IELTS Speaking description

Paper The Speaking test consists of an oral interview between the test takers' and
format an examiner. All Speaking tests are recorded.

Timing 11–14 minutes

Task There are three parts to the test and each part fulfils a specific function in
types terms of interaction pattern, task input and test takers output.

IELTS Speaking in detail

Part 1 – Introduction and interview

In this part, the examiner introduces him/herself and checks the test takers'
identity. They then ask the test takers general questions on some familiar
Task type topics such as home, family, work, studies and interests. To ensure
and format consistency, questions are taken from a script.

Part 1 lasts for 4–5 minutes.

This part of the test focuses on the ability to communicate opinions and
Task focus information on everyday topics and common experiences or situations by
answering a range of questions.

No. of
Variable
questions

Part 2 – Long turn

Part 2 is the individual long turn. The examiner gives the test takers a task
card which asks the test takers to talk about a particular topic, includes
points to cover in their talk and instructs the test takers to explain one
aspect of the topic. Test takers are given one minute to prepare their talk,
and are given a pencil and paper to make notes. The examiner asks the test
takers to talk for 1 to 2 minutes, stops the test takers after 2 minutes, and
Task type
asks one or two questions on the same topic.
and format
Using the points on the task card effectively, and making notes during the
preparation time, will help the test takers think of appropriate things to say,
structure their talk, and keep talking for 2 minutes.

Part 2 lasts 3–4 minutes, including the preparation time.

This part of the test focuses on the ability to speak at length on a given
Task focus
topic (without further prompts from the examiner), using appropriate

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 language and organising ideas coherently. It is likely that the test takers
will need to draw on their own experience to complete the long turn.

No. of
Variable
questions

Part 3 – Discussion

In Part 3, the examiner and the test takers discuss issues related to the
topic in Part 2 in a more general and abstract way and, where
Task type and
appropriate, in greater depth.
format
Part 3 lasts 4–5 minutes.

This part of the test focuses on the ability to express and justify opinions
Task focus
and to analyse, discuss and speculate about issues.

No. of
Variable
questions

IELTS Speaking - How it's marked

Marking and assessment

Speaking performances are assessed by certificated IELTS examiners. All IELTS examiners
hold relevant teaching qualifications and are recruited as examiners by the test centres and
approved by the British Council or IDP: IELTS Australia.

Scores are reported in whole and half bands. Detailed performance descriptors have been
developed which describe spoken performance at the nine IELTS bands.

Fluency and coherence

This refers to the ability to talk with normal levels of continuity, rate and effort and to link
ideas and language together to form coherent, connected speech. The key indicators of
fluency are speech rate and speech continuity. The key indicators of coherence are logical
sequencing of sentences, clear marking of stages in a discussion, narration or argument, and
the use of cohesive devices (e.g. connectors, pronouns and conjunctions) within and between
sentences.

Lexical resource
This criterion refers to the range of vocabulary used and the precision with which meanings
and attitudes can be expressed. The key indicators are the variety of words used, the
adequacy and appropriacy of the words used and the ability to circumlocute (get round a
vocabulary gap by using other words) with or without noticeable hesitation.

Grammatical range and accuracy

This refers to the range and the accurate and appropriate use of the test takers' grammatical
resource. The key indicators of grammatical range are the length and complexity of the

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spoken sentences, the appropriate use of subordinate clauses, and the range of sentence
structures, especially to move elements around for information focus. The key indicators of
grammatical accuracy are the number of grammatical errors in a given amount of speech and
the communicative effect of error.

Pronunciation
This criterion refers to the ability to produce comprehensible speech to fulfil the Speaking
test requirements. The key indicators will be the amount of strain caused to the listener, the
amount of the speech which is unintelligible and the noticeability of L1 influence.

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 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Part 1

Introduction & Interview

In this part the examiner and the candidate introduce themselves. Examiner then asks
general questions related to the candidate's family/home, work/study, leisure activities, and
a wide range of such familiar topics.

1. In this part, the examiner will introduce the topic first so that you can get an idea about
the questions that are going to be asked and you can develop vocabulary and content
related to that.
2. In the IELTS speaking part 1, you will be asked 11 – 12 questions.
3. This is an interview and you can aim to give short answers with2 or 3 sentences.
4. This part lasts for 4-5 minutes.

Strategy:
Think quickly about the vocabulary words and ideas related to the topic.

Do’s and Don’ts for Part 1:

1. Be confident and don’t hesitate when answering the questions. These questions are about
you, so you know them and can give straightforward answers.
2. Understand how the speaking score is given and what to expect in this part, so that you
won’t have any surprises.
3. Try to use idioms and a wide range of vocabulary appropriately. The vocabulary should be
related to the question.
4. Don’t try to memorise answers, and then try to answer questions from these memorised
answers. By doing so, you are more likely to get a low score.
5. Looking or not at the examiner’s eyes will never change your score, so try to focus on your
speaking and nothing else.
6. You should not give long answers, try to keep your answers short with a maximum of one
or two sentences.
7. Don’t use irrelevant vocabulary or idioms for showing the examiner that you know idioms.
Idioms and vocabulary should be relevant to the question.

Example:

Examiner – let’s talk about flowers

What have you visualized about flowers?
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Variety of flowers, its vibrant colours, who likes the flowers most- men or women, the
importance of flowers..so on..
Vocab – nature, mother-earth, plants, birds, insects, positive effects on mood, a higher
sense of enjoyment, blossom, and so on
Examiner – Thank you! Let’s talk about the open-air market
What about the open-air market?
Place you visited, when, with whom, how long the market is, what that market sells, what
kind of people can visit there
Vocab – vendors, significance, reasonable prices, crowded streets, faring, products that are
sold, existing shopping areas, adorn shop, and so on
===============================================
It’s time to practice, brainstorm ideas and vocabulary words
Record your voice and listen

IN-CLASS CONTENT

Work/study
1. Do you work or are you a student?
2. What work do you do? What subjects are you studying?
3. Why did you choose that job?
4. Why did you choose to study that subject?
5. Do you like your job?
6. Is there anything you dislike about your job?

