Overview of IELTS SPEAKING TEST – What you need to know

[Micheal Jorden]

IELTS Speaking is the shortest part of the test compared to the other 3 and is usually the last part of the IELTS exam. However, this does not mean that this role should be taken lightly.

So, how do we conquer this short period of 11-14 minutes so that the IELTS speaking test achieves the desired band score?

First, we need to know the overview of the test, including the speaking ielts grading criteria, so that we can come up with an effective study method. Many of you, when you hear about IELTS Speaking, only know that you are going to talk to foreigners without knowing what to say or how to say it. 

A. Structure of the IELTS Speaking Test

1. Exam time

The duration of the IELT Speaking test ranges from 11-14 minutes.

2. Exam format

You will communicate directly in English with foreign examiners. Your score will be scored directly on a scale of 1-9.

3. Exam structure

The structure of the Speaking IELTS test consists of 3 parts:

Contest	Exam time	Content	Concentration skills
Part 1	4-5 minutes	The first part will be a self-introduction between the examiner and the candidate. Candidates will then be asked general questions about familiar topics such as family, work, study, hobbies, etc.	IELTS part 1 speaking focuses on candidates' daily communication ability.
Part 2	3-5 minutes (including prep time)	In part 2, the examiner will provide a topic and ideas that candidates need to talk about on that topic. Candidates have 1 minute to prepare and 1-2 minutes to present their answers; After that, the examiner will ask 2 questions related to the topic the candidate has just answered.	This section focuses on presentation skills on a given topic; Skills in using English to organize ideas in a coherent way.
Part 3	4-5 minutes	The examiner and the candidate will discuss more deeply about the problem posed in ielts speaking part 2; Discuss general, abstract, or difficult aspects of the problem in more detail in Part 2.	This section focuses on the candidate's ability to express and reason when coming up with an idea; Ability to analyze and evaluate situations through communication of candidates.

B. Scoring scale and criteria

1. Scoring and evaluation

Unlike the IELTS Reading and IELTS Listening tests that have a score conversion table, the ielts speaking section will be scored directly on a score from 0 to 9. Your examiner is the person who will talk to you during the test. These are examiners who hold English teaching certificates and are employed by IELTS test centers with the approval of the British Council or IDP.

Scoring for ielts speaking is based on 4 separate criteria, each of which has an equivalent point value compared to the final overall score (25% each).

criteria include:

a. Fluency and coherence 

This criterion assesses the ability to flow and coherence in communication. The two main characteristics of fluency are the speed of speech and the ability to communicate continuously without hesitation or interruption. The main characteristic of coherence is the ability to connect ideas together logically, clearly showing the purpose of communication is debate, story telling, discussion, etc. The ability to use sentence structure, paragraph connection. It also helps you to demonstrate your ability to communicate coherently

b. Lexical resources

This is the criterion for assessing the diversity of your vocabulary. In addition, it also assesses the ability to use words appropriate to the context. Using a lot of words (casual words, academic terms) is not enough. You also have to know how to use them properly and not make your sentences difficult to understand. The ability to explain a problem, a new word using your own language is also in this criterion.

c. Grammatical range and accuracy 

This is a criterion for evaluating the ability to use diverse, accurate and reasonable grammar points. Characteristics of this criterion include the length and complexity of sentences, the ability to use reasonable subordinate clauses and the variety in the sentence structure used. In addition, this criterion also evaluates your grammatical errors in terms of the number of errors as well as the impact of that error on the meaning of the sentence.

d. Pronunciation 

This last criterion focuses on your pronunciation: Can what you say people hear and understand? A key feature of this criterion is whether your pronunciation is offensive to the listener.

You can rely on the above 4 criteria and based on your current score to determine your level through the following table:

