Criteria for Speaking exam

REMEMBER: You are not speaking to impress the examiner with difficult vocabulary
or grammar structures. Mainly, you are examined whether you can communicate in
English or no! Relax and imagine like you are talking to your friend and answer the
questions you are asked, do not go off-topic!

Speaking is non-academic exam, so you can use different informal vocabulary and
phrases unlike writing aspect.

The IELTS Speaking exam is assessed based on four key criteria. Each criterion is equally
weighted and contributes 25% to your overall speaking score. Here’s a detailed
explanation of each criterion:

1. Fluency and Coherence

Fluency refers to your ability to speak smoothly without pauses. Coherence is about
organizing your ideas logically and clearly. To score well in this area, you should:

• Speak at a natural pace without long pauses.

• Use linking words to connect your ideas: Firstly, however, but, for example…
• Stay on topic and develop your ideas logically.
• Avoid repeating words.

2. Lexical Resource

This criterion evaluates your vocabulary range and how effectively you use it. To score
well, you should:

• Use a wide range of vocabulary.

• Do not use difficult academic words which you are not confident in!
• Use collocations and phrasal verbs.

3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy

This criterion assesses your ability to use a variety of grammatical structures correctly.
To score well, you should:

• Use a range of sentence structures, including simple, compound, and complex

sentences.
• Use grammatical tenses accurately and appropriately.
• Minimize grammatical errors.
• Use a mix of active and passive voice where appropriate.
• Formulate questions, conditionals, and modals accurately.

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4. Pronunciation

This criterion evaluates the clarity and naturalness of your speech. To score well, you
should:

• Pronounce words clearly and accurately.

• Use appropriate stress and intonation patterns.
• Link words and sounds naturally in connected speech.
• Be easily understood without causing strain to the listener.

Tips to Improve Your Score

1. Fluency and Coherence:

• Plan and organize your thoughts before speaking.

• Practice speaking regularly.
• Use a variety of linking words and phrases to connect ideas.
• Use [Link]. It is an AI website and you can communicate with
AI to practice your speech.

2. Lexical Resource:

• Learn and practice new vocabulary regularly.

• Read widely to encounter new words and phrases in context.
• Practice using synonyms and paraphrasing.
• Use [Link] to learn words.

3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy:

• Review grammar rules and practice different sentence structures.

• Write sentences and paragraphs using various tenses and structures.
• Get feedback on your grammar and work on common mistakes.
• Use [Link] to review grammar rules.

4. Pronunciation:

• Listen to native speakers and imitate their pronunciation.

• Record yourself speaking and compare it to native speakers.
• Practice pronunciation exercises and tongue twisters.
• Focus on intonation, stress patterns, and connected speech.

5. General tips:
• Feel the time, do not speak too much hoping to score more. Average speaking
exam time limit is 15 minutes.
• Learn to plan your speech.

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 WHAT IS SPEAKING?

The speaking part of the IELTS exam is a face-to-face interview with a certified examiner.
It tests your ability to communicate effectively in English. The speaking test is divided
into three parts and lasts about 11-14 minutes. Here is a simple breakdown of each part:

Part 1: Introduction and Interview (4-5 minutes)

In this part, the examiner will introduce themselves and ask you to introduce yourself.
You'll then be asked general questions about familiar topics, such as your home, family,
work, studies, and interests. This part helps you settle into the interview and get
comfortable.

Example Questions:

• Can you tell me about your hometown?

• What do you do for work or study?
• What are your hobbies?

How to prepare for PART 1?

Many students fail in part 1 because they do not know themselves well! Many students
even do not know, what their favorite color is or the reasons for their choice.

Start with introduction like in your Task 2 and come up with general information!

For example: What is your favorite color?

Choosing a color is something that people do not choose intentionally, I guess it happens
during the childhood when people start liking specific color when having favorite piece
of cloth or toy, so mine is blue because…

Look through the common questions below and try to answer firstly in your mother
tongue.

1. About Yourself:

• Can you tell me your full name?

• What should I call you?
• Where are you from?
• Do you work or study?

2. Hometown:

• Where is your hometown?

• What do you like about your hometown?
• Is it a good place to live? Why or why not?
• What changes would you like to make to your hometown?

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 3. Accommodation:

• Do you live in a house or an apartment?

• Can you describe your home?
• What do you like about your home?
• Is there anything you would like to change about your home?

4. Family:

• Do you have a large or small family?

• Can you tell me about your family?
• How much time do you spend with your family?

5. Work/Study:

• What do you do for a living?

• Why did you choose your job?
• What do you like about your job?
• What are your responsibilities at work?
• Are you a student? What are you studying?
• Why did you choose your field of study?