Hometown
1. What is your town well-known for?
2. How long have you been living there?
3. Do you think you will continue living there for a long time?
4. How has your town changed over the last 20 years?

TV Programs
1. What type of TV programs do you like to watch?
2. What benefits can people get from watching foreign TV programs?
3. In your country is it possible for you to watch any TV programs in English?

Singing
1. Do you often sing?
2. When do you like to sing?
3. Is it difficult to sing well?
4. Do you want to be a singer?
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

5. What kind of music do you like to sing?

How To Frame Your Answers

Using ‘combining details’ to add information:

Question: Do you live in a villa or a house?
Short answer: I live in a villa.
Long answer: I live in a villa with my two brothers and my mother. We also have amazing
neighbours who are like family to us.

Using ‘past comparisons’ to add information:

Question: Do you play any sport?
Short answer: I play cricket.
Long answer: I used to play basketball, but now I play cricket more because everyone in my
locality likes it more.

Using ‘adding reasons’ to add information:

Question: Do you like your job?
Short answer: Yes, I love my job.
Long answer: Yes, I really love my job because I get to apply my knowledge in a practical way.
More words for adding reasons: in addition, moreover, furthermore, additionally.

Using ‘frequency’ to add information:

Question: What do you do on weekends?
Short answer: I dance and play cricket.
Long answer: I usually dance and play cricket, but sometimes I go out for dinner with my
friends.
More words to talk about frequency: always, generally, often, sometimes, occasionally,
seldom, rarely, never.

Using ‘giving examples’ to add information:

Question: Do you get along with your sisters?
Short answer: No, we are not into the same things.
Long answer: No, we are not into the same things, like when we watch TV, we fight over
what to watch.
More words to give examples: for instance, for example, to illustrate, as an illustration, to
give a clear example, such as names.

Practice Exercises

1. Do you like to have flowers in your home?

 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Yes, I do. I think they add a lot of colour to the place. They add a nice natural touch and as
they are only last about a week I usually replace them with some other new variety so
there’s always something different to look at.
OR
Personally, I don’t really bother about having flowers where I live. I just don’t think they are
important enough to go and buy them, arrange them, and water them every day.

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 3

2. Where would you go to buy flowers?

I think each place is good depending on what one needs. The supermarket is convenient and
the flowers are good, but at the florist one can usually find something a little different or out
of the ordinary, and they can usually deliver the blooms as well.

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 3

3. On what occasions would you give someone flowers?

There are events such as funerals when flowers are normally sent or delivered to the family,
and maybe other special occasions such as the graduation of my sister or cousin from
university, because they both like flowers.

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 3

4. Are flowers important in your culture?

They’re a very popular gift to give someone but lots of people prefer to give and 10 receive
other types of gifts too, so I don’t think they are really that important in terms of the culture,
unlike in some other countries may be.

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 3

5. How well do you know the people who live next door to you?
I know them quite well because we’ve lived beside each other for a couple of years now. The
people who live to the right of me, well, it’s a family with young kids, and on the other side
there’s a young couple, I guess they’re in their thirties, but no kids.

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 1

6. How often do you see them? [Why?]

Well, that depends. Sometimes I see them almost every day when I’m at home, but I travel a
lot for work so sometimes I’m away for three or four days at a time so I don’t see them at all.
I suppose I see them more at the weekends than any other time.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 1

7. What kinds of problems do people sometimes have with their neighbours?

I suppose the most common problems would be noisy neighbours, maybe playing loud
music all the time or doing something else that’s annoying. Maybe if they have a dog which
barks all the time that could cause a problem for the other neighbours, or if they have kids
who keep kicking their football into your garden or parking in your parking space for
example.

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 1

8. How do you think neighbours can help each other?

I think it depends if they are good neighbours or not, but in general, they could possibly help
when you have a problem, for example: if you lock yourself out of your home or if you need
someone to be there to accept a package delivered when you’re out or even watch your kids
for a couple of hours.

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 1

9. Which television channel do you usually watch? [Why?]

I don’t really have much time to watch TV, but when I do get some time and opportunity, I
like to watch “Discovery” and “AXN Asia”. I watch Discovery mainly because it allows me to
learn about some of the most amazing and coolest things in the world, and I like watching
AXN because it helps me to improve my English by offering subtitles for the contents the
channel shows.

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 4

10. Which television channel do you usually watch? [Why?]

I don’t exactly enjoy watching advertisements on television simply because I think of them
as a waste of time. Besides, I also think that most advertisements have poor content and try
to deceive prospective customers into buying something that they don’t need.

Source: Cambridge Book 8, Test 4

 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Part 2

Individual Long Turn

Speaking part 2 is also called “The Talk”, and is a monologue. Cue card topics are familiar
topics about which you might have had personal experience, heard from others, watched in
movies or read in some books.

1. You will be given a topic card or cue card.

2. You will have 1 minute to prepare your talk, and
3. Then you will need to speak for around 2 minutes.
4. This part will last around 3-4 minutes.

The cue card section is considered by students as the scariest part since they need to speak
in length on a topic. The doubt that students usually have in their mind is what to do in the
minute time of preparation. In this scenario, preparing a strategy beforehand will be of great
help.

