Which part of IELTS speaking is most important?

Are all the parts of the IELTS speaking test equally important?

The IELTS speaking test is graded by your performance in all parts of the test. The examiner will check your English language using the 4 marking criteria for each part of the test.

Speaking Part 1

If you are strong in speaking part 1 but not in the other parts, then you will not get a good score. You must do well in all parts to get a good score.

Most of the questions are quite easy in part 1 and are about yourself or your country. So, doing well in this part is expected for high level students. If you give very short answers, for example “Yes, I do” or “No, I don’t”, you are not providing the examiner with a good range of language to assess. So, that means your potential score is not high when you enter part 2 and it will affect your overall score.

Speaking Part 2

In speaking part 2, the examiner has a chance to sit and listen to your English without interrupting. So, giving a short speech of only 1 minute gives you less chance to demonstrate the level of your English and less chance to show fluency. It is still possible to get a good score with only 1 mins or 1.5 mins speech but only if the language you use is very good  and your fluency is very strong during that time.

By the end of speaking part 2, the examiner has a rough idea of your band score. Adding more information and details to each prompt is a way of offering the examiner a broader range of your language ability. Description offers the examiner more vocabulary and fluency. Talking with feeling can offer better intonation. Explaining in detail can offer better sentence structures and grammar. Giving examples of the past and ideas for the future can offer more grammar tenses. Try to find ways to showcase your English in part 2.

Speaking Part 3

In speaking part 3, it is a chance for the examiner to ask more in depth questions which will require more skill in English to answer. The questions are abstract and about the world rather than yourself. This requires a better level of English to answer well.

This is a chance for you to boost your score by providing the examiner with a better range of vocabulary, grammar, fluency and pronunciation. Giving examples and detailed explanations of your ideas naturally produces better language which will help your score.

Will the examiner decide my score in the test or later on?

Your score will be decided by the examiner who conducts the test and the score will be given at the end of the test. By the end of speaking part 3, the examiner will have decided your score.

Does the examiner have model answers?

No, there are no model answers used for assessing you in the IELTS speaking test. Each student will use different English and give different answers. Your score is only calculated on the English language you produce – the level and range of your English and the accuracy of your English.

If I don’t answer one question, will it affect my score?

If you perform well and produce good English in the other questions, you can still get a good score. Struggling with only one question while the others are fine, should not affect your score adversely.

Will I get a low score if I can’t think of many ideas?

The IELTS speaking test only assess your English language, not your ideas. This is very different to the IELTS writing test. IELTS writing assesses your ideas, your answers, how you develop the ideas and how you present them. IELTS speaking only tests your vocabulary, grammar, fluency and pronunciation. See below for the band score descriptors.

Recommended for IELTS Speaking

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Comments

  1. Natalia says

    Hi Liz, first at all I wanted to thank you for this amazing page you created and share for free with us, I’ve been practicing and studying from here mostly.
    Today I had the speaking test and I can’t stop thinking if I did good enough or not, but I noticed that my examiner asked me at least 15 questions, they were all related to similar topics and although she can’t talk I noticed she was enjoying the conversation and ever she laughed a bit which makes me feel more comfortable, but I’m wondering if this amount of questions are normal, cause i feel it was a lot of information and such short time and I feel the topics were very simple as well which didn’t let me think properly in a wide vocabulary, at least in all the test I never stopped talking and I didn’t use the “ehhmm” or I did not hesitate about any answer, also I always understood the questions at first.

    Anyway, I hope tomorrow goes well with the rest of the test and, again, Thanks a million!

    • I’m glad you wrote to me because I’d like to put your mind at rest.
      1) In part 1 speaking it is most common to get 3 topics. Those topics still always start with Home, Hometown, Work or Study. The other topics are based on every subjects such as hobbies, weather, sport, friends, family, going out etc. There are a number of challenges with these topics.
      2) you might get a topic so simple that you don’t know how to make your answers sound good. For example, you might be asked “What’s your favourite colour?” or “Do you often get your hair cut?”. If you are a high level candidate with excellent English, these questions seem so simple that you are stumped at how to tackle them. But don’t worry. Simple questions often result in simple answers. And the questions with more meat on them (ie questions with deeper content) that come later in the test will allow you to showcase your skills. As the test is marked over your whole performance, it’s fine that part 1 might be quite simple and part 3 where the high level language comes. Having said that, it is possible to make simple questions an opportunity to give high level English. Question: “What’s your favourite colour” Answer: “Well, as a child I was mainly fixated on green, but as an adult I now go for deep, calming blues.” This answer provides two grammar tenses, a complex sentence and interesting language “fixated on”, “deep calm colours”. The words “calm colours” are idiomatic.
      3) For anyone else reading my comment, it is also possible to get some challenging topics in part 1 such as flowers, birds, fish, and abstract topics such as colours or laughing.
      4) In part 1 there are around 12 questions (four questions for each topic). However, it is the examiner who decides the number of topics and the number of questions. So, part 1 can vary. Part 2 is obviously a cue card. Part 3 might have 5 or 6 questions, but it might be more and it might be less. So, in total, you could have 15 questions through the test with multiple topics. You could have more, you could have less.
      5) The number of topics, the type of topics and the number of questions do not necessarily have anything to do with your level of English. The examiner decides what they want.
      6) Sure it’s a good sign that the examiner was enjoying the conversation and even laughed a bit. But it doesn’t necessarily reflect a score. An examiner might enjoy the conversation and you get band 6. Or the examiner might never smile once and you get band 9. The examiner’s attitude and body language, unfortunately, isn’t regulated enough and can vary. But then again, examiners are human and do get tired or might be having a good day. So, if your examiner is nice, as you have experienced, it’s great.
      7) It’s great that you showed skills in fluency and that is important for the marking criteria of Fluency, which is 25% of your marks.
      8) You feel you didn’t give high level English at times, but candidates are not always the best judge of their language. Unless you are trained in language assessment, I would avoid presuming you didn’t use good language. You probably used collocations that you don’t remember, tenses you don’t remember and language that you think is simple, but might be considered very good. So, try not to assess your language yourself. Relax. But to help you feel more secure, if your speaking is as good as your language in the message ( minus the lack of punctuation of course), the examiner will know your level is strong.

      All in all, your test sounds positive. Of course I can’t comment on a potential band score because I would have to hear every sentence you said in the test. But I suggest you relax completely about your speaking test and focus on your tests tomorrow. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you 🙂

  2. Harshita says

    Hi Liz,
    So today I had my IELTS speaking test. I think overall I did okay.
    In part one the examiner didn’t ask me a lot of questions, hardly 4 to 5, first about my college and then about tea and coffee.
    In part two, I was asked to speak about a party I had attended recently. As I am not much of a partygoer I had no idea what to speak yet I made up a story but soon ran out of ideas. So I paused for about 2-3 sec and then started talking again. Will that affect my score?
    I think part 3 went better than part 2, though.

    What do you think? I really need to get at least a 7 band score to get into my desired university abroad.

    • It sounds fine, but there are things to learn from it if there is a need to ever take IELTS again.
      1) There are no fixed rules for part 1 about the number of questions or topics. Usually you’ll be asked about your Home/Hometown/Work or Study for the first topic. Then asked about two other topics. But the examiner can decide. Some examiners interrupt people talking to ask more questions in part 1. while other examiners might allow people to talk more freely. It doesn’t impact your score and both methods will result in good marking. So, your part 1 is fine. Thanks for sharing the topics.
      2) I understand how you might struggle with the topic of “a party” if you are not someone who goes to parties (and I’m someone who doesn’t). But this is where knowledge of the IELTS speaking test helps. A party is basically any gathering of people which is enjoyable and probably involves food, presents, gifts and a happy time. So, with this understanding, there are quite a few options of what to talk about: a family gathering, a birthday, a graduation celebration, a wedding, a happy time with a group of friends (which you could adapt to include gifts) etc. So, it doesn’t actually have to be a party with alcohol in a club or anything like that. To start the topic, you just need to be natural “I’m not much of a partygoer because I don’t like crowds of people, noise and I don’t drink. So, generally I stay away from such events. I generally prefer quieter gatherings, such as dinner with friends. But when it comes to parties that have gifts and presents, I do remember a birthday event I went to years ago …..“. This is how you approach the Speaking Test. Just be yourself. You could even have started talking about a birthday, and then halfway through said “Actually, I’ve just remembered a wedding I went to …..”. It’s all fine. The most important thing is the language you showcase, which in this case is about people together being happy or having fun with possible gifts. IELTS Speaking doesn’t have a score for Task Response, so if you adapt the topic (and I don’t mean change it entirely), it’s all fine.
      3) You were worried about pausing for about 2 seconds. Don’t worry. Certainly, fluency is being able to speak without hesitation, but you are allowed natural pauses (depending on the length of the pause) to find ideas. You need to remember this isn’t a test that is trying to trick you. It’s a test which aims to assess your natural language ability. Even native speakers will pause or repeat to find an idea in their head. So, IELTS allows for this. But if your pause is because your level of English is too low and you don’t know the words, that is going to impact your score. And the examiner does know the difference. So, don’t worry. Your score for fluency will be marked based on your whole test, not just part 2 or just 2 seconds out of 14 minutes. Think about the logic behind that.
      4) Whether you get band 7 will depend on your language through the whole test. It isn’t something to predict without hearing each answer and each sentence. So, my recommendation is to relax. And I wish you lots of luck with your results 🙂
      Here’s a link to Predicted Topics for IELTS Speaking Part 1 in 2024. This includes the topic of drinks.
      Here is a link to All IELTS Speaking topics, tips and model answers.

  3. hello lizz
    I want to ask you that I doubtful for 1 question in speaking test in part 3
    examiner asked me what a non artist can learn by seeing drawing ..Ideas didn’t struck In my mind although I tried to answer by saying they can learn about social issues like picture with water scarcity a person can learn what can be the grave consequences If resource is wasted. ..and they can learn about it more by specialized trainer or youtube I am worried …my target is 7 in speaking and I want to ask whether 1 question affect my score
    .

