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The speaking section of the IELTS examination is an assessment of the oratory skills of the candidate. Additionally, various other skills of the candidate such as active listening, vocabulary, ability to effectively respond to a query, are also assessed in this section. The IELTS speaking test questions can be on different topics. There will be personal questions, questions on general topics, and questions from the topic the candidate can easily speak on.
The IELTS speaking section is crucial and the candidate needs to give relevant answers to what is asked and not crammed or learned answers, many of the candidates are often misguided by giving template answers and also assuring them that they shall acquire good bands, but it hardly happens. In today's article on career360, we shall show you the difference between template answers and real thoughtful answers. In general, a strategized IELTS speaking practice is mandatory for mastering this particular section of the IELTS examination.
The speaking test will assess the student's use of spoken English. The test will be completed in the duration of 11 to 14 minutes where the students have to introduce themselves to the examiner and discuss a topic with an IELTS examiner given to them by the examiner. The speaking test will take place in a quiet room with an examiner. An IELTS examiner tries to make the students feel relaxed and confident. There are 3 parts of the Speaking test.
Let us quickly analyze the parts of the IELTS speaking test.
Part 1 – Introduction and Interview | |
Overview | This is the first part of the IELTS speaking test. During this initial section, the examiner would introduce themselves and ask the candidate to do so as well. Later, they engage in conversations on personal grounds ranging from field of study, manner of work, hobbies, and interests. Part 1 is 4–5 minutes long. |
What skills are involved? | Ability to speak confidently, good vocabulary and grammar abilities, and skill to initiate conversations. |
Part 2 – Task Card | |
Overview | Part two, the individual long turn, involves the candidate speaking on a topic given to them by the examiner. The candidate is given one minute to prepare, during which they can jot down notes. They then speak on the topic, using their prepared points. The examiner stops the candidate at the end of the allotted speaking time. Additionally, the examiner may pose one or two follow-up questions on the same topic. With preparation time included, Part 2 lasts for about three to four minutes. |
What skills are required? | This section evaluates candidates' ability to engage in detailed discussions on a specific subject while maintaining a coherent thought process and using appropriate language with a natural flow. It emphasizes the importance of avoiding memorized or rushed responses. |
Part 3 – Discussion | |
Overview | In Part 3, the candidate and the examiner discuss the topic spoken during Part 2 of the test in a more detailed manner. Part 3 lasts 4–5 minutes. |
What skills are required? | This section evaluates the candidate's ability to analyze, discuss, and speculate on various topics, while also assessing their skill in accurately articulating their thoughts. |
In the IELTS Speaking section, the candidates are assessed based on four parameters namely, Fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and Pronunciation. The candidate is assessed from the moment they start speaking to the time they conclude. Hence, abundant IELTS speaking practice is necessary to ace this section. The following are the four main assessment criteria of the IELTS Speaking section.
Fluency and coherence
Lexical resource
Grammatical range and accuracy
Pronunciation.
Now let us discuss all the four sections in detail:
Fluency and coherence are linked with the ability of the candidate to articulate or express their viewpoints confidently without interruptions. This is one of the most important aspects that shows the prowess of a candidate in effective communication of the language. Candidates can refer to IELTS speaking examples to understand how other candidates speak with fluency and coherence. Any student attempting the answers wherein they sound to have crammed some text shall be graded a low score. Hence, it is recommended that the candidate should prepare to speak on various topics or develop the art of speaking in length to gain high band score.
The Lexical resource is concerned with the vocabulary skills of the candidates. Having a strong vocabulary in any language is advantageous to any candidate because a strong vocabulary is an indication of command over a language. Voracious reading and regular IELTS speaking practice can enhance the lexical resource abilities of the candidate. However, using irrelevant vocabulary or over usage of words may lower the score, the candidate must know the difference between using idiomatic expressions and using direct idioms. Remember that only the natural flow of language will help in getting a good band score.
Grammatical range and accuracy are essential for the accurate articulation of any language not just English. Grammar serves as the basis for any language and it must be given the utmost importance. The candidates are often advised to refer to various IELTS speaking examples to understand how efficiently a candidate can express their thoughts using concise grammatical abilities.
Pronunciation also plays a vital role in the IELTS Speaking Test. Inaccurate pronunciations might lead to disruption while speaking and will eventually affect the flow of speaking. Therefore it is strongly recommended that candidates work on their pronunciation skills if they feel they might be lagging. Efficient IELTS speaking practice can always be beneficial to the candidates to improve in this domain.
In the first part of the IELTS speaking test, the candidate is given a brief introduction by the IELTS-certified examiner. This is followed by personal questions asked of the candidate. These questions can include family, hobbies, interests, work or mode of study, favourite things and so on. Each query of the examiner will be based on the responses given to them by the candidate and hence the candidate should be mindful of the responses given. It is always advisable that the candidate perform well in part 1 of the IELTS speaking test because this leaves a positive impression on the examiner.
Here, we request you to listen to both the audios given below. The Low Band Audio has a student who has learned some answers from a book and has not really used the IELTS speaking strategies and is giving mostly irrelevant answers with some keywords in the sentences that he is speaking. In the High Band Audio, you will find a student who is well prepared and is giving natural answers.
SAMPLES:
Candidates can listen to the speaking sample above designed by Careers360 to have an idea about the questions that have a high probability of being asked in the IELTS speaking section. These samples are designed after careful analysis of the previous year’s IELTS speaking questions and are aimed to help the candidates in their IELTS speaking preparation journey.
We highly recommend that students should strictly not learn the templates and must learn the correct way of answering questions naturally. It is okay to give simple answers rather than chasing fancy words and sounding irrelevant.
Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking section commences immediately after Part 1 concludes. In this section, the candidates are required to speak on a topic given by the examiner for 1 -2 minutes. The topic decided by the examiner is final and the candidate cannot ask for a different topic.
Please check the sample audios of students attempting the cue card by using a template answer versus a natural flow of thoughts. The Low band audio has a template cue card attempted by a student while audio the high band audio has a well-planned structured answer.
SAMPLES:
Now, after listening to both audios, we are sure you are in a position to realize the difference between both the categories of answers and the need to prepare effectively.
The above link is a sample of part 2 (audio 2) of the speaking section of the IELTS speaking test. The candidate can refer to the sample and gain an idea of how to structure their speech, what to include and what not to, how to use effective vocabulary, and give an adequate conclusion.
The last part of the IELTS speaking test comprises an extensive discussion on the topic spoken by the candidate. The examiner asks 5-7 general questions on the topic spoken by the candidate and the candidate is expected to answer them based on their understanding. The type of questions include reasoning questions like why, why not, analogy questions such as comparison between entities, questions involving predictions, undertaking questions from a particular situation etc. The candidate is advised to undergo a lot of IELTS speaking practice to ace the third part of the IELTS speaking test.
Kindly listen to the audio given below to understand the mistakes students make and the need to prepare well.
The Low Band Audio has a student answering with errors while the High Band Audio has perfect answers.
SAMPLES:
The candidates can listen to this sample conversation of part 3 of the IELTS speaking section. This can give them a clear picture of what to expect in the section. The reasoning abilities of the speakers are expressed in the audio and this shows how the candidate must answer the questions.
We are sure that you will be able to realize that candidate 2 will score high bands on the basis of being natural and well prepared.
The candidates are encouraged to attempt all the practice sets of all four IELTS sections, Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. All the practice sets are designed after careful inspection of the previous year’s question paper and with effective practice, the candidates can score big in the IELTS examination.
Yes. It is always beneficial to provide examples while speaking. This showcases the prowess of the candidate in a particular topic and leaves a positive impression on the examiner.
No. IELTS examining body is very strict with the timing. If the candidate speaks beyond 2 minutes, the examiner will immediately stop the candidate.
Yes. It is okay to ask for clarifications but it is always advisable not to ask for too many clarifications as it can impact the overall flow of conversation and the time limit may also be exceeded.
No. No such regulations ask the candidate to not speak in any accent. The basis of the conversation is to make the examiner understand what the candidate is speaking. But if the candidate’s accent is preventing the examiner from comprehending what the candidate is trying to convey, then it is an issue.
The examiner would interrupt the answers given by the candidate in the following three situations:
If the examiner is satisfied with the response of the candidate and wishes to move ahead with a new topic.
If the examiner feels like the candidate is deviating away from the topic and wishes to stop.
If the candidate has exceeded the time limit for speaking.
A band score of 8.5 is a measure of high proficiency in English. To achieve this milestone, the candidate must engage in extensive IELTS Speaking practice and must have a complete understanding of the test format of the section, should practice vocabulary regularly, should use varied sentence structures while answering the questions, answer the questions completely and without using a lot of filler words and stay confident while answering the questions of the examiner.
The four main parameters of the IELTS Speaking section involve Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy and Fluency. The candidates are assessed in the IELTS speaking section based on all four parameters.
It would be better if you practice your IELTS speaking with a study partner or a tutor as individual study for IELTS speaking practice can be challenging because you are not able to recognize your mistakes. The speaking section involves interaction and conversation with another person. So, without a study partner, it can be difficult to gain experience to prepare yourself for a real speaking test.
If you have completed a master's degree in the UK, you might still need to take the IELTS test to qualify for a Permanent Residency (PR) or Work Visa in Australia. While your degree from an English-speaking country like the UK may demonstrate your proficiency in English, Australian immigration authorities typically require a standardized English language test score, such as IELTS, to assess your language skills formally.
For better guidance, Invicta Institute can provide you with detailed information and assistance regarding the specific English language requirements for Australian PR or Work Visa applications. Invicta's experienced counselors can help you navigate the process and determine if your UK degree suffices or if you need to take the IELTS test.
Since you're currently in the first year of your Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com), planning ahead for your MBA abroad is a wise decision. The ideal time to take your IELTS exam is during your third year of B.Com. This timing ensures that your IELTS score, which is valid for two years, will still be valid when you apply for MBA programs.
Hello,
It is very highly unlikely to obtain a legitimate IELTS certificate without taking the exam. Any claims suggesting otherwise are likely scams. It is essential to take the exam through authorized testing centers to ensure the validity and credibility of the certificate.
Hope this helps you ,
Thank you
The IELTS General and IELTS Academic tests serve different purposes, so their difficulty levels can vary depending on your strengths and background. The IELTS Academic is generally considered more challenging, particularly in the Reading and Writing sections. It focuses on language skills needed in an academic setting, including understanding complex texts and writing essays on abstract topics. The IELTS General, on the other hand, is designed for everyday use, such as for immigration or work purposes, and involves more practical tasks like writing letters and understanding basic articles. If you're comfortable with academic English, the Academic test might be manageable, but for most people, the General test is slightly easier due to its more straightforward content.
The IELTS results are typically released 13 days after the test date, but the exact time of release can vary depending on the test center. While some test centers might release results at noon on the 13th day, others might have different schedules. For specific guidance and precise information regarding the release of your IELTS results, it is advisable to contact your test center directly. Additionally, for personalized assistance and expert advice on navigating the IELTS process and studying abroad, you may consider reaching out to Invicta Career Consultancy, which can provide tailored support based on your individual needs and goals, While there are other options available, hence you can pay a visit to their website (icclearning.com) and get consult with them for better guidance. All the best to you.
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