IELTS Speaking Exam

Speaking practice tests

The speaking test is broken down into three parts:

1. Part 1 is about YOU. They will ask you familiar, everyday questions about your life. This will last around 4-5 minutes.

2. Part 2 is sometimes called the ‘long turn’. You will be given a cue card and you will have 1 minute to prepare your answer. You will then be asked to speak for up to 2 minutes.

3. Part 3 is more abstract. This is your opportunity to really develop your answers and discuss the issues brought up by the examiner. This will last 4-5 minutes.

Vocabulary for IELTS Speaking Part 1

Talking about yourself

· Your past. I grew up in (place), which is . . .

· Your job. I am (currently/presently) . . .

· Where you live now. I’ve been living in (place) for (blank years/month).

· Current plans. At the moment, I’m taking classes at . . . and . . .

· Future plans. I’m hoping to . . .

· Future plans. I’m planning on . . .

Asking for repetition

· Could you please repeat the question?

· One more time?

· I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Would you mind repeating?

Inserting natural phrases

· Well, I’d have to say that . . .

· It’s tough to say, but I’d . . .

· In my opinion, . . .

Negative statements

· I’m not so sure that . . .

· I’m not convinced that . . .

· To be perfectly honest, I . . .

· Between the two of us, . . .

Examples

· For example, . . .

· As an example, . . .

· For instance, . . .

· Perhaps you’re aware of . . .

IELTS Speaking Part 2: the essential guide

Here is my essential guide to Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test. In this guide you can find out everything you need to know.

IELTS Speaking Part 2: what is it?

§ In IELTS Speaking Part 2, you give a talk.

§ Your talk should be between one and two minutes.

§ It’s your chance to show the examiner how well you can talk for an extended period.

§ Many people call it “The Long Turn” because it is your turn to speak for a long time.

§ 2 minutes doesn’t seem like a long time, but if you’ve never done it before, it can seem like forever!

So get prepared! Keep reading…

IELTS Speaking Part 2: what happens?

In IELTS Speaking Part 2, the examiner will ask you to speak for between one and two minutes on a topic.

1. The IELTS examiner will give you a topic card. On the card, there will be a short description of a topic, with some ideas for what to include. The topic will be related to your personal experience, for example your favourite teacher or a beautiful place in your country.

2. The examiner will give you one minute to prepare your talk. You will be given a piece of paper to write down some ideas. You could make a list of ideas and keywords, or draw a mind map.

3. After one minute, the examiner will ask you to you to start your talk.

4. You give your talk. You are expected to speak, without interruption from the examiner, for between one and two minutes. The examiner will listen and say nothing, but he might nod and gesture in order to encourage you to continue talking.

5. After 2 minutes (or earlier if you have finished talking) the examiner will interrupt and ask you one or two extra questions about the topic. You should only spend a few seconds answering these questions.

6. Then, you go straight into IELTS Speaking Part 3

What is the IELTS examiner looking for?

In IELTS Speaking Part 2, the IELTS examiner will assess your speaking task against the IELTS assessment criteria. There are 4 areas: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.

To get a band score of 8.0, this is what you must achieve in these 4 areas:

§ Fluency and Coherence: you should speak fluently with only an occasional hesitation. Your talk should be coherent and well-structured.

§ Lexical Resource: you should paraphrase the task (see below), use a wide range of language appropriately with some idiomatic language (some mistakes are accepted).

§ Grammar: you should be using a wide range of grammatical structures with only occasional errors.

§ Pronunciation: your pronunciation should be easy to understand throughout with very few difficulties for the examiner.

Typical IELTS Speaking Part 2 Topics

IELTS Speaking task 2 topics are related to personal experiences and life events. Typical topics include:

§ school, study and work

§ important events or changes in your life

§ places you’ve been to or want to visit in the future

§ hobbies and free time activities

§ goals and ambitions

Look through this slideshow. I’ve included some typical IELTS speaking part 2 topics here. Think about how you might talk about these things.

