IELTS Speaking test: What all you should know

The International English Language Testing System is one of the world's most widely accepted English language proficiency tests. It evaluates the candidate's familiarity with the language in four aspects: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. 

IELTS Speaking is one of the essential sections of the IELTS exam that evaluates a candidate's ability to communicate in English. It follows the same format for both Academic and General Training modules. 

IELTS Speaking Format 

The IELTS Speaking section usually lasts for 11-14 minutes and is divided into three parts; 

• Part 1: In this part, the examiner asks general questions about your regular life. It generally starts with familiar questions that are factual in manner. Some common topics in this section are family, friends, work/study, lifestyle, habits, hobbies & interests, and likes & dislikes. This part usually lasts for 4 to 5 minutes.  
• Part 2: In the second part, candidates are given a cue card in which a topic will be written. They are allotted one minute to prepare their answer and speak for one to two minutes. Topics in these cue cards generally focus on tight areas such as your favorite painting, a memorable vacation/ event or incident, your school life, the person you are close with, and your most significant milestone. 
• Part 3: In this part, the examiner will ask you cross-questions about the topic you spoke about in Part 2. These questions are more abstract. For example, if your cue card topic was to describe your favorite sport, The examiner could ask questions such as What are the advantages of playing sports? Do you think school children should be encouraged to play sports?

IELTS Speaking: Assessment Criteria

There are four primary assessment criteria for IELTS Speaking:

• Fluency: Fluency describes your ability to speak for a lengthy period without hesitation, pauses, or repetition. To maintain fluency while answering questions, it is advisable to communicate your thoughts clearly and answer relevantly. 
• Coherence: Coherence refers to the logical flow of ideas. It is an assessment criterion that evaluates how well the candidate can express his thoughts using appropriate words and phrases. 
• Lexical Resource: Lexical Resource can define the candidate's vocabulary range while answering the questions. However, they must mindfully maintain the scope of the new words they use while speaking and avoid their overuse. 
• Grammatical range and accuracy (GRA): As the name suggests, GRA refers to the proper use of the grammatical structures in the speaking test. To achieve a high test score, making correct sentences using a limited grammatical range is advisable to achieve a high test score. 
• Pronunciation: Mostly, pronunciation is misinterpreted with 'accent.' However, candidates are not expected to speak in a particular accent. Instead, this assessment criteria analyzes the clarity.  

Tips for scoring good bands in IELTS Speaking 

• Know the question's intent.

You can answer questions confidently once you know what the examiner expects and wants to know. Here you need to be mindful while answering. Avoid answering in haste if you don’t understand the question; instead, gently request the examiner to repeat the question. 

• Keep eye contact while answering the questions.

Maintaining eye contact while speaking shows you're confident to share your thoughts. It creates a good impression in front of the examiner and helps you convincingly present your answers. 

• Elaborate your answers. 

In the speaking test, the examiner evaluates your English communication skills and expects detailed answers. Therefore, make sure that you justify your answers correctly. Some ways you can do this are by giving examples and presenting facts and figures. This would not only substantiate your responses but also embellish your answers and make you more presentable in front of the examiner.

• Expand your vocabulary 

Vocabulary works as a tool for showing your command over the language. A good vocabulary is a skill that adds up to 25% of your total score. So, make sure you learn new words every day before your speaking test. 

• Practice every day to develop fluency 

Fluency comes with practice and consistency. An excellent way to start is by picking any topic and speaking in front of the mirror. This way, you'll learn about your mistakes and the areas for improvement. Make this a part of your daily routine, and you'll eventually start developing fluency. 

• Know the examiner's accent 

Most of the time, Indian candidates get interviewed by foreign examiners whose accent turns out to be an issue. To ensure that you don't go through the same, begin watching English movies and web series with subtitles to understand how words are pronounced in different accents. 

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IELTS Speaking Test Samples

The below table shows some of the common IELTS Speaking test samples with answers.