IELTS – Intensive

SPEAKING TEST FORMAT

Answer the following questions related to the IELTS speaking exam.

1. How long is the speaking exam?

2. How many parts are there and what do they cover?
Part What it covers Approximate duration

3. Is the speaking test the same for academic and general modules?
4. Is the speaking test recorded? Why?
5. Who controls the time & length of your answers?

6. What are the marking criteria and how are the marks allocated under it?

Criteria Purpose Marks allocated

Fluency & Cohesion
Lexical Resources
Grammatical range & accuracy
Pronunciation
Ability to express ideas clearly & coherently 25%
without long hesitations
Range of vocabulary used. 25%
Appropriate use of vocabulary (accuracy).
Range of structures used & number of errors 25%
(accuracy)
Whether it is easy to understand what is said 25%
Ability to use features of English pronunciation
(intonation, stress & connected speech)

Speaking Band Descriptors: https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/speaking-band-

descriptors.ashx

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SPEAKING PART 1
In part 1 of the Speaking test the examiner will introduce him or herself and ask general questions
on familiar topics. The examiner will ask you to confirm your identity. He or she will then ask
general questions on familiar topics such as home, family, work, studies and interests. Part 1 of
the test will last 4-5 minutes.

Notice that these questions are all about you. It is considered easier than the other two parts
because it is much easier to talk about yourself than more abstract topics, but that doesn’t mean
it is not important.

Write down a list of topics you might come across in Speaking - Part 1.

Study Food/ Cooking

Work Going Out Reading
Hometown/ Living place Hobbies Music
Home/ Accommodation Internet Shopping
Family Leisure time Sport
Friends Music TV
Clothes Neighbours & Transport/Travelling
Gifts Neighbourhood Weather
Daily routine Newspapers Culture/Tradition
Daily activities Pets
Food/ Cooking Reading
Going Out Music
Example:
Hobbies Shopping
Let’s talk
Internet about your hometown or village:
Sport
Leisure time TV
• What kind of place is it?
Music Transport/Travelling
• What’s the most interesting part of your town/village?
Neighbours & Weather
• What kind of jobs do the people in your town/village do?
Neighbourhood Culture/Tradition
• Would you say it’s a good place to live? (why?)
Newspapers
Pets
Let’s move on to talk about accommodation:
Reading
• Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in?
Music
• How long have you lived there?
Shopping
• What do you like about living there?
Sport
TV
Transport/Travelling
Weather
Culture/Tradition

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Tips for Speaking Part 1
Do’s Don’ts
✓ Know the structure of the exam. ✓ Give Yes/No Answers
Before Part 1 begins four things will happen
I. The examiner will introduce themselves and ask you what
your name is. ✓ Speak out of the topic.
II. The examiner will then ask you ‘What can I call you?’. You
can simply say ‘You can call me_______’.
III. They will then ask you where you are from ✓ Choose not to answer.
IV. The examiner will finally ask to see your identification.
✓ Create a good first impression through greetings, eye
contact, pleasant smile etc. ✓ Speak very quietly.
✓ Extending answers
The answer shouldn’t be too short or long. Let’s keep it for 3
sentences. ✓ ever learn speeches
✓ Focus on the tense you need to use.
✓ Always clarify the question from the examiner if you are
confused.

Activity 1: Rate the following answers using the band scores 3.0 - 9.0. Use the tips to help you
decide and write down the reasons for your decision.
Question: What is your favorite type of food?

Candidate A Candidate B

My favorite type of food is biriyani….ehhh... biriyani

I like biriyani because hmmm…different
flavors.

Candidate C Candidate D

I like biriyani because it is tasty and spicy.
I’m crazy about the Indian cuisine, especially
biriyani because it has the spicy and masala
touch. I also love the bread varieties which comes
with different curries, and to be honest, I always
feel on top of the world while trying Indian
delicacies.

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How to extend answers
In all the speaking parts, there is a requirement of extending answers as the test format requires
the candidate to give considerably longer answers than in one word. Hence, below strategies can
be used to extend your answers:

• By saying how you feel about the question you were just asked. It will also make your answer
more interesting.
Ex: What kind of food do you like? I love Indian cuisine because it is spicy and mouth-watering.

