The format
| Part | Time | What happens | How long to answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Interview | 4–5 min | Questions about you: home, work or studies, and two or three everyday topics | 15–30 seconds: two to four sentences |
| 2 Long turn | 3–4 min | A task card, 1 minute to make notes, then up to 2 minutes of talk; perhaps one or two short follow-up questions | The full 2 minutes |
| 3 Discussion | 4–5 min | Abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic: society, causes, comparisons, the future | 30–60 seconds, developed like a short argument |
What Band 8+ sounds like
| Criterion | Band 7 | Band 8+ |
|---|---|---|
| Fluency and Coherence | Speaks at length; some hesitation while searching for words | Hesitates only to think about ideas; answers are developed and logically linked |
| Lexical Resource | Some less common and idiomatic language, with some choices that don’t fit | Wide, precise vocabulary; idiomatic language used skilfully; smooth paraphrase when a word is missing |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | Frequent error-free sentences; a few persistent errors | Most sentences error-free, with complex structures used flexibly |
| Pronunciation | Mostly clear, with generally effective stress and intonation | Easy to follow throughout; stress, intonation and chunking used flexibly; accent has minimal effect |
Part 1: direct, then extend
Answer the question in the first few words, then add one extension: a reason, an example, a contrast or a change over time. Stop there. The examiner has several questions to ask, and over-long Part 1 answers don’t earn more.
Listen for tense signals: Do you…? (present habit), Did you… as a child? (past), Would you like to…? (hypothetical). Matching the tense is an easy accuracy win.
Part 2: use the minute, fill the two minutes
The one-minute plan
- First 10–15 seconds: choose. Take the first real or plausible example that gives you a story. Indecision wastes more time than a weak example.
- Next 40 seconds: keywords. Write 3–5 words per prompt: names, places, numbers, one vivid detail. Don’t write sentences.
- Last 5–10 seconds: the explain line. Note two reasons or feelings, because this is where your talk gains depth.
A two-minute structure
| Stage | Time | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | about 10 s | One sentence that sets the scene |
| Prompts | about 60–70 s | Narrative and descriptive detail for each prompt, in order |
| Explain line | about 30–40 s | Two reasons or feelings, each with an example |
| Reflection | until stopped | How you see it now, or what you would do differently |
Two minutes of natural speech is roughly 250–300 words. When you run short, add new information rather than rewording: a specific detail, something someone said, what happened before and after, or a comparison with a similar experience. Keep talking until the examiner stops you. Being stopped mid-sentence is normal.
Part 3: answer like a short argument
Use a four-step frame, flexibly rather than mechanically: position → reason → example → qualification.
Part 3 questions ask you to do things that show range:
| Question asks you to | Useful language |
|---|---|
| Speculate about the future | I’d imagine that…, It’s quite likely that…, If this trend continues, … |
| Compare groups or periods | Compared with my parents’ generation, …, whereas, far more / nowhere near as |
| Evaluate | The main drawback is…, On balance, I’d say… |
| Explain causes | It’s largely down to…, This stems from…, One factor is… |
| Handle a hard question | That’s not something I’ve thought about much, but I suppose… |
You may ask the examiner to clarify a Part 3 question (Do you mean in schools or at home?). In Part 1 the examiner can repeat a question but won’t explain it.
Raising each criterion
- Fluency and Coherence: extend every answer with a reason or example; vary discourse markers (actually, the thing is, having said that, which is why); fill a thinking pause with a natural phrase rather than silence, but use such phrases sparingly.
- Lexical Resource: prepare topic vocabulary for common themes (work, technology, environment, travel, education, health) as collocations, not single words. When a word is missing, paraphrase: the thing you use to…. Avoid clichéd idioms; a precise ordinary word beats a forced idiom.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: let structure follow meaning: narrative tenses and the past perfect in Part 2, conditionals and modals in Part 3, passives when the doer doesn’t matter. Target your personal errors, typically third-person -s, articles and tense consistency.
- Pronunciation: chunk speech into meaningful groups, stress the key word in each chunk, let your intonation fall at the end of a finished idea, and learn the stress of multi-syllable words you use often (deVElopment, eCOnomy). Slow down slightly rather than rushing.
Practice routine
- Daily (15 minutes): one Part 2 card with a timed 1-minute plan and a 2-minute recording, plus three Part 3 questions.
- Review: transcribe or read the transcript. Count filler words and repeated words, mark every grammar slip, and note each place you paused to search for a word.
- Redo: record the same answers again with the fixes. The second attempt is where improvement happens.
- Weekly: one full recorded Speaking test (Parts 1–3), graded by criterion, with one priority fix for the following week.
Common traps
Quick recap
- Part 1: answer directly, extend once, stop.
- Part 2: choose fast, write keywords, and fill the full two minutes with new detail.
- Part 3: position, reason, example, qualification; speculate, compare and evaluate.
- Paraphrase instead of pausing, and let complex grammar grow out of your ideas.
- Record, review, redo; one full graded test a week.