Part 1

In Part 1, you will have a 4 to 5 minute conversation with an IELTS examiner about yourself. Topics might

include:

 Work

 Family

 Home life

 Personal interests

Part 2

In Part 2 of the Speaking test, you will be given a card with a topic. You will be given one minute to take

notes on the topic and will be given a pencil and paper to prepare your response, you will then speak on

the topic for two minutes.

Part 3

In Part 3, you will have a conversation with the IELTS examiner around the topic given in part 2,

discussing it in more detail. Part 3 should take approximately 4 to 5 minutes to complete.

 Don't memorise answers

 Don't use big and unfamiliar words

 Use a range of grammatical structures

When IELTS examiners assess your speaking skills, they mark you against the following

assessment criteria:

 Fluency and coherence

 Lexical resource

 Grammatical range and accuracy

 Pronunciation

 Don't worry about your accent

 You can pause to think

You can use some phrases to take some time before speaking:

 That's an interesting question

 I have never thought about that, but...

  Let me see

 That's a good point

 That's a difficult question, but I'll try and answer it

 Well, some people say that is the case, however I think...

 Extend your answers

Try and answer the examiner's questions in full. Extend your answers and don't wait for the examiner to

prompt you with a question. When your answers are short, this shows the examiner that you cannot talk

in detail about a topic. If the examiner says 'Why?', they are prompting you to give a reason for your

answer and to extend more fully.

 Don't speak in a monotone

o Vary the stress and intonation to add emphasis

o Use your hands to gesture and help the rhythm of the conversation

 Practice common IELTS topics

 Tourism and travel

 Education

 Transport

 Environment

 Family life

 Sport and recreation

 Crime and punishment

 The internet

 Advertising and retail

Part 1 Introduction and interview

[This part of the test begins with the examiner introducing himself or herself and checking the candidate’s

identification. It then continues as an interview.]

Examiner: Now, in this first part, I’d like to ask you some more questions about yourself, OK? Let’s talk about

your home town or village. What kind of place is it?

Candidate: I live in Ankara, where I was born and have lived since then. It’s the capital city of Turkey and is

located in the centre of the country. It’s a big and old city, and the heart of Turkish politics.

Examiner: What’s the most interesting part of this place / Ankara?

Candidate: The mausoleum of Atatürk, who was the founder of Turkish Republic, is located in Ankara. Every

year on important occasions, such as the day he passed away or the day of the declaration of Turkish republic,

thousands of Turkish citizens visit his mausoleum.

Examiner: What kind of jobs do the people in Ankara do?

Candidate: Since it’s the capital city, there are many politicians as well as people who work for government

agencies. There are also many people employed in different private and public sectors, like teachers, doctors,

engineers …

Examiner: Would you say it’s a good place to live? (Why?)

Candidate: Yes, definitely. Although it’s crowded and there is a lot of traffic in rush hours, people are friendly

and kind. I would say it is a good place to live.

Examiner: Let’s move on to talk about accommodation. Tell me about the kind of accommodation you live in.

Candidate:

Examiner: How long have you lived there?

Candidate:

Examiner: What do you like about living there?

Candidate:

Examiner: What sort of accommodation would you most like to live in?

Part 2 Individual long Run

You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes.

You have one minute to think about what you're going to say.
You can make some notes to help you if you wish.

Rounding off questions

• Is it valuable in terms of money?

• Would it be easy to replace?

Examiner: Alright. Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don’t worry if I stop you. I’ll tell you

when the time is up.

Candidate: OK

Examiner: Can you start speaking now, please?

Candidate: Yes. One of the most important things I have is my piano because I like playing the piano. I got it
from my parents for my twelfth birthday, so I have had it for about nine years, and the reason why it is so
important for me is that I can go into another world while I’m playing the piano. I can forget what’s around me.
I can forget my problems and this is sometimes quite good for even a few minutes. Or I can play to relax or to
think of something completely different.

Examiner: Thank you. Would it be easy to replace this piano?

Candidate: Yes, I think it wouldn’t be a big problem but I like my piano as it is because I have it from my
parents, it’s some kind unique for me.

Part 3: Two-way discussion

Examiner: We’ve been talking about things we own. I’d like to discuss with you one or two more general
questions relating to this topic. First, let’s consider values and the way they can change. In Turkey, what kind of
possessions do you think give status to people?

