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H o m e  About the test  Test format

Test format
The IELTS test assesses your abilities in listening, reading, writing and speaking – in less than
three hours.
There are two types of IELTS: Academic and General Training. Listening and Speaking are the same for both tests, but the subject matter of the
Reading and Writing sections differs depending on which test you take.

The Listening, Reading and Writing sections of all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, with no breaks in between them.

The Speaking section, however, can be completed up to a week before or after the other tests. Your test centre will advise.

The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Academic General Training Academic General Training

Listening Speaking
Reading Reading Writing Writing
 

Test format – Speaking

11–14 minutes

The speaking section assesses your use of spoken English. Every test is recorded.

Part 1 - the examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. This part
lasts between four and five minutes.

Part 2 - you will be given a card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You will have one minute to prepare before speaking for up to two minutes. The
examiner will then ask one or two questions on the same topic.

Part 3 - you will be asked further questions about the topic in Part 2. These will give you the opportunity to discuss more abstract ideas and issues. This part of
the test lasts between four and five minutes.

IELTS Speaking description

Paper format The Speaking test consists of an oral interview between the test takers' and an examiner. All Speaking tests are recorded.

Timing 11–14 minutes

Task types There are three parts to the test and each part fulfils a specific function in terms of interaction pattern, task input and test takers output.

IELTS Speaking in detail

A detailed look at the paper with links to related resources.

Part 1 – Introduction and interview

In this part, the examiner introduces him/herself and checks the test takers' identity. They then ask the test takers general questions on
Task type some familiar topics such as home, family, work, studies and interests. To ensure consistency, questions are taken from a script.
and
format Part 1 lasts for 4–5 minutes.

Task This part of the test focuses on the ability to communicate opinions and information on everyday topics and common experiences or situations by
focus answering a range of questions.

No. of
Variable
questions
Part 2 – Long turn

Part 2 is the individual long turn. The examiner gives the test takers a task card which asks the test takers to talk about a particular topic,
includes points to cover in their talk and instructs the test takers to explain one aspect of the topic. Test takers are given one minute to
prepare their talk, and are given a pencil and paper to make notes. The examiner asks the test takers to talk for 1 to 2 minutes, stops the
Task type test takers after 2 minutes, and asks one or two questions on the same topic.
and
format Using the points on the task card effectively, and making notes during the preparation time, will help the test takers think of appropriate
things to say, structure their talk, and keep talking for 2 minutes.

Part 2 lasts 3–4 minutes, including the preparation time.

Task This part of the test focuses on the ability to speak at length on a given topic (without further prompts from the examiner), using appropriate
focus language and organising ideas coherently. It is likely that the test takers will need to draw on their own experience to complete the long turn.

No. of
Variable
questions

Part 3 – Discussion

In Part 3, the examiner and the test takers discuss issues related to the topic in Part 2 in a more general and abstract way and,
Task type and
where appropriate, in greater depth.
format
Part 3 lasts 4–5 minutes.

Task focus This part of the test focuses on the ability to express and justify opinions and to analyse, discuss and speculate about issues.

No. of
Variable
questions

IELTS Speaking - How it's marked

Marking and assessment

Speaking performances are assessed by certificated IELTS examiners. All IELTS examiners hold relevant teaching qualifications and are recruited as
examiners by the test centres and approved by the British Council or IDP: IELTS Australia.

Scores are reported in whole and half bands. Detailed performance descriptors have been developed which describe spoken performance at the nine
IELTS bands. These are available on the How IELTS is scored page.

Fluency and coherence

This refers to the ability to talk with normal levels of continuity, rate and effort and to link ideas and language together to form coherent, connected
speech. The key indicators of fluency are speech rate and speech continuity. The key indicators of coherence are logical sequencing of sentences,
clear marking of stages in a discussion, narration or argument, and the use of cohesive devices (e.g. connectors, pronouns and conjunctions) within
and between sentences.

Lexical resource
This criterion refers to the range of vocabulary used and the precision with which meanings and attitudes can be expressed. The key indicators are the
variety of words used, the adequacy and appropriacy of the words used and the ability to circumlocute (get round a vocabulary gap by using other
words) with or without noticeable hesitation.

Grammatical range and accuracy

This refers to the range and the accurate and appropriate use of the test takers' grammatical resource. The key indicators of grammatical range are
the length and complexity of the spoken sentences, the appropriate use of subordinate clauses, and the range of sentence structures, especially to
move elements around for information focus. The key indicators of grammatical accuracy are the number of grammatical errors in a given amount of
speech and the communicative effect of error.

Pronunciation
This criterion refers to the ability to produce comprehensible speech to fulfil the Speaking test requirements. The key indicators will be the amount of
strain caused to the listener, the amount of the speech which is unintelligible and the noticeability of L1 influence.

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