IELTS speaking: practice that raises the band

IELTS · 2 min read · updated 2026-08-22

The speaking test is eleven to fourteen minutes long and marked on four things: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Almost nobody fails it on knowledge. They lose the band on hesitation, on short answers, and on part 2.

What each part rewards

Part 1 (4-5 min) — familiar questions. Answer with two or three sentences, not one and not eight. "Do you like cooking?" — "Not really. I cook because I have to, so it's usually the same three dishes. My sister is the one who actually enjoys it." That is the target length.

Part 2 (2 min) — the long turn. This is where bands are won. You get a card and one minute to prepare. Use the minute to write four or five words, one per bullet on the card, and plan the *end* of the talk. Speak for the full two minutes; stopping at fifty seconds costs you.

Part 3 (4-5 min) — abstract discussion. Opinions with reasons, and it is fine to think out loud: "That's an interesting one. I suppose it depends on..." Buying a second is better than silence, as long as the phrase is natural.

The four habits that cost most candidates half a band

1. One-word answers in part 1, which give the examiner nothing to mark. 2. Running out of things to say in part 2 because the preparation minute was spent worrying instead of planning. 3. Correcting yourself constantly. Self-repair is good; restarting every sentence is read as poor fluency. 4. Speaking too quietly or too fast because of nerves — pronunciation is marked on how easy you are to understand, not on having an accent.

How to practise alone

• Record yourself. Two minutes on a part-2 card, then listen back once. Painful, and
• Answer out loud, never in your head. Silent practice trains a skill you will not use.
• Time part 2 every time. Two minutes feels much longer than it sounds.
• Keep a list of "thinking phrases" you actually like, and use them until they are
• Talk about the ten recurring topic areas — hometown, work and study, technology,

What a tutor adds

Mostly two things you cannot do alone: a real examiner-style interruption pattern, and an honest band estimate on each criterion. Ask a tutor to:

• run full 11-14 minute mock tests, not just conversation;
• give a band per criterion, with the single change worth most;
• record the mock so you can hear the hesitation yourself;
• push you into part 3 questions harder than the ones you expect.

Three to five mocks in the fortnight before the test is the usual pattern, and it is worth doing at the same time of day as your test. IELTS tutors list this on their profiles; if you mainly need the confidence rather than the format, conversation tutors are cheaper for the same speaking hours.