IELTS Speaking Test - Sample 74 (2024)

FAQs

How long should IELTS speaking Part 1 answers be? ›

Speaking part 1 is 4 to 5 minutes in length for 12 questions. If your fluency is strong, you will be able to give longer answers. If you often hesitate when you answer, then you will waste time and your answers will need to be shorter. If you have strong fluency then don't limit your answers to only two sentences.

Fluency and coherence: If you can keep talking and speak for the full two minutes and if you can use complete sentences you can get a 6. You will also get a 6 if you don't use “um” and “uh.” If you use linking words then you can get a 6.

say your ideas with confidence and showcase your language skills. simple ideas explained using excellent English can get you band score 9.

Scoring 5.5 or 6 may seem possible from 4.5 or 5 with a little more practice and preparation; however, reaching 6.5 is a little difficult but not impossible. It will require substantial practice on your part.

Currently, students must retake the entire test for all four modules: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. So, if a student wants to improve their band score, they will have to take the whole test again instead of only retaking the module.

Speaking Band 5.5

The candidate gives short answers, is not willing to talk at length. Responses answer exactly what he's being asked. He hesitates a little and sometimes uses linking words incorrectly. His vocabulary is simple but sufficient for him to talk on the subject and make himself clear.

With an IELTS score 5.5 good or bad, you can be considered a competent speaker, meaning you can understand and speak English regularly rather than at a high level. Not too bad, there are many people who have a harder time understanding English but apply to universities abroad and are accepted.

They are designed to be simple and easy to understand. They are reported as band scores on a scale from 1 (the lowest) to 9 (the highest). All formats of IELTS use the same scoring system.

How improve IELTS 6.5 to 7? ›

Since it's structured like an interview, the Speaking test is a stressful exercise for many test-takers. Fortunately, there are some easy steps you can take to not only reduce stress but attain a high score. Follow the 10 tips below and you'll be on your way to excelling on the IELTS Speaking test!

Examiners assess your performance against 4 criteria. Fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Your Speaking results are given as band scores which range from a band 0 to a band 9. Each whole and half band score corresponds to a level of English-language competence.

The IELTS Speaking band is calculated based on four different levels - Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Pronunciation, and Grammatical range and accuracy. The arithmetic mean of all these four criteria makes the band score for the speaking section of IELTS.

The score 6.5 is borderline B2/C1. The real-world level of performance represented by the result has not changed. It is for institutions to decide whether they wish to change their requirements, if alignment to a particular level of the CEFR is critical (see response to q5 above).

Here is the strategy to use when your mind goes blank:

Talk about yourself. Tell your story and how it relates to the question. If you practice this enough and get good at this strategy it will definitely help increase your score on the test.

Fortunately, the exam can be retaken as many times as you need to obtain a passing score. However, you do have to pay each time you take the exam. Rather than blindly attempt to retake the exam multiple times until you get a passing score, it's better to determine what went wrong and why you failed the first time.

You may make a case for exceptional circ*mstances to your Test Centre before the test and up to five calendar days after the test date if you did not attend the test. Your Test Centre will respond to you within seven working days of receiving your case in writing.

Can I Go Canada with 5.5 in speaking? ›

Is 5.5 a good score in IELTS for Canada immigration? If you want to get a Canada immigration, it is suggested that the candidate has at least 6.5 in each band along with an overall score of 7 or above. It is recommended to aim for a higher score by most of the overseas education consultants.

It might surprise you to know that many highly educated people, even people who speak English as a first language, fail to achieve the score they need on IELTS.

Overall IELTS band score 5.5 Overall Cambridge English Scale score of 162, achievable in B2 First or C1 Advanced.

Minimum Ielts Band Requirement for Canada Study Permit. A study visa for Canada requires the Student to score at least 5.5 in each of the four IELTS bands requirements with an overall minimum score of 6.0 and above for undergraduate & diploma programs.

Combining IELTS test scores

You can achieve the required mark across two test sittings if: you sit the tests within six months of each other. you're tested in all four sections at the same time.

For instance, if the test taker scores a 7.25, then the grade will be changed to 7.5. If the test taker's score is 7.75, then the score will be rounded off to 8.

But many students fear that low IELTS scores will prevent them from enrolling in their dream course in the UK. If your score is between 5.5 and 6.5, you should be sure that most schools and universities will gladly accept your application.

On average we can expect a minimum band 5.5 for UK courses, with band 6.5+ for the top few universities. Please note that different courses at a same university can have different IELTS requirement, so check with the institution for more details.