The point	Fluency and Coherence	Lexical Resource	Grammatical Range and Accuracy	Pronunciation
9	– Speaks fluently, barely stammering or having to self-correct. Hesitating because of the content, not because of confusion about vocabulary and grammar. Speak in a coherent, coherent manner. Develop the topic Speak fully and logically	Use vocabulary completely accurately and flexibly. Use native language (idiom, phrasal verb ) naturally and accurately	Use diverse, natural and logical grammatical structures. Maintain absolute accuracy in grammatical structure, except for specific errors that even native speakers confuse.	The elements are pronounced accurately and delicately. Maintain flexibility in pronunciation throughout the test. Speak naturally, easy to understand
8	Speak fluently with few stammers or self-corrections. Hesitation is often caused by the content and rarely by the search for words. Develop the topic Speak coherently and logically	Use a full and flexible vocabulary sufficient to convey the exact meaning. Use native language fluently, with few mistakes. Effective interpretation on demand	Use diverse and flexible grammatical structures. Most sentences have no errors, only a few inappropriate or unsystematic errors	Maintain flexibility in pronunciation, with only a few errors. Speak easily. English accent has little effect on listening comprehension
7	Be detailed, complete, and long, but not forced or incoherent. Sometimes hesitating due to vocabulary, grammar or stuttering, self-correction. Use relatively flexible topology and markup	Use flexible vocabulary to discuss a wide range of topics. Use native language, pay attention to style and combinations, but make a few inappropriate mistakes. Effective interpretation	Use a variety of complex grammatical structures. The sentences are mostly error-free. repeating a few minor grammatical errors	Shows positive vocal scores like Band 6 and meets a handful of requests from Band 8
6	Can speak in detail and long, sometimes lacking a pulse due to embarrassment or self-correction. Use a variety of topology and markup, but not entirely logically	Vocabulary is rich enough to discuss some topics in detail and express the correct meaning even if the words are not exact. Relatively successful interpretation	Use a combination of simple and complex grammatical structures, but with limited flexibility. Often makes mistakes in complex structures, hardly causing problems with grasping	Using a variety of pronunciation elements but not well controlled. Pronunciation elements are used effectively but not sustainably. Generally easy to understand, some mispronunciation of words/syllables reduces clarity
5	Can continue the flow of speech but is confused, self-corrects or speaks slowly. Abuse some topology and punctuation.. Fluent with simple spoken parts, but awkward with more complex communication parts.	Can talk about familiar or unfamiliar topics but with limited vocabulary. Tried to explain but it's only good	Use basic grammatical structures appropriately and correctly. Limited to complex structures, lots of mistakes, and can cause problems with idea capture	Shows positives like Band 4 and hits a handful of requests from Band 6
4	Poor reflexes, a lot of embarrassment and procrastination and self-correction. The linking structures repeat a lot, the sentences are linked together reasonably but still limited	Can talk about familiar topics, conveys only basic semantics in unfamiliar topics, and frequently chooses the wrong words. Almost no attempt at interpretation	Use basic and correct sentence structure in simple sentences, but complex structures are rare. Gets a lot of errors and can lead to misunderstandings	The correct way of consonant vowels is still limited, making many mistakes. Mispronouncements often and cause difficulties for listeners
3	Take a long pause while speaking. The ability to link basic and limited sentences. Unable to convey opinions properly	Have a basic vocabulary to talk about your problems. No vocabulary to use for unfamiliar topics	Mainly using memorized sentence patterns. Tried to use simple sentence structures but made a lot of mistakes	There are some characteristics of band 2 and some positive points of band 4
2	Bad communication. Long pauses between sentences	Can only use a few words in a context independent and unrelated to the context	Can't use basic sentence structure	The speaking part can't be understood
first	- Able to communicate in English
0	- Do not take the exam

C. Frequently asked questions in IELTS Speaking test

1. Can I change the subject for IELTS Speaking Task 2?

• You cannot change the subject. The examiner will give you a topic along with a list of main ideas that you can base your answer on.

2. Can I choose a topic for IELTS Speaking cue card Task 2?

• You do not get the topic, the examiner has already chosen for you.

3. Can I take the IELTS Speaking test on the same day as the other 3 sections?

• As a rule, you can register for the IELTS Speaking test on the same day or before or after the remaining 3 tests (the time difference cannot be more than 1 week).

4. How long do I have to talk in Task 2?

• You are required to have an answer that is 1 to 2 minutes long. You should have a long answer from 1 and a half to 2 minutes because the criteria of the IELTS Speaking test score has the length of the answer showing the ability to communicate fluently and coherently (Fluency and Cohenrence).
• Some examples of IELTS Speaking Cue cards part 2:
  • describe a movie you watched recently
  • Describe a skill that was difficult for you to learn
  • describe a time when you missed an appointment

5. Can I speak more than time allows?

• The examiner will check the time and stop you when it's over 2 minutes.

6. Does asking the examiner to repeat the question make me lose points?

• In Task 1, if you do not listen carefully or do not understand the question, you can ask the examiner to ask again without losing points.
• In Task 2, you will be given a piece of paper with the question and ideas you can present for your answer. You are not allowed to ask to change the question and you have 1 minute to prepare your answer. The examiner will then take the test sheet back.
• In Task 3, you can ask the examiner to repeat the question if you do not hear clearly.

7. What should I do if I don't know how to answer the questions in Task 3?

• With difficult topics and questions that you do not intend to answer such as: "How do you think space exploration benefits mankind?".
• If you don't know, you can answer like this: "I'm sure there are benefits for mankind when exploring the outter space but I have never thought about it so I'm afraid I can't give you the answers". This is still a sentence with good English structure.
• Remember, IELTS test is to test your English communication level, not to test your life knowledge.

8. Why won't the examiner allow me to speak anymore?

There are 3 reasons why the examiner does not allow you to speak more in the speaking test:

• Each part of the test has a time limit, you said too much so the examiner decided to stop you to continue to the next part.
• The examiner is satisfied with your foreign language ability, so he wants to quickly move on to the next section to test your other skills.
• Your answer is completely wrong and the examiner wants to ask another question.

9. Will English or American accents get a higher score?

• You should not practice foreign accents for this part, it's just funny ielts vocabulary pdf. It's okay to focus on correct pronunciation so that you can convey information to help listeners understand. The country's accent doesn't matter as long as the examiner understands what he's saying. 

10. How is Part 1 different from Part 3?

• Part 1 is similar to an interview and the questions focus on personal issues in your daily life. Part 3 will revolve around the topic covered in part 2, you will be asked questions that are more general or more abstract or more detailed about the topic in part 2.

11. Am I allowed to include examples in my answer?

• You should include examples in your answer, so your answer will be more convincing. Also, giving examples related to the question also helps demonstrate that you understand what the examiner is asking

12. Am I allowed to ask the examiner?

• No, this is the part of the test where the examiner wants to assess your English and your opinion.

Through the above article, we have had a better overview of the IELTS Speaking Test. We can understand the test sections as well as the skills each test requires. The scoring criteria are also clearly explained so that we can know how to meet the needs of the test and to draw the most suitable IELTS preparation path for you.

Although it is the shortest section (only 11-14 minutes), the amount of knowledge and skills that need to be practiced is as much as the other sections. So, don't be subjective but seriously practice carefully and regularly to achieve the desired IELTS score.