6. Free Time/Hobbies:

• What do you like to do in your free time?

• Do you have any hobbies or interests?
• How did you become interested in your hobbies?
• How much time do you spend on your hobbies?

7. Daily Routine:

• What is your typical daily routine?

• How do you usually spend your evenings?
• Do you have a different routine on weekends?

8. Food and Eating Habits:

• What is your favorite food?

• Do you like cooking?
• How often do you eat out?
• Is there any food you don’t like?

9. Travel:

• Do you like to travel?

• Where have you traveled to recently?
• What was your best trip?
• Where would you like to travel in the future?

10. Sports and Exercise:

• Do you like sports?

• What is your favorite sport?
• How often do you exercise?
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• Do you prefer watching or playing sports?

11. Reading:

• Do you enjoy reading?

• What kinds of books do you like to read?
• How often do you read?
• Do you prefer paper books or e-books?

12. Technology:

• How often do you use technology?

• What is your favorite piece of technology?
• How has technology changed the way you work or study?

13. Music:

• Do you like music?

• What kind of music do you like?
• Who is your favorite singer or band?
• Do you play any musical instruments?

14. Friends:

• Do you have many friends?

• How often do you see your friends?
• What do you like to do with your friends?
• How did you meet your best friend?

15. Shopping:

• Do you like shopping?

• How often do you go shopping?
• What is your favorite place to shop?
• Do you prefer shopping online or in physical stores?

16. Weather:

• What is the weather like in your country?

• What’s your favorite kind of weather?
• How does the weather affect your activities?

17. Television and Movies:

• Do you watch TV often?

• What is your favorite TV show?
• Do you prefer watching movies at home or in the cinema?
• What’s the last movie you watched?

18. Education:

• What was your favorite subject in school?

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• Do you think education is important?
• How has education changed in your country?

19. Fashion and Clothing:

• How important is fashion to you?

• Do you prefer comfortable or fashionable clothing?
• Where do you usually buy your clothes?

20. Celebrations and Festivals:

• What is your favorite festival?

• How do you celebrate it?
• Are festivals important in your country?

21.

• Do you usually use pen or pencil?

• When was the last time you bought pen?
• Numbers. Which number is your favorite? Why?
• Are you good at memorizing telephone numbers?
• Did you liked math when you were at school?
• Do you think math will be important in your future job?

22.

• How long have you been living in there?

• Are people in there friendly?
• Do people in all ages live in there?
• Small businesses.
• Are there any small businesses where you live?
• Which one do you prefer small or big? Have you worked in small business?
• Modern and traditional art.
• Which one do you prefer?
• Would you go to art galleries?
• Would you be an artist?

23.

• What subjects are u studying?

• Why did u choose that subject?
• Would u take any course after applying for a job?
• What kinds of films did u like when u were a child?
• Have u changed ur mind about movies?
• Which one do u prefer watching films at home or at cinema?

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 Part 2: Long Turn (3-4 minutes)

In this part, you will be given a card with a topic on it. You have one minute to prepare
and make notes if you want. Then, you will speak for 1-2 minutes on the topic without
interruption. After you finish, the examiner may ask one or two questions about your talk.

Example Topic: Describe a memorable trip you have taken. You should say:

• Where you went

• Who you went with
• What you did
• Why it was memorable

REMEMBER: You do not have to answer the question they give you in the card, you
are asked to describe the situation itself. So, based on the topic you can make up your
own questions which will make your speech more colorful.

If you feel that some questions are difficult to answer or you do not have ideas to answer,
just skip them and describe the situation with your own words. Questions are given for
your convenience to remember the details of the situation!

For example: Describe the situation when you were late for meeting!

When you were late?

Where you were late?

How did you feel?

Why you were late?

Change the questions

What made me to be late for meeting?

What did I do first after coming to the meeting?

Do I usually come late for meeting?

How those people felt when I was late?

You see, you can make your own questions even more, so they help you to describe the
situation for at least a minute and more!

REMEMBER! Start your speech with introduction consisting of 1-2 sentences!

Actually, many people complain about my punctuality when I am invited to meeting or

even regular dining out with my friends. Since, my childhood I never felt the time and

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now I want to describe one situation which really made me to think about working on this
negative addiction of being late. It was ….

Every time, you are asked the question come up with introductory sentences to make your
speech clearer!