Candidate: The first thing which comes in my mind is the car because lots of people like to have posh cars or
expensive cars to show their status, their place in the society.

Examiner: Is that a new development?

Candidate: No, I think it isn’t.

Examiner: People have thought like that for quite a long time?

Candidate: Yes. Another thing is probably the clothing. It starts already when you are young. When the children
go to school, they want to have posh labels on their jumpers or good shoes.

Examiner: What do you think of this way of thinking, that I need to have a car or certain clothes to show my
status?

Candidate:

Examiner: You don’t think of it as a healthy way of thinking?

Candidate:
Examiner: Yes. And do you think this will change? In the future, will cars and designer clothes be status symbols
in the same way?

Candidate:

Examiner: Can you tell me a little bit more about that? ...

Homework:

Part 1 sample questions:

 In your city, what do you usually do at the weekend?

 When you were last in the countryside, who did you go with? Why?
 In the city you live now, what are your favourite pastimes?

Part 2 sample question:

Part 3 sample questions:

Fluency and Coherence:

Exercise 1

Which candidate gives an appropriate answer and why?

Examiner: how often do you eat healthy meals?

Discourse markers:

so personally however For example

but and Even if also
To be honest It depends because

 Adding detail to the previous point:

 Introducing a contrasting idea:
 Giving a reason or explanation:
 Giving an example or clarification:
 Introducing an opinion:
Exercise 2

Discourse markers: ( function of the marker )

a-The thing is: 1-adding detail to the previous point

b- On top of that: 2-ıntroducing an idea that contrasts with previous point

c- In particular: 3-giving a reason for the previous point

d- That said: 4- giving an example

Exercise 3

Question: How important is it for you to eat healthily?

Answer: It’s something I really want to do more of, as I really value my health, and I’m pretty sure I don’t do
it often enough.

Complete the answer with the following markers:

(reason) The thing is,

(example) For instance,

(additional detail) I would add that

(contrast) Having said that,

DEVELOPING SPEAKING PART 3 ANSWERS:

Exercise 4

Examiner: What reasons do people have for becoming vegetarian?

Candidate: What motivates people to stop eating meat? Usually, on the grounds that they object to
animals being kept simply as food, often in really unhealthy surroundings. I think it’s a moral decision
that people take. They just decide to avoid meat completely. And some people, to build on my point
a little more, go even further and become vegan. They don’t agree with the idea of animals being
killed for food, or for making people’s clothes, or even for dairy products. Looking at it from another
point of view, other people give up meat purely for the sake of their health. Take red meat as an
example. There’s a great deal of evidence to suggest that it causes all sorts of health issues, and
people in general are increasingly trying to limit how much they eat. Ultimately, I suppose, it’s a
question of health – either of the animal or of yourself.

-Starts with a rhetorical question

-Widens his/her answer

-makes 3 different points: 1) it is a moral issue 2)some become vegan ….3)for health reasons/ medical evidence

on the grounds that: because / giving a reason (bahanesiyle, sebebiyle)

To build on my point a little more: adding detail to an idea

Looking at it from another point of view: contrasting by giving another opinion

Ultimately: concluding with a final point ( sonuç olarak)

Exercise 5

1-

2-

3-

4-

5-
adding detail to an idea: Moreover, Furthermore, What’s more

introducing a contrasting idea: Whereas, Conversely

Giving a reason/explanation : For this reason, This is why , As a consequence

Giving an example: such as, like, say

Introducing an opinion : If you ask me , in my opinion, To my mind

Concluding with a final point: To sum up, what it all comes down to , In the end

Band 9 Speaking video ( first 8min.):

https://youtu.be/k4715CJ0Ii8

https://youtu.be/KGvmVJ32kCE

Band 6.5 speaking video ( first 11 min)

https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/ieltsspeakingtips

Exercise 6:

Part 1 questions:

Do you prefer healthy food or past food?

Which sport do you play or regularly do ?

Do you think you have enough time to relax ?

Part 3 questions:

Why has convenience food become so popular over the past few years?

In the future, what sorts of relaxation activities will be popular?

What benefits do competitive sports have for the people taking part?

Should physical education be compulsory for all school children?