Information about IELTS speaking test

Speaking, as a productive skill, is interactive in nature. Taking interaction into consideration, the IELTS speaking test proceeds in the form of an oral interview in a real-life context.

Test Conditions

The speaking test of the IELTS exam is conducted in various locations and can occur on the same day or on a different day from the listening, reading, and writing modules. There are two arrangements for the speaking test: candidates may meet with their examiner in person or participate via an audio-visual system. In both cases, the examiner assesses the candidate’s performance, and the entire session is recorded as a backup.

A spacious and quiet room will be used for the test to ensure a comfortable, distraction free testing environment for both the test-taker and the examiner. If any issues arise during the test, candidates can seek assistance from the invigilators present.

During the IELTS Speaking test, you'll have a unique opportunity and experience of sitting with an examiner. Upon your arrival, the examiner will warmly greet, introduce himself or herself  and request your identification and name, which should match what you have in your international passport.

Next, the examiner will ask, "What may I call you?" You can respond with a preferred name, For instance, "John."

Remember to use contraction by saying : "My name's John" and not "My name is John."

Following this, the examiner will lead the candidate into a series of warm-up questions aimed at getting to know the candidate better. While these questions aren't officially assessed, they offer the candidate the opportunity to make a positive first impression with their spoken English.

Warm-Up Session:

The questions in this part are on three familiar topic areas. The first topic will be Studies, Work or Where you live. Your answers will majorly be from your life and experience. 

Examiner's Question: Alright, John. Let's talk about where you are from? Where are you from?

Candidate's Response: I'm from Lagos State, in the southwestern part of Nigeria, often called the center of excellence due to its status as a bustling commercial hub. People from all over the country come to Lagos for work, study, and business opportunities, seeing it as a place of great potential for personal and professional growth.

NB: List Of Nigerian states nicknames: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nigerian_states%27nicknames

Examiner's Question: Where do you live or describe where you live?

Comment: Instead of providing specific address details, it is more appropriate to describe your living situation and the physical attributes of where you live.

Candidate's Response: I reside in a spacious three bedroom bungalow/apartment block/duplex, high rise building with wings. All the rooms are ensuite, offering convenience and comfort. The neighborhood can be characterized as a serene and peaceful gated community, consisting of well-organized private residences.

Alternatively, in other cases, the neighborhood may be an open and bustling or very busy area with a vibrant market area where people gather for trade. Additionally, It could have several schools, office and shopping complexes, as well as religious establishments, contributing to the bustling nature of the neighborhood.

The candidate can close by saying something about the favorite part of their dwelling space or home. it could be identified as the bedroom for its privacy. It could be the kitchen for some women, where they enjoy preparing their favorite meals for their family, or for others, the living room where they love to relax on the sofa and indulge in watching their favorite sports programs, drama series, or Nollywood movies on TV.

Examiner's Question: What do you do in your free time?

Candidate's Reslonse: The answer to this question varies based on individual interests and hobbies. For instance, someone concerned about their fitness and weight might say that in their spare time, they like to exercise in order to stay in shape and lead a healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, someone who finds entertainment to be their main interest/preoccupation  may respond by saying they enjoy watching movies and reading books. To make the answer more engaging, it would be interesting to mention specific preferences such as favorite genres of movies or music, beloved actors or musicians, or even treasured authors and novels that you have found particularly engaging and enjoyable.

Could you show me your identification card please?

Test Structures

The content and structure of the speaking module is the same regardless of whether you are for the academic or the general training module. There are three main parts in the IELTS speaking test. Each

part fulfils a specific function in terms of interaction pattern, task input and candidate output. 

Part 1: The Introduction or the nterview

Language use & strategies for expressing likes, dislikes & preferences are tested while answering general questions about yourself.

The examiner greets and verifies identification first. Then examiner will ask general daily questions on familiar things such as homes/families, jobs/studies, interests, life routine, friends and so on. This part lasts 4 to 5 minutes.

Speaking Test Video 1 : https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMMJ2QX3N/

Part 2: Individual long turn

Making notes, beginning your talk and saying more. A task card will be given to the candidate to talk about a specific topic. Candidates can prepare for 1 minute before speaking at length for no more than two minutes. And taking notes on a piece of paper provided by the examiner is permitted. The candidate will not be interrupted during speaking only if the time is up. This part lasts 3 to 4 minutes.

Speaking Test Video 2:  https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMMJ2QkDt/

Part 3: Two Way Discussion With Follow-up questions on topic(s)

The candidate will be expected to  respond effectively to two or three or more topic-related follow-up questions that the examiner will ask based on the previous section.

The speaking test is at most a 14 minutes test. Some test takers have, however, reported having about 10 minutes session with the examiners.

Ways to start a sentence 

As a matter of fact  . . . 

In regards to . . .

It comes as no surprise . . .

Little wonder that . . .

To crown it all . . . 

It is importnat to note that . . . 

To put it in a nutshell . . . 

To add to it . . . 

In addition . . .

Summing it up . . . 

It seems to be . . .
(Personally), I believe . . .

As I see it . . . 

For all I know . . .

As far as I can see . . . 

At my best guess . . .

To my way of thinking . . . 

We can safely assume that . . .

So (as) far  as is known . . .

Here are eight phrases for stating your opinion in IELTS spaeaking Part 3

As far as I'm concerned . . .

If you ask me, I reckon . . .

I'd say that . . . 

To be honest, I think . . .

In my view . . .

The way I see it . . .

I believe . . .'

To my mind . . .

Do you think job satisfaction is more important than aving a ig salary?

As far as I'm concerned both are equally important, because the way I see it, having a job with a low salary makes it difficult to be truly motivated.