Strategy:
1. Read every part of the cue card prompt carefully.
2. Use the 1 minute time wisely to quickly think of ideas on the topic about which you are
going to speak. Write down relevant keywords that come to your mind in the spider diagram
shown below. This is the opportunity where you can think of the content you would like to
speak and hence, it’s a way you can improve your talk. You would speak better and for long if
you utilize the strategy.

Build your story

Method 1
Answer all sub-questions with elaboration, reason, details, opinions, comparisons

5 Wives 1 Husband

Who How

When

Where

Which

Why
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Build You Story

Method 2
1 - Develop story from Past
2 - Bring to Present
3 - Continue to future

When
Where
What
Why
How

Utilising 1 minute - Note Making using Spider Diagram

Do’s and Don'ts for the 1 Minute Preparation and Speaking

1. Read and understand the topic very well. Sometimes students misunderstand the topic
and speak irrelevantly though they speak a lot.
2. Quickly think of the topic about which you have to speak that you can elaborate further at
the time you speak.
3. Always look for ideas on the topic from your familiarity itself which would make you feel
easy and comfortable to find content for speaking.
4. Note down factual information as your keywords, being more specific as per the focus
question such as for what, when and where questions, you can write “party”, “last month”
and “hotel” respectively.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

5. Do not write full sentences to waste time. Write short words or phrases instead. You may
write down some vocabulary that you can use while speaking.
6. Write the keywords clearly that can get imprinted in your mind well. But do not write
them very slowly and try covering basic points of all questions in the cue 1. card.
7. Write keywords in the circles/ovals in the spider diagram. While you speak, start from the
center circle and move in either clockwise/anti-clockwise direction, covering all points
mentioned in the cue card.
8. Start imagining the situation or creating a picture in your mind to get better ideas.
9. Examiner may be looking at your sheet at the time you are writing the keywords. Do not
feel nervous or conscious, just focus on the cue card.
10. Refer to the keywords written when you are speaking.

Example:

Examiner gives you the following cue card along with a pen and paper:
Describe a party you had attended and enjoyed

■ What party it was

■ Where it was held and who went to the party
■ What you did in the party

Describe why you enjoyed that party a lot

WHAT - Birthday party, youngest brother
WHEN - last year
WHERE - Grand Hotel, New Delhi,
WHICH/ WHO - Family members, close relatives, friends, colleagues
WHY - Fun, relief from stress, amazing, memorable
HOW - Dancing, playing, singing, gossiping, eating delicious dishes

After 1 minute is over, you should speak on the topic using these keywords as follows:
I have attended many parties in my life but the one I would like to talk about is the party
that was held last year. It was the birthday party of my youngest brother and was held at the
Grand Hotel, New Delhi. It was a grand party where we had invited our family members and
some other close relatives. Apart from that, some friends of my brother as well as colleagues
of my father were also invited.

The party started when everyone gathered in the main hall. People were greeting each other
and they were served some cold drinks. Then around 11 am, everyone grouped together
around the cake stand and my youngest brother cut the cake being at the centre of the
group. All clapped and congratulated him by giving him best wishes for his future life ahead.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

They presented some wonderful gifts to my brother. Everyone enjoyed eating snacks with
tea while gossiping with each other.

In the afternoon, lunch was organized and I could see a great variety of dishes including fast
foods such as pizza, burger and traditional food such as rice and curry. Other than this, some
mouth-watering sweets and ice-creams were also available which I loved the most. After
lunch, some exciting games were organized especially for kids but their parents also enjoyed
those activities a lot.

In the end, Bollywood songs were being played and people were dancing on the beats
though some were just singing together and watching others dancing o the floor. It was great
fun and I enjoyed it a lot because after a very long time I had attended that party which
provided me great relief from my hectic schedule and stressful life. On the whole, it was an
amazing party which made me feel extremely happy and hence, it was one of the
memorable parties I had attended in my life.

Practice 1:
Describe a historical place/site you have been to.
You should say:
■ what place/site it is
■ what people can see there
■ what you enjoyed there the most
and explain how you felt about being there

Model Answer:
Malacca city in Malaysia is quite a unique place which I have been lucky enough to visit a
couple of years ago, specifically, Saint Paul's Hill in Malacca is a great historic place to be.
This site dates back to the time when the Portuguese conquered the city in 1511, and I
would like to talk about this mesmerising place for this topic.

Saint Paul's Hill is in the heart of Malacca city and a popular tourist destination. Malacca has
so many historical and unique tourist attractions and sites which I enjoyed to the fullest, but
nothing beats Saint Paul's Hills. The Saint Paul's Church is at the top of the hill and it was
built by the Portuguese Catholics. These days, only the walls, frames and a glimpse of an
astounding architectural style remain, but the historical prominence and its glory are still
boasting its significance in every way possible.

When the Dutch invaded the city in around 1641, the church was used as a burial place.
Later, during the British colony, the Church was used as a powder magazine. A statue of Saint
Francis Xavier still stands there who used to preach in the church. I learned about so many
historic facts while visiting this place from a tour guide that we hired.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

St. Paul's Hill also bears the presence of Stadthuys and the Christian church, which signifies
the Dutch era in Malacca. The hill also has a replica of the 'Melaka Sultanate Palace' which
gave me immense pleasure when I visited there. Finally, I also noticed an entrance to the
Portuguese fortress which I liked the most due to its extraordinary presence and
architectural style.

The experience of walking at Saint Paul's Hill on a fine afternoon and witnessing so many
interesting historical significance was something I will remember for a long time. I enjoyed
every bit of my time when I visited there and I hope to visit it again if time permits me.

Practice 2:
Describe something you have lost recently.
You should say:
■ what you lost
■ how you lost it
■ how important it was to you
and explain what you did to find the lost item.

