IELTS Speaking

Practice questions

A collection of practice materials for each part of the speaking module including cue cards

Speaking practice materials – a collection of the best free practice materials on the internet

Videos on the exam format

Three videos with a commentary to help you understand the format of the exam:

speaking videos

You might also be interested in these training videos showing format of the exam and how to approach each task

Passport to English videos

These brief videos from Learn Online (British Council China) give some excellent advice on basic exam interview skills:

Improve your exam interview skills with British Council China

Band scores

A brief guide to how speaking is graded and how to avoid some common mistakes

Band scores explained

Exam tips

Some basic advice on what to do and what not to do before and in the exam

10 top speaking tips

Giving yourself thinking time – a video tutorial on how to give yourself a little thinking time to answer questions in part 3 and part 1 of the test.

Focussing on the question – a video tutorial on the need to focus on the question in the test

Exam preparation – part 1

Advice on part 1 of the speaking test:

Vocabulary and ideas to describe your home town: a quiz and downloadable list of helpful vocabulary

IELTS speaking – a common mistake – training video – a video tutorial on how candidates can make a mistake in part 1 by not answering the question and pre-learning material

Part 1 speaking practice using Voxopop: a resource for you to practise part 1 speaking by recording yourself online and listening to others. Also some simple tips for part 1.

IELTS speaking – part 1 – work/student: tutorial on how to deal with the most common part 1 question with a guide on how to avoid the most common mistakes

Exam preparation – part 2

How to deal with the long turn speaking task

How to use your 1 minute preparation time: 5 different ideas on how to use that 1 minute in practical ways

Using a picture to give you ideas: sample part 2 speaking showing you how thinking of a picture can give you ideas and vocabulary

IELTS speaking – part 2 – organising your talk – a video tutorial on how to use the cue card to improve your fluency and coherence

IELTS speaking – part 2 – telling a story: an audio lesson with a sample listening showing how can you tell a story in part 2

Using a story to describe a person: a lesson on how you can use the story telling technique to describe a person

IELTS speaking – part 2 – using the cue card – more advice on how to use the cue card

IELTS speaking – part 2 – extending your answer: advice with MP3 samples on how to extend your answer so you meet the time limit.

Exam preparation – part 3

Advice on dealing with the discussion part of the speaking exam

Being cautious in part 3 speaking – advice on how to make your part 3 answer more coherent by using the language of caution

Speaking Vocabulary

Useful vocabulary for the speaking test:

IELTS speaking – opinion vocabulary –  a video tutorial with a download of some basic variations of “I thin” to improve the range of your vocabulary

IELTS speaking – opinion vocabulary (2) – further advice on how to practice opinion vocabulary and when to use it in part 1

IELTS speaking – comparison language (1) – how to use comparison language to extend your answers in parts 1 and 3 speaking with a downloadable worksheet.

Talking about likes and preferences – variations on the word “like” with a video quiz