Let’s start with facts about the timing of the IELTS Speaking test
In the IELTS Speaking Test there is one candidate, that will be you, and one examiner.The test is between 11 and 14 minutes long. The complete test is recorded onto a recording device in case your performance needs to be checked by another examiner.There are three parts in the IELTS Speaking Test and each of the different parts give you a chance to use a range of speaking skills.
Now let’s talk about how the Speaking Test is assessed. The examiner will assess your speaking ability in four areas. Firstly, fluency and coherence. What exactly do these mean? Well, fluency means how well you can speak continuously without needing to stop, and coherence means how clearly you organize and join your ideas together when you speak. Secondly, lexical resource, this means using a range of vocabulary to express your ideas clearly. Thirdly, your grammatical range and accuracy. This means how well you can use English grammar. And finally, pronunciation. Now, let’s talk about Part 1 of the speaking test.
In Part 1, you and the examiner introduce yourselves. The examiner checks your identity document, usually your passport, and then the examiner asks you some questions about familiar topics such as work or study, family, the place where you live, or maybe things that you do in your free time. This section of the test lasts between 4 to 5 minutes.
Let’s take a look at what you can expect in Part 1.
Examiner: Good afternoon. My name’s Stephen.
Candidate: Good afternoon.
Examiner: Can you tell me your full name please?
Candidate: My name’s Priya Long.
Examiner: Thank you. What shall I call you?
Candidate: Please call me Priya.
Examiner: Can I see your identification please,Priya?
Candidate: Sure, here’s my passport.
Examiner: Thank you. That’s fine. Now in this first part of the test I’m going to ask you some questions about yourself. Do you work or are you a student?
Candidate: Well, at the moment I’m still studying …
Now, I’ll talk about Part 2 of the Speaking Test. In this part, the examiner will give you a task card containing a topic and some points to speak about. You will then have one minute to prepare and make some notes to use when you are speaking. After this minute of preparation, you need to speak about the topic for one to two minutes. The examiner will just listen to you. Let’s look at an example of Part 2.
Examiner: Thank you. Now in this part of the test, I’m going to give you a topic and I’d like you to talk about it for one to two minutes. Before you start, you have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes if you wish. Do you understand what you have to do?
Candidate: Yes
Examiner: Here’s some paper and a pencil for making notes and here is your topic. I’d like you to describe a memorable trip. Remember you have one to two minutes. I’ll stop you when the time is up. Can you start speaking now, please?
Candidate: Okay, one trip that really stands out in my memory is a camping holiday I did in North Queensland in the Summer of 2014…Finally, let’s look at Part 3 of the Speaking Test.
In Part 3, the examiner asks the candidate some more abstract questions related to the topic that was introduced in Part 2. So, for example, if you had to talk about a memorable trip that you took in Part 2, then the questions in Part 3 will be related to the theme of travel and tourism, but the questions will not ask about your own experiences, but instead will be more abstract. This part of the SpeakingTest lasts 4 to 5 minutes. Let’s see some examples of the kind of questions you can expect in Part 3.
Examiner: We’ve been talking about a memorable trip and I’d like to discuss with you one or two more general questions related to this. Let’s consider first of all the way that people travel. How is the way people travel today different from the way they traveled 100 years ago?
Candidate: Well, there have been enormous changes. I suppose one of the biggest influences has been the development of air transport ……
So now you have some basic information. But remember, although these facts are important background knowledge, there is a lot more to learn which will help you do well in the IELTS Speaking Test.
Watch This Video Lecture: The Format / Introduction of The Speaking Test
.