IELTS Speaking Test: Format, Parts 1 to 3 and Marking

The IELTS speaking test is a recorded face-to-face conversation with a certificated examiner, lasting 11 to 14 minutes and made up of three parts: an introduction and interview, a long turn on a task card, and a discussion. The format is identical for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, so the same preparation applies whichever version a candidate is sitting.

Performance is marked against four criteria set out in the official band descriptors: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Each carries equal weight in the speaking band, so a weak criterion pulls the overall score down even when the other three are strong, which makes balanced, criterion-led practice more useful than rehearsing set answers.

How does the IELTS speaking test work?

The IELTS speaking test is a one-to-one interview between the candidate and a certificated IELTS examiner, conducted face to face or, at some test centres, over a secure video link, and recorded throughout. It runs for 11 to 14 minutes and follows the same three-part structure for every candidate: an introduction and interview, a long turn on a task card, and a two-way discussion. The examiner identifies themselves, checks the candidate's identity, and then moves through the three parts in order, with no breaks between them.

The test is the same length, structure and marking standard whether a candidate is taking IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training, since the speaking component does not change between the two versions. It may be scheduled on the same day as the Listening, Reading and Writing papers, or up to a week before or after them, depending on the test centre's own arrangements, while Listening, Reading and Writing are always taken together on one day with no break between them.

What happens in Part 1?

Part 1 is a short interview in which the examiner asks general questions about familiar subjects such as home, family, work, studies or interests, and it lasts 4 to 5 minutes. The questions are conversational and direct, intended to let the candidate settle into speaking English and to give the examiner an initial sense of fluency, vocabulary and grammar on everyday topics.

Answers that give a short, direct response and then add a reason, an example or a related detail tend to perform better than one-word replies, because the examiner needs enough connected speech to judge fluency and coherence from the outset. Candidates can ask the examiner to repeat or rephrase a question at any point in the test if they do not catch it, and doing so does not affect the score.

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What happens in Part 2, the task card?

Part 2 gives the candidate a task card describing a topic and listing points to cover, one minute to prepare using the pencil and paper provided, and up to two minutes to speak on it without interruption; including preparation, this part lasts 3 to 4 minutes. The card typically asks the candidate to describe a person, place, object, event or experience and to cover the listed points, after which the examiner may ask one or two brief follow-up questions on the same topic before moving on.

Jotting a short word or phrase against each point on the card during the full preparation minute, without writing full sentences, tends to support fuller, better organised speech once the clock starts. Speaking for close to the full two minutes, with ideas introduced in a clear order and linked by phrases such as first, after that or the reason for this was, supports both the fluency and coherence criterion and the coherence of the response as a whole.

What happens in Part 3?

Part 3 is a discussion in which the examiner asks more abstract questions connected to the Part 2 topic, inviting the candidate to analyse, compare, speculate and justify opinions, and it lasts 4 to 5 minutes with no preparation time. Where Part 1 deals in personal facts and Part 2 in a single described experience, Part 3 asks the candidate to generalise and argue a position, for example on how a practice has changed or what its wider effects might be.

Developing an answer in stages, stating a view, giving a reason, adding an example, and then considering a counterpoint or consequence, gives the examiner the range of language needed to credit grammatical range and lexical resource at the higher bands. A question that is not understood can be met with a request to repeat or rephrase it, and if it still is not clear, continuing with a related point is better than leaving a question unanswered.

How is IELTS speaking marked?

IELTS speaking is marked by the examiner against four criteria set out in the official band descriptors: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation, each weighted equally in the speaking band. Fluency and coherence looks at the ability to keep speaking at a natural pace without excessive hesitation, self-correction or repetition, and at how clearly ideas are linked and ordered using a range of connecting words and phrases.

Lexical resource is judged on the range and precision of vocabulary used, including whether a candidate can paraphrase successfully when a specific word is not available, and whether word choices are accurate, natural and appropriate to the topic. Grammatical range and accuracy covers both the variety of grammatical structures attempted, from simple to complex, and how accurately they are used, while pronunciation assesses whether the candidate can be understood without too much effort from the listener, through clear sounds, appropriate stress and natural intonation, regardless of any particular accent.

Because the four criteria are scored and weighted separately, practice is most effective when each one is checked in turn, going beyond a general impression of overall fluency: a recording can be replayed once for hesitation and linking words, once for repeated or imprecise vocabulary, once for the range of grammar attempted and its accuracy, and once for individual sounds and sentence stress.

Model answer: Part 3 discussion on technology and communication

Task: Some people say that technology has made communication between people easier. Others think it has made real communication more difficult. Discuss both views and give reasons for your answer.

"

I think there's truth in both sides of this. On one hand, technology has made it far quicker to stay in touch with people, especially those who live abroad; a message that would once have taken days by letter now arrives in seconds, and video calls let families see each other even when they're on opposite sides of the world. For practical, everyday contact, that's a clear improvement.

"

On the other hand, I'd agree that something has been lost in terms of depth. When people text or message constantly, conversations tend to become shorter and more fragmented, and a lot of the tone and nuance you'd pick up face to face just disappears. I've noticed that friends who message all day sometimes struggle to hold a longer, more focused conversation when they actually meet.

"

So on balance, I'd say technology has made staying connected easier, but it hasn't necessarily made communication itself better. The two aren't quite the same thing, and I think the challenge now is using these tools without letting them replace the kind of conversation that needs more time and attention.

What this model answer does:

• Signals a balanced structure early (truth in both sides), then develops each side in turn, which supports fluency and coherence through clear organisation and linking phrases such as on one hand and on balance.
• Uses varied, topic-specific vocabulary (fragmented, nuance, depth, practical) without repeating basic words, which lexical resource rewards.
• Mixes simple and complex sentence structures, including a qualified conclusion (it hasn't necessarily made communication itself better), which grammatical range and accuracy credits when used correctly.
• Closes with a personal reflection, going beyond a flat summary, matching the kind of speculation Part 3 questions are designed to draw out.

What is video call speaking?

Video call speaking is an alternative delivery method, available at some test centres, in which the candidate sits alone in a private room at the centre and speaks to the examiner over a live video link instead of in the same room. The content, timing, question types, scoring and security arrangements are the same as the face-to-face version, and the candidate and examiner can see each other throughout.

An invigilator sets up the camera, microphone and headset and carries out a voice check before leaving the candidate alone with the examiner for the test itself. In Part 2, the task card appears on screen, with no paper copy handed over, and the candidate can still use the pencil and paper provided to make notes during the one-minute preparation time; candidates cannot choose between the two formats, since it depends on which delivery method their test centre offers.

How should candidates practise for IELTS speaking?

A weekly routine built around self-recording lets a candidate check their own speech against the same four criteria the examiner uses, giving a more precise picture than a general sense of how fluent an answer sounded. Recording little and often, against a widening range of topics, builds the habit of noticing precise, specific weaknesses.

A practical weekly pattern is to record one Part 1 topic early in the week, listen back for hesitation, filler words and repeated vocabulary, then record one Part 2 task card a few days later, timing the one-minute preparation and two-minute talk exactly as in the test and checking the recording for organisation and range of language. Later in the week, a Part 3 discussion on the same theme as that week's Part 2 card gives practice in developing an argument, and listening back specifically for grammatical range, less common vocabulary used accurately, and individual sounds that are consistently unclear turns a general review into one tied to the published criteria.

Related guides

• What is IELTS? Format, versions and scoring
• IELTS Academic or General Training?
• IELTS band scores explained
• IELTS Listening and Reading raw scores to bands
• IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic)
• IELTS Writing Task 2 essays

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