IELTS Speaking Practice Test Video

Below is a full IELTS Speaking Test to give you practice before your real test. The practice test examiner will ask the questions and you must answer them.

  1. Read through the instructions before you listen to the test video
  2. Listen to the questions, pause the video and answer the questions.
  3. After you finish your test, try to improve your answers before you listen to the band score 9 model answers for this test
Instructions

Materials Needed:

  • pen and paper: for making notes for speaking part 2
  • phone or recording device: for recording your answers so you can play it back and check your speaking
  • a timer: for controlling the time in each part and making sure you don’t take more than 14 minutes for the whole test

Method:

  1. Have your materials ready (phone, pen, paper, timer)
  2. Press record on your phone, start your timer and press play on the video below (do this at the same time). Keep your recording device and timer going throughout the whole test. The test will take between 11 and 14 minutes.
  3. Part 1
    1. there will be 12 questions – you must answer each question immediately
    2. after each question, pause the video and record your answer
    3. don’t take less than 4 minutes or more than 5 minutes to answer all part 1 questions
    4. if you finish in under 4 mins, you answers are too short
    5. if you didn’t finish all 12 questions in 5 minutes, your answers are too long or you hesitated too much before answering
  4. Part 2
    1. in part 2, you have 1 min to prepare a talk and your talk must last from 1 to 2 minutes
    2. have your pen and paper ready
    3. the cue card (topic card with prompts) will be shown on the screen
    4. in the video, you will be given one min to make notes – use your pen and paper to prepare your talk
    5. in the video, you will be given two full minutes to talk (a skip button will appear after 1 minute so you can move to part 3 if you finish early but try and speak for the full 2 minutes)
  5. Part 3
    1. there are 5 questions in this part – you must answer each question immediately
    2. you should give long, detailed answers with examples if possible
    3. after each question, pause the video and record your answer into your phone
    4. don’t take less than 4 mins or more than 5 minutes to answer all part 3 questions
  6. After your  test has finished
    1. listen back to your recording and check your answers – see how you could improve your answers
    2. read through the transcript and check you have understood all the questions correctly
    3. listen to the speaking test model answers and see how you can improve your answers
Test Questions

Speaking Part 1

Home

  •  Do you live in a house or a flat?
  • Which is your favourite room?
  • Can you describe it?
  • If you could improve one thing in your house, what would it be?

Films

  •  Do you enjoy watching films?
  • What kinds of films do you like most?
  • Did you watch much TV as a child?
  • Are foreign language films popular in your country?

Greeting People

  •  How would you greet someone who was visiting your house?
  • Would you greet an old friend and a stranger in the same way?
  • How do you meet new people?
  • Do you think first impressions are important?

Speaking Part 2

I’d like to move on how. I’m going to give you a topic to talk about. Here is some paper and a pen. You’ll have one minute to make notes and then you’ll need to speak for 2 minutes. I’d like you to talk about a holiday you recently had. Please start making notes, I’ll let you know when it’s time to begin talking.

 A Holiday you Recently Had

Describe a holiday you recently had

You should say:

  • Where you went
  • Who you went with
  • What you did there
  • And why you enjoyed it

Speaking Part 3

  1. Now I’d like to talk more about holidays and travelling.
  2.  If you had the chance to travel anywhere, where would you go?
  3. Why do you think some people like to travel alone?
  4. Do you think travel has changed much over the last few decades?
  5. How does travel change people?
  6. Do you think there are any disadvantages to modern travel?

Recommended

Comments

  1. Hi Liz,
    I have my IELTS exam in two weeks from now. However, I’ve noticed that my part 1 questions tend to exceed the time limit since I have the habit of elaborating on all my answers. As a result, my answers to part 1 questions exceeded the time limit.
    Similarly, I also elaborated a lot during the part-2 question and barely completed the second point, before 2 minutes were over. Hence, I didn’t have enough time to speak about the remaining two points.
    My total test, however, was around 15 minutes, since I rushed with my answers after that.
    Will this habit cost me my marks during the exam? If so, what should I do in order to prevent it from happening?

