The IELTS is one of the most universally recognized standardized tests of English proficiency.
With more than one million test-takers every year, the IELTS measures the candidate’s command over the English language in order to judge whether he/she would be able to study or seek employment in an English-speaking country.
The test is administered in four components—Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. The first three tasks are paper-based, while the fourth one is conducted in the form of an interview between the candidate and an IELTS professional.
Each of the four sections is scored on a scale of 1 (poor user) to 9 (expert user), with marks awarded for various parameters such as grammar, vocabulary, syntax etc.
Want to know more about the IELTS Test Format in detail?
Unsurprisingly, the Speaking component is also one which test-takers find the most daunting. They worry about their weak vocabulary, fluency and inability to speak confidently.
The first step towards overcoming that fear is to understand the test format in detail.
The IELTS Speaking test lasts anywhere between 11-14 minutes and is conducted in the form of an interview between you and an IELTS official. It consists of three main tasks, namely:
The first part is an introduction where you will be asked general questions about you, your family, friends, school, occupation, hobbies, etc. This usually lasts between 4-5 minutes.
In the second part, you will be given a TASK CARD with a specific topic on it. Based on the Task Card, you will be asked to speak for 2 minutes or so. You will be given 1 minute to prepare on that topic before you start speaking. This section usually lasts 3-4 minutes. After speaking, the interviewer will ask you a couple of questions on your topic.
In the third part, you and the interviewer will have an extended discussion on the topic you spoke about in the previous task, based on the task card, exchanging views, opinions, and ideas.
Here’s an example of the IELTS speaking section as conducted by an AdmitEDGE IELTS SFA and an AdmitEDGE student.
Of course, having a good test score is always an advantage, but does having a high IELTS Speaking score have a specific advantage?
YES, DEFINITELY!
Having a high IELTS score helps you in many ways, beyond securing a top admit in USA, Canada, Australia etc:
Sounds great, right?
If you’re thinking about preparing for IELTS, read our blog post on 6 Tips To Speak Confidently & Score High!
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The article is really Good and I am going to take an exam in December.
Thank you for the information. Got a clear idea about what i was searching for.
Many people who wish to prepare for IELTS so that they can try for immigration to different countries do not know how to commence their studies and preparation. This post is sure to help them understand better. Keep sharing such useful posts here. Looking forward to more elaborate and informative posts.
Hi Dakshit. Thanks for your comment. All the best for your exam