How do you get the IELTS Speaking score you need?
To do well in the IELTS Speaking test and get the IELTS band score you need, it’s important to know about the format of the speaking test and to understand how your speaking will be assessed.
It’s also important to prepare for the IELTS Speaking test by getting as much speaking practice as you can and getting some feedback on your speaking.
For some more advice about preparing for the IELTS Speaking test, have a look at the videos and tips in the IELTS speaking blog posts below.
What happens in the IELTS Speaking test?
The IELTS Speaking test is an 11 to 14 minute face-to-face interview with an examiner.
The test is divided into three parts and the format is the same for both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.
In Part 1 of the speaking test, the examiner will ask you some questions on familiar topics such as your work/study, your family or your interests.
In Part 2, the examiner will give you a particular topic to talk about and one minute to prepare your talk; he/she will then ask you to talk for one to two minutes.
In Part 3, the examiner will ask you more questions related to the topic of Part 2.
How will your speaking be assessed in the IELTS test?
In the test, the examiner will grade your speaking from 0 to 9 based on your spoken fluency, your use of vocabulary and grammar, and your pronunciation.
The examiner will listen specifically to how well you can:
- speak at length, speak at an acceptable speed, organise your ideas and link your ideas together
- use a range of vocabulary clearly and accurately, and find alternative ways of saying things if/when you don’t know the right words
- use both simple and complex language accurately and appropriately
- pronounce words and phrases in an understandable way, and use pronunciation features such as intonation appropriately
Each of these criteria contributes equally to your IELTS Speaking band score.
How much will your speaking score contribute to your overall band score
When you receive your results, you’ll get an individual band score for your speaking (as well as for your listening, reading and writing) and an overall band score.
Your overall band score will be calculated by averaging your individual band scores and then rounding to the nearest whole or half band.
If you score 6.5 for listening, 6.5 for reading, 6.0 for writing and 6.5 for speaking, for example, you’ll receive an overall band score of 6.5 (25.5 ÷ 4 = 6.375 = Band 6.5).
How can you prepare for the IELTS Speaking test
To give yourself the best chance of getting the IELTS Speaking band score you need, it’s important to get as much speaking practice as you can and to get some feedback on your speaking.
If you’d like some individual help with your speaking, have a look at our IELTS tutor profiles or check out our IELTS tutoring options for speaking.
For some more advice about preparing for the IELTS Speaking test, have a look at the videos and tips in the IELTS speaking blog posts below.
IELTS preparation blog – IELTS speaking
Here are some posts from the IELTS speaking category of our IELTS preparation blog that you may find useful:
How to speak for two minutes in Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test
Hi
Check out the video below to see Kevin, a Chinese candidate, do Part 2 of an IELTS Speaking test.
As you’ll see on the video, I’ve said what IELTS band score Kevin got in his test and I’ve also included a suggestion about how to speak for two minutes.
(If you can’t view the video above, try viewing it directly on our YouTube channel or our YouKu channel). Read the full post »
Could you repeat that, please?
Hi
A question about the IELTS Speaking test that I get asked a lot is whether or not it’s okay to ask the examiner to repeat or explain a question if you don’t hear or understand it.
A short answer to this question is ‘Yes, it’s okay, but in Parts 1 and 2 of the speaking test the examiner may only repeat a question rather than explain it’.
Here’s a longer answer:
One way to get more spoken fluency practice
Hi
Imagine this…
It’s your IELTS speaking test and you’re able to give extended answers to your examiner’s questions; you even give your examiner the impression that it’s easy for you to keep talking.
If that was your real speaking test, your examiner might be looking at an IELTS band score of 7.0 or higher for your speaking.
Here’s what it says in the public version of the official IELTS descriptors for spoken fluency:
- IELTS band score 7: “[Candidate] speaks at length without noticeable effort…”
If you need to improve your spoken fluency for the IELTS test, it’s important to give yourself more opportunities to speak in English. Here’s one suggestion for how you could do this: Read the full post »
To see how we can help you improve your English and get the IELTS band score you need, have a look at our IELTS tutor profiles or check out our IELTS tutoring options.
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