    • I’m not sure what your concern is. You are not marked on your ideas in the speaking test. You are only marked on your fluency, grammar, vocab and pronunciation.

  4. Tahsin Tabassum Suba says

    hi Liz, today was my speaking exam. during cue card, i asked the examiner to elaborate. to which he didn’t reply, just said..”you have seven second left to generate your answer.” then i answered the question. i have a feeling that i did well. but my question is, will this affect my score?

    • It doesn’t affect your score. The examiner is not allowed to explain the cue card to you or discuss anything. There is a strict limit on the words they can use in speaking part 2. It is always important to know this before you enter the test room. Asking doesn’t impact your score, but it might affect your confidence during your test.

  5. Hello Mrs. Liz,
    May I ask what type of tone I should use for speaking part 3? Formal or neutral tone?
    I am looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you

    • The IELTS Speaking test is informal. You will use informal language and chat to the examiner like a friend, but obviously politely.

  6. is it important to cover all the questions given with cue card while speaking ?

    • There are no questions on any cue cards. There are only prompts which you can use as a guide for the content of your talk.

  7. Ali Shadan says

    Hi Liz. first off, i’d like to thank you for all your passion that you give to all us in your IELTS preparation videos. it’s been a delight to learn from you. my question is about each part of speaking. it is said that in writing one third of the score goes to task 1 and the rest goes to task 2. can we have such a disctinction for speaking parts?

    • No, the speaking test is marked based on your overall performance. Each part allows you time to relax and get more comfortable speaking English. So, the examiner won’t have a fixed score in mind until the end of part 3. This is why your score is decided at the end of the whole test, not for each part.

  8. Hi liz, I had my speaking test today. I did well in part 1 and 2 but as the part 3 started, I had no knowledge about the topic. I tried to answer but the examiner stopped me and was repeating the question again and again. I didn’t lose my confidence and did respond to her question. This happens 3 times. What I have learned that it’s important to stay relavant but you can express your views. I feel like I not being heard. Is it going to affect my marks. Please guide me.

    • You are not marked on your ideas or your ability to understand a question. However, you are marked on fluency, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. So, these incidents won’t affect your score unless they also affected those aspects of your language. Also, your score is based on your overall performance, not one question. However, again, it depends how much all these impacted part 3 because part 3 is usually where you can showcase higher level English. What was the topic you struggled with? I can try to post some model answers for you.

      • The question was why modern buildings are same all over the world. I was kind of trying to show my disagreement with this questions that modern buildings do reflect culture of society so structuraly they can be same somehow but still each building has its unique representation. But she didn’t let me complete my sentence and keep on repeating the same question. Another question was what government should do to preserve historical places. I was talking about government should implement policies and increase budget but again she didn’t let me complete and put her opinion into it by adding how they can do it.

        • I’m sorry you had this experience. Your answer to the first question was excellent. IELTS speaking is not about being right or wrong, it’s about using English to express yourself and you did this very well with good language. It is unfortunate that the examiner just repeated the question because it wasn’t necessary. This is why it’s important for everyone to enter the test room knowing what is and what isn’t normal so that you don’t get flustered. If this happens, just explain your view again and wait for the examiner to move on. For the second example, the examiner can challenge your view point. They don’t usually do this with people who have low level of English because it would be too difficult for them. But with people who have strong English, it’s a technique to get more English out of you which can help your band score. I personally wouldn’t worry about what happened in your test and wait for your results. This shouldn’t affect your score. But if you receive your score and it is a lot lower than you feel is right, you can choose to get it remarked and all remarks are done by senior examiners. Let me know what happens. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you 🙂

          • Thanks for your kind words. I am feeling better now. I am still left with reading, listening and writing test which is on 25th nov. Hopefully, I’ll be getting my results by 8th of Dec. Will definitely let you know.

  9. Gurjeet says

    Hlo mam, I need your advice. I had my speaking test today. The cue card was “Describe a time when you lost your way.
    My answer: I explained that I travelled to (name) of place with my mother, but When I gave the address to the taxi driver and asked him to take me the hotel, he told me that there is no such hotel in that locality. I started to panic and then my mother calmed me down. Then, I called the hotel manager, he told me that one of their staff gave me the wrong address. So, he apologise and gave the correct one. I showed the correct address to the driver and then we reached the hotel.
    My question is that “Is my response appropriate according to the question?”
    Please answer mam, I will be waiting for your reply. Thank you.

    • You are not marked on the ideas of your response in IELTS speaking. In other words, there is no marking criterion of Task Response. That only exists in the IELTS writing test. So, definitely do not worry.

  10. Dawit says

    people say that having difficult part 3 question mean a good sign. is it true?

    • It doesn’t actually mean anything. Each examiner can choose whatever topics they want. Sometimes the choice is random. However, occasionally an examiner might test a high level speaker with a challenging topic to see how they get on – but this isn’t a fixed rule and doesn’t always happen. Definitely don’t listen to rumours when you prepare for your test.

  11. Sukaina says

    Hi liz,
    I gave my speaking test today. I think in some questions I was a bit repetitive and stuttered as well as I was very nervous. My main examiner bailed on me on the last moment and I had to wait for more than an hour for a replacement, by time they found one I was very nervous. I did well in part 2, I was very fluent and the examiner told me to stop and in the last question I felt the examiner tried to confuse me by cross questioning me. Want I’m worried about is my first part. I feel like I was very nervous and my answers were all over the place and I was stuttering too. I tried my best to support every answer with an example as well.
    Is it possible to achieve a band 7 or higher in this situation?

    • Try not to worry too much. There are three parts to the test, but you don’t get a score for each part. You get an overall score. This is because sometimes people are nervous in part 1 and do much better in part 2 and 3. The examiner will base your score on your level of English, not your nerves. If part 2 and part 3 show that your English is band 7, you must be given band 7. Wishing you lots of luck with your results 🙂

  12. Nadira Anjum says

    Dear Liz,
    Speaking of ideas, if I give most of the negative answers, I mean if I can’t think of what to tell and just be honest, then are my scores going to be low? I’m afraid of it.
    Yours sincerely student,
    ‘Nadira’
    Thank you.

    • I don’t understand. Can you give me an example of negative answers? Be specific so I can understand fully what is in your mind.

      • Nadira Anjum says

        Sorry for not being specific. Speaking of negative answers, I mean for instance if the examiner asks me if I use a dictionary often and I don’t know about a dictionary that much and have no use of it (for example). If this type of question asks something that I’m not familiar with can I just say that I don’t know much about that and so on. Will it affect my score?

        • You need to answer the question. If the examiner asks “Do you often use a dictionary?”, you say “To be honest, I rarely use a dictionary and can’t remember the last time I used one”. The examiner will then choose other questions such as “Do you think dictionaries are useful?”. Just because you don’t use them, doesn’t mean you can’t answer other questions on that topic. Just because someone does like cooking, doesn’t mean they can’t talk about their own thoughts about cooking or what other people think about this. You are not being tested on your knowledge of a topic, but your ability to keep using English to give precise answers.
          If the question is “do you like swimming?”. You never say “I don’t know anything about swimming.” – that wasn’t the question. The question isn’t asking what you know about something. It isn’t a knowledge test.
          So, prepare as many topics as you can – this is part of your preparation. Prepare your thoughts, your feelings, your past memories, your future plans, other people’s thoughts etc – all based on the common topics.

          • Nadira Anjum says

            Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will remember that. I will be taking the exam on 4 June. Hoping for a better score.

          • Khadka Bahadur Tumsing says

            Thank you for needy information

  13. Ankur says

    Hi Liz,

    I gave my speaking test today and I got a topic for which I did not got many ideas. It was

    Describe a situation when you got friendly with unfriendly people
    Share an example of such incident
    Why you had to become friendly with that person
    How it affect your mind in such situation.

    I spoke very bad because I didn’t had much idea about the topic. But my other 3 tests went well. How many bands I can expect in speaking and overall?

    • Your score is calculated based on: vocabulary, grammar, fluency and pronunciation over the whole test. It is not possible to guess or predict your score because your part 2 wasn’t strong. It’s a shame you got that topic – it isn’t an easy one. Good luck with your results.

  14. Hello ,
    Today I took my speaking test in part 2 my cue card was about the equipment which is important to me at my home . and spoke about cricket bat will that effect my score ?

    • It’s completely fine to choose that. It is closely enough connected to equipment which was your main topic. You don’t get marked down for such deviations like that,

      • Adeel Eliyas says

        Hey there liz!
        I have been watched your lessons and they have helped me a lot in my exam. After watching your videos and tutorials my score improved dramatically.

        I just had a small question. I speak fluent English but sometimes when I am speaking I get stuck and there is a lapse/pause trying to find a good word to add in my sentence, the pause is about 3 or 4 seconds but it seems like it break the continuity.
        Will this affect my speaking score??

        • Yes, that pause will affect your score. Native speakers only pause when they are looking for ideas, not because they can’t find a word. It is important that you aim for fluency without pauses. When you pause to find a word, your vocabulary score won’t be hugely improved because you found a single word, but your fluency score will be impacted. Learn to speak and let the words come naturally without looking for them. All your preparation at home should ensure that most of your vocabulary is right there ready to use (on teh tip of your tongue). But in the exam, aim for fluency.

          • Fernando Ludovico says

            Hi Liz, thank you very much for all these fantastic lessons and tips you provided us with. But I want to ask if I pause/hesitate because I am looking for ideas, will this affect my band score? Especially in the situation of I’m just looking for ideas, once the ideas are found I’m pretty fluent with my answer. Thanks very much!

            • The examiner is able to tell the difference between someone pausing for ideas and someone pausing due to language problems. Don’t worry about that. However, it is still best to try to avoid pauses when possible. Part 1 and part 2 do not require actual ideas for topics – it’s all about your own personal life and your own personal experience. So, it’s only part 3 where ideas really play a part and nearly all part 3 speaking topics can appear in part 2 writing – so if you prepare ideas for topics, that will help a lot.