• Combining different ideas - Instead of giving a very short answer you can add in some extra
details with ‘and’, ‘with’ or ‘also’.
• You can talk about what you ‘used to’ do and how that has changed now in the present.
Ex: I used to love basketball, but now I play football more because that’s what my friends
are in to.
• Trying to explain the reason for your opinion or decision.
• Express if something will change in the future, you can use one of the future structures, like
‘will’ or ‘be + going to’.
Ex: I’m at university at the moment but will be graduating next year and I will hopefully
get a job in marketing.
• Contrast Opposite Opinions - Use ‘even so’ or ‘although’ to show that you have considered
both sides.
• Real life examples are always the easiest things to talk about because you can talk about them
naturally and in more detail.

Exam practice – Speaking Part 1 Checklist

Practice speaking part 1 with the cue cards given by the teacher. Use the checklist to assess your
partner.

Criteria Yes No
1) Answers in 3 - 4 sentences maximum

2) Addresses the grammar part of the question.

3) Doesn’t repeat the words in the question – Paraphrases instead.

4) Uses less common and uncommon vocabulary.

5) Uses complex sentence structures.

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Student A
I. Topic - Friends:
1) Do you have many friends? [Why/Why not?]
2) How often do you go out with friends? [Why/Why not?]
3) How friendly are you with your neighbours? [Why/Why not?]
4) Which is more important to you, friends or family? [Why?]
II. Topic - Names:
1) Did your parents choose your name(s)?
2) How did your parents choose your name(s)?
3) Does your name have any special meaning?
4) If you could change your name, would you? [Why/Why not?]

Student B
I. Topic - Photographs:
1) What type of photos do you like taking? [Why/Why not?]
2) What do you do with the photos you take?
3) When you visit other places, do you take photos or buy postcards? [Why/Why not?]
4) Do you like people taking photos of you? [Why/Why not?]]
II. Topic - Giving gifts:
1) When do people give gifts or presents in your country?
2) Do you ever take a gift when you visit someone in their home? [Why/Why not?]
3) When did you last receive a gift? [What was it?]
4) Do you enjoy looking for gifts for people? [Why/Why not?]

Student C
I. Topic - Telephoning:
1) How often do you make telephone calls? [Why/Why not?]
2) Who do you spend the most time talking to on the telephone? [Why?]
3) When do you think you’ll next make a telephone call? [Why?]
4) Do you sometimes prefer to send a text message instead of telephoning? [Why/Why
not?]
II. Topic - Musical instruments:
1) Which instrument do you like listening to the most? [Why?]
2) Have you ever learned to play a musical instrument? [Which one?]
3) Do you think children should learn to play a musical instrument at school? [Why/Why
not?]
4) How easy would it be to learn to play an instrument without a teacher? [Why?]

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SPEAKING PART 2
Overview of speaking part 2
In the IELTS speaking part 2 test you will be given a task card on a particular topic, and this will
include key points that you should talk about.
This section of the Speaking test gives you the opportunity to speak for longer on a topic. You
will be given one minute to prepare to talk about the topic on the task card. A pencil and paper
will be provided for you to make notes.
You will have to talk for 1-2 minutes, and then the examiner will ask you one or two questions
on the same topic. Part 2 takes 3-4 minutes in total.

What will happen in Speaking Part 2?

In IELTS Speaking Part 2, the examiner will ask you to speak for between one and two minutes on
a topic.
1. The IELTS examiner will give you a topic card. On the card, there will be a short description
of a topic, with some ideas for what to include. The topic will be related to personal
experience, for example a person you know or an event you participated in.
2. The examiner will give you exactly one minute to prepare your talk. The examiner will give
give you a piece of paper and a pencil to write down some ideas. You could make a list of
ideas and keywords, or draw a mind map.
3. After one minute, the examiner will ask you to you to start your talk.
4. You give your talk. You are expected to speak, without interruption from the examiner,
for up to two minutes. The examiner will listen and say nothing, but she/he might nod
and gesture in order to encourage you to continue talking.
5. After 2 minutes the examiner will interrupt you. They will probably ask you one extra
question about the topic (sometimes they will ask 2, and sometimes 0ne question). You
only need to give a short answer to this question.
6. Then, you go straight into IELTS Speaking Part 3

NOTE: during the IELTS Speaking Test, the examiner will write some numbers down on a piece of
paper. These are the times that different parts of the test started. For example, one time they
write down is the start of your 1 minute preparation. Don’t worry about these numbers! They
have nothing to do with your band scores!