Model Answer:
Psychologists say that losing something is more worrisome and depressing than the
happiness we feel when we earn or find something of equal price or value. This was
something I just read but realised every bit of it when I lost a book that I received as a gift
from a dear friend of mine. I will share this story with you.

The book I lost was titled "Complete Collection Of Fyodor Dostoevsky". I was travelling to
Portugal after completing my first year at the university a few months ago and met a school
friend who moved to Portugal with her family many years ago. I spent some of the best
vacation time in my life there, and just before the day I planned to return to my homeland,
my friend - Emily, bought me a rare collection of this book. She told me that it was a gift for
my upcoming birthday, which was three months later. And not to mention, it was a precious
gift and I liked her idea of selecting this book for me.

I was quite amazed by her generous gift idea and thanked her profoundly for such a
thoughtful gift item. I kept the book in my handbag and my sole intention to keep it in my
handbag was to read it on my return journey. I must have been very careless not to look
after it properly, and I believe I dropped it somewhere at the airport. To my wildest horror,
when I searched for the book in my bag, I could not find it anywhere. I rummaged through
my bag and it was nowhere! It was such a sad moment!
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

The book was a gift from a dear friend and she spent a considerable amount of money to
buy me one of the rarest editions of this book. It was quite an important gift to me and
losing it was a depressing experience, to say the least.

I could do virtually nothing to retrieve the lost book as I was not sure where I had dropped it.
I might have dropped it inside the taxi that I took to reach the airport, or at one of the coffee
shops or somewhere at the airport. So, apart from sending an email to the airport, I had very
few options.

Practice 3:
Describe a time when you made a promise to someone.
You should say:
■ when it was
■ who you made the promise to
■ why you made this promise
and explain how you felt about it.

Model Answer:
They say keep your promises if you make any. And the fear of breaking promises often deters
me from ever making it - from when I started understanding its gravity. But there are still
times when I did make vows, and to my dismay, to find out later that I hadn't been able to
keep them all! Today, for this topic, I'd like to talk about a promise that I made to myself, and
that I also broke just a couple of weeks later.

It was 2018 when I'd just finished university studies, and was looking for a job. The shift from
comparatively relaxed student life, the pressure to land a job, my financial condition and
large debt - all mounted an invisible pressure on my shoulder. Moreover, disrupting sleep
patterns and a change in weather affected my mood to a great extent. I found myself in a
situation where I was losing my temper pretty quickly, which is contrary to my usual self. In
fact, I was known to have a great composure and nerve.

So, one day, after losing temper and getting angry for no apparent reason and shouting to a
taxi driver, who I thought was arguing unnecessarily, I realised something had changed in me
which I did not expect and like at all. On that very day, I made a promise to myself that I
would behave more prudently and never let my temper take control of me. I made this
promise to myself because I never liked hot-tempered persons who get angry without valid
reasons. I always believed such people could do a little better by being a bit wiser and less
bitter. So naturally, I didn't want to become one of those people.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

When I made the promise, I felt great. It was like re-inventing myself and being able to erase
something bad from my life. But it was equally disappointing when I got angry with my little
sister a couple of weeks later forgetting my promise.

Some say promises are made to break, but it's a good thing that I constantly remind myself
that I need to keep my promises, and even if I break it once or twice, there is no reason why
I should not try harder.

Practice 4:
Describe a country you would like to visit.
You should say:
■ which country it is
■ what you already know about this country
■ when you want to visit this country
and explain why you want to visit this country.

Model Answer:
In my inquisitive mind, I want to visit every single country in the world, but it is not possible
as I don’t have a limitless flow of money or all the time in the world to fulfil this wish. So,
bringing my expectations to a practical level, I have plans to visit at least 5 to 6 countries in
the next couple of years, and Switzerland stands at the top of this wish list.

Switzerland is, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and I marvel
at the sheer beauty of the wide-green fields and snow-capped mountains that I have seen
on TV or in magazines. I have a school friend who lives there with her family and it was her
who stirred my interests in this country. I have heard about her skiing on the mountain
slopes, exciting experiences in the countryside, and experimenting with different cuisines.
Even though those are just stories and experiences, it ignited my imagination on how
beautiful the country would be and how much I would enjoy exploring it.

I’ll visit Switzerland sometime in the middle of the next year if everything goes according to
my plan. I have already shared my ideas with my parents and they would be okay with me
travelling there with one of my close friends. So, I will possibly visit this country which is
famous for its celestial beauty, delicious chocolates and finest watches, with Elizabeth, who
also wants to visit Switzerland with me.

I believe visiting Switzerland would be a once in a lifetime experience for me. It will offer
exciting and exhilarating adventures while also materialising my dreams. I’ve also heard a lot
about high-quality Swiss watches and the punctuality of Swiss people, which I would like to
witness myself. I would also like to enjoy beautiful landscapes, culture, foods and things in
their way while in Switzerland.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Practice 5:
Describe a time when the internet helped you solve a problem.
You should say:
■ when it was
■ what problem you faced
■ how the internet helped you solve the problem
and explain how you felt about it.

Model Answer:
Thank you for this interesting cue card topic as I will go ahead and talk about a time when
the internet helped me solve a problem.

It was about a couple of years ago when I went to visit my only aunt in a city, of which I had
a very limited idea. And it was so because it was only the second time that I visited the city.
The first time I visited it was almost 7 or 8 years ago when things looked a bit different in
that very crowded and big city. For example, the streets got wider and many new shops and
buildings were built.

