IELTS Speaking Part 2 Quiz: How much do you know?

How much do you know about IELTS speaking part 2? Make sure you understand everything about speaking part 2 before you do your test.

Quiz

Are the following tips and advice good or bad?

  1. If you don’t know anything about the topic, ask the examiner to give you another cue card.
  2. You must write answers to each question on the cue card during your 1 minute preparation.
  3. You shouldn’t look at your notes while you are giving your talk.
  4. You will get a low score if your talk is boring.
  5. You should only add information to your talk relating to the prompts on your card.
  6. The examiner will interrupt you if you go off topic.
  7. If you don’t speak for 2 minutes, you won’t get a high score.
  8. The examiner is not interested in your grammar in part 2, only in your fluency.
  9. Use plenty of idioms to get a higher score.
  10. You should expand your talk by adding descriptions, details and stories.
Answers

All the advice given above is bad except for one. Read the comments below to learn more.

  1. You can’t change your topic. Even if you don’t know much about it, you should still try to talk by adding your own ideas and information.
  2. There are no questions on the speaking part 2 cards. There are prompts on the cards which are only guidelines. You should decide how to write notes in a way that is useful for your talk. The notes are only to help you remember your ideas so you decide if you want to make notes on each prompt or not.
  3. This is really bad advice. Of course you can look at your notes. Your notes will help you remember your ideas. However, don’t look down at your notes all the time. Eye contact with the examiner while you are speaking is important. Just glance at your notes from time to time to help remember ideas.
  4. There is no score for having an interesting talk or a boring talk. However, an interesting talk usually contains a better range of language and for that reason adding interesting details can help.
  5. This is also poor advice. The prompts should be used as guidelines. If you decide not to follow them, it is up to you. Personally, I recommend following them because they provide a useful structure for your talk but you need to add more information to each prompt. It is your choice what extra information you add.
  6. The examiner will not interrupt your talk at all. Once you start talking, the examiner will remain silent until you have finished. Also there is no scoring for being on or off topic in IELTS speaking. You shouldn’t change the topic but you might want to add some interesting details which are not mentioned on your card.
  7. Part of fluency is your ability to speak at length but that doesn’t mean you must speak for 2 minutes. If you only speak for 1.5 minutes but during that time you speak without hesitation, you can still get a high score.
  8. There are four marking criteria in IELTS speaking (fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation). These criteria are scored from your answers to ALL parts of the test. While part 2 is a good chance to show your fluency skills, your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation will still be assessed.
  9. Using idioms is not a sure way to get a high score. Idioms should be used appropriately and correctly and should definitely not be over used.
  10. This is absolutely correct advice. You need to expand your talk by adding more detail and descriptions. This website (IELTS Advantage) has a great strategy for developing your talk. I’m sure you will all find it useful.

 

Recommended for Speaking Part 2

Recommended IELTS Website

IELTS Advantage: A great website for IELTS tips and strategies.

Main IELTS Pages

Develop your IELTS skills with tips, model answers, lessons, free videos and more.

Comments

  1. Steph Al says

    Hello Liz, I had my speaking exams today and the part 1 I was asked about maths, Part 2 was to describe a time I got bored, who was I with? Can’t remember other prompts.

    I learnt a lot from your site and wish to say that it is very educative

  2. Hello Liz
    I am a student. I attended the speaking module in Dhaka on 31st january.
    Academic Module.
    Part 1:
    What subject did you choose?
    Why did you choose it?
    Do you like it and why?
    Is it much valued where you live?
    Part 2:
    A friend you taught
    – what did you teach
    – when did you teach
    – was it easy or hard
    Part 3:
    Who else did you teach other than ur friend?
    What did u learn at university other than ur subject?
    What did u learn outside ur university study? Give an example
    Do u think university regulations are impt for a country? Why?
    Two other candidates received this for their part 2:
    Traditional products
    What you bought the last time you went shopping
    Also, I cannot thank you enough for your website and tutorials. You are a source of inspiration.
    Regards,
    H

  3. hello,
    thanks again for all your help,
    consider me for a off topic question
    ”who mark the speaking test?
    examiner who take test or someone else later”
    my exam on 20th january 🙂

  4. Dr Ramesh inder Singh says

    I must say to all IELTS aspirants , u should follow this website ONLY and no need to waste ur valuable time in searching preparation materials on various websites,apps,facebook or YouTube. I can assure u , u will definitely get the topics in your real exam which are advised by Madam Liz . I will post my result on 29 December…..fingers crossed

  5. Ravinder says

    Quiz Answers
    1. bad
    2. bad
    3.bad
    4.bad
    5.bad
    6.Good
    7.bad/good partially true if you fall too short like by 40-50 seconds
    8.bad
    9. very bad
    10. very good.
    have a great time.

  6. Henry says

    Hello Liz,
    Thanks for the wonderful job you doing. Mutt speaking test is in a few hours. I just want to know 2 things
    1. Could I also count the time along with my wrist watch as I speak on the past 2?
    2. If I could not cover all the points in the cue card before d examiner stops me after 2 minutes, would it affect my score?