      • HI
        Yesterday I took my speaking test and in part 2 was cue card describe a rule you don’t like at your school and I spoke about uniform will that effect my band score?

        • It’s completely fine. Wearing a uniform is a rule. in fact, it’s a great choice because there’s so much you can say about wearing a uniform and there’s so much great vocab around that topic too. Good luck with your results 🙂

  15. Hi Liz,

    I have done pretty well in my Speaking test except for Part-1 where my voice was a bit feeble and the examiner asked me to speak a bit louder. Since scores are primarily calculated on the 4 parameters, I’m doubtful if loudness would cause a negative impact on the score. Also, while I was writing down the key points for Part-2, I saw her putting a 5. on the sheet. May I please know if that was the score of Part-1? If yes then please share a detailed insight into the assessment scores for each part and how they’re marked.

    • You are not given a score for each part. That is not how the marking works. Whatever numbers the examiner writes down is related to timing – not scoring. Good luck with your results!!

  16. Hey Liz ,
    I just Gave My Speaking Test Today and I’d Say It went Great But I Messed Up In The Second part like I got nervous and Only Said two to three line following With A pause . But i did great in 1 and Aced in 3rd part . So , What Do You think its Gonna Be ? Will my Score Be Low ? Though , i am Confident in 3rd Part . it went very great . What is Your Opinion On This ?

    • It is impossible to predict your results. Your score is based on an overall performance, but to almost completely fail in part 2 will have consequences. What those consequences are will depend on how strong your part 1 and 3 were and also on the examiner. You’ll have to wait and see your results. Hopefully, the examiner realised that part 2 was a mess because of nerves. Good luck with your results!!

    • Harpreet says

      hyy yesterday was my speaking test and I also gone through the same problem can u please tell me how much bands you achieved

  17. Hi Liz,
    Thanks for so many useful tips on ielts preparation. I had my ielts speaking today. Did well in part 1 and 3 but in part 2 clu indicated me to narrate an incident which reminded me of a friend who died because of covid. This made me very sad and I cried. The examiner took it over to part 3 which I continue answering well. Now I am extremely worried about my score. I think I have messed up.

    • Don’t worry. There’s no harm in getting upset in the test. It is completely natural that you would struggle to speak about something emotional in part 2. Crying won’t cause your score to go down. However, if you ever take the test again or for someone who is about to take the test, it is important to choose your part 2 topic wisely. Choose a subject that doesn’t upset you and is easy to talk about. If you get upset, it doesn’t affect your score, but you will lose time and lose focus. Your focus should be on producing fluent English, and emotions tend to cause problems for such focus. Anyway, be positive. You won’t get a lower score because you cried.
      I’m really sorry to hear about your friend. So many people have lost someone to Covid. These are really tough times. My heart goes out to you and your friend’s family.

  18. Paras says

    Hii lizz,
    I was having my speaking test today. Everything was going fine however in part 2 due to nervousness in my cue card i spoke on tall building i like or dislike instead of tall building in my city i like or dislike. Will it affect my score??

    • It won’t affect your score at all. It is common that people get nervous and miss small details, such as that, on the cue card. Your main topic was a tall building and you covered that. You won’t get marked down at all. Good luck with your results 🙂

  19. manasa prasad says

    Hi Liz,

    I would really like to thank you for all the content you have put up for IELTS preparation. It helped me a lot.

    I finished my test today. Reading , writing and listening went quite well. But, I’m worried abt the speaking section.
    My speaking test was a week ago. In the section 2, I wasn’t able to complete speaking about my ideas within 2 minutes and as a result didn’t answer apart of the question. How much rating could I loose due to this. Please advise.

    • There are no questions on the cue card in part 2 speaking. There are prompts which you can use or not use as you wish. There is no such thing as “Task Achievement” in the speaking test. This means whether you finish your speech or not makes no difference. Good luck with your results!!

  20. I have my speaking test today. My first and third round was good . I gave answer in 5-6 lines. But in cue card examiner gave me sign to stop just after a min . Does it effect my marks.

    • The examiner is not allowed to stop you until 2 mins is finished in part 2. This is an international IELTS rule that no examiner can alter. However, it is often difficult for people to judge how long they have spoken for which is why you must rely on the examiner to calculate time correctly. If you are not happy with your results, you can ask for a remark.

      • Draunzer says

        But my friends who took IELTS exam told me that examiner stopped them much before the designated time most of my friends faced this.
        And I also have my exams on 28th may I’m confident in LRW but not much in speaking since I have no one to speak with, I’m relying on practice I did a month ago when I was with my friend

        • Many candidates are not aware of the precise timing and time seems to pass quicker than it actually does. The examiner is very careful about controlling timing. Any examiner who actually cuts the time in part 2 or in any part below that stated by IELTS is in fact breaking those rules and ought to be reported. But as I said, most candidates are not aware of the precise time during the test.
          Watch the video on this page to develop your speaking at home: https://ieltsliz.com/ielts-speaking-free-lessons-essential-tips/

  21. Reyhan Hussain says

    Hello Liz,
    I completed my speaking test today, although everything went smooth but there were some occasions in part 1 were the examiner asked for some more information and provided her with the needful. This happened twice in the same section. She wasn’t asking directly for the information but her eye moments suggested otherwise. Is this something I should be concerned about.
    Please help

  22. Arif Rahman says

    Hi,
    Today I had my speaking test. But, I’m really worried about few things… I couldn’t hear clearly the questions asked by the interviewer; her voice was not clear to me. It sounded like, her voice was like caught-cold or something… I don’t know why, may be her voice sounded distorted due to the glass shield on the table and the mask she put on but, I had to ask her to repeat twice in several questions. Once at a point, I couldn’t hear well & misunderstood as I started to answer something not relevant to her question. I’m really worried, how much will it affect the score

    • It doesn’t affect your score at all. Understanding is not part of the marking criteria for IELTS Speaking. Don’t worry. Good luck with your results 🙂

      • Ramsha says

        Same happened with me I couldn’t hear clearly to examiner and gave irrelevant answer but my speaking part was so good

  23. Matildae says

    Hi Liz.
    I had my speaking test today .there are few parts I am worried about
    In part 2 , I finished talking about the cur card topic a little before time and the examiner asked to continue, so I continued again telling a few more details and in part 3 he asked me a question , I misunderstood the question and started answering , he repeated and stressed the question but still I misunderstood it and answered the same way finally he skipped to the next question .
    Will the above 2 mistakes affect my band score ? Considering the accent and grammar to be good what might be a rough score ?

    • Neither will have any impact on your score at all. Relax. It is not possible to predict a score without hearing the full test. Fingers crossed for your results 🙂

      • Hello Liz ! I had my speaking test today and it went quite well ! There are 2 things that I am anxious about:
        1. Cue card- The cue card question was first read to me by the examiner and he then handed over the cue card to me. I started preparing the cue card and forgot to read the question properly. The cue card was about describing a time when I HAD TO TELL THE TRUTH to my friend. This is what I thought the cue card was and I answered accordingly that initially I had to lie and then I told my friend that he had failed ( truth ). Later when I got home I searched up the cue cards on internet and I found that all cue cards were about a time when you DIDN’T TELL THE TRUTH. Hence, I am quite nervous because I answered on telling the truth rather than concealing it. Will this lower or affect my band score?

        2. In the last question of part 3, I fumbled a little bit. Is it ok ? I was trying to answer a quotation but then I couldn’t remember two words so I fumbled in that. Pls reply as I am quite anxious. Your reply would make my day! Thank you !

        • 1. It won’t affect your score. You aren’t marked for being on topic and your ideas are not marked either for IELTS speaking. It is also possible that you read the cue card properly. These cue cards are often similar but not necessarily 100% the same. So, definitely don’t worry.
          2. I’m not sure what you mean about “answering a quotation”. You give quotes and don’t answer them. If you struggled to remember a quote, it only means that you didn’t fully understand the testing system. You aim is not to quote other people, but to express your own ideas using your own way. So, no quotes. If you fumbled a little, it might affect fluency, but as the score is based on your overall performance, it would depend on how your fluency was at other times. Small slips won’t matter as it’s the overall level of English that counts.
          However, I will add that if you don’t get the score you want, do not book another test until you have fully grasped how the speaking test is marked and what does or doesn’t affect your score. When you are fully prepared, you would already know the answers to both of the above questions. But hopefully, your score will be precisely what you need – good luck!

  24. Sneha Nagpal says

    Hi Liz,

    Greetings, I had appeared my IELTS test yesterday but in the speaking test, the examiner was prompting me, again and again, to pull up the mask (as we had to speak with the mask on our face) because of which I repeated one sentence in part 2. In part 3 I didn’t understand the question but I gave the answer so the examiner rephrased it again and I gave the correct answer. How many marks will be deducted for it? I am nervous because of it and I need your guidance.

    Await your response.

  25. Hi Liz,
    The first time I took the IELTS GT, I received a 9 for the speaking section. I retested and received an 8 in speaking this time. I was born and raised in the U.S., I have no idea how I did poorly enough to receive an 8.
    British Council Vietnam, told me that I can dispute the test score. It would cost me around $100. If the test score is improved, they will refund me the $100 and issue a new certificate.
    My goal is to receive an overall 9 CLB. If my speaking is overruled to a 9, are the following results good enough for an over 9 CLB:
    Listening 8.5
    Reading 8.5
    Writing 7.0
    Speaking 8.0 (disputing for 9)
    I look forward to hearing from you.
    Thank you,
    Long

  26. My speaking was today. I was asked to describe a skill I learnt in childhood.
    Unfortunately, I could not come up with anything good but I said, I have learnt yoga and meditation from father.I narrated it pretty well, without any gaps…. after the test, I when I recollected, I understood it is not a skill… In the follow up session too, I failed in task achievement but I spoke without much noticeable mistakes ….How will it affect my score?

