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Are you sure you know what to expect during your real IELTS speaking test? Here is the full IELTS speaking test (sample test + tips)

INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS - NOT RATED

WHAT FOR: to identify a candidate

TIPS: give very quick and short answers, don’t start a conversation about irrelevant topics

Time: about 30 seconds

EXAMPLE:

Examiner: My name is John Johnson. What is your full name? (comment: your full name is your first name and surname)

You: I’m Sunita Singh.

Examiner: What shall I call you? (comment: give the name friends and relatives call you by)

You: Sunita.

Examiner: Sunita, where do you come from?

You: I’m from Delhi in India.

Examiner: Can I see your identification? (comment: give the examiner your ID document)

You: Here you are. (comment: if the examiner did not ask you all of these questions, don’t worry, it’s ok)

Examiner: Thank you.

PART 1 STRUCTURE:

• on average 9-10 questions (can be fewer, can be more, depending on how long your answers are)

• the first 3-4 questions will be about your daily life (the examiner will choose one of the following topics: work or studies or hometown + 2 more topics from Section 1 of IELTS Speaking Assistant

TIPS: don’t give one-word answers and don’t give too long answers, allow approximately 15 seconds per answer

Time: about 4-5 minutes

EXAMPLE:

Examiner: Now I’m going to ask you a few questions about yourself. Do you work or are you a student?

You: I’m a student and this is my final year at school. Now I’m working hard in order to get passing grades to enter college in Canada. If everything is ok, six months from now I’ll already be studying there. I want to major in Journalism as I like writing essays and articles and want to work for some famous magazine or newspaper. I’m going to do a three-year course at Seneca college.

Examiner: Please, describe your hometown.

You: Well, I come from Delhi which is the capital of India and by far the largest city in the country. It’s a densely-populated place, so the city is always crowded and noisy. Also, Delhi has the highest number of vehicles, therefore traffic congestion is a norm here. Also, it has very rich history. For this reason, it’s really popular with tourists who come to visit our wonderful temples and experience Indian culture. It’s never boring to live here as the city provides a wide array of entertainment options. It is also home to our government and all major institutions.

Examiner: Is that a big city or a small place?

You: Oh, it’s a huge sprawling city. No, to say ‘huge’ is to say nothing. Well, if you manage to view the city from a tall building, you get the feeling that it doesn’t end. It just takes hours to go from one side of the city to the other.

Examiner: Thank you. Now let’s talk about swimming. Do you like swimming?

You: bla-bla-bla

Examiner: How can children learn to swim?

You: bla-bla-bla

Examiner: What is the difference between swimming in the pool and swimming in the sea?

You: bla-bla-bla

Examiner: Thank you. Now let’s talk about noise. Do any noises bother you?

You: bla-bla-bla

Examiner: Are there any sounds that you like?

You: bla-bla-bla

Examiner: Are cities becoming noisier?

You: bla-bla-bla

Examiner: Thank you.

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PART 2 STRUCTURE:

• 1 cue card

• 1 minute to prepare the answer

• 1-2 minutes to speak

TIPS: give good topical vocabulary, some good grammar and an extended answer; if your story is very long, the examiner will stop you because your answer mustn’t exceed 2 minutes; if they asked you to stop, please, stop talking immediately;if you continue talking after you have been asked to stop, you will not get better marks Time: 3-4 minutes

EXAMPLE:

Examiner: Now, I'm going to give you a topic and I'd like you to talk about it for 1-2 minutes. Before you talk you'll have one minute to think about what you are going to say and you can make notes if you wish. Do you understand?

You: Yes.

Examiner: Ok, here's some paper and a pencil to make notes, and here is your topic. I'd like you to describe a piece of clothes that you received as a gift. (comment: then the examiner gives you the booklet with written prompts; you have 1 minute to think about what to say)

Cue card: Describe a piece of clothes that you received as a gift recently. You should say:

• when you received the clothes

• what the piece of clothes was like

• who gave it to you

• explain how you feel about it

(comment: after 1 minute is over) Examiner: Ok. You will have one or two minutes for your talk, so don’t worry if I stop you. Please, start talking now.

You: Oh, there’s a crazy story behind my go-to pair of jeans. Once I saw cool jeans in a shop window of a high-street shop and fell for them. However, I didn’t dare to go and try them on because everybody knows that this shop is for people with deep pockets. Once my mom and I were passing by this shop window. She noticed the way I looked at the jeans and asked me whether I wanted to pop in and try them on. I tried to pretend not to be in the mood for shopping, but she insisted and we entered the shop. It was an amazing pair of skinny jeans, the ones you have to fight to put on, but the torment is forgotten as soon as you see yourself in the mirror. These were dark wash blue jeans with sanding. One might think there was nothing special about them as they were stripped of all details which could justify the price. There were neither zippers nor welts. But they elongated the line of my legs and felt like a second skin. They were perfect because I could match them with anything, be it formal, casual or street style. I looked at the price tag, understood they cost a fortune and made my mom quickly leave the shop. However, I couldn’t help thinking about these jeans. One day I realised that I had to buy them no matter what. Well, I took all the money from my money box and couldn’t wait to purchase them. Much to my disappointment, when I came to the shop, I was told that the jeans had been sold a few days before. I was upset, but I had to put up with this fact somehow. Gradually I stopped thinking about them. Several weeks later on my birthday I found a gift box near my bed. Guess what was inside! Those jeans! It was my mom who bought them and prepared a surprise which definitely was a success.

Follow up questions (comment: the examiner may or may not ask you these follow up questions)

Examiner: Do you often go shopping for clothes?

You: Oh, not as often as I want. (comment: give a short answer)

PART 3 STRUCTURE:

• 2 questions with 3 sub questions for each question; the questions are based on the topic in Section 2

TIPS: you are expected to compare and contrast ideas; allow 45 seconds-1 minute per answer

Time: 4-5 minutes

EXAMPLE:

Examiner: We've been talking about a piece of clothes that you received as a gift, and I'd now like to ask you some questions related to this. What kinds of clothes do people wear after work?

You: Well, to my mind it depends on where people spend this time after work. If they first go to the gym or play tennis and then meet friends for a cup of tea or just to have a chat, they can have jogging suits or warm-ups or any other active casual clothes on. If they plan to have an informal dinner with friends in some upscale restaurant, then girls can put on some blouse or turtle-neck, crisp jeans and a fashionable belt as well as flats or mid-heel shoes and men some long-sleeve shirt and dress trousers with a tipped belt and leather loafers or dressy slip-ons. If people go to some event in an art gallery or theatre and then to dinner with friends, they should stick to dressy casual like a dress or coordinated separates in semi-dressy fabrics for women and a dress or silk sport shirt and dress trousers for men. The shoes should take on a dressier tone both for male and female. If somebody just plans to run errands or go for a massage, they can wear something like cotton pants and a button-down or polo-style shirt with some sneaker-type shoes just to feel comfortable.

Examiner: What kinds of clothes should people wear at work?

You: bla-bla-bla

Examiner: Do you think students need to wear school uniforms?

You: bla-bla-bla

Examiner: Where do people in your country buy clothes?

You: bla-bla-bla

Examiner: Thank you. That's the end of the IELTS speaking test