    Thanks and Regards,
    Nilasha

    • There is no time limit for each individual question. The examiner will interrupt your answer and ask a new question whenever they want to push the exam forward more quickly. It is normal for interruptions to happen and doesn’t affect your score. Remember, part 1 is simple questions and simple answers. One long sentence as a direct answer with some extra detail if you wish. Just keep talking until the examiner stops you, but always remember to answer directly. The first sentence should be the answer.

      • Thanks a lot Liz!
        So, just to confirm – it should not affect my score if I can’t answer all the points in the cue card due to time constraint, provided that I’d spoken fluently without much hesitation for the entire 2 minutes. Please confirm upon the same.
        Also, I’d really want to thank you for making these videos, as it is extremely helpful to students like me, who don’t have much guidance for the exam.
        Thanks and regards,
        Nilasha

        • There are no questions on the cue cards. There are prompts to guide you which you can use or not use as you wish. I am currently preparing an Advanced Speaking Part 2 Crash Course which should be ready later this year. It will explain all aspects of part 2 and cover all major topics with ideas and vocabulary.

  2. Mina from Egypt says

    hello again
    please advise me, it took from me 8 minutes to fully complete all part 1 questions and I noticed that it took me 5 minutes to answer only 8 questions so what will happen in the real exam? my talking speed was moderate in the beginning but when I exceeded the time I had to speed up my rate but I was hesitating too much I made a lot of mistakes and even I was not able to develop my ideas. what should I do? especially my exam is after only 2 weeks.
    will the examiner stop asking questions if we reached 5 minutes or he will continue even if we took more time than what it is supposed to be or he will stop asking more questions and will he consider that I did not answer them and accordingly he will lower my score?
    kindly help me

    • In the real test, the examiner will control the time. If your answers are long, the examiner will interrupt your answer and move on to the next question. It’s a normal part of the test. Try this practice test again and this time do not take more than 5 mins for part 1. Start learning to answer quickly and to give answers that are about two sentences in length. In the real test, always keep talking until the examiner interrupts you. No part of the test can exceed the time limit.

      • Hello mam,
        I am having my ielts academic exam on Aug 20. Your guidence, good thoughts and way of attempting helping me a lot. Now, I am more confident than before.Thank you so much for that. Well, I am confused with writing task 1 syllabus. I am not getting wether the letter writing is there or not for ielts academic. Could you please help me out? I am looking forward for your response.

        • Did you check the “Test Info” link in the RED BAR at the top of the page. Click on that and see the menu of lots of useful pages. Choose “Test Information” from that list.

    • Hi Mina, The time for speaking test is fixed therefore you will not be given extra time to formulate your idea or thoughts. Please remember speaking test is for testing your spoken english (comprehension, fluency and pronounciation) only. Speaking test in IELTS is not about your knowledge so you will get good points even if you furnish incorrect facts or information about a given topic for conversation. The examiner records the entire conversation and later they provide points for level of vocabulary, clarity and fluency etc. So appear in your exam with confidence- don’t worry too much and be comfortable and confident while responding even if you are telling incorrect fact related to topic given for conversing 🙂 Goodluck.

  3. Hi, Liz! I am using the BBC Learning English app, especially the part of Everyday English. I was wondering if this is a good way of learning idioms and vocabulary like ‘cabin fever’ or ‘bang on about something’. Is this the kind of vocabulary we should use in speaking? Is it possible to use it too often?

    • Sure you can use it. However, don’t over use it. The examiner will know if you are trying to force vocabulary into your answers for a higher score. So, do it naturally – don’t force it. The examiner is trained to assess your real level of English so tricks like pushing idioms into your answers is well known. Use English naturally.

  4. Hi Liz!

    Firstly, I really thank you for your videos and lecturers.