Besides, some of the businesses and shops moved to new locations as well which I had no
idea about. Of course, none of these would create any problem for me unless my aunt had
asked me to buy her medicine from a particular pharmacy. Incidentally, she was an asthma
patient, and she used an inhaler of a certain foreign brand which only a certain pharmacy in
the city used to keep. I knew where the pharmacy was located, or at least so I had thought
since I visited the last time when I had come to see my aunt.

But, when I actually went to that location, I found out that the pharmacy had moved to a
new location. I asked a few people there, but unfortunately, nobody could tell me about it.
Seeing no other options, I decided to get the help of the internet on my smartphone even
though I was a bit sceptical about it. But, luckily, as soon as I searched the pharmacy by its
name on my phone, it did give me its address and the direction.

Anyway, after finding the location of the pharmacy, I breathed a sigh of relief. After all, I
didn’t want my aunt to suffer because of my failure to find some pharmacy and buy her
medicine. Besides, I felt a bit more confident and bold also in roaming around the city since I
had the help of the internet.

Practice 6:
Describe a leisure activity that you do with your family.You should say:
You should say:
■ what activity it is
■ when you do it with your family
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

■ how much you enjoy it

and explain how this is helpful for you and your family.

Model Answer:
One of the great advantages of having a family with active family members is that they never
really run out of ideas to spend and enjoy quality time by getting involved with different
kinds of leisurely activities. I am lucky that I have one of those active families who never
hesitate to enjoy different recreational activities whenever an opportunity arrives.

One such leisure activity, which my family really enjoys, is fishing, and I have seen my family
doing fishing since the days I barely began to understand the world around me. Sometimes, I
feel that fishing is in the blood of all of my family members, including me and my elder
brothers, since we all happen to like it so much.

In fact, we are so passionate about fishing that we have more than 50 years' old fishing rods
in our house which were used by my father to do fishing when he himself was a child. My
mother doesn’t lag too far behind either in the race of being passionate about her fishing
hobby because she doesn’t only do fishing by herself but also she takes pictures of herself
and the entire family when we are fishing. We love fishing so much that we actually carry all
kinds of foods with us when going fishing, in case we have to spend the whole day catching
our prey.

Anyway, as I have already mentioned earlier, we all like fishing whenever there is an
opportunity, but we prefer to do it over the long weekend when we don’t have any urgent
matters to take care of.

Well, this particular type of leisure activity is really helpful for me and my family since
nothing else brings us together as close as when going fishing. Besides, the fun and joy of
catching live fishes and then eating them over dinner time just can’t be described in words.
Finally, the loving memories we create, by taking pictures of our entire family when enjoying
this activity together, is simply priceless.

Practice 7:
Describe the first time you used a foreign language to communicate.
You should say:
■ what the situation was
■ where you were then
■ who you communicated with
and explain why you used a foreign language to communicate on that occasion.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Model Answer:
I never really underestimated the importance of learning to speak in a different language
other than my native language. But, the importance of it increased even more to me when I
actually had to use a foreign language in a critical situation.

The critical situation I am talking about involved talking to an immigration officer at an

airport when I visited Spain about a year ago to enjoy a vacation. Up until that point, I never
really thought that I would need to use a foreign language other than English at an airport,
at least. But, I was in for a surprise, after arriving at one of the major international airports,
when a makeshift immigration officer greeted me and started to ask me different kinds of
questions in broken English. By the way, I didn’t realize that the gentleman was a makeshift
immigration officer until I found out that I was waiting unusually long at the immigration
checkpoint to get all my paperwork done. Besides, he also told me that he was filling in for a
certain gentleman.

So, anyway, after I found out that the makeshift immigration officer was struggling to
communicate with me in his broken English, I thought that it was probably the right time to
be a little bold and use the Spanish language for the first time in a formal setting which I
learned at my high school. Seeing me speaking in his mother tongue, the immigration officer
gentleman first looked a bit surprised and then excited with a very happy face, asking me
how I learned his language and what possibly could have motivated me to learn a difficult
language like Spanish. I tried to answer all of his questions in the Spanish language before
leaving the airport happily.

Anyway, I chose to use a foreign language on this occasion, primarily because I wanted to
see how good I was at communicating in the Spanish language. Besides, I also wanted to
help the makeshift immigration officer to ease up a little and feel comfortable when trying
to communicate with me in English.

Practice 8:
Describe some local news that people in your locality are interested in.
You should say:
■ what the news is
■ how you know about this news
and explain why people in your area are interested in the news.

Model Answer:
I live in a rather quiet and small town, and nothing much really happens in it except some
occasional bird watching (yes, many foreign birds visit it) and spending some lazy times in
some local café and restaurants. Luckily, however, there is a local newspaper in my town for
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

us to read, which provides us with local news about what happens in and around our town.
So, today, I would like to talk about one such news which the local people are really
interested in.

The news is about establishing a new train station in our little town, which the local people
in my town had been demanding for, since the days of my childhood. Anyway, I would have
missed this exciting news had one of my cousins not informed me about it. So, I immediately
got a newspaper and started to read each and every word of the news, lest I missed
something.

The news said many things about the future train station in my town, including how long it
would take to build the train station, and how many trains would stop in that station. The
news also highlighted the facts about how the local residents of my town would benefit from
this railway station. In fact, many of us in our town believe that because of this train station,
communication between our town and other major cities of my country would be easier,
which would, in turn, increase the economic activities of our town. And, the more economic
activities it has, the better would be the future employment opportunities. Besides, because
of this new train station, people in my town would gain more than just economic
development from the contact with the rest of the country.

Anyway, people in my area are interested in this news, mainly because they would not feel
stuck in some isolated part of their country. Besides, they also feel that it would open up
many doors of opportunities for them as far as their educational, cultural and economic
developments are concerned. All in all, it is a piece of great news.

