IELTS Speaking Part 1 Information and Advice

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Many students seem to miss basic facts about the IELTS Speaking Part 1, so this page is to fill in some of that missing information about Part 1. There is also a separate page for general information and advice as well as others for each part.

General

Part 2

Part 3

Task Type and Format	A short conversation between the examiner and the candidate (spoken questions).
Focus	The focus is on general social and interactional language.
Timing	4 – 5 minutes

This part tests the candidates’ ability to use general social and interactional language.

There are about 12 questions on three topics.

Part 1 gives candidates the opportunity to show their ability to use general social and interactional language and talk about themselves and their interests, experiences, plans for the future, etc.

The examiner asks candidates for some information about themselves, then widens the scope of the questions by asking about, e.g. candidates’ leisure activities, studies, travel and holiday experiences, and daily life.

Candidates are expected to respond to the interlocutor’s questions.

This short social exchange is a natural way to begin an interaction, and it gives the candidate time to settle before dealing with the more specific tasks in Parts 2and 3.

a) In this part of the test, examiners will ask candidates questions about themselves, for example where they live, what their hometown is like and so on. They will then ask some further questions about, for example, their leisure time, their studies, their future plans, travel and holiday experiences, their daily routine.

b) You should respond promptly with answers which are as complete (not just one word) and spontaneous as possible. Rehearsed speeches should be avoided as these are easily spotted and they might be inappropriate for the questions asked.

c) Look for opportunities to socialise with English speakers. With a teacher, classmate or friend, you could role-play social occasions in which you meet new people, e.g. parties, long train journeys, joining a new class, starting a new job.

d) Try to react naturally and give full answers but not answers which are too long.

e) Train yourself to ‘think on your feet’ and answer a question quickly even if you have never thought about a particular subject before. Try to use written examples of unsuitable candidate responses and ask them to improve on them. For example:

Interlocutor:  What do you hope to be doing in five years’ time?

Candidate:   Er … I don’t know. ✗

Candidate: … I’m not sure really. If I manage to get a good job, I may be aiming for promotion. If not, I could be more concerned with my personal life. ✓

f) If you have a friend that is taking IELTS too, interview each other in pairs or small groups and find out as much as possible about each other in a given time. This will help you to sustain an interaction in a less familiar situation.

g) Try and use a variety of appropriate tenses, structures and vocabulary in this part of the test. This will create a good impression and give you confidence to tackle the other parts of the test.

• Where do you live?
• Who do you live with?
• How did you get here today?
• What’s the best time of day for you to study? Why?
• What kind of holidays do you enjoy most? Why?
• Is there anything you dislike about travelling? Why?
• What kind of magazines or newspapers do you read regularly? Why/Why not?

I hope that has helped to give you a better understanding of what is required for the IELTS Speaking Part 1, and that you will look into each part in more detail. There is a full list of pages on the IELTS Speaking test here. Good luck with your test!