    I have one question about the whole speaking part. I remember you recommend using the contraction in the speaking exam i.e. I’m not I am. I wonder should I prefer to use “I am gonna and wanna” or “I am going to and I wanna” in the speaking part?

    Furthermore, I speak so fast in English. Should I slow down my speaking? Which one do you advise for me?

    Thank you in advance,
    Best regards

  5. Hello Liz: Thank you so much for all you do, it’s not easy teaching people for free, i really appreciate. i took my speaking test today and i must tell you i feel really confident . The questions asked are as fellow;. Do You like perfumes? Why do you think people wear perfumes?. have you ever gifted anyone a perfume before, mention who and the reason you gifted such perfume. what’s the difference between occasional meals and everyday meal?how do climate change affects plants?has modern farming improved compared to farming in the past?. on my cue card, i was ask to describe a food i made, on what occasion was the food made? did i invite anyone over to eat and where it took place. i really have you and your teachings to thank, as it really did help me answer cohesively . Thank you Liz and God bless!!! fingers crossed about my result.

    • I’m glad you are feeling confident about your test. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you results 🙂

      • Irin Parvin says

        Hello liz.you are a excellent teacher.i have been following you quiet a long time.i gave my ielts in January 16th.speaking part 1&2 topics was fully common from your given topics.however I have a question.examiner asked more than 8 questions in part 1 and in my cue card I was forgotten a verb and pause a little bit.is it ok?my part 1 topics were about my work,concentration and countryside.my cue card topic was-tell me about someone who helped you to choose your work/study.greetings from Bangladesh.💖

        • Speaking part 1 usually has about 12 questions, so it sounds like your part 1 was 100% normal. A one-off small pause does not affect your score. Fluency is marked based on your overall performance as are the other marking criteria. Good luck with your results 🙂

  6. Please I hope you will answer my question. Now in the speaking part 2, there is the situation question that you need to answer like “describe a time when you meet someone for the first time” and then there are lil ideas to help you while preparing like 1. Who was the person, 2. When did you meet that person 3. How did you meet that person. 4. Where did you meet this person. And so on
    Now my question is do we need to cover these 4 points or we can turn whole situation like a story adding more details? The place where I’m taking classes they are saying you need to give 20 seconds to each point like 20-25 seconds to each section and if you explaining other things like why you feel it was important Meet-up or how did you feel about it (which are not the points on the que card), that it’s not a good way to tackle cue card. You just need to stick to the sun points mentioned on cue card otherwise it’ll reduce your Bands. I hope you got my question.

    • The prompts are there to help you. They provide you with a structure and content for your talk. They act as a guide. You do not need to use them and you do not need to complete them. That is not the aim. I recommend you use them because they are useful, but you will need to add much more. You can add descriptions, details, examples, comparisons, future hopes, past memories etc. You need to use that 1 min prep for ideas and also to focus on what language you want to showcase.

  7. Mam.. I have just compeleted my degree in bachlor of commerce …when examiner will ask do u work or study ?….then as a student ..how can i answer???

    • The speaking test does not have trick questions. It is informal and your aim is to be open, direct and chatty. Just say exactly that “I’ve just completed my degree in …”. Try to relax and just approach the test as you would a chat with someone you like.

  8. Hey
    I wanted to ask if saying words like “okay”, or “you know”, or words like these on a repetitive basis would affect our band score?

  9. Hi Liz,

    Is it proper to make use of hands while speaking to the examiner?

  10. First of all thank you a lot Liz. I’m grateful to you. My question is, whether can we use ‘I guess’ or ‘I think’ at the end of the sentence while speaking. I mean if the question is: ” what do you think of an ideal life?”. So, can we use ” Life should be satisfied and fulfilled, i guess/think!” as answer? Or is it necessary to place ‘I think/guess’ at the start of the sentence? Please guide me.
    Regards,
    subscriber

    • IELTS speaking is informal which means you need to speak in a natural manner. It is normal to add such comments to the end of a sentence. Be yourself, be natural, be chatty.

