Different Parts of IELTS Speaking Test

The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Speaking test is designed to assess a candidate’s ability to communicate effectively in English in everyday situations. The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview with a certified IELTS examiner, and it consists of three parts:

Part 1: Introduction and Interview

• This part lasts between 4 to 5 minutes.

The examiner will ask you general questions about yourself, your family, your job, your studies, your interests, and other familiar topics.

Part 2: Cue Card

• This part lasts between 3 to 4 minutes.
• You will be given a task card with a particular topic and some prompts.
• You will have 1 minute to prepare and make notes, and then you will have to speak for 1 to 2 minutes on the given topic.

The examiner may ask one or two follow-up questions.

Part 3: Two-way Discussion

• This part lasts between 4 to 5 minutes.
• The examiner will engage you in a more abstract discussion related to the topic from Part 2.
• You will be expected to express and justify opinions, analyze issues, and discuss abstract ideas.

The IELTS Speaking test evaluates your ability to communicate effectively in English, including your fluency, coherence, lexical resource (vocabulary), grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.

The IELTS Cue Cards are part of the second task in the speaking test of the IELTS examination. While answering these questions, one is expected to have some skills and one of the important skills is framing answers which is based on the topic.

A cue refers to a prompt or signal which serves as a reminder or guide for an action. In the context of the IELTS Exam, the cue is a short phrase or sentence that introduces the topic one will speak on. Let us learn more in the article!