1. Describe a happy event which happened in school or childhood.

2. Describe an occasion when you took risks; but the result was positive.

3. Describe a decision somebody made who you know well.

4. Describe a new law you would like to introduce in your country.

5. Describe a person you know who is good at getting things at lower prices.

6. Describe teaching something new to a younger person.

7. Describe a plant which is popular in your country.

8. Describe a food which you would like to try.

9. Describe your first day at school.

10. Describe your daily routine.

11. Describe something that you complained about.

12. Describe something that you own and want to replace.

13. Describe an occasion when you wore your best clothes.

14. Describe a difficult time in your life you had to deal with but could not so you
needed an assistant to overcome.

15. Describe a place where you liked to spend your time when you were a child.

16. Describe a person you know who thinks that music is very important.

17. Describe a newly built building/ development in your city.

18. Describe a party you have been.

19. Describe a time actor who acted in one movie/film.

20. Describe a picture you liked most.

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 Part 3: Discussion (4-5 minutes)

In this part, the examiner will ask you more abstract and complex questions related to the
topic you spoke about in Part 2. This part tests your ability to express and justify
opinions, analyze issues, and discuss ideas in depth.

Example Questions:

• Why do you think people enjoy traveling?

• How do you think tourism affects the environment?
• What changes do you think will happen in the way people travel in the future?

These three parts are designed to test your speaking skills across a range of contexts and
topics, from the personal and familiar to the abstract and theoretical.

Describe a happy event which happened in school or childhood.

• Why do you think childhood memories are often so vivid and meaningful?
• How important is it for schools to create happy environments for students?
• In what ways do you think school events shape a child's development?

Describe an occasion when you took risks, but the result was positive.

• What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of taking risks in life?
• How do you think society views risk-takers?
• Can taking risks be taught, or is it an inherent personality trait?

Describe a decision somebody made who you know well.

• How do you think people generally make important decisions in life?

• What role do emotions play in decision-making?
• Are there any decisions that you think should always be made with the help of
others?

Describe a new law you would like to introduce in your country.

• How do laws reflect the values of a society?

• What challenges do you think are involved in introducing a new law?
• How do you think laws can impact the behavior of individuals?

Describe a person you know who is good at getting things at lower prices.

• Why do some people have the skill to negotiate better than others?
• How does bargaining differ in various cultures?
• What are the ethical implications of bargaining for lower prices?

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Describe teaching something new to a younger person.

• What are the challenges and rewards of teaching?

• How important is it for younger people to learn from older generations?
• In your opinion, what makes someone a good teacher?

Describe a plant which is popular in your country.

• How do plants and trees contribute to the environment?

• What roles do plants play in the cultural traditions of your country?
• How can we encourage more people to take an interest in plants?

Describe a food which you would like to try.

• How important is it to try new foods and cuisines?

• What role does food play in cultural exchange?
• How do food preferences change as people age?

Describe your first day at school.

• How significant is the first day of school in a person's life?

• What can schools do to make the first day easier for new students?
• How do you think the school experience has changed over the years?

Describe your daily routine.

• How important is it to have a daily routine?

• In what ways do routines contribute to a person's productivity?
• How do you think modern life has changed people's daily routines?

Describe something that you complained about.

• Why do people feel the need to complain?

• What are the most effective ways to resolve complaints?
• How can businesses and services improve in handling customer complaints?

Describe something that you own and want to replace.

• Why do people feel the need to replace items even if they are still functional?
• How does consumer culture influence our desire for new things?
• What are the environmental implications of frequently replacing items?

Describe an occasion when you wore your best clothes.

• How does wearing special clothing affect people's confidence?

• In what situations do people in your country typically dress up?
• How has the concept of dressing up changed over time?

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Describe a difficult time in your life you had to deal with but could not, so you
needed assistance to overcome.

• Why is it important to seek help during difficult times?

• How do support systems contribute to overcoming challenges?
• What are some common barriers to asking for help?

Describe a place where you liked to spend your time when you were a child.

• How do childhood environments influence a person's development?

• What are some key differences between how children spend their time now
compared to the past?
• Why do people often feel nostalgic about places from their childhood?

Describe a person you know who thinks that music is very important.

• What role does music play in people’s lives?

• How does music influence mood and behavior?
• In what ways do different cultures use music to express themselves?

Describe a newly built building/development in your city.

• How do new developments impact the community?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of rapid urbanization?
• How can cities balance the need for new developments with the preservation of
historical areas?

Describe a party you have been to.

• What role do social gatherings play in people's lives?

• How do different cultures celebrate important events?
• How has the concept of social gatherings changed in recent years?

Describe a time an actor acted in one movie/film.

• What qualities make an actor's performance memorable?

• How does the film industry impact society and culture?
• Why do you think some actors become iconic?

Describe a picture you liked most.

• What makes a picture or image powerful and memorable?

• How do photographs influence our perception of events and people?
• In what ways have advancements in technology changed photography?

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