IELTS Speaking Test guidelines
Materials
Your examiner pack should contain:
• a list of test-takers with names, IDs, and boxes for speaking scores
• IELTS Speaking Test guidelines (this document)
• 1 copy of the IELTS public speaking band descriptors
• 4 IELTS speaking tests (for examiner)
• 4 Part 2 topics (for candidates)
• A pen (for the examiner)
• 2 pencils (for candidates)
• Blank paper, one sheet per candidate
You also need:
• A watch or phone to keep time (if you use your phone, put in Airplane mode)
Room setup
• Two rectangular tables, with you sitting across from the candidate
• An empty chair next to you out of the candidate’s sight
This should be done before you arrive.
NOTE: Place the band descriptors on the chair next to you, out of sight of the candidate so it
does not disturb them. You may want to refer discreetly to the band descriptors during the
test—eg, when the candidate is making notes for Part 2.
Timing
Stick to these timings strictly. Each part should be within the given range. The only
exceptions could be a very low-level candidate who is able to say little, or a very high-level
candidate who can express themselves fluently.
Part 1 4 – 5 min
Part 2 1 min: candidate makes notes
2 min for the candidate to speak
Part 3 4 – 5 min
Total: 11 – 14 min
NOTE: For mock tests, keep the total time closer to 11 min than to 14. This allows us to
conduct the speaking test efficiently, and ensure candidates are not waiting too long.
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Delivery
1. Be friendly! Set the candidate at ease. Encourage them to produce their best
possible performance. Smile and show interest J
2. Follow the frame. Stick to the exact wordings given in the examiner frame. Don’t
deviate.
3. Do not make notes on the candidate’s performance during the test. If the candidate
sees you scribbling on a piece of paper or consulting the band descriptors in front of
them, this could make them nervous. However, you may note down start/finish
times for each part to help you keep the test to time.
Scoring candidates
As you can’t make notes during the test, it’s important to have a “plan of attack” in mind for
scoring. The following procedure can help:
Part 1 Establish a 2-band range for the candidate in each criterion.
Use this part to establish a general idea of the candidate’s level.
By the end of Part 1, you should have in mind that your candidate is,
for example, a 5 or 6 in Fluency & Coherence, a 6 or 7 in Lexical
Resource, a 6 or 7 in Grammatical Range & Accuracy, etc
Part 2 Choose the correct band score for each criterion.
Keep in mind the 2-band range you established in Part 1. As you listen
to the candidate, decide which of the two bands is more appropriate.
By the end of Part 2, you should have in mind one band score for each
criterion—eg, 6 rather than 5 for F&C, 7 rather than 6 for LR, etc
Part 3 Try to confirm or disconfirm the band score for each criterion.
Keep in mind the band score you have decided for each criterion. As
you listen, decide if your scores from Part 2 are accurate. Has the
candidate maintained the necessary performance for a 7 in LR? Or are
they struggling, meaning a 6 is more appropriate after all?
By the end of Part 3, you should know the candidate’s final score.
Filling out the score sheet
Write the candidate’s final score next to their name, on the candidate list. To calculate the
candidate’s overall speaking score, take the average of all 4 criteria. If necessary, round
down to the nearest .0 or .5.
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Guidance for each part of the speaking exam
PART 1
• Ask about 3 topics
• The first topic is either home or work/study
• Ask all four questions for each topic
• If a candidate does not understand a question, you may repeat it once. If they still do
not understand, move on to the next question.
• Ask each question exactly as it is written, in the order that they are written. Do not
change the order of the questions, do not change the wording of the questions, and
do not make up your own questions.
• Where indicated, you may ask Why? as a follow-up question, to get the candidate to
expand on their answers.
• Keep this part of the exam between 4 and 5 minutes (not including the introduction
frame)
PART 2
• Candidates are not required to make notes, and they are not required to take the full
minute available. (Although they should!) If the candidate says they are ready to
speak earlier, start the test when they’re ready.
• Do not speak or interrupt the candidate in any way during their presentation. Smile,
nod, and show interest in appropriate but nonverbal ways
• Do not let the candidate speak for longer than 2 minutes. Cut them off by politely
saying Thank you
• If a candidate stops before the 2 minutes are finished, wait 5 seconds for them to
continue. Look at them encouragingly, but silently, while waiting for them to speak.
If they cannot continue after 5 seconds, end their turn by saying Thank you
• Do not worry about asking a follow-up question. These are optional, and not always
asked by examiners. Our current materials don’t have them, and there’s no need to
make them up.
PART 3
• You should ask the questions on the paper, but you do not need to ask all of them.
• You can and should ask your own follow-up questions as well, to encourage
candidates to explore their answers in depth
• Target your questions to the candidates’ level (by now, you should have a good idea
of this). Use your follow-up questions to stretch higher-level candidates to see what
they can produce. For low-level candidates, you may need to ask simpler questions
that they can answer.
• Keep this part of the exam between 4 and 5 minutes.
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Examiner frame
Introduction
Good [morning / afternoon / evening].
My name is [your first and last name]. Can you tell me your full name please?
Can I see your identification please?
That’s fine, thank you.
PART 1
Now, in this first part, I’d like to ask you some questions about yourself.
PART 2
Now I’m going to give you a topic, and I’d like you to talk about it for one to two minutes.
Before you start, you’ll have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can
make some notes if you wish. Do you understand?
Here’s some paper and a pencil for making notes, and here is your topic.
à Give candidate the Part 2 prompt
à Give candidate one sheet of blank paper and a pencil
Please don’t write on the topic.
I’d like you to describe [read first line of topic card].
àCandidate takes up to 1 min to prepare
NOTE: Do NOT let candidates write on the Part 2 prompt—only on the blank paper.
All right? Remember, you have one to two minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. I’ll
tell you when the time is up. Can you start speaking now please?
Thank you.
Can I have the booklet and the paper and pencil please?
àTake back the Part 2 topic and the paper and pencil the candidate used for notes
PART 3
We’ve been talking about [Part 2 topic], and I’d like to ask you some more general questions
related to this.
Let’s consider first of all…
Let’s talk about…
Thank you. That is the end of the speaking test.
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PART 1
For the first topic, always choose ONE of the following:
Home
Let’s talk about where you live.
• Do you live with your family?
• How many rooms are there in your house?
• What is your favorite room? [Why?]
• What kind of home would you like in the future? [Why?]
- OR -
Work/Study
Let’s talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student?
Work Study
• What is your job right now? • What subject are you studying?
• Why did you choose this job? • Why did you choose this subject?
• What do you like about your work • What do you like most about your
environment? [Why?] studies?
• Is there anything you would like to • Is there anything you would like to
change about your job? [Why?] change about your studies? [Why?]
Now continue to the other 2 topics given.
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