IELTS Speaking is a face to face conversation with an examiner that lasts 11 to 14 minutes. It is the same for Academic and General Training, and it is recorded so it can be checked.
The three parts
| Part | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Questions about you and familiar topics: home, work, study, interests | 4 to 5 minutes |
| Part 2 | A cue card with a topic. One minute to prepare, then up to two minutes to talk | 3 to 4 minutes |
| Part 3 | A discussion of wider, more abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic | 4 to 5 minutes |
How it is marked
The examiner gives a band from 0 to 9 for each of four criteria, and your Speaking band is their average.
- Fluency and Coherence: speaking at length without long pauses, and linking ideas clearly.
- Lexical Resource: the range and accuracy of your vocabulary, including less common words used naturally.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: a mix of simple and complex sentences, and how often errors get in the way.
- Pronunciation: how easy you are to understand, including stress, rhythm and intonation.
Practising on your own
- Answer Part 1 questions out loud in two to four sentences, with a reason or an example.
- Time your Part 2 talk. Use the minute to write three or four words, not sentences.
- For Part 3, give a view, explain it, and compare it with another view.
- Record yourself and listen back for pauses, repeated words and the endings of verbs.