IELTS Speaking

Module format:
IELTS Speaking is a one-to-one interaction between the candidate
and an examiner. The three parts give the candidate the opportunity
to use a range of different speaking skills.
IELTS Speaking is recorded.
Timing: 11 - 14 minutes

SPEAKING TEST FORMAT

01. Introduction and interview: (4-5 minutes)

You answer questions about yourself, your home, family, job,
studies, interests and other familiar topics.
02. Independent long turn: (3-4 minutes)
You are given a topic verbally and on a card. You have a minute to
prepare a talk.
You speak for 1-2 minutes on the topic, e.g. a person, place, object or
event. You answer one or two follow-up questions.
03. Discussion: (4-5 minutes)
You answer verbal questions, discussing more abstract ideas linked
to the topic of Part 2.

Assessment criteria:
The aim of the test is to assess your ability to communicate
effectively. The interviewer considers this ability in four different
ways:
• Fluency and coherence
• Lexical Resources
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy
• Pronunciation
All criteria have equal weighting of 25%
Part 1:
Introduction and Interview (4 - 5 minutes)
The examiner will introduce himself or herself and confirm your
identity. You answer general questions about yourself, your home,
your job, your interests and a range of similar topic areas.

DOS AND DONTS

• Be aware of question types; the areas covered are fairly
predictable so practise at home recording ideas onto a tape recorder.
• Keep in mind that examiners can assess what they hear. They will
expect you to speak up so don't give one or two word answers.
• Make sure to relate your answer to the interviewer's question.
First, answer the question then give 'Added Information'.
Examiner: Do you have any plans for going to university?
Candidate: That's for sure. I'd like to major in chemical engineering.
Examiner: Do you like swimming?
Candidate: Yes, but I don't get much time to go swimming these
days.
• In general, good answers have 'main and supporting ideas'.
- I love swimming because it's so relaxing. Besides, it helps me be in
shape.
Main idea supporting idea 1 Supporting idea 2
• Use appropriate linking words. Eg- Because, Besides.
- I love swimming because it's so relaxing. Besides, it helps me be in
shape.
Linking word 1 Linking words 2
• If you can't think of a word, simply paraphrase it.
- He's a reliable person.
- He's the sort of person you can always trust /depend on.
- She's so punctual.
- She's never late; always on time.
• Reply by offering a full and appropriate response in each case.
Always add some extra information to your answer; you are unlikely
to get a second chance to answer them, but don't anticipate related
questions. For example, if you are asked what your job is, a suitable
answer would be:
I work for a market research company. We do market research for
companies that are planning to develop new products.

NOT I work for a market research company. We do market research

for companies that are planning to develop new products. My job is
very demanding. It requires strong communication and interpersonal
skills to get the right results. The best thing about my job is the team
that I work with. My work starts at 9 am and finishes at 7 pm.

As this sounds like a 'learned answer' and the examiner’s next

question might be:
- How do you like your job? OR
Tell me about your working hours.
• In order to present yourself in the best way possible, you should try
to sound positive about your past, present and future.
• Listen to the questions carefully and make sure you answer the
question; answer the questions directly and to the point.
• It is important to relax and speak confidently.
• There are a number of expressions used to express your feelings.
- I'm very interested in
- Seems fantastic
- I'm fond of/ I am keen on
- I've lost interest in
- That sounds like fun
- Would be really rewarding/ a lot of fun
- Sounds more interesting than
- Is so absorbing
- I find it really helpful
- Seems pretty difficult
- Is rather complicated
- Was rather difficult
- Was much more difficult in compared with
- Sounds kind of boring
- Doesn't interest me
- To be honest, I don't enjoy

 People You Know – your friends, family members, neighbours,

etc.
 Places You Know – your hometown, country, school or
company, etc.
 Things You Like – your preferences about music, food, books,
art, etc.
 Things You Do – your studies or occupation, your hobbies and
habits, etc.

The common theme among all these topics is that they are personal
and predictable. They are typical ‘small talk’ questions, and the
Examiner expects you to be able to answer them without a lot of
hesitation.

In general, most of the questions in Part 1 fit into three categories –

we can call them Do-You, Have-You, and would -You questions. These
three forms challenge you to use different verb tenses and
grammatical structures.

‘Do You’ Questions

Your first question will usually be quite general, and may be related
to your interest, habits, or preferences:

 ‘What do you do on weekends?