  11. Bankole Popoola says

    Dear Liz, there are no right words to describe you and your works, but all the same, permit me to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for everything !!!!!. You’re simply awesome Liz.
    More grease to your elbow.
    Cheers, Bankole.

  12. Why do the IELTS so seriously? In fact we have 14 minutes, and we can prepare for questions. I think it is unfairly! Answers should be spontaneously – it shows speaking skills. If I know my topics, I will pass them without understanding English )))
    Thanks a lot, Liz!

    • Just because you know the topics does not mean you will get a high score in your speaking test. Your level of English is what determines your score – the topics are just useful preparation. For example, your message contains grammar errors in each sentence – this will limit your score in both speaking and writing. There is no cheat way of doing IELTS. Your English will be the only factor in your score for speaking. So, certainly, you need to prepare topics, but you also need to tackle your English to ensure a good score. Hope this message makes sense to you – I just want you to be very clear that IELTS scores should not be presumed.

  13. Hi Liz

    Ur lessons and practice tests are one of its kind. Great work and a great help For IELTS beginners like me .Thank you very much

  14. Hi Liz,

    I just have done with your second speaking test but not able to find the answers can you please share the link. tomorrow is my IELTS Exam.

  15. Does body language influence your speaking score?
    If so, what do you advice ? A formal appearance as in an interview or a casual chat thinking we are speaking with our friend.

  16. Maramaki says

    Hello Liz,
    I’m fan of your blog! It’s very helpful with significant guidance and well organised!
    I’d like to ask you some questions about speaking, though. I’ m prepering for IELTS and taking private lessons with a tutor, who’s suggested me to use passive voice and inversions. Would it be appropriate? I’m a little bit confused, because as you say speaking test is informal.

    • The speaking test is informal. Be very careful following such advice. You use grammar appropriately – nothing more. Just because you put a passive voice in one answer will not give you a higher score. If you use grammar appropriately and use a range of tenses that is all that is needed. This means using future forms, past tenses and present tenses. I also train people to use comparatives – mostly in part 2 where you have 1 min to prepare and plan. But during the test, the most important thing is just fluency – being relaxed, chatty and friendly. If you are constantly thinking of how to put a passive voice answer in, you will lose that aspect of your language – don’t do it. See my model answers on the main speaking page to see how natural my answers are – click on the RED BAR at the top of the site to access that page.

  17. Your comment is awaiting moderation.

    Hello Liz, I just completed my speaking test. I saw my examiner writing some numbers in the evaluation paper. It was written part one and there were three blank boxes, she wrote 2 in first box and 9 in the second box. She placed a hyphen in third box. And there was another box near to those three boxes, she wrote 1049.
    Can you guess what might it be? Could be related to my result.

  18. Dear Liz, A friend recommended this site late to me. Its quite interesting what you do here. Here is it, I’m a hard hearing (Deaf), I learnt things on my own growing up. My speaking test is tomorrow. Though I ticked the hearing impaired box during my application and was acknowledged. I want to ask if my questions will be on paper, as I can’t hear a thing as a hearing impaired? I humbly await your kind response

    • I think you need to contact your test centre immediately. The words “hearing impaired” have such a broad meaning than someone who has only difficulty hearing would tick that box. In your case, you are deaf which means something quite different because you will not be able to hear any of the questions spoken. Try the following: 1) put a notice on IELTS Official Facebook page and ask – I am completely deaf and taking the speaking test tomorrow – what is the procedure? What should I do?” post it officially and get an official answer. 2) go in person or ask a friend to call your test centre. You will need to explain that you won’t be able to hear one single word and ask them what the procedure is and what they can do about it? Make sure it is organised. 3) check the examiner knows at the start of the test – be direct and open. Just ask “I just want to check that you are aware that I am deaf?”

