IELTS Speaking: What You Ought to Know
Speaking Test Format
The IELTS Speaking test has 3 parts.
Part 1 is an introduction/interview. Here, the examiner will ask around 10 questions in 4-5 minutes. This section of the test should be easy.
Part 2 is a short presentation. You will be asked to talk about a topic for 2 minutes and will be given one minute to prepare. It would help if you prepared for this section of the test with an IELTS expert.
Part 3 is a discussion. Here, you will be asked around 5 follow-up questions to Part 2. This will take around 4-5 minutes and can be very difficult to understand.
Speaking Part 1
Although Speaking Test Part 1 is relatively easy, there are several things you should keep in mind.
Firstly, in order to score high for fluency and coherence, you must provide long answers. The best way to do this is to answer your questions in 3 parts:
Answer the question.
Add another detail.
And explain why! That’s it.
For example, if the examiner were to ask, “What’s your favourite flower?”
A good answer would be, “I’m crazy about orchids. While I was growing up, my mother always had orchids around the house. So, not only do they remind me of her, but they’re also my favourite colour - purple.”
Notice how I didn’t rephrase the question in my answer? This is because you can lose marks for repeating the examiner. Just answer the question as you would in real life - no one actually rephrases a question that someone has asked them, so don’t do this.
Also, notice how I said, “I’m crazy about orchids,” rather than, “I’m fond of orchids.” This is because informal language scores higher on the Speaking test than formal language does. Save your formal language for the Writing test.
Lastly, DO NOT REPEAT YOURSELF! Repetition can cause a good speaker to score low during the Speaking test. Don’t let this be you. Answer each question with three sentences and move on!
Speaking Part 2
Speaking Part 2 is challenging, but with an expert's help, you can prepare well for this and score high. You should consider Part 2 the most important part of the Speaking test because it is your best chance to show the examiner how well you speak English and the examiner’s best chance to listen carefully to your answer.
During this task, you are given a card with 4 points and are asked to describe a topic. You are also given a paper, pencil, and a minute to prepare.
An example task is:
Describe a day out you had recently.
You should say:
where and when you went,
who you went with,
how you got there,
what you did there and explain what you enjoyed most about the day.
As you can see, you are given a topic with 4 follow-up points. You should try and spend 20-30 seconds on each bullet point and make sure you state at least three things for each point. That’s like giving a 12-sentence answer in your 2-minute speech!
A good way to practice for this section of the test is to use sample answers. This will help you organize your answers, perfect your timing, and know which language to use.
Get Prof Prep’s IELTS Prep Material: Speaking Test with Samples from the Prof Prep Bookstore.
Speaking Part 3
Speaking Part 3 is hard! You will be asked to discuss a topic related to Task 2 in depth. Ask questions if you need help! During this section, examiners can help you by clarifying the questions asked.
Some common question types asked during this section are:
Compare and contrast.
Give an opinion.
Speculate about the future.
If you’re needing an overall band score of 7+ you need to score high in Section 3. You’ll need a ton of practice and an IELTS expert’s help will be needed.
CLICK HERE to book a meeting with a Prof Prep instructor.
General Tips
When practicing for the Speaking test, don’t worry about your accent! What you do need to worry about is your pronunciation. Your accent won’t affect your score, but your accent will.
The Speaking Test is not an interview. It’s a casual conversation! Ask questions if you need any help and fix any mistakes that you notice you’ve made. The examiner will only mark your correction. Remember, even native speakers make mistakes.
Don’t worry about time during the Speaking section. The examiner will control the time. Except for part 2, you want to speak for the entire 2 minutes!
Don’t repeat anything you have already said. Examiners usually score too much repetition as a band 5.0.
To score high in the Speaking Parts, you need to use phrasal verbs, collocations, and uncommon English very well. The best way to improve your score is with an IELTS expert to guide you in the right direction.
