Format at a glance
The Speaking test is a one-to-one interview with a certificated IELTS examiner. It lasts 11 to 14 minutes, has three parts, and is always recorded. It is the same test for Academic and General Training.
| Part | Time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Introduction and interview | 4–5 minutes | The examiner checks your identity and asks short questions on familiar topics such as home, family, work, studies and interests. |
| Part 2: Long turn | 3–4 minutes | You receive a task card and have 1 minute to prepare. You then speak for 1 to 2 minutes. The examiner may ask one or two brief questions afterwards. |
| Part 3: Discussion | 4–5 minutes | A two-way discussion of more general and abstract issues connected to the Part 2 topic. |
You may take the test face to face in a room with the examiner, or by video call at the test centre with an examiner in another location. IDP and the British Council state that the video-call version has the same content, timing and marking. The task card appears on screen, and you are still given paper and a pencil. Speaking by video call from home exists only as part of IELTS Online.
Exam rule: you are rated on the whole test
The band descriptors state that a candidate is rated on average performance across all parts of the test. A weak answer in Part 1 does not fix your score, so keep going.
Part 1: introduction and interview
After checking your identity, the examiner asks general questions about where you live, or your work or studies. IDP describes what follows as generally one or two more everyday topics, such as music, cooking, the weather or films. The examiner works from a script and introduces each topic with a phrase like “Let’s talk about…”. If your answer is very short, expect a “Why?” or “Why not?”.
Strategy. Answer in two or three sentences: a direct answer, a reason, and a detail or example. One word is too little, and a two-minute speech is too much for a part that covers several topics in four to five minutes. The questions are personal and simple on purpose. Part 1 is where you settle your nerves and show natural, fluent speech.
| Question | Too short | About right |
|---|---|---|
| Do you like cooking? | Yes, I do. | Yes, quite a lot, although I only really have time at weekends. I find it relaxing after a week at a desk, and lately I’ve been trying to learn a few dishes my grandmother used to make. |
Common trap: memorised answers
A rehearsed speech rarely fits the exact question you are asked, and it cannot show the flexible, natural language that the marking criteria reward. Practise topics and vocabulary, not scripts.
Part 2: the long turn
The examiner gives you a task card. It always has the same shape: an instruction to describe a person, place, object, event or experience, the words “You should say”, three short prompts, and a final line asking you to explain something, usually a reason or a feeling. You get one minute to prepare, with paper and a pencil for notes. Then you speak for one to two minutes. The examiner tells you when the time is up, and may ask one or two short questions to round off.
Use the preparation minute well. Do not write sentences, because there is no time. Write four or five key words for each prompt, in the order of the card. Add one or two less common words you would like to use. Decide which real memory or example you will talk about, since real details are easier to keep talking about than invented ones.
Aim for the full two minutes. IDP’s advice is to try to keep talking until the examiner stops you. Being stopped is normal and is not a bad sign. Follow the prompts in order, because they give you a structure for free. Spend the most time on the final “explain” line, which invites more complex language: reasons, feelings, comparisons with the past, what you would do differently.
If you run out of things to say, widen the topic. Tell a short story connected to it, compare it with something similar, or say how your view of it has changed over time.
Common trap: stopping after 45 seconds
A very short long turn gives the examiner little evidence of your ability to speak at length, which is exactly what Fluency and Coherence measures. Time yourself in practice until two minutes feels familiar.
Part 3: the discussion
The examiner moves from your Part 2 topic to wider issues connected with it, discussed in a more general and abstract way and in more depth. In the official sample test, a card about a possession that is important to you leads to questions about how people’s values have changed and about the role of advertising. The questions typically become more demanding: describe, compare past and present, evaluate, predict. The examiner also asks unscripted follow-up questions such as “Can you tell me a little more about that?”.
Strategy. Part 3 is about people and society in general, so move away from “I” and “my family”. Build each answer in steps: your view, a reason, an example, and then a limit or another side (“although that probably depends on…”). That naturally produces the language of comparing, speculating and justifying that higher bands require. All four marking criteria are about language, so there are no right or wrong opinions.
It is fine to think aloud
If a question is hard, say so naturally and begin: “That’s not something I’ve thought about before. I suppose one reason might be…”. At band 8 the descriptors describe hesitation as mostly about content, not about searching for words. A short pause to think about ideas is what fluent speakers do.
The four marking criteria, at bands 5 to 8
The examiner gives a band for each of four criteria. They are weighted equally: the British Council states that each one contributes 25% of the Speaking band. As in Writing, the descriptors say that a candidate must fully fit the positive features of a band to be awarded it, so the rating is cautious by design.
The tables describe bands 5 to 8 in our own words. The official descriptors are published by IELTS and are the authoritative version.