Tips for IELTS Speaking Part 2

Now you know all the basic information about IELTS Speaking part 2. Now it’s time for some tips.

1. Make notes before you talk

The examiner will give you one minute to prepare your talk. You should write down some notes. Write down a list of words related to what you want to say, or draw a mind map. If you have to think about what to say when you’re talking, you will not be able to think about your language, so you are more likely to make grammatical mistakes. It’s also very common for candidates to panic when they are talking, and forget what to say; if you have notes, you won’t forget what to say if you panic.

Make it easier for yourself. Make notes before you start talking.

2. Memorise a good opener

Starting your talk is difficult, so memorise an opening phrase.

Here are some good examples:

§ “I’d like to talk about…”

§ “Well, there are many _________ I could talk about, but I suppose the __________ I’ve experienced/had is/was….”

(The second example will help you get a better score than the others because the language is more advanced, but use the first example if the second sentence is too difficult to remember.)

For example, if your topic is “describe your favourite teacher”, you could say:

§ “I’d like to talk about my favourite teacher.”

§ “Well, there are many good teachers who I could talk about, but I suppose the favourite teacher I’ve had was…”

If your topic is “describe a beautiful place to visit in your country”, you could say

§ “I’d like to talk about a beautiful place in my country.”

§ “Well, there are many beautiful places which I could talk about, but I suppose the most beautiful place I’ve been to is….”

A good opener will impress the examiner, but the next tip will impress him even more…

3. Paraphrase the topic

When referring to the topic, don’t use the words from the topic card. Instead, use your own words. This is called paraphrasing.

So, if the topic is “describe a beautiful place to visit in your country” don’t say:

“I’m going to describe a beautiful place to visit in China.”

Instead, say, for example:

“I’m going to talk about a stunning destination, which people can travel to in the north-east of China.”

Paraphrasing lets you show the examiner how much vocabulary and grammar you know. In the paraphrase above, I changed “place” to “destination” and changed the adjective “beautiful” to “stunning“. I also used a relative clause “whichpeople can travel to…”. I also added in some extra information: “the north-east of China.” Remember, together, grammar and vocabulary make up 50% of your marks, so it is very important to use a wide range of grammar and vocabulary.

4. Keep talking

Try to keep talking…and talking…and talking. Don’t worry about the time. The examiner will stop you after 2 minutes.

5. Make eye contact with the examiner

Make sure you look up from your notes and topic card and make eye contact with the examiner when you are speaking. But don’t stare at him!

6. Decide what to talk about quickly (Lie if you need to!)

Sometimes it’s difficult to think of something to talk about. Let’s say you have to talk about your favourite teacher. Remember you have a minute to prepare your talk.

The wrong way: spend your preparation time thinking about who your favourite teacher was.

Was it Mr Smith? Or was it Mrs Jones? What was Mrs Jones like? She was quite interesting, but Mr Smith was quite kind. Oh, but what about Miss Brown, she was quite nice. I’ll talk about her…..

Finally, with only 10 seconds before you must talk, you suddenly remember Mr Black.

Oh, Mr Black. I remember! Yes, he was fantastic! I’ll talk about him!

But now you have to start talking!

The right way: choose a nice teacher you had. Any nice teacher will do. Then write down some words to describe him, and maybe some words to help you describe a story about him that you remember.

Being honest is not one of the assessment criteria. The examiner doesn’t care who your favourite teacher was. The examiner only cares about the language you use in your talk, your pronunciation and your fluency and coherence.

In fact, you could even lie. You could invent an amazing teacher to talk about. However, it is better to think of someone or something from your own experience because it’s usually easier to talk about, but if you can’t think of something to talk about from your own experience, invent it.

The key thing is to decide what to talk about in the first few second, then make notes about it.

7. Ask for clarification

If you don’t understand a word on the topic card or your task, you can ask the examiner to explain. But, don’t just say “I don’t understand.” Instead, use some more advanced phrases.