    • There is no Task Achievement in IELTS Speaking. There is nothing in the marking that relates to finishing a task, being on topic etc. So it doesn’t matter that you spoke about yoga. You followed the main topic closely and you will be marked only on the English language you produced: fluency, grammar, vocab and pronunciation. Good luck with your results!!

      • Andy Gupta says

        Hi Liz,

        Today I had my speaking test, the only thing stressing me out is that when I was about to leave after my test I completely forgot that I have to close door slowly due to nervousness and it looked like I smacked the door.
        I did everything as per your videos but I dont know how did it happen.
        Will it effect my score? Please let me know.

        • It won’t affect your score at all. Only your spoken English that is on the recording is marked. If you get your results and don’t like your score, you can ask for a remark which will be based only on your recorded answers.

  27. Naveen says

    Hey Liz, thanks for your videos and efforts. It really helps many. Well here in India, you are a star. Thanks again!

  28. Pearly says

    Hello…I thank you for this site. It really helped me but today is not really my day. I took the speaking test awhile ago. I am really sad that I got mental blocked in part 2. On the cue card, it was written to talk about a small company but when I started talking I was describing a business my auntie has and the examiner pointed the “small company” on the cue card, that is when I realize I am not giving her the required idea that I am supposed to talk about. Will I get a low score?

    • It won’t affect your score at all. You stayed on topic with the main topic which was about a company. It’s fine. However, it’s a shame you didn’t quickly add “my aunt’s business is actually a small company” or “although my aunt’s business isn’t actually a company, it is a small business”.

  29. Hi liz ,

    I had my speaking test today. Examiner was really happy with me I think so;cause of his facial expressions and one question I want to ask like I was given a cue card about a film I recently watched and where you watched. I guess I missed saying watched at home. I said that me and my sister were really getting bored so we decided to watch a film . so not saying watched at home on tv would affect my score? And examiner being happy and doing hand gestures of thumbs up 👍🏻 indicate something?

    • You are not marked on task completion in any part of IELTS Speaking so that wouldn’t matter at all. The thumbs up is an international sign of “well done”. The examiner doesn’t normally do this but obviously the examiner was feeling kindly towards you.

  30. Madhuja says

    Hello ,
    I took my speaking test today . The test was fine overall. Well , I would like to know. Are we scored by the examiner on duty right after the test? Or we are further scrutinised based on our recording and then marked ?

    • The recording is used for remarking purposes only. The examiner who asks the questions will write down your score after you leave the room.

  31. Oh here im again😅post-testing Stress disorder probably🙄! Though my examiner was alright but he sometimes talked with hand on his mouth and head bowed a little.i dont think this is d correct posture for either d examiner or d examinee, vr always told to luk d interviwer in d eyes n sit straight, likewise for them, right?

    • Sounds like you had a bit of bad luck. The examiner should speak clearly, and give encouraging eye contact and body language. Hopefully it didn’t affect your performance. If that situation ever happens again, just say very clearly “Please could you speak more clearly because I’m having problems understanding you.” This will be recorded and it shows the problem you had. Always make sure problems are recorded for remarking purposes.

  32. Ccontinued from previous…sorry to ask aa question which uv repiled to so many times already that repetition request or wrong answer doesnt affect scores. However, i would still like your opinion on whether i shdv informed him about my hearing problem? Thanks in advance,its such a wonderful blog!😍

    • Yes, you should have mentioned your hearing problem to him. Always make sure that any information you give is after the recording starts so that there is evidence of what you have said for remarking purposes.

  33. Khaled says

    Hello Liz, today was my ielts speaking test in British Council. My Cue Card was, “Describe a newly public facility in your home town that you would like to visit.” But, i described about a newly public facility which i often visit.” I did wrong, but i didn’t perceive that time.
    Will it hamper my score? Please reply my answer, i would be greatfull to you.

    • It’s no problem at all. You are not marked on task achievement or task response or ideas or being on topic in IELTS Speaking. Your answer will be marked normally based on fluency, grammar, vocab and pron.

  34. Amrinder Singh says

    Liz, my examiner wrote 33%. What does that mean?

    • It means nothing at all. The score is not decided until the end of the test. You should ignore any notes or numbers written by the examiner during the speaking test.

  35. Yesterday, I had my speaking test and I felt happy with the results. At first, my heartbeat ran so fast and I felt really nervous. But then, I tried to calm myself by getting informal with the examiner and telling her what I feel. Before we started she even asked me to take a breath. And when we proceeded with the task 1, I felt better and more confident. In task 1, I was asked about
    1. Home, favorite room of your home – I didn’t hesitate to ask her, “Should I consider kitchen as a room?” Haha.
    1/2. Perfume – She asked me about my favorite perfume and if I have bought one. I told he, “No”. But then I was reminded by your tutorials, Liz that I should not give plain answer. And so, I added more and more like, “To be honest with you, I’m not very particular with any perfume. As long as I smell good, I’m ok with that.” Haha
    Task 2
    1. Describe someone whom you know can speak foreign language very well.
    I was struggling to come up with a better output since time pressure was a great factor. To make me a bit comfortable, I heed to your advice by saying, “I’d like to talk about…” I was not satisfied with my performance since my sentences were very simple. I think my problem lies with the fact that I need to come up with a good content in a very short time.
    Task 3
    1. Do you think a language is a prerequisite to learn a culture?
    2. Do you think learning English can give you more career opportunities? In what way?
    3. Do you think English should still be an international language?

    Most of the time, I avoid giving short answers because I realized that you’re right in your tutorials. Even though I only had simple answers in her questions, I always extended my answers because the examiner might be having a difficulty to determine if I’d just say yes or no.

    Thank you so much Liz for all the lessons I’ve learned.

    • Thanks for sharing 🙂 Sounds like the test went well on the whole. I like the way you expanded your answer about perfume – it’s natural and spontaneous 🙂 Part 2 can be tricky with ideas, but it’s always good to start developing the topic to talk about other people’s views and what you recommend. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for your results 🙂

  36. Khushbu Thakkar says

    Today I gave a speaking test in which I’ve spoken well in 1st and 3rd part but in cue card I didn’t speak well and also completed my speaking before examiner stopped . Can I get atleast 6 band?

    • Your score will depend on the level and range of English you used throughout the whole test, from beginning to end. You’ll have to wait for your results to see what score you get – good luck!

  37. After finishing my part 1 ..examiner wrote 455 …what does that mean…😥

  38. honey078 says

    Hii liz
    i took my ielts speaking test today and the examiner asked me why why why for every question and also stopped me in between when i was answering the question what does that mean?? will i get a lowe band score ??

    • Being asked “why” means the examiner is trying to encourage you to talk more so that they can hear more English. If you don’t give longer answers, you won’t be showcasing enough English. When the examiner interrupts an answer, it is 100% normal. All these things you should know before entering the test room.

  39. Hi Liz,
    Yesterday, I appeared in my Speaking test module.
    PART 1
    WORK
    Are you working or study?
    What type of job you are doing?
    Why you are doing this job?
    Did you find that job interesting?
    TRAVELLING
    Do you like travelling?
    Why do you want to explore new places?
    Where you last go for travelling?
    RUBBISH
    How do you feel when you see rubbish on the streets?
    Why do people litter in public?
    Do you always try to recycle things like paper or plastic?
    Would you like to help other people to keep your town or city tidy?

    PART 2
    A prize you want to win
    What prize it is
    Why do you want to win
    How you will feel after winning it

    PART 3
    REWARDS FOR CHILDREN
    Is it a good idea to reward children?
    what rewards can children get from school?
    should parents push their children to get rewards or participate in competitions?
    REWARDS FOR EMPLOYEES
    Is it a good idea to rewards employees?
    What rewards can companies offer to an outstanding employee?
    why increment in salary as a reward is good?

    my examiner was continuously smiling in a mischievous way, I mean in a very strange manner. I felt a little disturb because of his smile expressions.
    During part 1 when he asked the question of why people throw rubbish?
    then I explained as mostly rubbish contains empty packaging cans ….suddenly the examiner started repeating the question… I said I am explaining……
    that people don’t find these things useful also when something broke or need repair those things also throw in the rubbish by some people as they don’t want the extra load of repairing them
    After part 2 when he asked me to return the writing pad then suddenly while giving he suddenly asked a question that
    so your friends like your project or not?
    I didn’t hear that
    when he repeated it again then I answered it.

    Will it affect my score?

    In part 3 he didn’t stop me I gave him proper answers.

    And regarding writing module 6 JULY
    TASK 1
    combination of bar chart and table was given
    the bar chart was related to the salaries of workers in the UK in 2001
    in bar chart there was a comparison of starting salaries and salaries after 3 years, salaries were in pounds.
    four job categories were given undergroud train drive, police office, firefight, nurse
    the table was related to the average working hours per week
    Underground train driver 35
    police officer 55
    firefighters 45+
    nurse 44.3

    TASK 2
    In many places, the roles of mothers and fathers are changing.
    Is it a positive or negative development?
    I wrote about women empowerment is the reason for this change
    then I wrote about work-life balance in which father support the mother with taking care of some house chores. I wrote children will learn that house chores are not only the responsibility of one gender that is females. then I wrote about male dominating society as it will remove that thought
    In second BP, after writing paradoxically I wrote that in some cases may be children feel lonely if the parents will always busy in their jobs but this situation will improve if there will be a mutual understanding between parents and they properly invest their time.

    and thank you, Liz, your blog helped me a lot for preparing Task 1 questions.

    Thank you

    • Thanks for sharing 🙂 Your speaking score is not influenced by whether you understood a question or didn’t hear one. Only the language you produced will be marked. Ideas are also not marked in IELTS speaking. For writing task 2, you were not asked to give the reasons for this change. Your task was to evaluate it – state if it was good or bad. You needed to explain what is good about it, what is bad about it and which side you agree with.

      • PRIYA says

        Thanks for your quick reply, Liz.