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Tips for Speaking Part 2
1. Make notes before you talk.
The examiner will give you one minute to prepare your talk. You should write down some notes.
Write down a list of words related to what you want to say or draw a mind map. If you have to
think about what to say when you’re talking, you will not be able to think about your language,
so you are more likely to make grammatical mistakes. It’s also very common for candidates to
panic when they are talking and forget what to say; if you have notes, you won’t forget what to
say if you panic. Practice making notes as part of your preparation for the speaking test. Below
are some ways you can make notes - select the best one that fits you.
Method 1 – List

Describe one of your possessions which you

couldn’t live without.

You should say:

• what it is
• why you first bought it / how you got it.
• when and how often you use it.
• and explain why it is so special.

Method 2 – Table
Sarah’s Notes

Activity 2: Look at Sarah’s notes and create the

cue card.

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2. Memorize a good opener.
Starting your talk is difficult, so memorise an opening phrase.
Here are some good examples:
“I’d like to talk about…”
“Well, there are many _________ I could talk about, but I suppose the __________ I’ve
experienced/had is/was….”
(The second example will help you get a better score than the others because the language is
more advanced but use the first example if the second sentence is too difficult to remember.)
For example, if your topic is “describe your favourite teacher”, you could say:
“I’d like to talk about my favorite teacher.”
“Well, there are many good teachers who I could talk about, but I suppose the favorite
teacher I’ve had was…”
3. Paraphrase the topic.
When referring to the topic, don’t use the words from the topic card. Instead, use your own
words. This is called paraphrasing.
So, if the topic is “describe a beautiful place to visit in your country” don’t say:
“I’m going to describe a beautiful place to visit in China.”
Instead, say, for example:
“I’m going to talk about a stunning destination, which people can travel to in the north-east
of China.”
Paraphrasing lets you show the examiner how much vocabulary and grammar you know. In the
paraphrase above, I changed “place” to “destination” and changed the adjective “beautiful” to
“stunning “. I also used a relative clause “which people can travel to…”. I also added in some
extra information: “the north-east of China.” Remember, together, grammar and vocabulary
make up 50% of your marks, so it is very important to use a wide range of grammar and
vocabulary.
4. Keep talking.
Try to keep talking…and talking…and talking. Don’t worry about the time. The examiner will
stop you after 2 minutes.

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5. Don’t speak too quickly.
Try to speak at a steady, natural pace. DO NOT speak too quickly – this will hold down your
band score for pronunciation. Also, don’t speak too slowly. This will hold down your band score
for Fluency and Coherence.
6. Decide what to talk about quickly (Lie if you need to!)
Sometimes it’s difficult to think of something to talk about. Let’s say you have to talk about
your favorite teacher. Remember you have a minute to prepare your talk.
Don’t spend your preparation time thinking about who your favorite teacher was.
The right way is to choose a nice teacher you had. Any nice teacher will do. Then write down
some words to describe him, and maybe some words to help you describe a story about him
that you remember.
Being honest is not one of the assessment criteria. The examiner doesn’t care who your favorite
teacher was. The examiner only cares about the language you use in your talk, your
pronunciation and your fluency and coherence.
In fact, you could even lie. You could invent an amazing teacher to talk to. However, it is better
to think of someone or something from your own experience because it’s usually easier to talk
about, but if you can’t think of something to talk about from your own experience, invent it.
The key thing is to decide what to talk about in the first few seconds, then make notes about it.

Activity 3: Make notes on the topic below using one of the above methods. You have 1 min.

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Exam Practice
Partner A
Describe a country you would like to visit.
You should say: Sample Answer:

which country it is https://www.ielts-

mentor.com/cue-card-
what you already know about this country sample/3547-describe-a-
when you want to visit this country country-you-would-like-to-visit

and explain why you want to visit this country.

Partner B
Describe something you have lost recently.
Sample Answer:
You should say:
https://www.ielts-
what you lost
mentor.com/cue-card-
how you lost it sample/3545-describe-
something-you-have-lost-
how important it was to you
recently
and explain what you did to find the lost item.

Partner C
Describe a famous business person that you know about.
You should say: Sample Answer:
who this person is https://www.ielts-
what kind of business this person is involved in mentor.com/cue-card-
sample/3540-describe-a-famous-
what you know about this businessperson business-person
and explain what you think of this businessperson.

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Exam practice
Practice speaking part 2 with the cue cards given by the teacher. Use the checklist to assess your
partner.

Criteria Yes No
1) Speaks for 2 mins.

2) Has a good opener.

