The IELTS Speaking is the same for both General Training and Academic and assesses your use of spoken English. All speaking tests are conducted face-to-face with a certified IELTS examiner and are recorded in case they need to be reviewed.
The Speaking test takes between 11 and 14 minutes and consists of 3 parts. Part 1 is the first part of the test where the examiner will ask you some general questions about familiar topics like work, family, studies and hobbies.
In Part 2 you will be given a card with a topic. You will be given one minute to take notes on the topic and will be given a pencil and paper to prepare your response. You will then speak on the topic for two minutes. In Part 3 of the interview, you will have a two-way discussion with the examiner where they will ask questions related to the topic discussed in Part 2.
The Speaking test may be conducted on the same day as the other tests or a week before or after the other test parts.
Learn More
Ask IELTS
If you plan to migrate to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK or the USA, taking an IELTS General Training test makes sense. Or if you are planning on studying in secondary education, or enrolling in vocational training, this might still be the right choice.
But if you plan to study in higher education or want professional registration in an English-speaking country, you might need to take an IELTS Academic test.
The Listening, Reading, and Writing parts of the test are completed immediately after each other on the same day. In some test centres, you will sit the Speaking test on the same day, or up to 7 days before or after your test date.
If you take IELTS on Computer, contact your test centre for more information on the Speaking test date.
If you take IELTS on Computer, you will do the tests in the following order on the same day: Listening, Reading and Writing, with the Speaking test before or after this test session.
If you take IELTS on Paper, you will do the tests in the following order: Listening, Reading and Writing. Depending on the test centre, the Speaking test can be done on the same day, or up to 7 days either before or after the test date.
The Speaking test is a discussion with a highly qualified IELTS examiner who assesses your ability to talk about a range of topics. The Speaking test has three parts and is recorded. A description of the three parts of the interview is found in the Information for Candidates booklet.
As IELTS is an international test, a variety of voices and native-speaker accents are used in both the General Training and Academic tests.
Everyone speaks with an accent and you are not expected to change your accent for the IELTS test. Instead, focus on speaking clearly and at a natural pace so that the examiner can understand you. Practising your English every day and listening to different native speaker accents will help you to more clearly pronounce difficult words.
You must bring the same passport or national identity card that you used to book your IELTS test. Your ID will be checked before you enter the interview room and again during the interview.
In your Writing and Speaking tests, there are no right or wrong opinions. The examiner is assessing how well you can use your English to report information and express ideas.
No, not as part of the question. However, topics in the IELTS Speaking and Writing tests could be related to health, so you can use COVID-19 as an example if you want to.
Yes, you can ask the examiner to repeat the question in the IELTS Speaking test. You can also ask for clarification if you don't understand a word or what they are trying to ask.
