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Does thinking about the IELTS speaking questions make you anxious?
Is it because you don't feel comfortable with the interview portion of the exam? Are you unsure about the format of the speaking questions? Or are you unfamiliar with the topics you might be asked about?
Learn more about the speaking section of the exam and develop some strategies to nail your IELTS speaking questions!
What Is the IELTS Exam Speaking Section?
It's the last part of the IETLS exam you need to complete. It takes 11-14 minutes.
In both in-person and online versions of the exam, you have an interview with an examiner. The interview is recorded.
You receive a score from 
It's divided into 3 parts: Introduction and Interview, Long Turn, and Discussion.
Part 1: Introduction and Interview
It takes 4-5 minutes.
Be prepared to answer questions about topics such as work, hobbies, home, technology, movies, internet, cooking, etc.
Speak with confidence but keep your answers short. Use a couple of sentences in your 
Be ready to answer follow-up questions such as "Why?" and "Why not?"
Part 2: Long Turn
You have 1 minute to prepare for the topic.
You can take some notes to organize your ideas.
You have 2 minutes to talk about the topic.
After 2 minutes, the examiner will ask 1 or 2 more questions about the topic.
Check your knowledge!
Meet Alex. She's about to answer the following task card in her IELTS speaking exam:
To hear an audio explanation of the above image, press play on the audio player below:
Alex doesn't like sports and doesn't admire any athletes. In this situation, should Alex:
A. Ask the examiner to provide a different topic for discussion.
B. Think of a famous athlete and why this athlete is a role model for people.
C. Discuss why she doesn't like sports.
D. Talk about somebody she admires in a different field, and make a connection with sports values.
Quiz
What do you think Alex can do? Select all the answers that apply.
You may be asked to discuss a topic you're not familiar with, or you don’t have an opinion on. Your general knowledge can help you answer topics you don’t have a strong opinion about. In this example, Alex can't ask for a different topic, as there's only one topic for Part II. A good alternative for Alex is to think about a famous athlete admired by the general public and why people admire them. You can also go a little bit off-topic in this part of the test. Option D can also be a good choice in this case. However, you need to be careful and make the appropriate connections with the original prompt.
Part 3: Discussion
The examiner talks with you in more depth and asks you to justify your opinions.
You need to show your ability to express your opinions, discuss, and speculate about issues.
How Are the IELTS Speaking Questions Marked?
Fluency and coherence
Speech rate and speech continuity
Logical sequencing of ideas, and use of connecting words
Lexical resource
Variety of words used
Adequacy and correctness of the vocabulary you use
Grammatical range and accuracy
Complexity of the grammar resources you use
Number of mistakes that interfere with communication
Pronunciation:
How your speech is understandable to the listener
How noticeable the influence of your first language is
The IELTS speaking part is scored on a scale of 1-9 points or "bands". For each of the above criteria, so you need to consider the scale's description and which band you're aiming to score.
What Else Should You Consider for the IELTS Speaking Questions?
To hear an audio explanation of the above image, press play on the audio player below:Check your knowledge!
Alex achieved a great result in her IELTS exam. Because of that, her friend Jeang asked Alex to help her prepare for the IELTS speaking questions. What are good ways for them to prepare?
A. Practice with IELTS common topics and IELTS practice tests.
B. Learn about the marking criteria and IELTS 9-band scale.
C. Have Alex play the role of the examiner and follow the structure for the speaking questions with Jeang.
D. Time and record Jeang's speaking practice so she can listen to her performances and learn from them.
Quiz
What options do you think are good to prepare for the exam? Select all the answers that apply.
All of the options suggested are good strategies to help Jeang prepare for her IELTS exam. To model what Jeang’s going to face in the exam, it’s important for her to get familiar with the most common topics for the exam and practice each part of the speaking section. Alex can play the role of the examiner to simulate the exam conditions. It’s also very important to understand the marking criteria and the requirements to achieve a certain band on the IELTS scale. Furthermore, a good way to track Jeang’s progress is to record her practice tests. In this way, Jeang can improve her performance according to what she learns from the recordings.
Did you know?
Take Action
Time to speak!
This Byte has been authored by
JOSÉ LUIS ORTIZ SORIA
Language Teacher | Former Web Developer