Practice 9:
Describe someone or something that makes a lot of noise.
You should say:
■ who or what makes the noise
■ what the noise is like
■ why that thing or person makes the noise
and explain how you feel about it.

Model Answer:
I am not sure if living near the main road has its advantages, but it sure has a major
disadvantage, and that disadvantage is to deal with noise – a lot of noise – on a regular
basis. So, I guess that I will go ahead today and talk about the noise of the traffic on the road
near the place where I live.

Anyway, I guess that in today’s world, there aren’t too many people who don’t know about
traffic noise, especially if they live in the cities. And, we all know how busy the city roads and
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

streets can become, with hundreds of vehicles running on them every minute and making
some unbearable noises. These noises are mainly created from the traction of the road
surfaces by tires, loud sounds of engine/transmission, aerodynamic noises (noises that result
from the flow of air and vibration), horns, and braking elements. However, of all the noises,
noises of rolling tires from large vehicles, like buses and trucks, driving on the uneven
pavement are found to be the biggest contributor of traffic noise which increases with
higher vehicle speeds. These traffic noises are bad and harmful enough to cause sleep
problems, headaches, tiredness, high blood pressure, stress and increased risk of heart
disease. Anyway, the traffic noise is usually unpleasant and inconvenient as they distract us
and confuse us. But, no matter how unpleasant and inconvenient the traffic noises really
are, we can’t really get rid of them at will because it’s the very sound of motion energy,
created by the fuel and engine, without which, no vehicles would run on the road.

How do I feel about it? To be honest, I have a lot of negative feelings about this traffic noise,
but the most frustrating thing about this traffic noise is that I feel very helpless against it,
simply because I feel like this traffic noise is inevitable and a fact of life which we will have to
live with as long as we are living in a city. Even more frustrating for me is the fact that we all
more or less know what this traffic noise does to our health, but still, we are doing almost
nothing about it.

Practice 10:
Describe a time when you had to change your plan.
You should say:
■ when this happened
■ what made you change the plan
■ what the new plan was
and how you felt about the change.

Model Answer:
I am not exactly one of those people who like to plan things ahead of the schedule. But,
when I plan, which seems to be harder for me than doing the actual work, I want to make
sure that I am able to execute my plans properly in order to “reap” the benefits of my “hard
work”.

But, unfortunately, it was not the case when I planned for a camping trip with my cousins
last time about 2 years ago in order to spend a night at a lake site. We knew exactly what we
were up to. So, we prepared for everything by packing all the necessary things from sleeping
bags, tents and outdoor cooking supplies to maps, compass, flashlights, extra clothing,
lighters, candles and first aid kits. In fact, we had a perfect plan with everything under
control except, of course, the weather. Well, we found out just a day ahead of our scheduled
trip that there would be a hailstorm with some heavy rains in the forecast the following day.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

So, the new plan (or its lack thereof) was that we would remain indoors the whole day while
watching some footballs and movies over some freshly-baked popcorn and cans of cold
Coca-Cola on the sides. And, if weather permitting, we could possibly enjoy some grilled
barbeque as well. Well, how did I feel about the change? Let’s just say that the weather guy,
who had forecasted about a bright and sunny day a week earlier on my TV, wouldn’t exactly
be very pleased to know what I “called” him in his absence, only to realize at the end, of
course, that the weather guy wasn’t exactly in control of the weather either. However, the
worst part of changing the plan was that I was not allowed to enjoy our camping and the
great outdoors near a beautiful lake while fishing in it with my cousins, courtesy to the
“not-so” cooperative weather.

Finally, unpacking my bags and luggage and putting the stuff back in the right places due to
the change in the plan was also a bit irritating, to say the least. But, other than that, I was
pretty relaxed, consoling myself that there always was the next time. So, instead of
remaining disappointed, I decided to enjoy my time inside my house with my cousins while
planning for our next camping trip except, of course, this time around, we didn’t want to rely
on a weather guy for our weather information.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

404-Essential Tests for IELTS Academic Module

Practice Test 1 - Speaking
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Student Manual Speaking

Part 3

Two-Way Discussion

In this part, test takers are asked further questions connected to the topic in Part
2. These questions give the test taker an opportunity to discuss more abstract
issues and ideas.

1. This part lasts about 4 – 5 minutes.

2. Test Takers will be asked 4 – 8 questions.
3. The examiner asks questions related to the topic in part 2, and you have to give detailed
answers.

Strategy:
There are various types of questions in the IELTS Speaking Part 3. Yet, you can use an
effective technique to answer any type of question from part 3. Keep in mind that receiving
a good score requires you to address the question appropriately, state your opinion and
justify your ideas.

1. Give a direct answer to the question.

2. In this part you are expected to state your opinion and reason your specific point of view.
3. Give an example to support your point. It’s also okay to discuss your life experiences.
4. Conclude with a sentence by connecting your ideas and examples to the subject of the
question.
5. Buy time to think: One of the biggest problems in this part of the test is that the questions
can be quite challenging. You may struggle to think of what you want to say, let alone how
you are going to say it. There are some strategies you can use to deal with this situation.
6. Although these phrases will not harm your score, you should try not to use them for every
question as the examiners may think that you are simply just not understanding the
questions they are asking you. Just use them when you need them!