For example, you could say:

§ “By…., do you mean…..?”

§ “If I understand correctly, it means that….”

§ “So, in other words, I should….”

§ “So, is it ok if I talk about…?”

If you ask for clarification using good language, you will really impress your examiner!

Lets have a look at question 3

“Do you think shopping habits are likely to change in the future?”

This question asks for your opinion and also asks for a prediction about the future.

Opinion: As far as I’m concerned shopping habits will change considerably over the next few years, particularly with online purchases and the use of cryptocurrency to pay for items.
Reason: One reason for this is that most people these days prefer online shopping and carrying paper cash is becoming a thing of the past, as cryptocurrency is gaining in popularity now.
Example: For instance, if I want to buy books, a new PC, clothing or just about anything, it’s often much cheaper and quicker to buy on Amazon, there are options to pay with Apple Pay or Bitcoin when buying online too. Another thing is that very few people use cash now when buying stuff in bricks and mortar stores as shopping is becoming more efficient and digital. In the near future, I think shoppers won’t be carrying paper cash.

Things to remember about Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test.

In part 3 of the IELTS speaking test don’t worry too much about using highly advanced vocabulary or formal words. Of course, you need to have a good level of vocabulary as this is being assessed but the main point of Part 3 speaking is to give a longer detailed answer, with some examples and reasons.Also make sure you stay on topic.

Tip: Give an opinion with detail, give reasons , give examples and stay on topic.

Useful Expressions.

Some useful expressions for introducing your opinion are important to use in part 3 of IELTS speaking. Beware that some of these we cannot use in the writing part of IELTS because they are too informal in writing.

Giving your opinion

As far as I’m concerned…..
If you ask me I think….
To be honest I think….
I reckon…..

Giving the public opinion

Many people would say that…
It is often said that….
It is widely believed that…

Giving Examples

For instance…..
One reason for this is…..
One example is……
Lets take…….. for example
In the case of…..

Saying you don’t know and getting thinking time.

If you are not sure or don’t have a clear opinion never just say ‘I don’t know’, use these expressions below, they sound much better, but you will still need to offer an opinion or example and you cannot ask the examiner for a different question. These are also useful when you need more time to think of a response.

I haven’t really thought about it but I reckon….
It is not something I have considered, however I think…
To be honest, I don’t really know but I would say…
I don’t know much about the issue, however I would say that…..
That’s a tough question, …well I reckon that…..
Well that’s an interesting question, let me see….. I think….

Part 3 of IELTS speaking can be difficult and needs practice because you have to talk in detail and it must sound natural , not like you have memorised an answer or are talking from a script...

7 Essential Strategies for Maximizing Your IELTS Speaking Test Score

1. Remain calm

The more anxious and uncomfortable you are, the more difficult it’ll be to keep up your fluency and maintain coherence. It may feel overwhelming to have to use a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical structures accurately and with the intended meaning. But you have to keep your mind under control. Tell yourself, “I can do this.”

Just remember, the examiner means to help you and it’s her job to make you feel comfortable. The test format is designed to foster (encourage) this as well, as you’ll first be asked some basic questions about familiar topics like family or your home. The examiner may feel a bit “robotic” at times, but that’s due to the scripted nature of the test and the fact that the examiner is focused on administering the test, reading the questions and giving instructions – all this while assessing and grading your language! No wonder they’re tense, it’s a hard job.

Just feel relieved that all you need to do is answer some questions.

In the final part of the test, the examiner will take a more conversational approach when discussing less familiar and more abstract topics. Again, just relax, smile and do your best to speak to the examiner as if you’re really having an interesting and engaging conversation with someone.

2. Know what’s coming

Are you taking IELTS for the first time? Do you honestly know how the Speaking test is structured? Even students who’ve taken the test multiple times can’t answer questions about the structure of the test and how the test is administered. What a huge mistake! Knowing how to take the test if half the battle. Once you know what to expect, you’ll answer questions faster and more easily. Here are some simple questions you should really know the answers to:

· How long is the speaking test?