        In the introduction of the essay, I clearly wrote that I personally believe it is a positive development and the I give the opinion why I think it is. Then in BP1, I wrote about two positive aspects of it ( effect of this change on children and society). In BP2, I wrote one negative aspect (about te loneliness of children in some cases if parents were too busy) then I refute it ( with the point, the mutual understanding of parents about their duties after that I wrote that it will make their bond stronger). In conclusion, I summarise the essay within two sentences and there also I wrote that this change is good.

        after the test, I talked with other candidates about their views on the essay. Majority of them wrote that it is negative development because the mother will become busy in her work and children will be all alone and tey will start following bad company and habits such as drugs, cybercrime. I was so confused after hearing their views that why they are thinking so negative if a mother is exchanging her roles with father?

        Thank you again.

        • You are not marked on which view you have. If you believe it is positive, it is your choice and does not affect your score. Your ideas were fine. However, your score will depend on much more than just the basic ideas.

  40. Harry says

    hi liz,
    Yesterday was my speaking exam and in the mid of my exam i asked for water as I’m feeling nervous..is this will have a band impression on examiner mind..or it will effect my band score?

    • It will not affect your score at all 🙂 But your nerves might have affected your performance.

    • Hi liz
      My examiner asked me a question i answered it accurately but she again asked the same question
      It happened 2 times

      Will it affect my band score

      • The examiner was probably looking for specific language from you which is why you were asked again. You might have provided that language later on in the test which means it’s fine. Marking is not based on each individual question.

  41. maleesha says

    At the end of the speaking test is it possible to ask did i do it well?

    • The examiner cannot answer that question. You must wait for your score to see how you did.

      • Nittish Chalhotra says

        Greetings liz,
        Today was my speaking test. I think it went well except for the last follow-up question in part 3, where I went off topic and examiner pointed out and without saying another word she compiled the exam.
        How will this affect my speaking score?

        I am in stress.

        • IT won’t affect your score at all because being on or off topic isn’t marked. Only the level of your spoken English is marked. Good luck with your results 🙂

  42. Srinath says

    Hi , I just completed my speaking test today. I had to ask the examiner to repeat the question because ,it was not clear . Will it reduce my score ?

  43. Rashad says

    Dear Ms Liz,
    I have a question regarding IELTS speaking test that I have undergone last saturday. The issue I faced was with the examiner. He was very aggressive and intimidating all throughout the session, and I was feel very uncomfortable right from the start. When he asked me where I am from. I started with ” I am basically from India,…” and I was trying to give some more details. But he just a hand gesture, asking me to stop. Most of my answers were met with disapproval and his weird body language, and sometimes with this sound “mshhh”, which I believe was a sign of disagreement.
    One of his question was “Will I ever get my picture drawn by an artist?”. I started the answer with, “I have got it done twice in last 2 years from street artists”. Then even before I start my next sentence, he told “Stop and answer my question”. Actually I was trying to a background and say “I would do it again”. For another question, which was about reasons for different cultural variations, I tried giving some background information before starting the core part of the question. The response I received from something similar again.

    The entire ordeal has not only resulted in the loss of my coherency but also profoundly affect my confidence. Despite the situation I believe that I have answered all of his questions fairly well, I am a bit worried if that would result in a lower score. Also, I strongly believe that how a speaking test should be conducted. A few months ago, I had taken IELTS from IDP and my experience was very pleasant; I scored 8 for speaking. This time I have taken my chance with British Council, just to see how things are different.

    Right after the exam, I have filed a written complaint to the BC administrator in charge, explaining the situation. Please let me if these events are normal or I just happened to be a rare victim. It would be much appreciated if you suggest anything I should do to escalate this issue further.

    • Obviously I can only comment on what you have written because I wasn’t present in your test to judge for myself. When the examiner asked “Where do you come from?” – that was not a part 1 question. It was a question for the ID check and you never expand on it. You answer directly because the examiner wants to check the ID details. So, it would be normal for the examiner to cut you short in that question. This was explained in my free video about the IDC check and greeting the examiner.
      When part 1 starts you will be asked “short answer questions”. This means questions that do not require a lengthy answer – but you should still say more than just one line. You should never give background information in any answer in the speaking test. All answers should be directly answered and then any extra detail is added after. If the examiner asks “Can you swim?”, in part 1, you must answer “Yes, I can. etc”. This is testing your ability to link “can” in the question to “can” in your answer. Basic grammar tests. The extra information is given after you have done this. So, the examiner would have felt rather impatient and frustrated never to get a direct answer from you.
      In part 1 and part 3, it is 100% normal for the examiner to interrupt your answer and move quickly to a new question. This is a normal part of a test which is so strict on timing. The examiner decides the length of your answer, not you.
      From what I have said above, you can see that you lack of understanding of what happens in the test and what your aims are in answering will have affected your experience of the test itself. Some examiners are more patient and more are not. They are human. Even so, no examiner should show frustration. They should behave professionally at all times. They should always be positive and encouraging in their body language.
      It sounds to me that this is a case of you not understanding the test properly and the examiner not being more friendly and patient. But again, this is only my interpretation based on what you have written above. You must judge for yourself – always remembering that until IELTS put a camera in the test room, there will always be differences in the way examiner’s behave.

    • iram Farooqui says

      The same thing I experienced today as I had my exam..the examiner was making so wierd expressions it made me extremely uncomfortable..the way she was looking at me lyk I am some kind of garbage..i was really confident but due to her attitude I could see my confidence collapsing..part 1 went rather well I was asked the same questions as u however in cue card I was asked to describe a language I want to learn I started ranting abt Arabic the origins of Quran n all but unfortunately I could see her a high level Hindu..i cud clearly cmy band droping and the follow up questions I had messed up some didn’t evn reach to my brain I had to ask her twice cuz of her attitude..evn I thought of complaining…

      Wat was ur band score???

      • Rashad says

        My score was 8 for speaking.

      • Sana says

        I had the same kind of experience as the two of you. I’m sure your scores must be out by now. How much did you score in speaking?

  44. hi Liz,
    I had my speaking test yesterday. I wanted to ask you, is it mandatory to use idiom in speaking to get 7 or above and is one or two error acceptable? please reply, i am all stressed out due to this as i did not use it and in the score description it is mentioned as idiomatic expression for score 7. Thank you.

    • It is best to avoid idioms and use other idiomatic language, such as phrasal verbs.

      • Manmohit says

        Hi liz today was my speaking test. I was confident and gave all the answers confidently. But in part 3 , i told examiner that ‘Sir can you please repeat the question’? Does it effects my score☹

        • IT doesn’t affect your score at all. Your score will only be based on fluency, grammar, vocab and pronunciation.

  45. I took my speaking test today and I felt like I didn’t give relevant answers for part 3 questions. My grammar, fluency and pronunciation are good but I later realised that I didn’t relevant answers in that particular section. How bad is this gonna affect my score?

    • As you see in the marking criteria: fluency, grammar, vocab and pronunciation – relevancy isn’t marked.

    • what is your speaking score? @Akhila

      • Madam today I had speaking test..I have done well but one doubt- examiner writing some notes on book ..after part 1 she wrote some 5 nd all I didn’t saw fully..what are those numbers is it my band score..I’m total worried about my score I want 6 bands in speaking test

        • The numbers relate to timing and not to your score.

          • Satinder singh says

            Heyy mam i want to tell you that during my speaking examiner was smiling whenever i saw her does it have a positive impact on band scores or she was smiling because she was thinking what he is speaking ???

        • Lubnaa says

          I pretty much had the same experience. I was worried too. I am glad to have come across this question. I can finally breathe!

  46. Narender says

    Hi Liz,

    Yesterday my speaking done but examiner asked me few questions in the 1st part as well as in the last part also he stopped me while speaking. So, was it wrong or right?

    • On average there are about 12 questions in part 1 and about 6 questions in part 3. It is the examiner’s choice.

  47. Darshine says

    Hey Liz! Please answer! I had my speaking test today. While i was speaking , i pushed the mike down by mistake. The examiner kept it back at place. Will that affect my score? Please tell me! I am so worried!

  48. Shivam patel says

    Madam my interview and discussion was absolutely perfect but i feel q card was little bit bad then is q card more imp and i will get good score or low score

  49. Hi Liz,
    My name is Jay and I took my IELTS yesterday in the US. I think I did pretty well overall, so hoping for the best. I wanted to share some ideas which really helped me in the test.
    To those reading this post- I have been in the US for a few years and have worked and studied here. So, it is possible that the things that were easy for me (listening/writing/reading) might be difficult for you. I did not take any classes but rather watched some videos and read tips given on this website, which was really helpful especially for speaking. Here are my two cents: 1) Please prepare well for listening and reading sections. Those sections totally depend upon your thinking and understanding capabilities and if you practice enough using previous tests and other material, you should be able to get 8 or above in those sections. 2) Writing and speaking require more effort on your part. These things cannot be learned overnight. You really need to put sincere efforts to improve these. After all, you are giving IELTS to go to a country where you will need to write and speak in English. Why not improve it keeping that in mind rather than thinking about only IELTS? In fact, if you have a good grasp over these two, you do not need to worry about scoring high in IELTS. 3) Please go through the list of topics that Liz posts on her website and prepare your answers for them. It is possible that you may not get same topics on the test, but if you have prepared answers for similar topics, it is quite likely that you will be able to use those ideas and logic to answer new questions. It is not about the content, rather it is about the fluency and coherence. 4) Get your written and spoken work checked by someone who knows English well and can guide you. 5) And lastly, do not take IELTS just because it is a requirement for your applications. Take it because you need to improve your English for your own good. Learning a new language takes time, especially if you are a non-native speaker. But do not let it discourage you from putting some extra work apart from your current work/study.
    Good luck!!
    Thanks again Liz.
    Jay

  50. SAKSHI KUKREJA says

    Hi Liz,

    Thank you so Much for posting all the great stuff.
    I had my IELTS Speaking test today
    1.Where to you live flat or House
    2.Which room is your favourite room.
    3.Do you write letters or Gift cards.
    4.Are handwritten cards better the e-cards.
    5.Do you write letters or cards
    6.Do you use to write letters/Cards
    7.Tell me about your best holidays.