With a 5.5 score, you can apply for European countries such as Poland, Greece, etc. where you can get an IELTS waiver, and the UK. Further, countries like New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, and Dubai includes colleges that accept 5.5 IELTS band score.

Speaking too fast won't improve your fluency score, and could result in you making more mistakes. Instead, remain calm, speak clearly and maintain your natural speed. And don't worry about your accent; all accents are welcome in the IELTS test. Just ensure you pronounce your words correctly.

Which part of IELTS speaking carries more marks? ›

The simple answer is that the 3 parts are not scored separately; the examiner rates the candidate's performance as a whole. In this sense, neither part is more important.

According to several surveys on IELTS modules, the Writing module is the toughest among the four. The writing is considered as the most difficult module of any exam.

Another example: if your scores were Listening 6 Reading 7 Writing 8 Speaking 8, the overall score will be (6+7+8+8)/4 = 7.25 – the rule says round up to half score – which means you get 7.5.

So you may be at the bottom of the Band 6 'band ' or 'space'. Or you could be at the top end. If you are at the bottom end, basically you need to focus a lot more on improving your overall English skills. Exam practice and tips is not enough to take you to a band 7.

Important points regarding Overall IELTS Score:

If your average overall score is 7.25, then your score will be increased to 7.5. If your average overall score is 7.65, then your score will be increased to 8. If your overall score is 7.1, then your score will go down to 7.

Because there is not a separate score for Speaking Part 2, there's no exact number of points that you lose if you cannot fill the two minutes. However, having said that, it might be difficult to get a 7 or higher for Fluency if you can't keep talking.

You can ask the examiner to repeat the question in IELTS speaking part 1 (Could you repeat that, please?) but that's all. You can't ask other questions. The examiner is limited to asking questions only in speaking part 1 and can't help you or explain.

Of course, you can. Wear whatever you feel comfortable in.

In your speaking test, the examiner will be marking you on four things– fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. In each of those areas, you'll get a Band Score from 1– the lowest– to 9– the highest.

There are four key assessment criteria for IELTS Speaking: Fluency & Coherence (FC) Lexical Resource (LR) Grammatical range and accuracy (GRA)

Is IELTS speaking 8 hard? ›

Very few IELTS candidates score an overall 8.0 in the IELTS test. It means that in both IELTS listening and IELTS reading you score at least 36 correct answers out of 40 and in speaking and writing your English is practically error-free.

Your IELTS band scores decide the level of competence in the English language. It tells how much you understand English Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing. So, if you have scored 7 or more then you are marked as a good user. If you scored 8 then you are a very good user.

We recommend that students spend at least 6-8 weeks preparing for the IELTS exam, focusing on basic grammar, reading speed, test strategies and writing skills. Each part of the IELTS exam is different, so ensure you fully understand what is expected of you.

A 7.5 IELTS score is an extremely good score to get selected in the university of your choice. However, do check for other requirements too.

IELTS speaking part 1 is mostly about you and your life. If the question asks about YOU, you must answer about YOU – not about people in general. The questions are often very simple and basic in part 1, such as “Do you like …”. This means you should be straight forward and give a natural answer.

Remember that the examiner will interrupt you at the 2-minute mark. Don't worry if this happens, as you have already shown the examiner that you can speak at length, appropriately extending your description.

IELTS interviewers will only repeat a question once. If you ask them to say the question a third time, they won't do it.

Did you know that repeating the same word or phrase too many times brings your vocabulary score down for IELTS Speaking and Writing? Even if you are using some high-scoring phrases, your vocabulary score cannot rise above a 6 if you have noticeable repetitions.

Is IELTS speaking section easy? ›

Since it's structured like an interview, the Speaking test is a stressful exercise for many test-takers. Fortunately, there are some easy steps you can take to not only reduce stress but attain a high score. Follow the 10 tips below and you'll be on your way to excelling on the IELTS Speaking test!

The performance in the speaking section is awarded a score based on four criteria - fluency and coherence, lexical resources, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. The speaking band score is awarded based on these four criteria and each of the criteria is weighted equally.

The examiner will not move on to part 3 until 1 minute has passed of your talk and the examiner will stop you at exactly 2 minutes to prevent you speaking further.

Okay, you can't really pass or fail IELTS (the test gives you a band score, not a pass/fail score). But there are some tips to get the best possible score. So, some tips for your IELTS test: Check our guide to the best official IELTS mock tests, sample questions, and IELTS simulation tests.