IELTS Speaking Modules

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Questions which were asked during real IELTS speaking. The whole speaking part of both academic IELTS and general IELTS took less than fifteen minutes.

In the first part of the IELTS speaking module the interviewer will be asking questions about general topics such as your name, hobbies, family, native city etc.

In the second part of the IELTS speaking module you will be given from one to two minutes to prepare a two-minute talk on a given topic.

Academic IELTS Speaking Module 1

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• Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking Module

  1. What's your name?
  2. What do you do?
  3. Where do you come from?
  4. Do you like your country?
  5. What do you like about your country?
  6. What street do you live in?
  7. What is the street called?
  8. Why is your street called this way?
  9. Do you like your street?
  10. What do you like in your street?
  11. Do you like living in Kharkov city? Why?
  12. Are you a city dweller? Why?
  13. What do you like doing with your friends?
  14. What is your favourite meal?
  15. Who cooks in your family?
  16. What is their best meal (house special)?
      
      

• Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Module

  1. Tell me about an important event in your life.
  2. Follow-up question. Do you prefer celebrating family occasions at home or in a cafe? Why?
     
     

• Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking Module

  1. Is it important to celebrate different events in our lives?
  2. Are you a goal-settler? Why?
     
     

General IELTS Speaking Module I

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• Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking Module

  1. What's your name?
  2. Are you working or studying?
  3. How long have you been working for this company?
  4. What are you main duties?
  5. What do you like about work you do?
  6. What do you want to change or improve in it?
  7. Do you like shopping?
  8. What do you usually shop for? What food?
  9. What items do you buy? Why?
  10. What time do you do the shopping? Why?
      
      

• Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Module

  1. Describe a child you know.
  2. How old is he or she?
  3. What does he look like?
  4. How are you related?
     
     

• Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking Module

  1. What kind of children activities are there available in your city?
  2. What do you need to do to interest a child in such activities?
  3. What activities do you think there will be in the future?
  4. What kind of pressure do children have at school?
  5. What is your view of the school of the future?

General IELTS Speaking Module II

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• Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking Module

  1. What is your full name?
  2. Where do you live?
  3. Tell me about the city you live in.
     
     

• Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Module

  1. How do people spend holidays in your country?
  2. Do you think the travelling industry is developing successfully in your country?
     
     

• Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking Module

  1. What kind of travelling do you prefer in your country?
  2. What is your favourite food?
  3. What is your favourite restaurant?

Download Tips for IELTS Speaking

A useful material that you should have it before taking the IELTS Speaking Test

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Strategies for the IELTS Speaking Test

Part 1 - Warm-up

The questions are easy, so the examiner cannot be sure of your level from only Part 1. You can give very easy answers, but this is a chance to make a good impression. If you give easy answers, the examiner will not know if you are Band 4 or maybe Band 5. If you give good, specific answers with explanations, the examiner will think you could be Band 6 or Band 7!

You can use this time to practice making good sentences. If you wait until Part 2 and Part 3 to give longer answers, you might not do so well. Athletes and musicians always take time to warm up. You should too!

Part 2 - the "Long Turn"

The biggest mistake students make is to not take notes. The examiner will give you a piece of paper and a pencil to take notes because speaking for two minutes without stopping is not easy. Even native English speakers will have trouble speaking for two minutes! Students who don't take notes often say, "Uh, I think maybe, um.... Um..., well... It seems to me...". "Uh" and "Um" are Band ZERO! Use notes to help you remember what you want to say. If not, you WILL get a low score.

Use the P.R.E.P. method. Start with "P" - make one sentence about your main Point. Then give two or three sentences to provide "R", a Reason. Next give "E", an Example. Describe the example using two or three sentences. Finish by repeating "P", your main Point, but use a different sentence. If you have extra time, give a second example.

You must practice! Use a watch and give yourself one minute to take notes on a topic, then two minutes to make four or five sentences using the PREP method. You should practice one or two topics every day before the test.

Do not worry about the time. That is the examiner's job. He or she will tell you when to stop.

Part 3 - General Questions

Part 3 is the hardest part of the Speaking Test and it comes very fast. Most students aren't ready. When you hear the examiner say "And now I'd like to ask you some more GENERAL questions RELATED to your Part 2 topic", you know Part 3 is starting. Be ready!

Do NOT take so much time. Two sentences for each answer is usually enough. If you have a long introduction, the examiner will think you don't know how to answer the question.