 ‘How often do you listen to music?
 ‘Do you usually watch films at home or go to the cinema?

Questions like these can be answered with simple present tense

verbs, but simple doesn’t mean short.

Try to expand your answers with reasons, examples, and

comparisons:
  ‘On weekends I like to spend time with my friends, because we
rarely see each other during the week. In the summer we
usually visit the beach, whereas in the winter we like to do
indoor activities, like visit museums or play board games.’
 ‘Generally, I only listen to music at home – for instance when I
cook dinner, since music tends to distract me at work.’
 ‘Nowadays I tend to watch movies at home, due to the fact that
there are so many more options available through websites like
Netflix. However, I don’t mind going to the cinema from time to
time.’

‘Have You’ Questions

Very often the Examiner will also ask a question that shifts the
conversation to talking about the past and/or changes that have
occurred over time:

 ‘Have you always enjoyed museums?’

 ‘Has your taste in music changed over the years?’
 ‘Have you ever left a theatre in the middle of a film?’

One of the odd things about the English language is how verbs shift
from the simple to the present perfect, as soon as you add time
related words like always, ever, or over the years. This type of
question checks your skill at using time-related phrases and
switching between past and present tenses:

 ‘Actually, I never used to like going to museums, because I

usually find them dull. But a new museum opened in our city a
few years ago, and the staff there have done a really good job
at showing art that is easy for less-artsy people like me to
appreciate and understand.’
 ‘Yes, quite a lot. In the past I mostly listened to pop music, but
over time I have grown to love classical music, especially
composers like Beethoven and Brahms.’
 ‘Only once, as far as I can remember. I walked out of a film, a
really sappy romantic comedy, after only 30 minutes. But I also
 left because the theatre was freezing cold, and I have never
been back there since then.’

‘Would You’ Questions

You can also expect the Examiner to ask you at least one question
related to future scenarios or hypothetical situations:

 ‘Do you have any hobbies that you can imagine doing as a job?’
 ‘Is there a musical instrument that you would like to learn to
play?’
 ‘Which actor or actress would you most like to meet?’

These sorts of questions are less common in Part 1 of the IELTS exam
(but frequently appear in Part 3). The purpose of these questions is
to test your ability to form conditional statements, which can be a
simple as using I would like to. However, this type of question also
offers you an opportunity to boost your score with a well-crafted
if/then conditional:

 ‘To be honest, I would rather keep my hobbies and my job

separate, because I think that I would lose interest in my
passion if I had to do it for a living.’
 ‘If I ever have enough money, I would love to buy a piano, one
of those huge black ones that you see in symphony halls. But a
small electronic keyboard would also be nice.’
 ‘I think it would be fun to meet Charlie Chapin, if he were still
alive. Among living film stars, however, the person I would
enjoy meeting the most is Dwayne Johnson.’

Notice that these questions require fairly simple grammar. You don’t
need to prepare for any ‘Had you had’ or ‘When will you have’
questions! Instead, you can focus your preparation on mastering
English’s present tenses and adding relevant reasons and examples.
Part 2:
1 Independent Long Turn (3- 4 minutes)
The examiner will give you a topic card, and hand you some paper
and a pencil to make notes.
You have one minute to prepare before speaking for 1-2 minutes.
Topic cards are very general and related to your personal experience.
The examiner will remain silent while you are speaking then will ask
one or two rounding-off questions.

DOS AND DONTS

• Read the topic card carefully.
• Make the best use of the minute given to organise your answer,
and make brief notes for each key word, such as who, what , when,
where, how or why. A common criticism of some candidates is that
they don't plan; you don't impress the examiner if you start
immediately without planning, whatever your level is.
Candidates who don't take notes, tend to describe the general
aspect of the question rather than covering the prompts of the card
and giving specific information.
• Don't write on the topic card.
• Write notes not sentences.
• It may be easier to read and use your notes if you write them in a
vertical list and in order.
• It is important to keep talking, but don't talk about things which
aren't related to the topic.
• As you speak, refer to your notes to organise your answer. lf your
talk is not organised, you will lose marks.
• Remember that the IEL TS test is a communication test; not a
memory test.
If there is something you can't remember, simply use other words
and explain about it.
- I'm not really sure when It happened to me, but I'm sure I was very
young. Is just as good as giving a date.
• Don't worry if you decide to change a little of what you have
planned to say.
Keeping your talk natural and fluent is much important than sticking
rigidly to your notes.

