This page is designed to discuss IELTS speaking. We will cover mainly two things first, what is IELTS speaking and how it is conducted? And second how the candidates are evaluated in IELTS speaking?
What is IELTS speaking and how it is conducted?
IELTS speaking is a face to face interview of the candidates with the examiner. It consists of three parts mainly.
Part 1: the examiner introduces himself and asks some familiar questions about family, hometown, or education. Then he asks four to eight questions on a given topic.
Time: 4 to 5 minutes
Part 2: in this part, the candidate is given a topic on which he has to speak for 1 to 2 minutes. One minute preparation time is also provided
Time: 3 to 4 minutes
Part 3: Part 3 is basically a discussion between the examiner and the candidate. The examiner asks the candidate different questions on the basis of part 2 topic. It is also known as follow up questions.
Time: 4 to 5 minutes
Total time of IELTS speaking: 11 to 14 minutes
Sample example of IELTS speaking test
Part 1
The examiner asks the candidate about himself, work or studies, and other familiar topics.
Example: Leisure time activities.
What do you do in your leisure/spare time?
How do people spend evening time in your hometown?
Is there any difference between the leisure activity of men and women?
Do you have recreational clubs in your home town?
Part 2:
Describe a restaurant you enjoyed going to.
- Where the restaurant was.
- Why you chose this restaurant.
- What type of food you ate in this restaurant.
- And explain why you enjoyed eating in this restaurant.
Part 3
Do people in your hometown go to restaurants for celebrating events? Why?
Which restaurants are more popular in your hometown, traditional restaurants, or fast-food restaurants?
Which age group, according to you, prefers to go to the restaurants more? Why?
Why do youngsters like to go to restaurants more?
How the candidates are evaluated in IELTS speaking?
The candidates are evaluated on the basis of four main criteria or parameters.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
- Fluency and Coherence.
- Lexical Resources.
- Pronunciation.
Grammatical range and accuracy
IELTS is a formal advanced exam which asks the students to use a wide range of grammar. The candidates who are able to use advanced grammar, complex sentences and passive construction with perfection and with minimum mistakes are given a higher band score.
Fluency and Coherence.
You must have understood the word fluency. It means that you are able to speak with a natural flow, without hesitation and stumbling. Coherence means how you are able to connect your ideas with proper liking words and conjunctions.
Lexical resources
Your ability to use words is called Lexical resources. Vocabulary is very important for getting a higher band score in IELTS.
Pronunciation :
Pronunciation is the ability of the student to speak the word with proper tone. Students often mix it with an accent. It is o.k if you are not able to speak like native speakers. your own accent is valid in IELTS.