The purpose of the IELTS Speaking Module is to establish your ability to speak on a number of topics.    

The Speaking Module always has the same format:

The test is 11-14 minutes long and involves you speaking to a native English speaker who is trained to assess your spoken English against IELTS criteria. The test is also recorded. There are three stages to the test:

Phase One
Phase One of the speaking test lasts around 4-5 minutes and very much follows the format any conversation might take when two people meet for the first time - you will be asked to talk about your personal situation (family, job, university study, etc.) and other familiar topics.    

Phase Two     
Phase Two of the speaking test requires you to do a presentation on a general topic. The examiner interviewing you will give you a card with a topic on it and you must talk for between one and two minutes. Again, the topics are very general and related to your personal experience. A topic might involve you talking about a teacher who influenced you as a child, or talking about the reading habits of people in your country. Again, you do not need specialist knowledge to talk about the topics you are given.    

The examiner will give you a pencil and a piece of paper and allow you one minute to write notes in preparation for your presentation.

Phase Three     
Part Three of the speaking test requires you to take part in a discussion with your examiner. The topics you discuss will be more sophisticated than in the previous parts of the test and you will need to give opinions, speculate on possible events, consider trends as well as possibly suggest how to solve a problem.  

Part Three of the speaking test is the most important part because it is in this part of the test the examiner establishes your final speaking score.    

Assessment    

The examiner interviewing you during the IELTS Test is trained to assess your spoken English against IELTS criteria. You do not need to be an absolutely fluent speaker of English to get a reasonable IELTS speaking score. The examiner will be looking for your ability to use a range of vocabulary and grammar in a way that is clear and understandable.

Twitter