• There are some ways to extend your talk. For example, talking
about your preferences, comparing or contrasting with other
subjects.
• In IEL TS books, you can see a number of topic cards which are
thematically the same, but have different prompts. Make sure to
talk about the question you are asked to talk about NOT the one
you have prepared.
• Don't miss out any questions.
• Don't hesitate for too long when it is time to speak. It's better to
speak about anything than not to speak at all!
• Some introductory prompts that you may use are:
- I'd like to talk about
- I'm going to talk about
- I'd like to begin with
- What I'd like to talk about is
- I've chosen to talk about
- What I'm going to cover is
- To start with
- I'm going to describe how
- There are quite a lot of, but the one I've chosen is
- It's quite a long story.
- The aspect/factor/ issue I've looked at is
• Some phrases to talk about background detail.
- I particularly/vividly/distinctly remember (the day we first met).
- To the best of my memory
- What I most remember about him/her is
- I vividly recall the day I first met him/her
- If my memory serves me well/ correctly,
- The story goes back to the time when I was in school/ college
- It took placed
- happened to me
- happened when I was a kid; at the age often, I think
- Is called - Which is called
- Is located/ situated
- The town has changed somewhat/ dramatically since I was a child
- has been going on
- I have known him/her since/for
- I met him/her by chance
- He/she happened to be there
- I suddenly realised
- I regretted not working harder/ I have no regrets about
- I regretted not doing it earlier
- I wish I'd read more
- I wish I hadn't given it up
- Unfortunately, I didn't keep it up
- Even now, when I think of that day, I feel nostalgic
- If had been more ambitious, I would have been more successful
- I should have made more pragmatic decisions
- I was first inspired by
- What impressed me most was
- I was very impressed by
- Had a strong influence on me
- What influenced me a lot was
- Had a profound impact on me
- Made an enormous impact on me
- Made an impression on me
- Strikes me as a very efficient/ clever/ hard-working person
- What first attracted me to him/her was
- Was a big shock to me?
- Profoundly affected my life
- Had a lasting effect on me
- Changed the way I look at things
- One of the most interesting thing about him/her was
- I find ... (very/extremely/fantastically) relaxing/exciting
- It was such a great experience
- Was an unforgettable experience
- Was truly a memorable occasion
- It was so enjoyable
- It was a pleasurable experience
- It was such a sweet memory
- I was so happy; on the top of the world/
- I was extremely happy and excited; over the moon/
- The interesting point was
- The thing I liked about ... was
- The (main) reason why I like/ dislike
- That appeals to people of all ages
- One thing I'd be enthusiastic about is
- I'm still proud of. ..
- Of course, sounds like a great idea
- Has been my proudest possession.
- I could not believe my ear /eyes/ 11 could hardly believe my luck!
- Was completely unexpected
- It was as surprising
- Has never appealed to me I find it so boring
- Was/is so tedious
- So boring; ... is/was such a pain, drag, chore, nightmare, torture!
- One thing I'd be worried about is
- Totally different/ slightly different/ very similar/exactly the same
- The (main) reason why!
- My first reason why I
- Another reason behind my decision was
- I had always been attracted by the idea of
- The best/worst thing about ... was ... because
- What strikes/ impresses/ delights visitors about the resort most is
its unique surroundings.
- Without doubt, the most interesting thing about [...] is
- In my country, it's the custom to / it's customary to
First, Next, Then, at this stage, Subsequently, Meanwhile, Later, Then,
-During this process, Afterward, Eventually, Finally
• Use a number of adjectives to describe the situation:
It was exciting, thrilling, interesting, pleasing, fascinating, amazing,
absorbing, enticing, appealing, amusing, entertaining, relaxing,
refreshing, embarrassing, soothing, breath taking, astonishing,
rewarding, deserving, satisfying, fulfilling, promising, challenging
It was boring, tiring, exhausting, confusing, puzzling, perplexing,
worrying, frustrating, embarrassing, depressing, heart-breaking,
frightening, horrifying, shocking, nerve-racking, soul-destroying, hair-
rising, nail-biting, discouraging, disappointing, annoying, disturbing,
irritating, distracting, disgusting, tempting ...
• Make your talk as lively as possible.
• Try to relax and tell your interviewer as much interesting
information as you can. !
Don't be afraid to use humour!
• Don't worry if the examiner doesn't look at you. He or she will be
listening and checking the criteria needed for assessing you.
• To cover all the prompts of the topic card, you need to talk about
each question for about 30 seconds. Practice speaking with a watch
and get an idea of how long two minutes is and approximately how
much content you need to cover the task.
Part 3:
Discussion (4-5 minutes)
The examiner will invite you to discuss a number of issues, broadly
related in theme to the
Part 2. The questions will increase in difficulty slightly as this part of
the test progresses.