· How many parts or sections are there?

· What does each part consist of?

· What areas of my language are assessed?

· Who grades my performance – the examiner or somebody else?

If you weren’t able to answer all of these questions, read the test format info page from the British Council’s TakeIELTS site and locate the correct information:

3. Just answer the question!

At the start of the test, just give the information that’s needed rather than expanding too much on your answers. Wait until you hear questions about your home, work, school life and so on before giving more extended answers. Even then, provide relevant answers and avoid rambling on about everything you can think of. Candidates often stray from the topic by going off on tangents – avoid this. Think of structuring your responses this way:

Sample IELTS Speaking question: “What type of weather do you enjoy most?”

OPENING (optional)	Hmm. It’s hard to say because I like all seasons but…
ANSWER	I would say summer would have to be my all-time favorite.
REASON/EXAMPLE	You know, the summer is just great. There are so many things to do outside, you can be near the water, yes…if it’s too hot, it’s better to hang out at the beach. I really love the beach and watersports like surfing…
CLOSE	so, yeah, if I had to choose one, it would be summer for sure.

It should be fairly obvious, but make every effort to answer the question. Don’t refuse or “give up” on the question:

RATHER THAN…	TRY THIS:
I don’t know… I can’t answer that question.	Hmm, that’s a tricky question. Let me think about that… yeah, I guess I would say that…

Then do your best to answer the question! The phrases above are useful for giving yourself some thinking time and could get you out of a jam. Using these “filler” phrases also shows your ability to keep speaking despite facing a difficult question.

4. Remember that the examiner’s lips are sealed

It’s important to understand that the examiner reads from a script, and she can say very little beyond what’s written in her test booklet.

This can lead to some awkward moments if you try to ask the examiner a question.

For example, there are sometimes confusing issues that arise regarding some of the questions that refer to “your home.” Candidates often don’t know whether they’re supposed to talk about their home country or the place where they’re living at the time of the exam (many IELTS test-takers are living outside their home country).

If you don’t understand something, ask the examiner politely to repeat the question. Avoid asking too many questions – your job is to answer the questions and show the examiner what you can do in English. Rather than trying to clarify the “home” issue with the examiner, just indicate which “home” you would like to speak about and use appropriate language to do so:

RATHER THAN…	TRY THIS:
Should I talk about my home country or Boston? *It really doesn’t matter which one you speak about. It’s more important that you address the question and express yourself coherently.	Well, I’d like to talk about Boston, because I’m really starting to feel like this is my second home… Well, I’m only here in Boston for a short time, so I’ll talk about my hometown in [country].

It should go without saying that you shouldn’t try to engage the examiner in conversation before nor after the exam. Just say, “good afternoon” and follow the examiner’s directions. When the test is finished, be polite and leave the room. Don’t try to seek reassurance from the examiner and definitely don’t ask her, “so, how did I do? Was it bad?” Remember, the Speaking test is recorded and the examiner cannot discuss the test or your performance.

6. Get in the habit of answering the question “why?”

If you’ve ever taken the IELTS exam before, you may have noticed that the examiner will respond to simple answers by asking, “why?”

This is because she needs you to say more so she can accurately evaluate your language. However, if the examiner feels like she has to coax information out of you continually by asking “why” all the time, you could be marked down for lack of fluency.

According to the IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors, in order to achieve a Band 6 the candidate must be “willing to speak at length.” Even Band 5 describes a speaker who “usually maintains a flow of speech.” Giving short, one or two-word answers won’t work. Short responses require the examiner to prompt you again and again. All this doesn’t do much to showcase (show off) your language ability. On the other hand, don’t be overly alarmed if the examiner asks you “why” a few times – it’s their job to keep you talking.

