IELTS Band Academy
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IELTS Speaking

14 minutes · 3 parts · face-to-face with an examiner

An 11–14 minute conversation with an examiner: questions about you, a two-minute talk from a cue card, then a deeper discussion.

Question types

Part 1: introduction & interview

Answer, then add a reason or example. Two or three sentences is ideal.

Part 2: the long turn

Use your minute of notes for keywords, not sentences. Cover every bullet point.

Part 3: discussion

Speculate and compare: "It's likely that…", "Compared with my parents' generation…".

Strategies that work

  1. 01

    Fluency beats perfection

    Self-correcting once is fine; stopping to search for the perfect word is not.

  2. 02

    Paraphrase the question

    It shows range and gives you a second to think.

  3. 03

    Record yourself

    Listen back for fillers, flat intonation and words you overuse.

Lessons

  1. 1

    Part 1 topics: extending answers

    Foundation

    15 min
  2. 2

    Part 2 cue cards: the 1-minute plan

    Band 6+

    20 min
  3. 3

    Part 3: abstract ideas

    Band 7+

    25 min