IELTS Speaking. Test format

Personally, I love this part of IELTS. It takes the least time – not more than 15 minutes - you’ll finally be speaking to a person, which is a great change from all those booklets and answer sheets, and if you’re able to demonstrate good speaking skills, your preparation time will be minimal and come down to understanding the test format. Speaking of which…

The IELTS Speaking module is the same for both Academic and General training and it comprises 3 parts.

Part 1, which lasts for 4 to 5 minutes, is what I like to call a “social chit-chat”. You’ll be asked some questions on everyday topics concerning some personal information about you, your habits and attitudes to matters of common interest.

Part 2 is a 3-to-4-minute “one-man show”, and obviously, you’ll be the one to perform. You’ll get a card with your task, which’ll have the topic for you to speak on for 1-2 minutes along with the points you need to cover, and some scrap paper to make notes on. You’ll have 1 minute to prepare.

Part 3 is a follow-up discussion; essentially, it’s a 4-to-5-minute extension of Part 2. The idea of this task is to judge your ability to interact in a conversation, to express and justify your opinions, and to explain your views.

Your answer will be assessed by the examiner based on 4 criteria:

• Fluency and coherence – your ability to express your thoughts and link your ideas;
• Lexical resource – that is, the range of vocabulary that you use;
• Grammatical range and accuracy – basically, how good your grammar is;
• Pronunciation – this criterion involves pronunciation of words, your ability to connect them in your speech, your intonation patterns, etc.

To my mind, there’s a certain logic to placing the Speaking module at the end of the exam. When we study English we understand that all the essential language skills are closely intertwined, and progress in one of them is reflected in all the others. Similarly, when you study for a certain IELTS module, at least part of your efforts contribute to preparation for the other three. So, if you’re getting ready for the IELTS exam as a whole - revising your grammar, learning new vocabulary, reading and listening extensively, and even practising your writing - you are already getting ready for the Speaking module. However, there are a few more tips on preparing for IELTS Speaking that I’d like to share with you.