3) Do not speak too quickly – maintain proper pace.

4) Addresses the grammar part of the question.

5) Doesn’t repeat the words in the question – Paraphrases

instead.

6) Uses less common and uncommon vocabulary.

7) Varies vocabulary within the answer.

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SPEAKING PART 3
Overview of Speaking part 3
In part 3 of the Speaking test the examiner will ask further questions which are connected to
the topics discussed in part 2.
This part of the test is designed to give you the opportunity to talk about more abstract issues
and ideas. It is a two-way discussion with the examiner and will last 4-5 minutes.
What is the difference between part 1 and part 3 questions?

• Part one questions are narrow and personalized whereas part 3 questions are broad and
generic.
• You are expected to provide more detailed answers in part 3.

Exam Practice
Part 2:
Describe an important event in your life.
You should say:
When it happened
Who you were with
What happened
And explain why you feel it was important.

Part 3:
1. What days are important in your country?
2. Why it is important to have national celebrations?
3. How is the way your national celebrations are celebrated now different from the way they
were celebrated in the past?
4. Do you think any new national celebrations will come into being in the future?
5. Are there any celebrations from other countries that you celebrate in your country?
6. What are the benefits of having events that many people around the world are celebrating
on the same day?

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Activity 4: Part 3 questions often ask you to do one of the following. Find an example of each
question type from the given box.
1. Explain why people do what they do (explain).
2. Describe what you believe will occur in the future (predict).
3. Talk about a hypothetical situation (imagine).
4. Provide an answer to a question (suggest).
5. Describe how two items are similar or dissimilar (compare).
6. Express your perspective on which side of an argument you agree with (give opinion).

A. Some people believe that practical skills such as cooking should be taught in schools. Do you
agree with this or disagree with it?
B. How is studying in a small town different from studying in a big city?
C. How can teachers make lessons more exciting?
D. Will classrooms be required in the future?
E. Would students learn more if they had the freedom to study whenever they wanted?
F. Why do some students perceive school to be a source of stress?

Tips for Speaking part 3

There are various types of questions in the IELTS Speaking Part 3. Yet, you can use an effective
technique to answer any type of question from part 3. Keep in mind that receiving a good score
requires you to give your ideas.
1) Give a direct answer to the question. (Point)
2) Define the reason behind your specific point of view. (Explanation)
3) Give an example to support your point. It’s also okay to discuss your life experiences.
(Evidence)
4) Conclude with a sentence by connecting your ideas and examples to the matter of the
question. (Link)
The method described above is a truly effective way of answering the questions from the IELTS
Speaking Part 3.

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Sample Answer
What role do grandparents play in the family in your country?
“Grandparents in a family are like the pillars of virtue and they play an important role. They
maintain a balance for the family by nurturing the old traditions and values and teach how to
adhere to the roots. For example, with the increasing number of both working parents,
grandparents often look after the children. They often advise the rest of the family from time to
time regarding family matters as they have more experience. From this sense, they act like reliable
mentor.”

Do’s Don’ts

✓ Speak and explain your ideas with
confidence. Even if you are not sure
whether your notions are good enough
or not, you can still get a band 9. The
examiner pays more attention to your
fluency and pronunciation. Moreover,
they focus on your usage of a wide
range of appropriate vocabulary. Your
ability to produce error-free sentences
is important as well.
✓ If you do not understand the question,
ask the examiner to repeat it. In this
case, you might say: “Could you please
repeat the question?” It is better to
understand what exactly you are asked
from the very beginning than shy away
from it and end up giving an irrelevant
answer. Do ask if something is unclear:
we are all human!
✓ You may need some time to think
before answering the question. Take 3
secs and think about the answer
before speaking.
✓ Don’t think to tell something which will
match with the IELTS examiner’s ideas.
You can talk about your views, even if you
feel like the IELTS examiner won’t like
them. There is no criterion to mark your
opinions during the speaking test.
✓ Giving memorised answers is not a good
idea. You should not provide answers
that you have prepared beforehand.
✓ Don’t give short answers like in part 1.
You should provide long and explained
answers with 5 to 6 sentences. Try to give
some reasons that will define your
specific point of view.
✓ Don’t try to overdo it! If you want to use
a fancy word, make sure that you know
the exact meaning of it; otherwise, that
might reduce your score. If you use a
word, you are not very familiar with; you
will more likely use it in the wrong
context. It will be out of place, and the
examiner will reduce your score.

