IELTS Speaking Test is often considered as the hardest module of the IELTS exam but honestly it is the easiest way to improve the overall IELTS score with right preparation. The first step to ace the IELTS speaking test is to be well acquainted with the structure and format of the test. This post gives an overview about the pattern of IELTS speaking test with some example questions and also talks about the factors that contribute to scoring in this exam.
IELTS Speaking Test: Overview
IELTS speaking test, as the name suggests, tests the English speaking abilities of the candidates. The format of IELTS speaking is the same for both the Academic and General Training tests. So, it doesn’t matter whether you are preparing for Academic or General, your preparation strategy for speaking module would be the same.
IELTS speaking test has 3 parts and usually begins with the ID check by the examiner. The speaking test generally concludes within 11-14 minutes. During the test, you will talk on a variety of topics with an IELTS examiner in a quiet room. The IELTS examiner will guide you through the different parts of the IELTS speaking test and will encourage you to speak and express your thoughts.
IELTS Speaking Test: Part 1
The first part of IELTS Speaking test is based on Introduction and questions about familiar topics. What this means is that in this part you will be asked various questions about yourself or some common day-to-day topics. Part 1 of the test begins with the examiner asking you to state your name and show your identification. After that the examiner may ask any question on some common topic such as family, hobbies, work, study, interests etc. For example:
- What kind of music you like?
- Do you have a pet?
- What is your educational background?
- What kind of food you like?
- Do you enjoy travelling?
The length of PART 1 is 4 to 5 minutes and the aim is to make you feel comfortable. This part assesses your ability to communicate opinions and information on everyday topics by answering a range of questions. Also, this part gives the examiner a general idea of your English language ability. It is important to be as natural as possible while communicating.
The examiner will prompt you to extend your response with a “why?” or “why not?” if your answer is too short. For example if the question is ‘Do you enjoy travelling?’. And if you answer with a simple ‘YES’ or ‘NO’, the examiner may follow up with a ‘WHY’ or ‘WHY NOT’ to encourage you to express more.
IELTS Speaking Test: Part 2
Part 2 of the IELTS speaking test is based around a task card. The examiner will give you the task card, on which you will have your topic, and will ask you to speak on that topic. You will also be given a piece of paper and a pencil to make notes. You have 1 minute to prepare your answer, after which you speak continuously for up to 2 minutes until the examiner stops you.
On the card, you will see the speaking prompt and some points you can cover in your talk relating to this. You will have exactly one minute to prepare and make notes before you speak. The examiner will use a timer and will tell you when your time is up. The examiner will tell you when to start your talk and will remind you that they will stop you after 2 minutes. You should try to keep talking for the full 2 minutes. This part of the test assesses your ability to speak at length on a particular topic, using appropriate language and organizing your ideas in a logical way.
The examiner is not checking your knowledge about a topic. So, you do not need to have any specific knowledge about the topic given to you. The examiner is checking the language you use and not analyzing your opinions.
IELTS Speaking Test: Part 3
The part 3 of the IELTS speaking test is an extension of the task card from Part 2. This part of the test follows a question-answer format and lasts for 4 to 5 minutes. In this part, the examiner will ask you some questions related to the topic that you spoke about in Part 2. It a deeper conversation based on the topic you talked about in Part 2.
If the topic in Part 2 was about a beautiful place to visit in your city, then in this section the examiner might begin by talking about beautiful places and the first question might be, “Do you think it’s important to maintain beautiful places in cities?” Other possible questions can be “What is the best time to visit that place”, “How was the weather when you visited” etc.
The examiner will speak more with you in this part and may ask you to justify your opinions to see how well you are able to communicate about abstract ideas compared to the personal topics you spoke about in Parts 1 and 2. The aim of this part is to really push you to use your best English language. Part 3 is a chance to show off your speaking skills and maximize your score in the exam. •When part 3 is over, your Speaking test concludes.
What decides a good score?
A Band score is awarded ranging from 0 to 9 for the below factors:
- Fluency and Coherence – It will be evaluated whether you can speak fluently or you hesitate and self-correct to keep speaking. Also, the examiner will check if your ideas, words, and thoughts string together in a logical way
- Lexical Resource – It’s all about the vocabulary. it will be assessed if you are able to choose the right words and expressions to express your ideas.
- Grammatical Range – Your ability to produce speech that is grammatically correct using both simple and complex structures:
- Accuracy and Pronunciation – your range of pronunciation features in your speech will be assessed. Whether you are understandable, you are pronouncing words correctly or not, you are stressing important ideas or not and if you are grouping words that belong together and making pauses when necessary.
What is NOT important?
- Results from previous IELTS tests – it doesn’t matter if you had scored bad in previous IELTS test. The examiner won’t judge you based on your previous results.
- Your opinions and thoughts – Your knowledge and opinions are not important. Your speaking skills are.
- Your accent – Your accent won’t be scored as long as your speech is understandable.
- Your outfit and appearance – You don’t need to wear a suit to score good marks. It doesn’t matter what you are wearing as long as you are presentable and confident.
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