THE IELTS ACADEMIC SPEAKING TEST TUTORIAL

The IELTS Academic Speaking test is the shortest of the components of the IELTS test - only 11 to 14 minutes. In
this short time you have to convince the eaminer !ho !ill "e speaking !ith you of your level of English.
The IELTS Academic Speaking Test is the same for "oth the Academic and #eneral Training modules. The test is
conducted !ith 1 eaminer and 1 candidate. The Speaking test is recorded. The Speaking Test is divided into $
sections%
Section 1 Section 1 "egins !ith some general introductory &uestions. This is follo!ed "y some &uestions on personal
information similar to the type of &uestions one !ould ask !hen meeting someone for the first time. 'inally the
eaminer asks a series of &uestions of ( topics of general interest. )4 - * minutes+
Section 2 Section ( is a monologue )1 person speaking+ "y the candidate. The eaminer !ill give the candidate a card
!ith a su",ect and a fe! guiding &uestions on it. The student must talk for 1 to ( minutes on this su",ect. The
eaminer decides on the eact length. The student has an optional 1 minute in order to prepare for his talk and is
provided !ith some paper and a pencil in order to make some "rief notes. After the candidate-s talk the eaminer !ill
ask 1 or ( "rief &uestions in order to finish off the section. )$ - 4 minutes+
Section 3 .ere the eaminer !ill ask some more &uestions generally related to the su",ect spoken a"out in section (.
These &uestions !ill "e more demanding and re&uire some critical analysis on the part of the candidate. )4 - *
minutes+
Question Tyes
The types of &uestions that come in the IELTS Academic Speaking Test are very general in nature and are designed so
that anyone around the !orld/ regardless of !hat "ackground or culture they come from/ should "e a"le to ans!er
them. The &uestions !ill not "e overly personal and !ill avoid contentious su",ects such as politics/ se or religion.
All the &uestions !ill "e open &uestions rather than closed &uestions. An open &uestion asks the candidate to give an
etended ans!er/ and so have the opportunity to sho! ho! good his English is. A closed &uestion is one that can "e
ans!ered "y a single !ord or a couple of !ords. So/ you !ill not get a &uestion like%
Do you like living in your town?
A student could ,ust ans!er yes. Any ans!ers like this !ill ,ust "e follo!ed "y the &uestion !hy0 so you have to
etend your ans!er )!hat you should have done after the 1yes1 any!ay+. Any!ay/ the &uestion is more likely to "e%
Why do you like living in your town?
.ere the candidate has to give an eplanation and therefore the eaminer hears plenty of English !hich !ill help him
or her evaluate you.
M!"#in$ % IELTS Ac!&e'ic Se!#in$ Test M!"#s( )!n&s !n& Resu*ts
In the IELTS Academic Speaking Test you !ill "e marked in 4 areas. These 4 areas are% 'luency and 2oherence/
Leical 3esource/ #rammatical 3ange and Accuracy and 4ronunciation. 'or the first $/ you get a mark out of 5. 'or
4ronunciation you get a (/ 4/ 6 or 7. 'inally an average is taken to give you your final "and for the Speaking. Let-s
look at these areas in more detail.
'luency and 2oherence% The eaminer grades your fluency/ !hich is ho! easy/ smooth and flo!ing your speaking is.
To get a good grade here/ any gaps in your speaking should "e associated !ith searching for the right idea rather than
hesitancy !ith finding the right !ord or structure. 'or the coherence part/ the eaminer looks at ho! easy you are to
understand. 8oes your flo! of ideas run smoothly/ logically and !ith consistency0 8o you communicate !ell0
Leical 3esource% This mark grades the range of !ords that you use in your speaking test and !hether you use the
!ords in the right !ay/ at the right time and in the right place.
#rammatical 3ange and 3esource% This mark grades your range of grammatical structures/ your accuracy at
producing them and !hether you use the right structure at the right time and in the right place. This is the area that
!orries the candidates the most as it is the dreaded grammar. 3emem"er it is only 1 part out of 4.
4ronunciation% This mark grades you on ho! clearly you speak English.