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Exam Practice
Student A - Sports
1. Why are some sports fans so passionate?
2. Is there any violence at sporting events in your country?
3. Should athletes be better role models?
4. What benefits do international sporting events bring?
5. Is it important for a country to win lots of medals?
6. The money professional sportsmen earn is significantly higher than that the earning of other
professionals. Is it justified?

Student B - History
1. How do people in your country feel about protecting historic buildings?
2. Do you think an area can benefit from having an interesting historic place locally? In what way?
3. What do you think will happen to historic places or buildings in the future? Why?
4. How were you taught history when you were at school?
5. Are there other ways people can learn about history, apart from at school? How?
6. Do you think history will still be a school subject in the future? Why?

Student C - Films/ Cinema.

1. Do you think the cinema has increased or decreased in popularity in recent years?
2. In your opinion, will this trend continue in the future?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of making films of real-life events?
4. How important do you think it is for a filmmaker to remain true to the original story?
5. Should films and television be censored, or should we be free to choose what we see?
6. How do you think censorship laws will change in the next 20 years?

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SAMPLE SPEAKING TEST & MARKING CRITERIA
Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcaIOTRV64g and fill the table using the
given band descriptors. Then, Check your feedback against that of examiner’s.

Criteria Good Not so good

FLUENCY AND COHERENCE
Are the answers of an appropriate
length for the task?
Does the speaker speak too slowly,
hesitate, repeat or make corrections?
Does the speaker use a range of
cohesive devices and discourse
markers?
LEXICAL RESOURCE
Does the speaker use a range of
vocabulary (everyday vocabulary / less
common vocabulary / colloquial
expressions)?
Does the speaker use the vocabulary
appropriately (word form /
collocation)?
Is the speaker able to paraphrase?
GRAMMATICAL RANGE & ACCURACY
Does the speaker use simple
grammatical forms with control?
Does the speaker use complex
structures? Are they used accurately?
PRONUNCIATION
Can the speaker be generally
understood?
Are individual sounds clear? Are they
correctly produced?
Does the speaker use word stress and
sentence stress correctly?

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Do you agree with the given comments? Compare with the band descriptors.

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TIPS TO ACE YOUR IELTS SPEAKING
(based on an article taken from ieltsadvantage)

1. 72 Hour English Warm-Up

Just like an athlete warming up before a sporting event, it takes time for you to get back to your
correct level. If you don’t warm up before your speaking test, it will be over before you are really
ready to show the examiner how good you are. For these reasons, you should speak, write, read
and listen to only English for 72 hours before your test. Your family and friends might think you
are crazy, but it will really make a huge difference to your score.
2. Speak a Little English Every Day
It is better to practice a little every day than speak your native language all week and then go to
English class once or twice a week.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask the examiner questions if you don’t understand

4. Give Full Answers

‘Yes’ and ‘No’ are not satisfactory answers. Remember this is a test and you have to show the
examiner how good your English is. If you give very short answers, there is no way the examiner
can know how good you are. You should try to extend your answers with explanations and
examples.
Which of the following is a good answer?
Question: ‘What are the causes of traffic jams in your city?’
Speaker 1: ‘The causes of traffic jams are narrow roads and overpopulation.’
Speaker 2: ‘The causes of congestion are narrow roads and overpopulation. This is because our
roads were designed a long time ago when the population of the city was much lower. For
example, the road near my house was built in the 1960s when the population was about a third
what it is today.’
First speaker’s answer is too short and has given the examiner the minimum amount of
information possible. Second speaker has not only answered the question but also explained
what they mean and given an example to further support their answer.
5. Learn What Types of Questions to Expect
Here is a list of the comment question types:

• giving examples;
• giving opinions;

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• contrasting viewpoints;
• commenting on someone else’s opinion;
• talking about cause and effect;
• talking about hypothetical situations;
• talking about the past and future.