    Cue Card:

    Tell me about a plan that you cancelled.

    Section 3:

    1.Do changing plan is good thing
    2.Why do people change plan
    3.Why are older people not comfortable with changing plans.
    4.If a person changes plan a lot of time is he considered Immature.

    One doubt:I gave example in most of my answers.Will that be fine?

    • Thanks for sharing 🙂 IELTS speaking is based on language, not ideas or other content.

  51. Jay Barot says

    Hi Liz ,
    I had my speaking on 8th of may .I was able to answer everything fluently and with confidence .I didn’t lag in anything as from my point of view but I missed out one cue card topic out of the four which were provided to me. How will it affect my score ? The topic was toy and i missed out it’s description by every means .

    • Covering all prompts on the card or using just two or three has no impact on your score at all. However, you missed a chance to show the examiner language relating to size, shape, material, function etc.

      • Jay barot says

        Thank you mam,u helped me get out of stress by saying it won’t affect my marks .I have my LRW tomorrow .Your blog was very helpful to me mam.

  52. manpreet says

    I got 8 bands in speaking with the help of your lessons..thank you so much mam.u are so inspirational..

  53. Hi Liz,
    I appeared in IELTS speaking test.Topic was Exciting book which you read.
    -When you read it ?
    -What type of book it is?
    -When it is about?
    -Why you find it is exciting
    I was able to spoke for 2 minutes for cue card with relevant topic.

  54. Maleeha Afzal says

    Hey. This site is awesome. I took my ielts speaking test today and it went well apart from the starting part where i told my name and the examiner pointed out that i was inaudible. I then raised my voice in the next sentence. And she said that she still cant hear me. After that i literally started yelling the answers at the top of my voice. All the questions went smoothly after that.
    Do you think the starting might affect my score?

    • It won’t affect your score at all. It is about making your voice heard on the recording.

  55. About stammering in speaking module……
    I appear for my test but I got only 5.5 band in speaking because of stammering.
    But, I have given my medical certificate too. So now mam what can I do …??
    How my score improve ????

    • Review your techniques. Did you use each question as an opportunity to showcase your English? Each and every question! Did you showcase your grammar and range of tenses?

  56. Hello Liz,
    Hope you are doing great! I took my IELTS speaking exam today. I felt the test was ok, if not bad. However, in my round 2, which is the where you need to talk about the cue card topic, i missed to answer the 3rd question. The examiner pointed out the question and told me to talk about it, and then i started speaking about that question. I desperately need to get 7 band in speaking. Can you please let me know, how much can my band level get affected for this mistake? or, if i will be able to get 7 in speaking.

    • It is not necessary to answer the points on the cue card. The examiner was trying to help you expand your talk – it doesn’t affect your score.

  57. Anushka says

    Hi liz
    I had my speaking test this morning
    Although the topic was a little tricky yet I spoke enough without taking any pause.
    But the interviewer’s expressions made me think he didn’t quite enjoyed my views.
    The scores are given by the same interviewer or judged by a someone else?

    • The scores are decided by the examiner asking the questions. Don’t worry about their facial expressions – some people are not smiley.

  58. Raven Da says

    Hey Liz ! My exam is tom so please replay ASAP I’M SO WORRIED
    Firstly I wanna thank you for all the work you’ve done here. It helped me a lot during my preparation for the Academic IELTS UKVI module but, I did the SPEAKING part this morning and I was talkative I was speaking at length the problem was , I made many mistakes ! And I have to pause twice searching for a word I took a long pause in one of them ..
    Part one went pretty well! I guess
    For Part two, my topic was A school rule the issue is:
    1- I gave two rules! Because I had to speak at lenth
    2- I was speaking at effort I didn’t feel comfortable or smoothy but I kept talking however.
    3- Most of the linking words I used were which, but, and , if, firstly .. I forgot using on the other hand, while, however … etc
    4- I made many language mistakes like ( part of my response to my family, it would be a more mercy behaviour, you can’t enforce people to follow a rule unless )
    5- in part 3 I paused in part 2 for quite a long time then I said to the examiner .. sorry I can’t find the word for that .. then I used a word that was wrong !

    • I do not provide a free answering service. I answer questions only occasionally. Please contact a local teacher if you need individual help.

      • Raven Da says

        I didn’t know that. Sorry
        I don’t have a credit card I apologise again really sorry didn’t know that
        Thanks 🙂

        • You can’t buy my services. I do not offer individual tuition on my site. Good luck tomorrow! Stop worrying about your speaking test and focus on tomorrow!

  59. Hi i just had my speaking test today. All was going well until part 2. I misread the question. It said to talk about an unusual meal and i spoke about an unusual meeting like a fool. I did speak well about it but it was definitely not the question. I didn’t even realise i spoke about the wrong topic till i left the exam room. Part 1 and Part 3 went well according to me. What band should i expect?
    Thanks.

    • It’s fine. You are not scored for being on or off topic. It makes no difference to your score. Relax 🙂

  60. Abhijit Jiwanwal says

    Hello Elizabeth, this is Abhijit. Actually, I just had my speaking test and during the test, I was able to look at the examiner’s marking sheet because it was right in front of me so I couldn’t help but look at it. So I saw there were three columns for each part and I’ve been scored as 5.08, 6.3 and in part 3 it was 13.8 I’m pretty sure this is it. So do you mind helping me with this one i really need to know what will be my score in speaking section because I’m really restless & I really don’t understand why did she gave me such a low score in part 1 so could you please help me with it. Please help me with this one I really wants to know what will be my score, please!!!

  61. Hi liz, i need quick reply as i have my exam tomorow.

    I red somewhere that we need to conclude our cue card ( with a conclusion linker) while covering all the questions given there, and if we fail to do so it will affect our score. Even if we speak with fluency using accurate grammar, vocabolary and pronunciation.

    Is it correct

    • IELTS speaking is an informal test – it is NOT formal. You do NOT need a conclusion for part 2 speaking. The conclusion will affect your score for writing task 2 and this is written in the band score descriptors published by IELTS – it is not related to speaking at all.

  62. pratik says

    Speaking test: I had given exam 2 months ago and I got 6.5 bands. I had a hesitation but I tried to not make mistake on grammar.

    In the recent exam, I got 5.5 bands only. I did not 100% focus on grammar as last time. but was almost correct and same hesitation level.
    The last examination, I found local examiner and recent exam I found examiner from Noida. Is that make difference? As I checked 3 other my friend’s score, none of them reached 6!

    Other question, what are the possibilities to set again Noida’s examiner in next first exam?
    I am now afraid of them…

    • Your score is based on fluency, grammar, vocab and pronunciation. Mistakes in grammar and vocab will lower your score. Judging by your message, your English contains frequent errors which is typical of band 5. To hit band 6, you need to focus on producing accurate English.

  63. Hello mam,
    I had my siding exam today. The topic was traditional product and I spoke about indigineous product. Will it affect my part 2. I spoke pretty well on that product but.

  64. Hello mam
    I want to ask you a question. I took speaking exam yesterday and examiner noted two calculations for me 4. 29 and 4. 31
    What is this?
    My band score for listening or timing????

  65. Hi Liz
    First of all ,ThankYou very much for your important lectures .I want to ask that if I perform well in first and third section with good vocabulary and fluency, but speak less in cue card for just one minute.Will the score be based on the cue card or others?

  66. Hi Liz,

    I think you are awesome and that you are doing a really good job !

    I was told by an IELTS instructor that answers need to be quite short in Part 1 because the IELTS examiner needs to have the opportunity to cover ALL the questions in that section (Part 1). He said that if you speak too much, the examiner won’t interrupt you and you’ll get a lower mark because he didn’t get to ask you the other questions on his question sheet and that, consequently, you didn’t showcase your language abilities.

    I don’t think that is true. I think the questions are there to keep you talking for about 5 minutes before moving onto Part 2. What do you think?

    Thank you!

    • The examiner will always interrupt your answer if he/she needs to move on. The examiner controls the time and the examiner controls the questions. Not you. The examiner has many many questions on their paper and will only ask a total of 12 – it’s their choice which questions to ask, when to ask them, when to ask new ones etc. In speaking part 1, answer directly and always add more until the examiner moves on.

  67. umid muzrapov says

    Hello , Liz.
    A did quite well in Part 1 and 3 . However , part 3 was terrible , I could not talk for a long time, and also the language was poor . Can I still score well ?

  68. Hi Liz,

    I gave my speaking test today. I normally speak good and fluent English. However, when the interviewer took me to the conference room (where the room temperature was bit colder), I actually kind of shivered few times in the middle of speaking (of course there was a bit of nervousness added to it as the interviewer looked very serious). I couldn’t tell her my problem as she quickly started the recorder and started asking me questions.

    I am a bit panicked now. Any suggestions plz?

    • Relax. There is nothing you can do now. Your test is over. If your results are not what you want, do the test again. You’ll be more prepared the second time.

  69. Blackcaps says

    Your videos for Ielts are outstanding and much more beneficial.But I have certain doubts regarding cue card in speaking session.Perhaps ,if I am not able to answer all sub questions of cue card in 2 minutes durations,exceeding the time limit then will that be considered a negative point and is it mandatory to follow those sequence of questions in their respective order in order to get a high band score

    • There are no questions on your cue card. Take a careful look. There are no questions at all. There are prompts which you can use or not use. You don’t need to use them and you don’t need to cover them. In fact, you could just use the main topic and create the talk you want.

      • Hello, but in the cue card they have writtin “you SHOULD say…..”

        • It is not a rule. There are no marks for task response in IELTS speaking. The marking criteria is not about understanding, fulfilling the task, staying on topic or anything else – it only based on the language you produce. So, not following the prompts doesn’t affect your scoring.