      Hopefully it will all get sorted for tomorrow. When you are in the test room, you need to remember that once the recording starts everything that you say and the examiner says can be heard again by a third person later on. If you feel the examiner is not acting suitably, you need it stated on the recording. Never be afraid any saying whatever you need to say to get what you need. Be assertive and stay in control of the situation.

      Also remember that you need to talk as much as possible. Keep talking until the examiner interrupts you to ask a new question. Don’t give short answers – show a willingness to speak at length. Good luck! 🙂

      Also please let me know what happens. I would like more information about how they support people with disabilities so I can write a page and post it for others to benefit from.

  19. Hello Liz: I would like to share my bad experience of Speaking test today. 2/3.
    I had tried my best to handle the situation.
    I did a mistake in Part2 (Cue card). I was asked to “Describe a situation to the younger generation
    -what –
    – how –
    I couldnt get any ideas in that minute and I started talking unrelated topic and not about an situation. I realized that, but couldnt correct it in between my speech and it went on for further questions which i could not handle well.
    Very much disappointed post my speaking test.
    I have my L/W/R test tomorrow 2/4.
    But i think i already lost the money which i spent on the exam; i may have to re-appear to the test again 🙁

    • Khushbakht says

      What is meant by “Describe a situation to the younger generation”?? i didn’t get it. Can you please explain.

      • This topic was reported by a candidate which means it might not be remembered 100% correctly. It might be about a situation where you helped someone of the younger generation or where you spend time with someone of the younger generation.

  20. 16th January 2019
    Speaking part-1
    About work, morning routine, breakfast, parks and gardens.
    Part-2
    A book you recently read.
    Part-3
    Related questions.
    Hey liz, the cue card asked me to answer when i read the book. What it was about and why i read it. I only described what the book was about and the time was over so the examiner stopped me. Will it affect my score that i didnt cover all the 3 questions of cue card?

    • The examiner does not mark your task completion in IELTS speaking. That is a marking criterion for writing, not speaking.

      • Okay thanks. I feel much relaxed now. Your website is great 😊

      • Hi, Liz
        Thank you for your effort. I didnt read a
        book recently or along time ago. What I should say when he ask me about a book

        • Then you can talk about something else you read, such as a newspaper or magazine. Or you could talk about a film that is based on a book. Just try to stick close to the main topic and develop your talk from there.

  21. Sahar Mairaj says

    Dear Liz,
    When will you upload list of speaking topic for JAN 2019?
    Thanks
    Sahar

  22. Mir Viquas Uddin says

    Hey! Liz…!!
    First of all, I want to thank you a lot.
    Your tips really did work for me, specially the introduction – ” My name’s …. “, on which the examiner gave me a smile.
    I’m from IELTS academic. Today was my speaking test. Following were the questions asked by the examiner –

    PART 1:
    1) Where do you live?
    2) Are you a Student or you do Job?
    3) Is the company you are working at is good?
    4) What is the one thing that you would like to have a change in the company?
    5) Is breakfast important?
    6) At what time you usually have your breakfast?
    7)What you usually did when you wake up in the morning, in your childhood?
    8)How’s traffic in your city?

    PART 2 (2 min speaking):
    Describe something that you gifted someone in your relatives/friend , which was made by you.
    – What did you made?
    -What was the occasion?
    -How did you made it?
    – Describe the reaction of your relatives/friends on seeing your gift.

    PART 3:
    1)Does it take longtime to make handmade gifts ?
    2) What people like – handmade or shopped gifts?
    3) Is it important to be creative to make such handmade gifts?
    4) Do you think that children in schools must be also taught Arts, socials apart from maths and science?
    5)Does playing video/computer games increases their creativity
    6) Do you think girls are creative?
    7) Why?

    These were some question asked to me. I don’t remember last 2 questions of Part 3
    My overall test length was 15-17 minutes.
    I was worried that I won’t be able to speak for 2 mins, because while practicing I usually ended my speech in 1 and half minutes. But Fortunately, I got one of the topic on which I can give a complete explanation and I guess, I extended my speech to extra 15-20 seconds.