T+e T+"ee Sections o, t+e IELTS Ac!&e'ic Listenin$ Test
.ere !e !ill look at the three sections in more detail. 3emem"er/ the IELTS test al!ays tries to mirror situations that
you !ill encounter as a student or immigrant in an English speaking country. The speaking test is no different and
each of the sections has a specific purpose. Like all the different modules of the IELTS/ the speaking gets more
difficult as it goes on. The &uestions that are asked in Section 1 are easier than in Section ( and so on. This does not
mean that "y Section $ they are impossi"le "ut they are more demanding linguistically.
Section 1 -. % / 'inutes0
This section is divided into three parts.
i+ The first part involves general introductions. .ere the eaminer checks that he or she has the right person "y
checking the candidates name/ origin and identification. This only takes a fe! seconds.
ii+ In the second part the eaminer asks some personal )not too personal so don-t !orry+ &uestions a"out some familiar
topics such as yourself/ your family/ your home or your !ork9study. These &uestions are the type that people !ould
use !hen meeting someone for the first time. This should last for a couple of minutes.
iii+ In the third part the eaminer chooses ( sets of &uestions from his selection. These sets of &uestions !ill cover
general ideas on a theme of general interest.
Section 2 -3 % . 'inutes0
In this section the candidate has to give a small 1speech1 or monologue on a general su",ect chosen "y the eaminer.
The eaminer !ill hand you a card !ith the su",ect !ritten on it/ along !ith a"out three &uestions on the su",ect in
order to guide and help your speaking. The eaminer !ill then tell you that you have 1 minute to prepare your mini-
talk and he or she !ill give you some paper and a pencil to make some notes during that minute. :ou can refer to your
notes !hile you are speaking. After the minute/ the eaminer !ill ask you to start talking and you must talk on the
su",ect until the eaminer asks you to stop. After he has asked you to stop/ he may ask you 1 or ( general &uestions
a"out !hat you have "een discussing. :ou cannot ask the eaminer for another card. :ou must use the one that he
gives you.
Section 3 -. % / 'inutes0
In Section $ the eaminer !ill ask you a series of &uestions thematically linked to the su",ect that you spoke a"out in
Section (. These &uestions !ill "e of a more demanding nature and !ill re&uire a more analytical and thoughtful
ans!er. :ou !ill also pro"a"ly need to use more comple language as regards grammatical structure and voca"ulary.
Ho1 to &o )ette" in t+e IELTS Ac!&e'ic Se!#in$ Test
There are a num"er of things you can do to have a "etter performance in the IELTS Academic Speaking Test.
'irst of all practice. This is the key to all the different modules of IELTS. ;elo! you !ill find a separate section
devoted to practising the speaking.
<hen you are in the test/ smile and look the eaminer in the eye. Try and "e friendly and look as though you are
en,oying the conversation. This has a "ig effect on the eaminer. If an eaminer has to talk !ith someone !ho doesn-t
talk much/ doesn-t smile at all and !ho clearly doesn-t !ant to "e there/ then it has a negative effect on the eaminer.
;eing nervous is fine. The eaminer understands that and !ill try and put you at ease. ;ut "e friendly. It makes a
difference.
8on-t !orry a"out the occasional mistake. The eaminer !ill epect some mistakes - after all/ English is a foreign
language for you and people make mistakes in speaking foreign languages. The eaminer is not making a note of
every single mistake that you make. This !ould "e impossi"le to do and concentrate on your speaking. .e !ill more
get a general impression of your English accuracy so individual errors don-t matter. =ore important is your
communication.
:ou have to talk. <ithout your talking input/ the eaminer can-t grade you very !ell. Try and give as full an ans!er as
you can so that you sho! the eaminer that you are comforta"le at talking at length and can communicate !ell. 8on-t
do this to etremes though. <hen you have finished !hat you have to say stop. 8on-t try and force more out as it !ill
pro"a"ly "e strained and repetitive. The eaminer !ill see that you have finished and !ill give you the net &uestion.
Similarly/ you !on-t "e a"le to ans!er all &uestions at length. 8ifferent people can talk a"out different &uestions more
and the eaminer kno!s this. If you don-t kno! much a"out something/ say so and then say !hat you do kno!. <hen
you-re finished/ the eaminer !ill give you another &uestion. :ou can-t duck out of every &uestion though - the
responsi"ility is on you to talk.