  70. hie Liz
    l want to ask a question…Wat if in the speaking test part 2 you run out of ideas ,are you allowed to repeat wat you have said already adding more relevant information.I think that will nolonger be coherent.Do they mark your coherency and cohesion in this part

    • In part 2, you should add past tense memories that you have, tell a story, talk about your opinions, add future hopes etc. You do not need to stay on topic – so just add anything more. Use your 1 min to plan what extra things you will add if you need to.

  71. Hi Liz,
    Is there any difference between idioms and idiomatic expressions? I heard someone said that ” You should never use idioms in IELTS because you will sound unnaturally and forced. However, idiomatic expressions are very helpful to raise your score”. Is it true? Should I focus more on learning idiomatic expressions?

    • Idiomatic language for IELTS is not about expressions. You don’t use quotes, expressions or idioms – try to avoid them. Just use phrasal verbs in speaking to show natural informal language. The speaking test is informal.

  72. BANDULA says

    Hi liz
    i did ielts on 24th june. today i had speaking test. i did well R W L with your stratergy. thank you very much.
    BUT in speaking part 1 examener who was british person aske me about ROLL BOX. i tell sorry could repeate question pls. But i didnt know the meaning of ROLL BOX. what is the meaning of the ROLL BOX. 1- have you used in rollar box. i told i dint use it . because i didnt have it and my parents were very poor to give that for me. Then he asked , are you using now it. i told yes , i use it. he asked what is the benifit of roll box i tiold it will realaxed my mind and it save the time. i did par 2 and 3 very well. i have seen ha has written in separate document, 5, 5.4. 5.7 and futher numbers. was that band for test. will they reduce the mark for asking repeat the question. how would part 1 affect to the overall band
    i

    • It sounds like you have misheard the topic. If you don’t know the topic, you should explain it to the examiner. Any numbers written by the examiner are usually relating to timing – not scores.

  73. Jashan says

    Hlo Liz , I by mistake speak cue card topic too much irrelevant . How many bands can be deducted for this mistake .

    • It doesn’t affect your score if you go off topic in IELTS speaking. You are marked based on your English language only.

      • Really mam ….is this your own experience or ielts marking strategy followe by all examiners….dnt get me wrong m jst asking because i think i did go off topic in part 3

        • I am an ex-IELTS speaking examiner and my advice is based on the IELTS marking criteria.

  74. Hi Liz,
    I have a curious question. Though I marked 6.5 on my speaking test last month (thanks for your videos and tips, truly helpful), I’m wondering if what i did on section 3 (or 4) affect my score. On the section wherein we were given a card, a pen and piece of paper, I wrote down the questions. But, before I answer each question, I do mention what is the question, like: “1. what food do you serve if there is a celebration…then my answer, 2. why do you like this food… then my answer ”
    Does it affect my score? If I did not do that, will I get (possible) higher score. Waiting for your comment.
    Thanks a lot. EJ

    • I’m glad you asked me this question because I think you’ve misunderstood part 2. In speaking part 2, you are given a cue card with prompts on. They are not questions. There are no “?” after each prompt. They are guidelines which you can use or not use – your choice. When you plan your talk, you must make notes on ideas and language you want to give. You DO NOT have to follow the prompts. What I suggest students to do, is to use the prompts but make sure you add plenty of your own prompts in order to expand your talk and showcase your language skills.
      Your speaking is marked on your English language so you won’t lose points if you give your talk as you did. But if you only followed the prompts, you possibly missed the chance to show a better range of English – that will affect your score.
      Does this help you to understand?

      • Yes, I got your point. Thanks for the clarification and advises. I’ll keep that in mind on my next ielts.
        I was thinking that time, that I have to focus my talk on the guidelines so I won’t be out of topic.
        You’re so kind to selflessly share your tips and knowledge to everyone, not to mention its all free of charge.
        Thanks again. You’re a big help. God bless. All the best! EJ

  75. Sameer says

    Hello Liz,

    I had my speaking test on 5th April 2017.
    The Q card which I received was like this.. ‘Describe the speech you heard..’
    I described a speech I heard around 8-9 years back about technical Improvements’.
    When I came out I suddenly realized , the Q card was for the speech I heard recently..
    I completely missed the word ‘recently’.
    Will my entire answer go wrong because of this goof up?

    I need at least 7 band in speaking, is there any possibility I get atleast this much?
    Apart from this, I mumbled a little while pronouncing ‘pictorial demonstration’
    what do you feel about my result? will it affect my overall speaking score?

    regards,
    Sameer

    • Definitely don’t worry about your speaking part 2. You are not marked on following the cue card or being on topic. You are scored on your use of English only. Sounds like you did well – “pictorial demonstration” is a high band score word – don’t worry about the odd mumble. If you mumbled through your whole test, it would be a problem but not with one or two words. I think you should completely relax. Share your results when they come 🙂

  76. Mujtaba says

    Hello Liz,

    I had speaking test today. While at it I used urdu word for “Hymn”, didn’t realize it then.

    I am looking for 8 band.. rest was fine. Will it hurt?

    • If that is the only problem, then don’t worry. Getting band score 8 is about your range of English as well as your accuracy.

  77. Darshan Soni says

    Hi liz, I had a topic of “Describe an activity you do which is a bit expensive” but I misunderstood that one and talked about an activity I will like to do and most of the tense i have used was future tense instead of present tense so how it will effect my band score ? I have done well in first part, talked fluently in part two and third part was also great

    • It won’t affect your score at all. You are marked on language and not task response in speaking.

      • Darshan Soni says

        Thank you so much for your response, I’m having LRW tomorrow, need your blessings 🙂

        • Good luck!

          • Darshan Soni says

            Hello Liz, finally I got my online result today and it is 7.0 overall, all thanks to you, In a very short period of time, In about couple of months I had prepared for it with the help of your blog and youtube channel.
            May god bless you 🙂

  78. hasan says

    Hello liz,

    In part 3 of speaking test,i dint understand the question for which she had to repeat again.However, i assure that i was very fine with the other parts.

    Do you think that it will affect my score band?

    I gave acedemic once and answered all questions right but still ended up with a band of 7.5 in speaking.

    considering one mistake this time, will this land me in 6.5 gof forbid?

    PLEASE REPLY…..

    Thank You in advance

    Hasan

    • hasan says

      according to you experience, i hope i wont fall below 7 with one question misunderstood?????????

    • It is not a mistake to misunderstand a question. Your score is based on the level of your English language.

      • hasan says

        thank you so much…Bless you

      • Nisha Therasa says

        In this case too Liz (when the candidate need not stay on topic), wouldn’t it be easy for a candidate to memorise potential cue card talks and parrot it fluently, with the right pronunciation, grammar and good vocabulary?

        • The examiner will not count memorised answers. For this reason, your talk should be on topic but you can create your own prompts.

      • Nisha Therasa says

        Hi Liz,
        If the examiner asks to compare, for e.g.: the concept of television in the past and the present: and the candidate replies about the disadvantages of watching television with fluency, good pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, what would be the score? is there absolutely no relevance to answering the precise question that is asked?

        • It is probable that the examiner will interrupt your answer and either ask the question again or ask a new one. The examiner will always watch out for students who are not answering directly because they prefer to use a memorised answer.

  79. Hii, I am from india. and i want to ask u that, if my topic is ‘describe a historical event’ can i say about ‘mars mission by isro’. Bcoz it is one of the historical event of india.

  80. Hi Liz.I am going to take ielts next month and I am fully prepared for this test but I haven’t attended classes for ielts .once I had learned that speaking test will not take more than 15 minutes but one of my friend who recently took ielts informed me that he had been interviewed for 35 minutes.is it right or not?

  81. Hi ,
    I want to ask about something i did in the speaking test part 2 . I talked for nearly 70 or 80 seconds and then i stopped for nearly 3 seconds to look at the notes paper and Q paper to make sure that i answered all the questions and to come up with new ideas to say , after that i talked for about 10 or 15 seconds more and the examiner stopped me . I felt like the time i spoke in till i was interupted was less than 2 min is the examiner able to interupt me before 2 minutes and if so will the seconds i stopped in to read the notes and think of ideas affect my score ?

    • It’s natural to need to look at your notes and that might include a slight pause while you remember your ideas. This will not affect your score. If your pause as longer and due to struggling with language then that would be an issue. The examiner can’t stop you before 2 mins but it’s hard for any student to judge the time accurately under test conditions which is why you rely on the examiner to stop you at the right point.

  82. Hi,
    I totally misunderstood one question in part-3.and she repeated her questions with more explanation. Then i answered as per question.
    And what about the following:
    Q= is there any change in family structure in your country
    A=yes, people are not well connected with their families. They are not so close with each & other.
    How = they kids prefer to remain in their own space & interact less with their parents.

    Is above correct or i not responded well?

    • You are not marked on your ideas in speaking. You are marked on your use of the English language – fluency, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. For this reason, I can’t common as you have only presented your ideas which are not relevant.

  83. I sat for the speaking test y’day.All went well, but in the part two I paused for around 5 seconds to come up with a more appropriate word to express my idea, im expecting a band 8. Will that pause effect me negatively?

    • If it was the only pause, then it won’t matter. Band score 8 is categorised by pauses being for ideas and not for language. But one slip up is fine. Good luck!! I hope you hit band 8! 🙂

  84. Amrit sapkota says

    Hi mam . I got stopped in 3 to 4 places. Does it affect the score badly?

    • It is usual for the examiner to interrupt answers – it’s a normal part of the test and won’t affect your score.