Use the General-Specific technique. As soon as you hear the question, give a general opinion about the topic. Then give a specific reason or example in the next sentence or two.

General tips for Speaking

Before the test

• Try and talk in English as much as possible.

• Go to the Informal Activity meetings organized by the Self Access Centre (SAC) in the ELC. Ask in the SAC for details.

• Remember the more familiar you are with everyday social English the more fluent you will sound.

• Make sure you are familiar with the structure of the test.

• Listen to as much English as you can – watch English TV channels, listen to English radio - RTHK (567AM) & BBC (675 AM), and watch films in the SAC.

• Talk aloud to yourself and tape yourself.

During the test

• Your appearance may have an unconscious effect on the examiner, so dress neatly.

• Arrive early. Sometimes examiners get ahead of their schedule.

• Try to look confident. Don’t fold your arms.

• Keep eye contact with the examiner, especially in parts 1 and 3. Don’t speak to the cassette recorder.

• Don’t worry if the examiner does not look at you in part 2. He or she will be listening and checking the criteria for assessing you.

• Don’t worry about being nervous. Everyone is nervous doing these tests. Don’t say to the examiner ‘I’m nervous’!

• Remember speaking ‘fluently’, does not mean speaking ‘quickly’.

• Don’t be afraid to correct yourself if you make a grammatical mistake.

Part 3 Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes)

The examiner will invite you to participate in a discussion of more abstract issues linked to the topic of Part 2.

You could for example be asked to talk about people’s eating habits, diets, fast food or genetically modified food as a thematic link to your talk on a restaurant in Part 2. The examiner could start the discussion in several ways e.g. ‘Tell me what you think about …’; ‘What in your opinion is …’ or ‘How would you compare ..’ etc.

You may be asked to relate the topic to a situation in your own country – that is Hong Kong.

You will be expected to be able to express your opinions and give reasons in this part and it is an opportunity to demonstrate your fluency as well as the range of your vocabulary and grammar.

Part 2 Individual Long Turn (3-4 minutes)

The examiner will ask you to speak for 1-2 minutes on a topic, which he or she will give you on a card. The card will give you an outline of what you need to talk about. You will be given one minute to prepare and you can make notes. The examiner will give you a piece of paper and a pen. He or she will invite you to start talking when your preparation time is up. The examiner will not say anything while you are speaking but will stop you, if you talk for more than two minutes. Then you might be asked one or two short follow-up questions.

The topics will be of a general nature. You will be asked to describe things such as a restaurant you enjoy eating in, a book you have read recently or a piece of equipment in your house you cannot live without.

Part 1 Introduction & Interview (4-5 minutes)

The examiner will introduce himself or herself and confirm your identity. He or she will then ask you a number of general questions about yourself to try and make you feel relaxed. You may be asked about your home or studies. Then you will be asked one or two more sets of questions on familiar topics such as your interests, your country, your family or types of things you like in various categories such as food, clothes, holidays etc. The questions come from an examiner ‘frame’ (pre-determined questions) so the examiner will not necessarily follow-up with questions based on what you say. The more questions that are asked on a specific topic the more difficult they tend to be. However, you do not have to express a point of view or justify it in this part.

Some typical questions/prompts might be:

• Where do you come from?
• What is your home like?
• Tell me about your family.
• Tell me about your job/studies.
• Is there anything you dislike about your job/studies?
• What type of transport do you use most?
• Do you like reading?
• What kind of television programmes do you watch?
• Tell me about a film you have seen recently.
• Do you have a pet?
• What kind of food do you like?
• How often do you go shopping?
• What’s your favourite festival? Why?
• How do people celebrate this festival?

How to do Part 1

How to prepare for IELTS – Speaking Contents

Details of the Speaking Test Structure of the test

The speaking test is the last test you do on the test day. You will be given a time slot between about 2pm and 6.30pm.

There are three tasks or parts to the test which takes the form of an interview lasting between 11 & 14 minutes:

1. Part 1 Introduction & Interview (4-5 minutes)
2. Part 2 Individual long turn (3-4 minutes)
3. Part 3 Two-way discussion (4-5 minutes)

The tasks test your ability to perform the following functions in English:

• provide personal and non-personal information
• express & justify opinions
• make suggestions
• speculate
• express a preference
• make comparisons & discuss contrasts
• summarise
• relate personal experiences
• analyse
• repair conversation & paraphrase