6. Learn How Native English Speakers Talk

Go on YouTube and listen to how two native speakers actually sound. They use pronunciation
features such as linking words, sentence stress, and weak sounds. This makes it more difficult to
understand, but it is something you will have to get used to if you want to score high in both
the speaking and listening test.
7. Are You Better at Grammar or Fluency?
What you should do is record yourself speaking and then listen back. Did you make lots of
grammar mistakes or did you speak very slowly and unnaturally? If you made lots of grammar
mistakes, focus on fixing these first. You should also look at our article on common grammar
mistakes and how to avoid them. If you are speaking at a slow pace and stopping a lot to think
about grammar, try to forget about the rules of the language and just focus on speaking
fluently. You will see a big improvement if you practice regularly.
8. Thinking Time is Allowed
Lots of students complain that they can’t think of any good ideas in the speaking test. Part 1 of
the speaking test is about you, so you shouldn’t really need any time to answer questions about
yourself. In part 2 you will be given time to prepare your answer, so again don’t worry too
much about this. Part 3 however, is the part students tend to fear the most because the
questions are more ‘challenging’ and it can take a few moments to think of a good answer. This
is totally natural and it is something you probably do all the time in your own native language.
The crucial thing is to let the examiner know you need a few moments to think by saying
something like:
‘That’s a tricky question; let me think for a moment.’
‘That’s an interesting question, let me think about that.’
‘It’s very hard to say for sure, but I would guess….’,
‘It’s difficult to say, I believe….’
‘I don’t really know for sure, but I believe….’

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The important thing is to only use this technique when you absolutely have to. If you begin
every sentence like this, the examiner will think you have memorized answers and fail you.
9. Correct Your Mistakes
People make mistakes when they speak all the time, especially when they are nervous in an
exam. The examiner understands this and it is fine to correct any mistakes you make. Some
students don’t like to do this because they think it is making it clear to the examiner that you
made a mistake. Don’t worry, the examiner always knows when you have made a mistake and
correcting those shows the examiner that you really do know your grammar. When you make a
small mistake, simply say sorry and repeat the sentence correctly.
10. Never Learn Scripted Answers

11. Keep it Simple.

The biggest mistake students make is trying to show off how great their grammar and
vocabulary is. By this, I mean trying to use advanced words and grammatical structures that
they don’t know how to use correctly. For vocabulary, this means including words that might
sound very complicated but using them inappropriately. If you use a word incorrectly, you will
lose marks. Therefore it would have been better if you used a simple word you understood than
the long complicated word.
If you are not 100% sure about a word, don’t use it in the IELTS test. By 100% I mean that you
understand the:

• meaning
• how it can be used correctly in a sentence
• collocations
• synonyms and antonyms.
If you don’t know these things, use a simpler word.
The same goes for grammar. It is much better to use simple structures and get the sentence
correct, than trying to use very complicated structures and making mistakes. Even if you make a
small mistake that sentence is counted as not being ‘error-free’ and this costs you valuable
marks.
12. Any Answer is Better Than No Answer at All
Most students from Asia and many of them tend to not attempt an answer in class unless they
are sure about the answer. This is natural in a classroom environment, but not acceptable in
the IELTS speaking test. You have to attempt to give an answer. Don’t worry if you have no idea
how to answer the question, please just try to give some kind of answer. If you say nothing, the
examiner will be forced to give you a low score for that particular question.

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 IELTS – Intensive

13. There’s Nothing Wrong with Your Accent

Lots of students think that the best way to get high marks in the IELTS speaking test is to simply
adopt a British or American accent. This is a really bad way to think about pronunciation
because good pronunciation is not about what accent you have, but how easy you are to
understand. English is a truly global language and is spoken in thousands of different accents. In
fact, the accent in the UK changes about every 20 km.
14. Finish Strongly
Speaking in a foreign language can be exhausting. Most students have never had to speak for
longer than a few minutes at a time and by the time they get to part 3 of the test, they are
really tired and this affects their answers.
You should, therefore, practice talking for extended periods of time. You should be able to have
a normal conversation with another person for at least 30 minutes. Remember that you will be
doing most of the talking in the IELTS speaking test, so 30 minutes of normal conversation is
about the same amount of words spoken as 15 minutes in the test.
You should also make an effort to really extend your answers in part 3. Part 3 is the most
important part and tired students often give very short answers and hope the test will finish
soon. Don’t be one of these students.
15. Control Your Nerves
Nervous students tend to make more mistakes, have poor pronunciation and speak very
quietly.
16. Get to bed early the night before your test and make sure you have a good meal and drink
plenty of water on the day of the test.

17. Make sure you get to the exam center early. If you are late you will be even more nervous

18. Understand that the examiner wants you to do well. Believe me, it is far easier and a more
pleasurable experience for the examiner to listen to a good student than one that we can’t
understand.
19. Remember to speak clearly. Don’t shout at the examiner, but also make sure they can
clearly understand what you are saying.

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