy today?
– Do you think that fast food is replacing traditional food in some cultures?
Even though Part 3 is a discussion, don’t ask the examiner questions. All you need to do is answer the questions the examiner asks you.
The purpose of Part 3 is to test how well you’re able to use more formal and abstract language to discuss ideas in greater depth.
How should I approach Part 3?
Here are some tips to help you do well in Part 3:
- Like in Part 1, don’t give very short answers to the examiner’s questions.
- Learn and practise using a range of language for giving opinions, such as I’d say that … and I don’t agree with that idea.
- Make sure you justify / give reasons for your opinions.
After 4–5 minutes, the examiner will end the speaking test by saying something like this.
Thank you very much. That is the end of the speaking test.
Assessment criteria
Here are the assessment criteria used for IELTS speaking.
| Criterion | What does this mean? |
|---|---|
| Fluency and coherence | Do you speak fluently? Do you organise your ideas logically? Are they well connected? |
| Lexical resource | Do you use a range of vocabulary? Do you make many vocabulary errors? Do your errors make it hard to understand what you’re saying? |
| Grammatical range and accuracy | Do you use a wide range of grammatical structures? Do you make many grammar errors? Do your errors make it hard to understand what you’re saying? |
| Pronunciation | Do you use a range of pronunciation features (individual sounds, word stress, intonation, etc.) effectively? Does your pronunciation cause problems for the listener? |
You can find out more about the assessment criteria here.
Practice tests
Now it’s your turn to practise. Try the practice tests below using the approach outlined above.
Practice Test 1
This practice test is designed to simulate the real test.
When you’re ready to start, click Part 1 below and then on the first audio player. Listen carefully to the examiner’s first question and respond. Continue answering the examiner’s questions until you reach the end of Part 3.
Describe a special meal that you had with friends or family.
You should say:
who you were with
where you had the meal
what you ate
and explain why this meal was special.
Feedback
Click below for a transcript of the examiner’s questions.
– And can you tell me where you’re from?
– May I see your identification please?
– Thank you. That’s fine. Now, in this first part, I’d like to ask you some questions about yourself. Let’s talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student?
– What do you study?
– Why did you choose this subject?
– What do you hope to do when you finish your studies?
– What kind of work do you do?
– Why did you choose this kind of work?
– What do you like most about your job?
– Let’s talk about music. What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?
– How often do you listen to music during the day?
– Do you play any musical instruments?
– Is there a particular type of music you don’t like?
– Let’s talk about the weather. What’s your favourite type of weather?
– How do you usually prepare for bad weather?
– Do you enjoy outdoor activities regardless of the weather?
– Is there a type of weather that affects your mood?
– Alright. Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. I’ll tell you when the time is up. Can you start speaking now please?
– How often do you have meals with friends and family?
– Thank you. Can I have the booklet and the paper and pencil back please?
– How has the popularity of restaurants changed in your country?
– What factors make a restaurant popular, do you think?
– Let’s now talk about food and culture. Do you think food influences cultural identity?
– What are some traditional dishes in your country that people still enjoy today?
– Do you think that fast food is replacing traditional food in some cultures?
– Thank you very much. That is the end of the speaking test.
Practice Test 2
This practice test is designed to simulate the real test.
When you’re ready to start, click Part 1 below and then on the first audio player. Listen carefully to the examiner’s first question and respond. Continue answering the examiner’s questions until you reach the end of Part 3.
Describe a piece of technology that you find useful.
You should say:
what the technology is
where you got it
how you use it
and explain why you find it useful.
Feedback
Click below for a transcript of the examiner’s questions.
– And can you tell me where you’re from?
– May I see your identification please?
– Thank you. That’s fine. Now, in this first part, I’d like to ask you some questions about yourself. Let’s talk about where you live. Tell me about the town or city that you’re living in now.
– How long have you been living in this town or city?
– Has it changed much in recent years?
– And do you think you’ll move to a different place in the near future?
– Let’s talk about sports. Do you play any sports regularly?
– How often do you watch sports on TV?
– What was the last live sports event you went to?
– Is there a sport you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t yet?
– Let’s talk about shopping. Where do you usually go shopping for clothes?
– Do you prefer to shop online or in physical stores?
– Do you enjoy shopping, or do you find it stressful?
– What’s your favourite store to shop in?
– Alright. Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. I’ll tell you when the time is up. Can you start speaking now please?
– Do your friends and family also use this piece of technology?
– Thank you. Can I have the booklet and the paper and pencil back please?
– What are some potential disadvantages of relying too much on technology?
– Do you think that technology has made people more or less social?
– Let’s now talk about the future of technology. What technological advancements do you think will happen in the next 10 years?
– How can technology be used to solve global problems?
– Do you think there are any dangers associated with rapid technological development?
– Thank you very much. That is the end of the speaking test.
