IELTS Speaking 1

IELTS overview, Speaking test (Part 1)

IELTS Speaking

Timing : 11 14 minutes

Test Parts:
Part 1 Introduction and Interview (4-5 mins)
Part 2 Individual long-turn (3-4 minutes)
Part 3 Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes)

(IELTS Information for Candidates)

Possible topics for Part 1
A wide range of speaking skills are assessed
including:

the ability to communicate opinions and

information on everyday topics and common
experiences and situations by answering a
range of questions

(IELTS Information for Candidates)

 the ability to speak at length on a given topic
using appropriate language and organizing
ideas coherently

the ability to express and justify opinions and

to analyse, discuss and speculate about
issues

(IELTS Information for Candidates)

The speaking test starts like this...
Examiner script
Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name

is ...
Could you tell me your full name please?
Thank you. And what shall I call you?
Can I see your identification please?
Thank you. Okay, thats fine.
How will Part 1 begin?
The examiner will begin with some
introductory questions. You should answer
these questions briefly and clearly.
Examiner script Now, in this first part, Id
like to ask you some questions about
yourself, okay? Lets talk about...

Where are you from?

Im currently residing in Manila but I was born
and raised in Cebu.
What will happen next?
The examiner will introduce the first Part 1
topic, which is always about your hometown
or your studies / work.
Are you a student
or do you work?

Im a senior student
at a state university.

The examiner will select 3 topics in Part 1.

What sort of questions will the
examiner ask?
How do you prefer
How often do
to travel when you
you go on Why do you think
go on holiday?
holiday? people need to go
on holiday?

What do you enjoy doing

when youre on holiday? Tell me about your
last holiday.
How long should my answers be?
SAMPLE ANSWER 1

How often do you

go on holiday?

Twice a year,
usually.
SAMPLE ANSWER 2

How often do you

go on holiday?
I usually go on holiday twice a year
but sometimes I can only go once
during the year because we are so
busy at work. So, it depends really.
IELTS Speaking Assessment Criteria
FLUENCY and COHERENCE

LEXICAL RESOURCE

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY

PRONUNCIATION
FLUENCY and COHERENCE

FLUENCY is the ability to speak clearly and

without hesitation.
Examiners are interested in testing whether

you are able to express your ideas clearly and

coherently.
If you pause too often or take longer to give

your answers, you might be penalized.

LEXICAL RESOURCE

Examiners will try to assess how accurate and

varied your vocabulary is.

Dont repeat the same words. Instead,

demonstrate your range of vocabulary by
using a variety of words and structures.
GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY

You have to give your answers in

grammatically correct English. Failure to do
so will result in a low band score.
PRONUNCIATION
Your pronunciation skills are equally
important.
The examiner should have no difficulty

understanding your speech. This doesnt

necessarily mean that you have to sound like
a native English speaker.
Instead, what matters is your ability to

pronounce the words correctly. You must also

be able to stress the right words in a
sentence.
Band Score 7
Fluency and Coherence
Speaks at length without noticeable effort or

loss of coherence

May demonstrate language-related hesitation

at times, or some repetition and/or self-
correction

Uses a range of connectives and discourse

markers with some flexibility
Lexical Resource
Uses vocabulary resource flexibly to discuss a

variety of topics

Uses some less common and idiomatic

vocabulary and shows some awareness of
style and collocation, with some
inappropriate choices

Uses paraphrase effectively

Band Score 7 Vocabulary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYYaP56D
WNk
Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Uses a range of complex structures with

some flexibility

Frequently produces error-free sentences,

though some grammatical mistakes persist
Pronunciation

Uses a range of pronunciation features,

sustains flexible use of features

Can generally be understood throughout

Pronunciation Exercise
HINTS ON PRONUNCIATION
(Sound, Stress and Intonation)

I take it you already know

Of tough and bough and cough and dough?

Others may stumble but not you

Or hiccough, thorough laugh and through?

Well done: And now you wish perhaps

To learn of these familiar traps:

Beware of heard a dreadful word

That looks like beard and sounds like bird.

And dead: It's said like bed, not bead,

For goodness' sake, don't call it deed!

Watch out for meat and great and threat,

They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.

A moth is not a moth in mother

Nor both in bother, broth in brother.

And here is not a match for there

Nor dear and fear for bear and pear

And then there's does and rose and lose,

Just look them up; and goose and choose.

And cork and work and hard and ward

And font and front and word and sword.

And do and go and thwart and part

Come, come, I've hardly made a start!

A dreadful language?

Man alive, I'd mastered it when I was five!

(Anonymous)
How can I improve my accuracy?

How old were you when

you left school?

I was only 15 when I left my

high school but I went back
to college two years later.
ACTIVITY TIME!
Speaking test Part 1
Watch and practice
Take note of the questions that were asked
during the test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YROHAb21
eso&noredirect=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xajnJJ76S9
4
Question Types
1 Basic Description Questions
Tell me about... / Describe...