  85. hello mam , i have used a slang word “pissed off “once during my speaking section which is quite vulgar word . How much marks will they reduce for that . ? and everything else seems ok except section 2 where i think i didnt speak much( not more than 1 and half minutes i guess)

  86. In section 3 the examiner asked me about some inappropriate practices but I heard appropriate, so the examiner repeated his question twice, I rectified my mistake. I am little worried will it effect my bands

  87. I speak cue card well and I also use good ideas but mam I use simple English instead of using high vocabularies. Can I get more than 6 band by using simple language

    • You can get more than band 6 in speaking if you:
      1. are able to speak at length without much effort
      2. are able to expand all answers well
      3. use complex grammar with accuracy ( that means without many mistakes)
      4. use a range of vocabulary for all topics
      5. avoid errors in word choice
      6. have a clear accent

  88. harpreet singh says

    mam , i was not performed in part 2 but part 1 and part 3 was good.can i got 6.5

  89. Hello mem
    Now just finished my speking
    In part 1 overall answers i told but one question told me again because i can’t understand
    Part 2 que card was good
    But
    Part 3
    2 questions wrong answer
    And examiners told me again and i m confused moreover i spok in part 3

    • Thanks for sharing 🙂 You are marked on your language, not your understanding. As long as you showcased your English, you will be fine.

  90. Maninder Kaur says

    Hiii ,today i had my exam of speakin session….althogh i was too sick but i tried my best …and my cue-card topic was abou “website” but i did blunder..and i talked about whats app application…..i think i commited a blunder…pls tell me if it would affect on my band schore…how much band i would be abled to get with this blunder….if i am abled to get 7 band or not????,,

    • The examiner is marking you on your language, not your ideas. Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter.

  91. Hello Liz, I had spoke well in section 1 and Section 3 with wide answers moreover no mistakes but I didn’t speak much in section 2 .it spoke 1 min how much score would I get ????

    • You are marked overall, not on each part. So, I can’t say how it will affect your score.

  92. Rajdeep sran says

    Hllo sir
    Yestrdy my speaking was there i did well in part 1
    In second part i completd my cue card and after that examiner asked me did u want to speak more and i repld him that no sir thnq
    And in 3rd part he repeat 2 ques. 2 times and his face expression are not good
    what does it mean ??does it affect my band score???
    Plzzzzz plzzz rply

    • Your score is based on the level and range of language you produced in the test. I can’t predict your score.

  93. I gave my speaking test on 13 June, I speak for two minutes and examiner stop me in part 2 but in 3 part of speaking I can’t give answer of two questions please tell me about my score

    • Sorry I can’t predict scores. You are marked on your use of English language only.

  94. sukhpreet says

    Hi Liz –

    I just had my Speaking exam a while ago and I generally did well in 1 and 3 part. But i was unable to speak on cue card .I think i have spoken less than 1 minute.
    May i get 5.5 bands in speaking ??

  95. Marvin says

    Hi Liz –

    I just had my Speaking exam a while ago and I generally did well in both part 1 and 3. However, I feel that I didn’t do that well in part 2. Although I addressed all the questions in the cue card, I realized that I was just repeating some points that I already discussed (during the last 30 seconds). Will this adversely affect my speaking band score? Thanks.

    • Repetition is not good for IELTS speaking but if it is only at the end of part 2, it won’t affect your score much. Part 2 has no questions at all. There are only guidelines for what to put in your talk. It is your job to add more information, more description, comparisons, past memories, future hopes etc to get a high score.

  96. Mohd Yousuf says

    Hi Liz, I appeared for my speaking test today, i answered first 2 sections well, but in 3rd section examiner asked me a question for which i replied – that’s what i was saying and continued my answer. I later realized that it sounds rude. Will i loose marks for this comment?

    • Liz says

      It’s good to be able to communicate so clearly in English and it definitely won’t affect your score. Don’t worry!! Good luck with your results 🙂

      • Noni says

        Hello Liz, First of all I have to say that your videos inspired me so much and helped me a lot to improve my skills 🙂 I’m Mongolian and studying in Australia around year and half. I had to take at least 6.5 score on my IELTS to start my future study. I took 3 tests earlier and couldn’t reach the target score then i took the test on last Saturday but im still worrying about my result even have not get the result yet. So my question is about speaking test. in my previous 2 tests i got band score 7 and on the third one I got 6.5 i dont know why it is decreased and on the last test im not sure about my speaking because the examiner didn’t let me to finish my answer almost all questions in part 3. He always keep asking me other questions while im answering the first ones and finally time was up and i could not finish my last answer im worrying about is it going to affect my result? And i realised that i made some mistakes on part 2. I took some pauses but not that long and i used some inaccurate vocabulary occasionally. What do u think about it is it going to affect my score? Thank you so much i hope u will reply me
        Thanks
        Regards Noni

        • If your English is around band score 7, it means sometimes you might perform worse or better. This can depend on the topics and also your answers. Sometimes students offer a better range of English on one topic than on another.

  97. atna ali says

    Hi Liz. I appeared in IELTS speaking exam a couple of days ago. My preparation was almost basted on your video lectures which helped me a lot during the exam. In answering a question I suspect that I might have lost the track while answering a question and answered quite contrary to what I was supposed to answer. Later on realized that something went wrong. What’s the penalty in such case if I was okay grammatically and fluent as well but missed the context?

    Regards
    Atna ali

  98. Hi liz
    I just took my ielts speaking exam and i accidentally interrupted the conductor to correct my name and felt very bad afterwards because it was recording
    Will i lose marks?

  99. Ashogbon Henry says

    Good day ma, I had my IELTS examination today. The test was quite interesting, however, I have a problem as touching my writing section. Of the two sections I did section one very well to a convincing point that the candidate can make use of the language to express his thoughts logically. The problem here is that I was expecting the invigilators to tell us to move to the second task unknown to me that we were expected to do both tasks within the same time given. Well, it was a mistake on my part.

    My argument is, will my task one be convincing enough to tell the examiner that I can use the language coherently and logically regardless the untouched task two and still end a reasonable score , since the core of the exam as you have rightly expressed was to see if candidates can use the language expressly.

    May I suggest that you forward your response via email in order to know if my comment h
    as been addressed.

    Thanks.

    • Task 1 only counts for one third (about 30%) of your marks. You will not get any points for task 2 if you didn’t complete it. Sorry to give you bad news.
      Liz

  100. Shraddha Patel says

    Can you tell me my answer is right or wrong? and y?
    Cue Card Question : Describe a journey which u enjoyed during your teenage years. (Question was asked in my speaking test)
    I have answered about a journey of 4 hrs to pick up my mother in law from another town.
    Overall speaking was good. I have only doubt about this question.

  101. Sherkhan says

    Hi. Liz
    I have my exam on 21st of November.. My all modules are good except speaking… I have only 9 days to prepare. Could you tell me please is it possible for me to increase my speaking score to 7.0? (my speaking score approximately 6.0 at the moment)… also who will check my speaking skills examiner or experts (from London who will listen to the recording of my voice)? and is it possible to prepare for all topics or predict topic in writing task 2?
    Waiting for your reply
    Thanks))

    • Your score is given at the end of your test by the examiner who tests you. To improve your score to band score 7, you need to use a range of grammar tenses, good vocabulary for most topics and expand your answers naturally without difficulty. For writing task 2, go to my main page and see the list of common topics – prepare ideas for those as well as topics reported on the recent exams questions page.
      All the best
      Liz

  102. Mam,
    I appeared once for the IELTS General Module 2 months back and scored 6.5 as an overall band.On 14th of November,I an going to appear for IELTS Academic Module.I want you to guide me as to is there a huge difference between the two modules.Also I scored 6 band in the Speaking earlier so how can I improve it?

    • Nearly all lessons and tips on my blog are for the academic test so start reading and learning.
      All the best
      Liz

  103. Kristhy Jean Arnaiz says

    Good day Liz,

    I misunderstood the question on the que card in part 2. I finished entirely the 2 minutes for talking but I think I didn’t answer really the question. Does that affect my score?

  104. manpreet singh says

    hello mam,
    my ielts exam is on 31st oct . my all three modules are good , instead of speaking . words get skip from my mind during speaking time,it is due to lack of confidence also i get nervous in it.now i have only 10 days left .can you please tell me how i improve it and score good in speking.
    Thanks

    • See the video lesson: how to improve your speaking at home. It’s on the main speaking page. You still have time to prepare topics and ideas.
      All the best
      Liz

  105. where is the answers of test 2 ?

  106. honey says

    Mam plz reply @ my gmail ID (sugestions and band score) topic ‘is increasing the price of fuel fruitful to reduce pollution’

    The current scenario of world’s pollution is worrisome as it is leading to perilous consequences regarding environment , a fact to be considered that hiking fuel price is the best solution in order to reduce pollution, however , there other factors , which are contriving to rise the hitch of pollution, as I opine.

    Although , the means of transportation make a bigger contribution to increase pollution yet , industrilization is an undeniable fact to emerge this problem, large amount of wastage of industries and factories dissolve into water resources and contaminate the presious water. Furthermore , behaviours of people can be cited as having brought about this state of affaires like people tend to use products made of plastic , which is non-biodegrable, cutting trees and using them as woodfuel as well as excess use of pestisides to boost the production of crops.

    No doubt , the amount of numbers of cars is at high , but , does the increased price of petrol and diesel means people will reduce the use own vehicles . Although , it affects the poor , while , richer families can afford, thus, it cannot be said to be a fruitfull solution

    To tide over the crisis regarding pollution , instead of increasing fuel price, people should be discouraged for use own vehicals , so there is a need of awerness. Eco-friendly producds , which can be recycled must be prefered to use. Moreover, there should be an appropriate place to throw the garbage of factories. Using solar energy for different purposes can contribute to overcome this hitch

    Sadly, people as well as goverments have turned a blind eye and deaf ear to this problem of pullution, so awerness amoung people and some usefull steps ought to be taken ratherthan incereasing fuel prices.

  107. Arjun says

    I”m Arjun From India. I’m Mechanical Engg. I want going to Canada for job work. But i think my english is not good.how i can improve it ?

    • This blog mainly aims at developing exam skills although there is some language building to be done here as well. Even so, you need to google and find English language websites to help you develop further.
      All the best
      Liz

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