Preparation Tips for IELTS Speaking

The IELTS Speaking test is a 10-15-minute interview or conversation between a candidate and an examiner. The Speaking test is the final section of the IELTS Test.

According to the official handbook of the IELTS, the Speaking test has five phases, which are as follows:

1. Introduction
The examiner and candidate introduce themselves. The candidate is made to feel comfortable and encouraged to talk briefly about his or her life, home, work and interests.

2. Extended discourse
The candidate is encouraged to speak at length about some familiar topic, which is either of general interest or of relevance to his or her culture, place of living, or country of origin. This stage involves explanation, description or narration.

3. Excitation
The candidate is given a task card (also called a Cue Card or a Candidate Task Card) with some information on it and is encouraged to take the initiative by asking questions either to elicit information or to solve a problem. Tasks are based on ‘information gap’ type activities. The cue card may contain a topic and some hints, and the candidate is expected to talk about the topic for about 1-2 minutes without any pause.

4. Speculation and attitudes
The candidate is encouraged to talk about future plans and the proposed course of study. Alternatively, the examiner may choose to return to a topic raised earlier.

5. Conclusion
The interview is concluded.

Phase 1 — Introduction
You should:
• State clearly your name and candidate number into the microphone for identification purposes.
• Ask what you should call the examiner if he or she doesn’t tell you.

Phase 2 — About Yourself
During this stage of the test, the examiner will try to find out as much as possible about you as a person.

Remember:
The more information you give at this point, the easier it will be for the examiner to hold a conversation, and the more impressed be or she will be with your fluency. Therefore, don’t give one-word answers such as ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Phase 3 — Asking Questions
In this phase, the examiner will give you a task card. You have to ask questions based on the card’s information to find out about the situation from the examiner, who is playing a role.

The task card the examiner gives you looks something like this…

Sample Task: Describe an interesting historic place you have visited.

You should say:
– what and where it is
– when you went there
– what you saw and did there

and explain why you think this place is interesting.

[ You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Note: Having a partner to prepare for the IELTS Speaking module is a great idea. So, try to work with a partner to prepare for the IELTS speaking test.