Fluency and Coherence
Fluency is about speed and continuity: can you keep going without long pauses, frequent restarts and repetition? Coherence is about whether your ideas are in a logical order, relevant to the question, and connected with suitable linking words.
| Band | What it typically looks like |
|---|---|
| Band 5 | Usually keeps going, but relies on repetition, self-correction or slow speech to do so. Pauses in mid-sentence to search for fairly basic words and grammar. Overuses a small set of connectors. Simple speech flows; more complex speech breaks down. |
| Band 6 | Able and willing to speak at length, but hesitation, repetition or self-correction sometimes costs coherence. Uses a range of linking words and discourse markers, not always appropriately. |
| Band 7 | Speaks at length without noticeable effort. Some hesitation or self-correction in mid-sentence, but it does not affect coherence. Uses discourse markers and connectors flexibly. |
| Band 8 | Fluent, with only very occasional repetition or self-correction. Hesitation is mostly to think about content, not to find language. Develops topics coherently and relevantly. |
To move up: practise speaking for two minutes without stopping, and record it. Listen for where you pause: between ideas is natural, but in the middle of a phrase signals a search for words. Replace silence with natural fillers (well, let me think, I mean), and extend every answer with a reason and an example.
Lexical Resource (vocabulary)
This covers the range of words you can use, how precisely and appropriately you use them, including collocation and style, and how well you paraphrase when you do not know a word.
| Band | What it typically looks like |
|---|---|
| Band 5 | Enough vocabulary to talk about familiar and unfamiliar topics, but with little flexibility. Attempts to paraphrase, with mixed success. |
| Band 6 | Enough vocabulary to discuss topics at length. Word choice is sometimes inappropriate, but the meaning is clear. Generally paraphrases successfully. |
| Band 7 | Uses vocabulary flexibly across a variety of topics. Uses some less common and idiomatic language and shows awareness of style and collocation, with some inappropriate choices. Paraphrases effectively. |
| Band 8 | A wide vocabulary, used readily and precisely on any topic. Uses less common and idiomatic language skilfully, with only occasional inaccuracies. |
To move up: learn vocabulary by topic (work, cities, technology, the environment, education) and always with its common partners. Practise paraphrasing deliberately: describe an object without naming it. Being able to talk around a missing word is an assessed skill: the descriptors mention paraphrase at bands 5, 6 and 7.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Range means the variety and complexity of your sentences: subordinate clauses, different tenses and aspects, modal verbs, passives. Accuracy means how many errors you make and how much they affect communication.
| Band | What it typically looks like |
|---|---|
| Band 5 | Basic sentence forms are reasonably accurate. Complex structures are limited, usually contain errors, and may force a restart. |
| Band 6 | Uses a mix of short and complex sentence forms, with limited flexibility. Errors are frequent in complex structures but rarely cause problems of understanding. |
| Band 7 | Uses a range of structures flexibly. Error-free sentences are frequent, and both simple and complex sentences are used effectively. A few basic errors persist. |
| Band 8 | A wide range of structures used flexibly. The majority of sentences are error-free. Errors are occasional and not systematic, though a few basic errors may remain. |
To move up: Part 2 and Part 3 invite particular structures, so rehearse them. Past narrative tenses for stories, used to and would for past habits, conditionals for speculation (if that happened, people would…), and comparatives for past against present. Record yourself and listen for one error type at a time.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not about having a British or American accent. The examiner listens for how easy you are to understand, and for features of connected speech: dividing speech into meaningful chunks, rhythm, word and sentence stress, intonation, linking between words, and individual sounds.
| Band | What it typically looks like |
|---|---|
| Band 5 | Defined as in between: shows all the positive features of band 4 and some, but not all, of band 6. |
| Band 6 | Uses a range of pronunciation features with variable control. Chunking is generally appropriate, but rhythm may suffer from misplaced stress or fast speech. Some effective intonation and stress, not sustained. Some words or sounds are mispronounced. Generally understood without much effort. |
| Band 7 | Defined as in between: shows all the positive features of band 6 and some, but not all, of band 8. |
| Band 8 | Uses a wide range of pronunciation features to convey precise and subtle meaning. Sustains appropriate rhythm. Uses stress and intonation flexibly over long stretches, with occasional lapses. Easy to understand throughout. Accent has minimal effect on intelligibility. |
To move up: shadowing is the most efficient exercise. Play 30 to 60 seconds of clear speech, then speak along with it, copying the pauses, stress and melody and not only the sounds. Check the stress of new words when you learn them. Slow down slightly: rushing damages rhythm and clarity more than it helps fluency.
Common traps
- Very short answers in Part 1 and a long turn that ends early. The examiner can only rate the language you produce.
- Memorised answers. They rarely fit the question and do not show flexible language.
- Forcing in idioms or rare words that you cannot use accurately. Precision and natural collocation count for more.
- Staying personal in Part 3. The questions are about society, so talk about people in general.
- Speaking too fast to sound fluent. It harms rhythm and clarity, which are part of Pronunciation.
- Giving up after a mistake. Correct it briefly, or just continue. You are rated on the whole performance.
How the Speaking band is calculated
IELTS states that the four criteria carry equal weight and that their average gives the Speaking score, reported as a whole or half band. It does not publish how that average is rounded. The descriptors only define whole bands for each criterion, and teachers who have worked as examiners report that each criterion receives a whole band and that the average is rounded down to the nearest half band.
Under that convention, criteria of 7, 7, 7, 6 average 6.75 and give band 6.5, not 7.0. One criterion that lags behind can hold back the whole band, which is why balanced improvement matters. Bandwise uses the same convention and labels it as an assumption.
Your Speaking band then counts for a quarter of your overall band. See how the overall band is rounded. Speaking estimates on Bandwise are automated and are best used to compare your own attempts over time.