DOS AND DONTS

• Remember there is no right or wrong answer.
• Try to give informed, interesting and appropriate responses to the
examiner's prompts.
• Try to have a clear understanding of the questions.
• Don't worry if you can't think of a word. You can paraphrase and
get around it.
• Be willing to give extended responses.
• Show your ability by expressing abstract ideas, support your
opinions, point out both positive and negative aspects and speculate
about the future.
• Listen carefully which word to address and build you answer
around.
- What are the benefits of vegetarianism?
Obviously, you need to speak about the benefits. Use a paraphrase
or synonym when answering.
• Use appropriate introductory phrases. You can give an opinion
without using an opening clause, but it will sound very direct. To
soften your responses, it is better to start with an expression such as:
- Personally I think
- In my opinion
- To my mind
• If you are asked to talk a subject you have never thought about, the
most important thing is not to panic. Avoid responding with '/don't
know' or '/have no idea'. To think of an idea or speak more naturally,
you can use the following phrases.
- What I’m trying to say is
- I'm not sure. You could say, but
- I'm fairly certain that
- Well, there's a fifty-fifty chance of
- Generally speaking
- Broadly speaking
- Personally speaking
- Metaphorically speaking
- Practically speaking
- Relatively speaking
- Simply speaking
- Technically speaking
- Roughly speaking
- To put it more simply
- To be more exact
- To put it more accurate
- To be honest/ realistic, I have different views about/ on [. . .}
- I don’t foresee any problems in the future.
- It's almost impossible to predict what will happen
- The (economic) consequences of [. . .} are enormous
- Well, it's difficult to say, but in my experience
- It's a difficult issue
- I think it's a complicated issue
- Well, it's hard to say
- That's an interesting point I think I would have to say
- Beyond any doubt
- It's hard to say. One way of looking at it is, but
- To be honest, that's not something I've ever really thought about,
but I suppose
- Perhaps I should make that clearer by saying
- Let me illustrate my point by
- I'm no expert but I think if you ask me, Er ... maybe this question
requires some expertise, but to the best of my knowledge
- There is no simple solution to the problem of [. . .}
- It's reasonable to say
- The truth (of the matter) is
- As a matter of fact
- In fact, this is an issue of much importance to everyone
- It's a matter of the greatest importance to me
- In fact, many/actors should be taken into account/considered
- There are many different opinions about this issue, but I think
- Well, people have got mixed feelings about that
- Another justification is
- Another reason why
- Another point to keep in mind is
- To my mind, it's quite justifiable/defensible/reasonable/acceptable
- I think it's just fiable in some ways
- I think it depends on
- I think it would be pointless
- I think it's worth
- There are lots of advantages/disadvantages associated with
- ... has both advantages and disadvantages
- Actually, there is a lot of controversy about
- I think this issue continues to be a subject of controversy
- It's such a controversial issue
- It's an issue with lots of pros and cons
- The effects can be both positive and negative, but overall I think the
advantages of . . . outweigh the disadvantages.
- I think the benefits of [. . .] far outweigh its risks
- You can look at this issue from different angles
- Basically, there are two ways to looks at this issue
- I can see both sides
- It's hard to predict
- It's impossible to foresee
- I think …… Should be
banned/outlawed/prohibited/forbidden/prevented/ limited/
restricted
- I think [. . .} should be supported/ promoted/ encouraged/ legalized/
organised
- In a word...
- To recap, I should say...
- To sum up, I should mention...
• When you are asked a 'How question' (How+ adjective/adverb),
you can use an adverb of degree to express your opinion.
Examiner: How important is it to have a regular fitness programme?
Candidate: I think it is highly/incredibly important.
• When you are asked for your opinion on a subject, you can avoid
sounding too dogmatic by using suitable linking words.
e.g. Although, Admittedly, Despite the fact...
- Although computers are very useful in everyday life, I think we rely
too heavily on them.
- Admittedly, it's hard to learn but it's worth trying.
• If you don't know much about a topic, talk about something related
to that topic then explain the connection. This is not ideal, but better
than saying nothing at all!