OKAY	BETTER
Examiner: What’s your favorite color? Candidate: Blue, I think. Examiner: Why? Candidate: I don’t know. I just like it.	Examiner: What’s your favorite color? Candidate: Blue, I think. Yeah, blue, because it reminds me of the ocean and the sky. I feel calm when I see the color blue. I also like to wear blue – it looks good on me.

7. Implement key phrases strategically

If you’re familiar with the format of the IELTS Speaking test and the types of questions asked, then you can start planning. Think about what you can say in various situations that may arise during the test. For example, the first part of the text will ask you about things like your home, family, work or your life as a student. This is a great time to show off your ability to use the present perfect.

home – I’ve lived in my apartment for two years.

family – We’ve been married for only six months.

work – I’ve been an engineer for fourteen years.

student life – I’ve been studying English for five years.

After asking a few personal questions, the examiner will move on to questions about more general topics. However, you might get caught off-guard by a random question about sunshine, pets or trees in your country. If you’re not sure what to say, use a phrase like, “Hmm, that’s an interesting question…” to buy yourself some thinking time. Here’s a useful group of expressions that may come in handy during the exam.

to give your opinionto show another side of an issue	In my opinion,…I believe (that)…To me,…However,…On the other hand,…Having said that,…
if you didn’t hear/understand something	Excuse me, could you say that again?Can you repeat the question, please?
if you don’t understand a term/word	What does . . . mean?I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with …. What does it mean?
facing a difficult / strange question	Buy yourself some time with these phrases:Hmm, that’s an interesting question… I’d say…Hmm, I haven’t thought about it before, but I would say…I can’t say for sure, but…

This is only meant to get you started. Come up with some other useful phrases and think about how and when you might use them on the exam!

These are set phrases that can be used as a rough guide to help you prepare for your IELTS Speaking Exam.

Learn to use them in context, adapt them, master them and they will help you – but only if used correctly.

Generalising Phrases

If the examiner asks you your opinion about your home, studies, job, or country, you can add one of these ‘generalising’ phrases to show a more relaxed aspect of your language ability.

This is perfect for the introduction part of your IELTS Speaking Exam.

To some extent	To some extent the weather is poor but I do love the city centre when it rains.
On the whole	On the whole, I do enjoy living in Manchester.
By and large	By and large, Manchester United was a wonderful club.

Phrases to enrich a normal answer

It is more than likely that the examiner will ask you some questions regarding your opinion or yourself. In this situation you could enrich a normal answer by beginning with one of these phrases:

I’m pretty sure that…

In my case…

I personally believe/think that…

It’s my opinion that…

Phrases to restate

If you see a funny expression on the examiner’s face and you feel they aren’t following you, first slow down and then use one of these:

· What I meant was…

· To put it in other words…

· Let me explain it to you…

· What I’m saying is…

· Let me put it another way…

Phrases to correct a mistake

If you make a mistake and you’re aware of it, you can either ignore it or acknowledge it with a perfect sentence like:

· Sorry, what I would have liked to say was…

· Let me rephrase what I just said…

· Don’t misunderstand me, what I wanted to say was…

Phrases to get you back on topic

If you find yourself off topic, which can happen when you’re nervous, get back on track with one of these phrases:

· Where was I?

· Anyway…

· In any case…

· To get back to what I was saying…

Phrases to use when giving examples

These phrases, when adapted, are perfect when giving examples:

· Take McKinsley for example…

· To illustrate this…

· A case in point is…

· To show you what I mean…

Similarity Phrases

In Part 3 of your IELTS Speaking Exam you will find yourself in a discussion with the examiner. This is the perfect time to use your Similarity Phrases.

Just make sure you are using them correctly, as these are more advanced and can be a little confusing.

· In the same way	· In the same way as Manchester industrialised, so did Liverpool.
· Just as	· Just as United used to win trophies, so did Inter Milan.
· Similarly	· Similarly, we also studied via the internet.

Phrases to expand and develop

If you want to further develop reasons or explanations, use these phrases:

· What is more…

· Besides…