IELTS Speaking Task
The IELTS Speaking Task lasts for 11-14 minutes and consists of 3 sections. Section 1 involves general questions, section 2 involves a cue-card and you giving a talk on that topic and in section 3 the examiner asks discussion type questions based on the topic from section 2.
IELTS Speaking Part 1
Part 1 is a 4-5 minute interview with the examiner.
There will be 12 questions based on 3 topics.
The 4 most common topics for speaking part 1 are:
Possible questions:
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- Where do you work?
- What made you choose that job?
- Do you like your job?
- Is there a job you think you would prefer?
- Do you get on well with your colleagues?
- What are your main responsibilities at work?
- What does an average day look like for you?
Possible questions:
- What do you study?
- Where do you study?
- Do you enjoy your course?
- What made you choose that subject?
- What are the best and worst parts about it?
- Do you like the other people on your course?
- What was your first day like?
Possible questions:
- What and where is your hometown?
- Do you like where you grew up?
- How is the transport in your hometown?
- Is it a good place to bring up children?
- What is fun to do there?
- Has it changed much over time?
Possible questions:
- Where is your home?
- Who do you live with?
- Do you like your home?
- Do you live in a house or flat?
- What is your neighbourhood like?
- Do you plan to live there a long time?
- Is it easy to get a good night’s sleep?
Other common topics are: Art, Hobbies, Sports, Clothes, Daily Routine, Computers, Food, Music, Family, Friends, Pets, Weather, Transport and Birthdays.
Prepare yourself by thinking of the main themes within each topic. Create mindmaps and have someone ask you questions related to each topic. Develop word lists for each topic.
IELTS Speaking Part 2
Part 2 is called ‘The Talk’.
You are given a cue-card with a topic and bullet points. You have 1 minute to prepare and then you should talk about the topic for 1-2 minutes. As soon as you are given the card you can start taking notes with a pen and when your preparation time is up the examiner will ask you to start talking.
Aim to keep talking for at least 2 minutes, the examiner will stop you when you have said enough.
Below are some example cue-cards to practice with. Try recording yourself and check for fluency, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. You can also use a stopwatch to make sure you are speaking for long enough.
Describe a country you have visited.
You should talk about:
- Where the country is
- When you visited the country
- What interesting things there are about the country
Describe a time of day you like.
You should talk about:
- What time of day it is
- What you do at this time of day
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- Who you are usually with
-
- Why you like it
Describe an old person you know and respect.
You should say:
- Who the person is
-
- How long you have known them for
-
- The qualities they possess
Describe a family member.
You should say:
- Who they are
- Some things you have done together
- Why you like or dislike them
Describe something that you bought and felt pleased with.
You should say:
- What you bought
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- Where and when you bought it
- Why you bought it
- What made you happy with it
Describe a useful website.
You should say:
- Which website it is
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- How often you visit it
- What kind of information it provides
- What makes it so useful
You can start part 2 speaking by saying something like, ‘I’m going to talk to you about’ and then paraphrasing the question.
IELTS Speaking Part 3
Part 3 is a 4-5 minute discussion with the examiner. You will be asked further questions based on the topic from part 2.
You will have to expand on your part 2 answers giving further and more in-depth explanations. The examiners questions will often require you to link your answers to real world examples.
Some example questions based on travel:
- How do you think travel is different after Covid-19?
- Do you think it is safer to travel now than in the past?
- Is travel a form of education?
- Do you think it is good to have experience living in another country?
- Have you ever been homesick?
- How do you think holidays have changed over the past few decades?
If you have already taken IELTS let me know what questions you were asked in the comments at the bottom of the page!
Also, if you are interested in personalised 1-to-1 classes with an experienced British English teacher you can use the link below for a free trial class.
IELTS Speaking Frequently Asked Questions
IELTS Speaking Frequently Asked Questions
The IELTS Speaking section lasts 11-14 minutes.
There are 3 distinct parts within the IELTS Speaking section. Part 1 – general questions, part 2 – ‘The Talk’ (Cue-card) and part 3 – further questions based on the part 2 topic.
No. You must use the topic that is given. Remember you can use your imagination if you do not have a personal example related to the topic.
There a four marking criteria each worth 25% :
- Fluency and Cohesion
- Vocabulary
- Grammar
- Pronunciation
No, this part of the test is always done face-to-face with an examiner.
No. IELTS speaking is informal so speak as if you are chatting with a friend.
IELTS Listening Task
If you found this IELTS Speaking Guide useful check out the IELTS Listening Task Guide!
Let me know in the comments below if you have any other queries or if this guide was helpful to you!
Really useful!
I’m glad to hear it!