IELTS Speaking
IELTS Speaking Test: Format, Scoring and Practice Questions
The IELTS Speaking test is an 11–14 minute conversation with an examiner in three parts: a short interview, a two-minute talk from a task card (the “cue card”), and a discussion. It is the same test for IELTS Academic and General Training.
This guide covers what happens in each part, how your band is scored, and how to practise — with our full lists of 127 Part 1 topics and 204 Part 2 cue cards.
Updated · LingoLeap IELTS Content Team
IELTS Speaking format
The test is face to face with an examiner and lasts 11–14 minutes. It has three parts, each testing something different:
| Part | Time | What happens | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Interview | 4–5 minutes | The examiner asks short questions about you and familiar topics — home, family, work or study, interests. | Answering naturally and extending an answer beyond one sentence. |
| Part 2: Long turn (cue card) | 3–4 minutes | You get a task card with a topic and points to cover, one minute to prepare with pencil and paper, then speak for up to two minutes. | Speaking at length on your own, organising a short talk, using a range of vocabulary and tenses. |
| Part 3: Discussion | 4–5 minutes | Further questions connected to the Part 2 topic, more abstract and general than Part 1. | Giving and justifying opinions, comparing, speculating, discussing causes and solutions. |
How IELTS Speaking is scored
Your Speaking band (0–9, in whole or half bands) comes from four equally weighted criteria. Knowing them tells you what to practise:
Fluency and Coherence
How easily you keep talking and how clearly your ideas connect.
How to raise it: Extend answers with a reason and an example; link ideas with words like “because”, “so”, “on the other hand”; pause to think about ideas, not to search for words.
Lexical Resource
The range and precision of your vocabulary.
How to raise it: Use topic-specific words (for a hometown: “suburb”, “commute”, “high-rise”); paraphrase when you don't know a word instead of stopping; use a few natural collocations, not memorised idioms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The variety of structures you use and how many sentences are error-free.
How to raise it: Mix simple and complex sentences (relative clauses, conditionals, past and present perfect in Part 2 stories); keep the basics — verb tenses, articles, plurals — accurate.
Pronunciation
How easy you are to understand, including stress, rhythm and intonation.
How to raise it: Stress the key word in each phrase, keep word endings clear, and let your voice rise and fall; an accent is fine if it doesn't make you hard to follow.
The “how to raise it” advice is ours. For the official wording, see IELTS's scoring guide in the sources below.
IELTS Speaking Parts 1, 2 and 3 in detail
Part 1: Interview · 4–5 minutes
The examiner asks short questions about you and familiar topics — home, family, work or study, interests.
Part 1 questions: 127 topics with example answers →Part 2: Long turn (cue card) · 3–4 minutes
You get a task card with a topic and points to cover, one minute to prepare with pencil and paper, then speak for up to two minutes.
Part 2 topics: 204 cue cards by category →Part 3: Discussion · 4–5 minutes
Further questions connected to the Part 2 topic, more abstract and general than Part 1.
Part 3 questions: question types and how to answer →Common IELTS Speaking mistakes
- One-sentence answers in Part 1. “Yes, I like it.” gives the examiner nothing to assess. Add a reason and a detail.
- Stopping early in Part 2. Two minutes is longer than it feels. Cover every point on the card and add a story or a feeling at the end.
- Reciting prepared scripts. Memorised answers rarely fit the exact question and sound flat.
- Personal stories in Part 3. Part 3 asks about people and society in general; move from “I” to “people”, “young people”, “governments”.
- Forcing rare words. An idiom used wrongly costs more than a plain word used well.
A two-week IELTS Speaking practice plan
- Days 1–2: Record yourself answering five Part 1 topics. Listen back and count one-sentence answers; aim to extend each to 2–4 sentences.
- Days 3–4: Do three Part 2 cue cards with a real one-minute timer for notes and a two-minute timer for speaking. Note where you run out of things to say.
- Days 5–6: For each cue card, answer three Part 3 questions on the same theme, giving an opinion, a reason and an example each time.
- Day 7: Take a full practice test (Parts 1–3, about 14 minutes) and get feedback on all four criteria.
- Week 2: Repeat with new topics, focusing on the criterion your feedback marked lowest.
Practise out loud, then check your answer
LingoLeap's IELTS Speaking practice has Part 1 and Parts 2–3 questions from the same question bank as the topic lists on these pages. Record an answer and get an estimated band with feedback on fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. You can browse the questions without an account; a scored answer costs 200 credits, and sign-up credits cover your first ones.
Open IELTS Speaking practiceFAQ
How long is the IELTS Speaking test?
11–14 minutes: Part 1 takes 4–5 minutes, Part 2 takes 3–4 minutes including one minute of preparation, and Part 3 takes 4–5 minutes.
Is IELTS Speaking the same for Academic and General Training?
Yes. Speaking is the same test in IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, so any Speaking practice counts for both.
How is the IELTS Speaking band score calculated?
The examiner scores four equally weighted criteria — Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation. Your Speaking band (0–9, in whole or half bands) reflects all four.
Can I take notes in IELTS Speaking Part 2?
Yes. You get one minute to prepare with pencil and paper before you speak for up to two minutes. Write keywords, not sentences.
What is IELTS Speaking Task 3?
“Task 3” usually means Part 3, the discussion: 4–5 minutes of broader questions linked to your Part 2 topic. See the Part 3 guide for question types and how to answer them.
Should I memorise answers for IELTS Speaking?
Prepare ideas and vocabulary for common topics, but don't memorise scripts. Recited answers tend to sound unnatural and often don't fit the exact question, which hurts fluency and coherence.
How can I practise IELTS Speaking on my own?
Record yourself answering real topics under test timing, listen back for one-sentence answers, long pauses and repeated words, and get feedback on the four criteria — from a teacher, a speaking partner or an AI tool.
Sources
Test format, timing and scoring criteria are from IELTS (ielts.org), read 28 September 2026. Topic lists are from LingoLeap's IELTS Speaking question bank. Example answers are written by our team to show a method; they are not official material and were not graded.