2 Liking
Do you like...

3 Disliking
Is there any ... you dont like?
Whats the worst thing about...?
What ... do you dislike?
4 Types of
Tell me about the different types of...

5 Wh/How often
How often...
When...

6 Yes/No Questions
Do you... / Did you... / Is/Are... / Have you...

7 Would... (future)
Would you like to...? / How do you see...?
1 Basic Description

Can you describe a typical day in your holidays?

Actually, I dont really get to enjoy long holidays like
most people do because of my busy work schedule.
But when I finally get to have the privilege to enjoy my
holidays, I usually invite some friends over for a meal
and maybe, depending on our mood, watch a movie or
go shopping.
Practice
What do people do in your town in their free time?

What is public transport like in your town?

What sports are most popular in your country?

2 Liking

What things do you enjoy about your work? Why?

Well, I guess most of all, I love the sense of fulfillment I
feel when Ive imparted knowledge and at the same
time made a difference in someones life. Another
thing that I can mention here is that through my job, I
get to take the opportunity to meet different kinds of
people and learn from them as well.
Practice
Where do you like to spend your holidays? Why?

What do you like about the area where you live?

What sports and games did you most enjoy

playing when you were a child?
3 Disliking

What things dont you like about your work?

Why?
Generally, I must say that theres nothing that I detest
about my job. However, I guess, I just cant stand it
sometimes when Im loaded with paperwork and have
pressing deadlines to meet. But every job has its own
challenge so I cant complain.
Practice
4 Types of

What sort of things do you read?

There are actually quite a few variety of reading materials that
Im fond of. In particular, I enjoy fiction namely, suspense
novels. I guess its the excitement of the plot that makes me
look forward to read page after page. But aside from that, Im
also into science fiction such as Stephen Kings novels. As to
magazines, I love to read articles on lifestyle and fashion.
Practice
5 Wh- / How often

How much time do you spend shopping every week?

Opening
Well, to be honest...
Well, in fact...

Useful words to express frequency:

ADVERBS
never often regularly
rarely usually
occasionally frequently
Well, to be honest, I dont really have much time to go
shopping given that my schedule is quite hectic. The
only time that I get to go shopping is during holidays,
around Christmas time when I buy gifts for family and
friends. I just usually shop online for clothes or shoes
and I do that about twice a month.
Practice
6 Yes/No questions

Do you think people should use public

transport more?
Other ways of answering Yes/No
questions:
Absolutely.
Certainly.
I believe so.
I do think so.

I guess so.
Most probably.
It depends, really.

I dont really think... / Im afraid I have to disagree...

I dont think so.
I dont believe...
 Certainly. If more people are encouraged to use
public transport, I guess that will solve the worsening
traffic condition in the city. Aside from that, the air
quality will also improve. If there are fewer cars on
the road, theres less pollution.
Practice
7 Would... (possibility)

Would you like to change your job?

Absolutely not. Theres no way that I would trade my
job with anyone elses. I love what I do and teaching
has been my passion so I dont think Ill ever consider
doing other jobs.

I guess thats something I can consider. Its

not that I hate what I do now but I just think
I want to have a more stable employment
condition.
Practice
Your Turn!
Practice answering the ff Part 1 questions:
FREE TIME
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
How much time do you have each week for doing these
things?
Why do you like doing these activities?
How did you start doing this activity at first?

TRANSPORT
How did you come here today?
What is public transport like in your town?
How do you think it could be improved?
Do you think people should use public transport more?
SHOPPING
How much time do you spend shopping every week?
Do you enjoy going shopping? Why (not)?
What is your favorite shop and why do you like it?
What problems are there with shopping in your area?

READING
Do you enjoy reading? Why?
What sort of things do you read?
Tell me something about your favorite book.
What are the advantages of reading instead of watching
television or going to the cinema?
SPORTS AND GAMES
What sports are most popular in your country?
What sports and games did you most enjoy playing when you were
a child?
Do people take as much exercise as in the past?
Why is exercise good for you?

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Can you describe the house where you live to me?
What is there to do in the area where you live?
What do you like about the area where you live?
How do you think it could be improved?
TAKE NOTE!
Respond briefly to the introductory questions.
Make sure you can talk about your hometown and
work.
Build some lists of phrases and topic banks.
Listen to the question forms and the words that the
examiner uses. These will help you form your answer.
Try to give a full answer. The examiner wants to
listen to you speak, so remember: it is important to
talk.
Dont memorize long answers. You will lose marks
for this.
Answer each question directly. Dont talk about
something unrelated to the examiners question.
Homework

Record an audio file of yourself answering a

sample set of Part 1 questions.
For extra practice, you might find these
YouTube videos helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV21y_AG
L6Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK6h4zo2S
As
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRFEKvsw-
vs
For other sample Part 1 questions:

http://www.ielts-exam.net/ielts_speaking_sa
mples/387/

http://www.goodluckielts.com/IELTS-speaking-
topics.html