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 the latest posts from the IELTS speaking categories of our IELTS preparation blog. Sign up to receive updates by email or RSS.
IELTS Speaking Part 3 question on the topic of leadership
What are the qualities of a good leader?
I heard from a candidate recently that one of the IELTS Speaking Part 3 questions in their test was about the qualities of a good leader.
As it’s possible that you could get the same (or a similar) IELTS Speaking Part 3 question in your test, it would be a good idea to think about your ideas on this topic now.
To help you do this, here’s a link to an audio recording of some native speakers answering this question. 
The recording is from the elllo website and includes speakers from England, the USA and Canada.
What are the qualities of a good leader? Read the full post »
What do you need to know to improve your IELTS speaking?
The first step to improving your speaking for IELTS
To improve your speaking for IELTS, it’s important to know which aspect of your speaking you need to improve. If you know, for example, that you hesitate a lot when you speak English or that you speak very slowly, you’ll know that you need to create more opportunities for speaking practice to improve your speaking for IELTS.
For some ideas about what you may need to improve, check out the video below to see two IELTS candidates talking about what they need to do to improve their speaking.
(If you can’t view the video above, try viewing it directly on our YouTube channel). Read the full post »
IELTS Speaking Part 2: Meshal
Hi
Check out the video below to see Meshal, a Saudi Arabian candidate in New Zealand, do Part 2 of an IELTS Speaking test.
As you’ll see on the video, I’ve included some comments on how Meshal can improve his speaking and I’ve also said what IELTS band score he got in his test.
(If you can’t view the video above, try viewing it directly on our YouTube channel). 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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