There are 3 parts to the IELTS Speaking Test and each part will ask different types of questions so they will be answered in a different way.
This page will look at the 3 parts of the test, what questions will be asked and how you are expected to answer.
Part 1 Introduction and interview
This is where the examiner will be asking you questions about yourself and what you like and dislike. You should answer honestly and try to keep the conversation flowing naturally.
Your answers should not be too short (about 3-4 sentences), maybe about 20 or 30 seconds per answer.
The examiner will usually be asking about 3 separate topics and the most common topics include; work, study, home, hometown and accommodation.
To find the most common Part 1 questions then follow this link.
Part 2 The Long Turn
The Long Turn is sometimes called The Talk and is where you need to speak for 1 to 2 minutes about a specific topic. You are given a topic card detailing the question, a pencil and paper and you have 1 minute to prepare an answer.
The Cue Card/Topic Card will look something like this:
Describe a cafe you like to visit.
You should say:
- where it locates
- how the cafe looks like
- what kind of food and drink is there
- and explain why you like to go there.
You can find other recent IELTS Speaking test questions here.
Part 3 The Discussion
This part of the test follows a similar topic to the part 2 question but the questions are more difficult and require longer and more developed answers.
Answers will be longer than part 1, maybe 45 – 60 seconds and are less about you and more about people and society.
It is a great idea to use examples in this part of the test in order to help explain your answer, show more vocabulary and make you more coherent.
An example of a part 3 question and model answer.
Sometimes you may even want to talk about two different points of view, which is a great way to show the examiner your vocabulary along with some good grammar.
Example
“I really love online shopping, although, I find it frustrating not being able to try the clothes on.”
Possible Answer Structure
This is a way to structure an IELTS speaking part 3 answer which may help you to make a better and more complete answer. It won’t work with every answer but can work well with a solution or opinion questions.
The structure is as follows:
Answer – Answer the question
Reason – Give a reason why this is your answer
Example – Give an example to illustrate your answer
This video will explain this in more detail and give more examples and also talk about how to avoid some common mistakes.
The whole IELTS speaking test takes around 14 minutes and has 3 parts. Many students worry about what they will be asked. Remember that they are not going to ask you any topics that would not be considered as general knowledge, so you would have some experience of talking or writing about it. Also, you are in charge of your answer so take it to where you feel comfortable.
If they ask about geography and you hate Geography, then say that and talk about why you hate it so much and what a nasty Geography teacher you had when growing up.