Start with a memorized set phrase

1. Off the top of my head I would say…
2. Well, it’s difficult to say, but …
3. That’s an interesting question and I think I would have to say that…
4. Mmm … I’m not really sure, but…
5. Actually, that’s not something I’ve really thought about, but…
6. I don’t really know much about that, but…
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

7. “I’m so sorry but today I am a bag of nerves. To be honest, my mind just went completely
blank” - Use this if you actually feel that way ONLY.
8. "Wow, what a fantastic question. I have genuinely never thought about that before. Let
me just take a moment to consider your question”.
9. "To be perfectly honest, this is not a topic I normally talk about. But, if you have to ask me
I guess I would say that..”.
10. Unfortunately, this subject is not really my cup of tea. I don’t have strong feelings one
way or the other. If I had to choose, I would have to say..”.

Do’s & Don’ts for Part 3

1. Speak and explain your ideas with confidence. Even if you are not sure whether your
notions are good enough or not, you can still get a band 9. The examiner pays more
attention to your fluency and pronunciation. Moreover, they focus on your usage of a wide
range of appropriate vocabulary and your ability to produce error-free sentences.
2. If you do not understand the question, ask the examiner to repeat it. In this case, you
might say: “Could you please repeat the question?” It is better to understand what exactly
you are asked from the very beginning than shy away from it and end up giving an irrelevant
answer. Do ask if something is unclear!
3. You may need some time to think before answering the question. You may use any of the
memorized set phrases mentioned above to buy yourself a couple of seconds to collect your
thoughts. This will aid in generating some good ideas for your answer. Try to figure out how
to connect your ideas and get ready to give a confident speech.
4. Don’t think of telling something which will match with the IELTS examiner’s ideas. You can
talk about your views, even if you feel like the IELTS examiner won’t like them.
5. Giving memorised answers is not a good idea. You should not provide answers that you
have prepared beforehand. The examiner will figure it out from the speed at which you talk,
your words and also your pronunciation. This way, you might even end up giving irrelevant
answers which will result in a low score. That is why you should not prepare any answers at
all! It is better to work on your speaking skills. So, talk and listen to native speakers and
improve your vocabulary.
6. Don’t give short answers like in part 1. You should provide long and explained answers
with 3 or 4 sentences. Try to give some reasons that will define your specific point of view.
You can also conclude your speech with your last sentence.
7. Don’t try to overdo it! If you want to use a fancy word, make sure that you know the exact
meaning of it; otherwise, that might reduce your score. If you use a word you are not very
familiar with; you will more likely use it in the wrong context. It will be out of place, and the
examiner will reduce your score. Thus, it is better to talk in the words you are comfortable
with and use in your everyday life.

Example:
What abilities do people most want to have today?
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Model Answer:
I guess nowadays people want to have skills in technology because it helps them have an
exciting job and get a competitive salary. For example, a friend of mine wants to study
different programming languages. He believes that he could have a decent job with a high
wage.

In this example, we use the first sentence to answer the question and clarify our opinion.
The second sentence is used to give an example. And the last sentence concludes the
example with the given view.

Source: IELTS Cambridge Book 10, Test 1

Practice Exercises

Practice 1
Choosing work & Work-Life balance.

Q.1. What kinds of jobs do young people not want to do in your country?

Model Answer: Well, in my country, we have almost always had a big problem of
unemployment among young people, and therefore, there aren’t exactly too many jobs that
they don’t want to do. However, as far as I have found out, jobs like “outside sales”, “medical
representatives” and other “service-oriented” jobs, that require longer hours of work, are
not looked upon very favourably by the young adults in my country. They don’t also like
“elementary teaching” jobs because they require a lot of patience (after all, teaching little
kids can be really challenging).

Q.2. Who is best at advising young people about choosing a job: teachers or
parents?

Model Answer: In my humble opinion, teachers are best at advising young people about
choosing a job primarily because they are usually the ones who work tirelessly at schools
and colleges to unlock the potential of young adults. Besides, through the continuous
interaction with their students in classes, it is the teachers who are better positioned to
identify the skills and expertise of the young people and thus being able to guide them to
choose careers that are suitable for them.

Q.3. Is money always the most important thing when choosing a job?

Model Answer: No, I don’t really think that money is “always” ("always" is the keyword
here) the most important thing, when choosing a job, primarily because money doesn’t
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

always buy “happiness” or the “ job satisfaction” no matter how much of it we really have.
Besides, if I am being paid a lot of “money”, but what I do as a “job” is not considered to be
“important”, then the chances are that I won’t be able to perform to my full potential
despite my best intention. Money is an important thing for us to do a job but I do not believe
that it is the most important aspect of a job.

Practice 2

Sports and competition.

Q. 1. Why are some sports fans so passionate?

Model Answer: I believe some people love sports than other forms of entertainment and
competition and they always follow their favourite sports on TV. ‘Watching and playing
sports’ is their favourite leisure activity while many of those passionate fans once were
players themselves and played the game in their youth. Growing up, they see their family,
friends, and city go wild when a goal is scored or a game is won. So, it’s natural to follow
other’s enthusiasm and cheer for their local teams. Such attachment often increases their
love for sports. In my country, many youths are ardent fans of football and they have their
favourite teams. When their favourite team plays, they take every opportunity to support
them and sometimes go to the stadium to show their support. Sportsmen are often idolized
by youths and they love to follow their favourite sportsmen as enthusiastic followers.

Q.2. Is there any violence at sporting events in your country?

Model Answer: Generally speaking, such violence is very rare in my country. However,
disputes among fans are quite common and most of the time they are verbal rather than
physical. They often take social networking platforms and blogs to criticise their rivals. I can,
however, recall a very unfortunate event that took place probably three or four years ago
when the fans of two competing teams got agitated and three people died due to this
incident while several others were critically injured. The security of the stadium has been
revamped to address such unexpected events and hopefully, it wouldn't happen again.

Q.3. Should athletes be better role models?