8on-t try and "e too clever. >ust try and talk normally as that is !hen you !ill perform at your "est. If you try and
etend yourself too much/ then that is !hen you !ill make the most errors.
4erfection is not needed. :ou can still make some errors and get a 5 )not many errors though+. So don-t let making
errors upset you. #et on !ith the talking and concentrate on your communication.
?ne thing that puts candidates off is that the Speaking test is recorded. This is done so that/ if necessary/ the speaking
can "e re-marked. If the "ands for a candidate-s !riting and speaking for instance are very different/ then the
candidate-s test is re-checked. If the speaking !as not recorded/ then this could not "e done. This doesn-t happen very
often. Sample recordings are also sent to the IELTS administration to "e monitored to make sure that eaminers are
doing a good ,o" and assigning the correct "ands. So/ try and forget that the recorder is there and get on !ith
ans!ering the &uestions.
Don2t ,o"$et you" ID3 4ou nee& it !t t+e st!"t o, t+e test5
8on-t give yes9no ans!ers unless you continue !ith a "ecause. It gives a "ad impression. If you do give a yes9no!
ans!er/ you-ll pro"a"ly get a !hy net any!ay.
P"!ctice
As in all parts of the IELTS/ this is the one thing that !ill really improve your "and. There are various things that you
can do to improve your performance.
4repare the types of &uestions for each of the different sections.
Section 1
In section 1 you start !ith personal &uestions such as a"out yourself/ your family/ your home or your !ork9study. So/
sit do!n !ith your dictionary and try and think of all the voca"ulary you !ould need to completely descri"e all parts
of your life/ home/ family and !ork9study. Then sit do!n !ith a piece of paper and !rite do!n every &uestion you
can think of a"out these ideas. Try and come up !ith a"out (@. :ou can then practice them in ( !ays%
i+ #et a friend to ask you the &uestions and practice giving long/ full ans!ers. 8o this again and again. It doesn-t
matter if you do the same &uestion fre&uently/ as you !ill give "etter and "etter ans!ers !ith more and more
information. The more often you practice this/ the "etter you-ll get.
ii+ If you don-t have a friend !ho can do this/ then you can do it "y yourself. :ou ,ust look at your list and imagine
that someone has asked you the &uestion. Then/ off you go. :ou can do this sat at home/ you can talk to the cat/ the
mirror or do it driving on the !ay to !ork. It may feel a "it strange at first/ talking "y yourself/ "ut it !orks and you
!ill improve. :ou don-t have to do either method i or ii/ you can mi "oth. It all helps.
In the second part of Section 1 you have to ans!er &uestions on themes of general interest. These are not complicated
"ut are more demanding than the ones that you did in the part "efore. Let-s say for eample that the theme the
eaminer chooses is travelling. The eaminer !ill have a set of &uestions to ask you. .o! many he asks depends on
ho! long you talk for in your ans!ers. The first &uestion could "e%
Do you enjoy traveling and why/why not?
Then this could "e follo!ed "y%
Where would you like to travel to and why?
:ou can find other sample themes and &uestions in IELTS 4ractice Ao! Buestion 4apers and from other sources.
?nce you have an idea of the types of theme and &uestion/ you can start to make your o!n eamples and practice
ans!ering them in the !ays )i and ii+ a"ove. I have done this !ith classes and it !orks very !ell. Students doing this/
more often than not/ come up !ith actual themes and &uestions from the test itselfCC
Section 2
4reparation and practice for Section ( is similar to the practice in Section 1.:ou have to talk for 1 to ( minutes in
English. Speaking for this time in your o!n language is &uite hard/ so in a foreign language it is harder. The reason it
is hard is that you don-t often talk uninterrupted for 1 to ( minutes a"out anything/ !hether it is in your language or
English. So/ ho! do you get "etter at it0 ;y practising it again and again. Let-s say that your task is as follo!s%
8escri"e a favourite holiday destination that you like.
:ou should say%
<hen you first !ent there.
.o! you get there.
<hat you do !hen you-re there.
And eplain !hy this place is so special for you.
So/ you can see the format of this section. The practice procedure is as "efore. 2heck out other &uestion types and
soon you-re "e a"le to develop your o!n. Then practice them !ith someone or "y yourself. Soon/ talking for ( minutes
!ithout stopping !on-t "e a pro"lem. 3emem"er you don-t have to talk fast or !ithout "reaks. They !ant you to talk
normally. Talk at a normal speed/ pause to take "reaths and take time to consult your notes to give yourself ideas
a"out !hat to talk a"out net.