    • Never think about the time in part 2 speaking. Continue speaking until the examiner stops you. You do not need to cover all the prompts. You do not need to follow the order of your prompts. You can add information that is not on the cue card.

  7. Sofia. L. S says

    If i m looking at the cue card while talking ,will it reduce my score

    • IELTS is not a memory test. You need to look at the cue card and look at your notes during your talk. But also remember to sometimes look at the examiner. If you don’t look at the examiner at all – it won’t affect your score. It’s just a recommendation that’s all.

  8. hi Liz, I had my speaking test today. it was going fine until d que card topic. d topic was bomb to me cos I dnt know anything about it. d topic name is IMAGINATION. I thought imagination is a wish or fortune that did not occur until d examiner draw my attention that its mean creativity. I was not lucky to get a sweet nd gud topic.

    • That’s bad luck. But don’t worry. Your score is not affected if you go off topic. Only your English language is scored, not your understanding of the topics.

  9. My examiner interrupted me four times while speaking test

    • This is quite normal. It won’t affect your score. It is usual in a test which has strict time constraints.

  10. karan says

    hi Liz
    it was difficult to give answer of speaking part 1 .how can i improve that?

  11. my topic was about waiting
    are you wait for something?
    what you feel when you wait ? and like that
    its a difficult topic
    my exam was in 21\12\2015

  12. Hi Liz! Can I know if I can change other cue topic In speaking part 2 if I got no idea on that particular topic? Thanks regards!

    • You can’t ask for another topic or change the card. If you don’t understand the words, try to follow the topic as best as you can and develop the talk the way you want. The examiner will still listen to your talk and you will still get a good score if your talk is good.
      Liz

  13. peace says

    hey Liz, I just came through your website and watching your videos on speaking test. And it is very helpful for me. My speaking test is tomorrow(15th July) and I am very nervous about it. What should I practice more to build up my confidence level? Could you please suggest me some tips on that. What things should I focus on?? Please help me with this, as I am expecting to get above 7 band score in overall…. 🙂 🙂

    • Practice adding more information to each answer. Practice developing each prompt on your part 2 cue card. You need to practicing planning what type of information to add to your talk to extend it, such as details, descriptions and stories. Review all common topics – take a look at my questions for each part. That should be enough for one day 🙂
      Good luck tomorrow – be chatty.
      Liz

  14. Ilkhom says

    Hi Liz
    thank you so much .i will notify you after speaking test.

  15. Thanks dear Liz
    Can you prepare samples for speaking titles?
    for example a sample topic about traveling

  16. Hi Liz,

    Thanks for the tips. I have a question regarding the 2 mins cue card speaking time.

    How will I know that 2 mins passed and I should stop?

    Or, the examiner will notify me after 2 mins?

    If examiner notifies me, should I stop talking at once or I should finish my current sentence?

    Thanks in advance.

    Rgds,
    Ray

    • Yes, the examiner controls the time completely. No examiner can give you more than two minutes. As soon as the time hits 2 minutes, the examiner will stop you. This is the same for all parts of the speaking test. When the examiner stops you, you must stop. He will either say “thank you..” and move to the next part or he will put his hand up to stop you.
      All the best
      Liz

  17. khalifa says

    Hi Liz
    I just came across with this wonderful site.your tips and video lessons are very helpful
    Thank you 🙂

  18. Ilkhom says

    Hi Liz

    im going to take an IELTS exam on 11th July .should i stop practising prior to exam date .please help me

    • You should continue preparing for IELTS direct up to your test date. However, the night before the test, it is better to get a good sleep rather than study because the test is long and you will need to full concentration.
      All the best
      Liz

  19. Knight says

    thank liz

  20. mishi says

    Hi Liz..I’m big fan of ur teaching style.I want to ask u a question. Could u plz tell me in IELTS speaking exam is it brings marks which I write on cue card ? I took participate in IELTS Exam but I got very low score in speaking section.plz inform me how I improve myself in this section as early as possible. Thanks

    • You don’t write on the cue card. You will be given paper and pen to write notes. The notes are for you only to help you remember your ideas. The examiner will not mark the paper.
      All the best
      Liz

  21. Mars Shohag says

    I Like your Training most. Everyday I spend a lot of time in your teaching.
    now I need a suggestion, that is which is better Academic of GT for achieve a good point.?

    • The GT test is generally considered easier. However, you must decide which test is suitable for your aims and future plans.
      All the best
      Liz

  22. Ali Al-Murib says

    Hi Liz ,
    How many right answers I must do to have a 7 band in listening and reading sections?
    Regards .
    Ali ,

    • You can find the scores on the listening and reading main page.
      All the best
      Liz

  23. Anas says

    Hello Liz,

    Is it allowed to look at the cue card while the candidate answering the questions, or will it be pulled back to the examiner while the candidate answering?

    Thanks
    Anas

    • Hi Anas,

      Good question. You will keep the cue card and your notes until the end of your talk. When you finish, the examiner will take back the cue card, paper and pen. That means you can check the cue card and your notes while you are talking but mostly you will be looking at the examiner.
      All the best
      Liz

  24. talat says

    Thanks Teacher,giving hint before my second attempt.
    Regards.

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