Model Answer: I believe most fans start adoring an athlete or a sportsman due to the
spectacular performance he or she shows. Thus football magicians like Cristiano Ronaldo or
Lionel Messi have several million fans and many of them started idolising them without
knowing them personally. However, when these youths start following their favourite
sportsmen or athletes, they sometimes follow them blindly. Thus considering the impact,
famous sports personalities should always try to lead exemplary lives as thousands of others
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

mimic them. They are also famous and the media is always watching them. Any bad conduct
can bring controversy to their fame and they should try to become better role models for
youths as it is a social and moral responsibility for any celebrity.

Practice 3

Historic Place

Q. 1. How do people in your country feel about protecting historic buildings?

Model Answer: II believe people from my country would want to protect and preserve
important historic buildings except maybe a few who put business ahead of their morality
and rational thinking. We had our moments when people spontaneously protested the plan
to demolish such sites in the past. Due to a huge public backlash and outcry, the authority
had been forced to abandon their plan to build multi-storied commercial buildings by
smashing the old buildings that have historical significance. Thus citizens in my country are
sensitive about protecting anything that has historical importance.

Q.2. Do you think an area can benefit from having an interesting historic place
locally? In what way?

Model Answer: Definitely an area with an interesting historic place can reap the benefits
from different perspectives. First, such a place would attract a huge number of tourists and
help grow different local businesses. Besides, such areas are strategically important for the
local government and it can bring more development projects to the area. The government
takes extra measures to protect such areas from natural disasters and thus get more
attention. On top of that, the flourishing tourism of the area spreads the local custom and
tradition to other parts of the country. Thus the development of such a region occurs faster
than other areas.

Q. 3. What do you think will happen to historic places or buildings in the future? Why?

Model Answer: That is hard to tell and all would depend on the future generation. If they
feel that such locations and buildings are worth preserving, the authority would take steps
to protect them. Otherwise, many of them, which are less internationally known, would
disappear and would be converted to ultramodern commercial buildings. Prominent sites,
on the other hand, would be preserved as they will attract many international tourists. Some
of them will be debilitated due to the lack of maintenance and a few new ones will emerge
as historic places and buildings in the distant future. The main reason some of the historic
places and buildings will disappear is that they are less popular and can't sell tickets to
tourists. So the authority or the owner would like to convert them for business purposes.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

The urbanisation, pollution and the need for more buildings for the increasing population
are threats to such historic sites.

Practice 4

Films / Cinema.

Q. 1. Do you think the cinema has increased or decreased in popularity in recent years?

Model Answer: That's a bit of a complex issue as the answer might seem paradoxical. Well, I
heartily believe that more people enjoy movies today than ever before but most of them do
not go to a movie theatre to enjoy a movie. Thus the cinema halls have lost their glory days,
especially in my country, but an increasing number of people make time to watch movies
either on TVs or on their computers. Gone are the days when my parents used to take me to
a movie theatre and that was once in a while. These days we enjoy more than 3-4 movies a
week but do not go to a cinema hall at all. I believe the popularity of international movies,
low-quality local movies and amenities to get a great movie-viewing experience at home are
the reasons for this shifting trend.

Q. 2. In your opinion, will this trend continue in the future?

Model Answer: Unless radical changes are brought to the cinema halls and restrictions are
imposed on the way we stream and watch the latest movies at home, the trend will continue
in the future. Movie theatres would lose their attractions further and technology would
assist us to watch movies on demand at home. However, some people will still go to the
cinema with friends and family to enjoy a movie on a day out.

Q. 3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of making films of real-life events?

Model Answer: Among the advantages, I assume, those movies have a ready-made plot, the
storylines are already popular and the producer can think of characters easily. Such movies
often win awards considering their historical values and are positively taken by the audience
and critics. However, there are some drawbacks in making such movies based on real-life
events. First and foremost, people and critics scrutinise such movies more thoroughly and
they are often subject to controversy. Secondly, the story is already known to people and the
movie has to promise something more than its storyline. Furthermore, making such movies
require a huge sum of money and they often end up poorly in the box office.

Practice 5

Media & News.

 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Q. 1. How do most people get their news in your country?

Model Answer: Thank you very much for this question. Most adults in my country rely on
newspapers and television channels for news. However, a good number of office-goers also
visit online news portals to find out the news updates and recent events. Young people
heavily rely on online newspapers and their preferred social networking platform to get such
news.

Q. 2. How do you think people will get their news in the future?

Model Answer: I think technology will change the way we will get and share news in the
future. Most people will rely on their handheld devices, that are connected to the Internet,
as the primary source of news and information. Traditional newspapers and news channels,
on the other hand, will become less popular in the future because of the time lag between
when something happens and when readers get the chance to read or view them. Since
mobile devices can offer instant updates, they will be a powerful way of getting news
updates. Listening to the preferred type of news by using small devices attached to our ears
would become more popular and the type of news we would like to listen to shall be
determined by our activities and interests.

Q. 3. Do you believe everything you read in the newspapers?

Model Answer: No, I do not believe everything newspapers publish for the public. That's
why I read newspapers that are mainstream and have strong authority and authenticity.
Thus I avoid reading most of the fabricated and fake news which are usually published in less
authoritative and unreliable newspapers. I am also wary of politically biased and sourceless
news articles that my friends or their friends share on Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes the
process of gathering news is done hastily and irresponsibly, which results in unreliable
information even in the mainstream newspapers. In such cases, I try to verify the news from
other reliable sources. In fact, the forged and made-up news is all around us and without
being watchful an experienced, we can't recognise lies hidden in plain sight.
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Speaking Summary

APPROACH REASON
 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Source: New Insight into IELTS - Cambridge

 IELTS Curriculum - Speaking

Practice Test 2