The follo! up &uestion to end Section ( is not so important that it needs to "e practiced as it only re&uires a fe! !ords
as an ans!er. An eample &uestion from the eaminer for the su",ect a"ove could "e%
"Do you think I would enjoy a holiday in this place too?"
The candidate !ould ,ust "e epected to say something like%
"Oh yes, I think so."
?r%
"Maye not. It !ight e too hot "or you."
:ou can see that nothing very long is re&uired.
At this point I-d like to eplain a"out the 1 minute preparation time and the notes that you can !rite during it. 'irst of
all/ use your preparation time and make notes. ;efore you "egin your monologue/ you !ill have 1 minute to prepare
for it. Some people think that they don-t need the time at all and !ill start straight a!ay. Dery often these people !ill
dry up early and "e at a loss a"out ho! to continue. Ese your time. Someone starting straight a!ay does not get any
advantage at all over someone !ho takes the full minute to prepare.
So/ !hat should you !rite in your notes0 'irst of all/ don-t try and !rite out your !hole talk !ord for !ord. :ou don-t
have enough time. Looking at the &uestion a"ove )!hich is a typical layout for this section+ you can see that there is a
main &uestion )8escri"e a favourite holiday destination that you like.+ and then $ mini-&uestions follo!ing )Say !hen
you first !ent there/ ho! you get there !hat you do !hen you-re there and eplain !hy this place is so special for
you+.
These &uestions are here to help you as they give you ideas to talk a"out and give your talk a "it of structure.
.o!ever/ it asks you to talk a"out these things so you should talk a"out them. In your notes &uickly ,ot do!n one or
t!o ideas for each of the &uestions/ so that they !ill remind you a"out things to talk a"out !hen you look at your
notes during your talk. 'inally/ if you have time/ may"e make a note of something from your o!n eperience
connected to the talking theme. <hen you are talking a"out something from your o!n eperience/ it is easier to talk at
length. 'or eample/ for the &uestion a"ove/ you could "e ,ust finishing and still have 4* seconds left to talk. :ou
could "e saying !hy the place is so special to you. As you run out of ideas you could give an eample out of your o!n
eperience. :ou could say%
1Actually !hy I like the place so much is sho!n from something that happened to me the last time I !as there. I !as
in a restaurant having some food and...1
The su",ect of your story doesn-t matter as you are still on the su",ect of your talk. The main thing is that it-s keeping
you talking.
Section 3
Section $ really carries on from !here Section ( left off. The eaminer !ill ask you &uestions that are thematically
linked to the su",ect that you talked a"out in Section (. 'or eample/ for the &uestion !e looked at a"ove a"out a
holiday destination/ the eaminer might choose to ask you &uestions a"out tourism and the airline industry. The
eaminer !ill have a set of &uestions to ask you. .o! many he asks depends on ho! long you talk for in your
ans!ers. Aone of the &uestions !ill "e of a technical nature or re&uire any specialist kno!ledge as that !ould "e
unfair/ "ut you !ill "e epected to give your opinion on !hat is asked you.
So/ let-s look at some eamples.
Tourism
2an you predict any ma,or changes that could happen in the Tourist Industry over the net *@ years0
2an you compare the tourist industry in your country today !ith the tourist industry !hen your grandparents
!ere young02an you identify some of the factors that have led to the Industry success of the airline industry0
Airline
2an you suggest any !ays in !hich air travel could "e made safer0
:ou can see that the &uestions here are more analytical and re&uire more thought than the &uestions in the
previous sections.
As regards practice/ the procedure is as in the previous sections. :ou need to get someone to do the &uestions !ith
you/ or do them alone and then develop your o!n &uestions and practice !ith them. ieltshelpno!.com 4ractice Tests
also provide practice and often !e provide much fuller eamples. ?ur tests are also at least half the priceC The choice
is yours.
Any!ay/ !ork hard and good luck !ith the IELTS Academic Speaking Test. I hope that this free tutorial has helped
you. ;elo! are links to the other free IELTS academic tutorials.