Hello, I'm Oli. Welcome to Oxford Online English. In this lesson, you can learn about the IELTS speaking exam.
You can see how the exam works, and how your score is decided. In another lesson, we gave you some advice for the speaking exam.
However, I've helped a lot of students prepare for IELTS, and most people don't seem to have a clear idea of how the exam works, and in particular, how the examiners work out your score. Understanding the exam and the scoring system can help you to prepare for the exam more effectively.
The IELTS speaking test has three sections, and lasts around 11-14 minutes in total. The test is the same whether you are taking general IELTS or academic IELTS.
The exam is supposed to be like a real-life conversation—the examiners want to see if you can communicate in a natural way. Your exam will be recorded, and examiners use the recording to determine your score.
First, let's look at the three sections of the speaking test. Part one is the introduction.
During part one, the examiner will welcome you and ask you some simple questions about yourself. Some common topics which the examiner might ask you about are: your job, your hometown, hobbies and interests, simple things like this.
Of course, there are other possibilities. However, the questions in part one should be quite simple.
Part one lasts around four or five minutes. Next is part two, the long turn.
In part two, the examiner will give you a topic. You have one minute to prepare a speech on the topic.