    I was bit nervous because while speaking as I didn’t use much synonyms, but overall experience was good as I used different meaning in my PART 3

    Moreover, I didn’t take any coaching classes for the test, just studied online and found this site just a night before my speaking test.
    The tips and tricks, really helped me in saving the time and answering the questions
    Although I realized later that I did few mistakes in Part 3 while speaking, I’m confident enough to score good bands as my overall test went better.

    My LRW test in on Saturday (5th Jan 2019) and I’m, for sure, studying from this website specially the writing part, is going to help me a lot for my test.

    Thanks a ton!! Liz, for such fantastic tips and tricks!!

  23. Hi Liz,
    I gave ielts test two times but i am unable to improve the score in speaking. Unfortunately, i got 6 band which is very less. Could you please suggest what to do to get a 7 band score.

    Saara

    • IELTS is an English language test. If your English is not band 7, you won’t get band 7. Improve your English first before tackling IELTS. Your message about which is very short contains two very serious grammar mistakes and one vocabulary mistake.

  24. Rohit Singla says

    Hello Liz, Hope you are doing good.
    I want to ask if I can say ‘yeah’ during conversation with examiner in speaking test.
    Is it fine to use ‘yeah’ as I am using it a lot during regular talks and I am afraid I might use ‘yeah’ while talking naturally in test too.

    • Of course you can use “yeah”. It’s an informal speaking test and you should speak naturally as though you were talking to a friend.

  25. sashini malsha says

    Dear madam,
    I did three times for ielts but I can’t get the highest score. I want 5.5 only. How can I improve my knowledge ? Can you help me?

  26. Hi Liz, thanks for your email!

    I am a teacher in HK helping teens for the IELT test.
    I get some questions for the Speaking Part 2.
    Do students need to answer all listed points? Do they need to give a clear organzation? Do they need to end their speech coherently by having a conclusion?
    Many thanks!

    • The cue card contains prompts which are suggestions for the talk. They are nicely organised and provide a useful framework for the talk. But it not necessary to complete them. In fact, it is not actually necessary to use them at all. However, by not using them at all, the examiner might be suspicious that the talk was memorised which is not a good thing. There are four marking criteria: fluency, vocab, grammar and pron. The criterion of fluency includes coherence. So, everything must be said with a good flow, but it must also be easy to understand. For part 2, it does mean having a talk that is organised and easy to understand is important. But this is not to the same extent that writing is marked. Just make sure the talk isn’t confusing. I tell students to use the prompts on the cue card and also add their own prompts to expand their talk. IELTS speaking is informal from beginning to end. The talk is not a lecture, it is like telling a story to a friend. There is no conclusion.

  27. Hai ,
    Excellent classes. I want more speaking test practice and model answers. Please…

  28. Hi Liz,
    Loads of love from India. Your lessons have helped me while preparing for my IELTS EXAM..
    I’m just done with my IELTS Speaking test today. Overall Test was good. But i think i messed up in 2minutes talk. I was asked to talk about one thing that i have learned outside school/college. I spoke about performing balancing act between work and family which i father taught me.. is it a relevant answer or i messed it up?? Please revert back ASAP! I’m really worried.. Will it affect my overall Speaking score?

    • Your speaking is not marked based on being on or off topic. This means your choice of answer is irrelevant. The examiner will not care what you choose as long as it is similar to the topic given. It’s all fine. The examiner will only mark the language you produce – not your ideas for IELTS speaking.

  29. hi…liz this is irfan khan i am doing reading practices from 2 month ,i practice all books of Cambridge English from 1 to 12 but i m only getting 18 to 22 Score in reading module there is no progress i dont know where i am wrong last month i did ielts exam i just got 5 band in reading module so plz kindly help me i specially need your comments and guidance that how can i am improve thanks

    • IELTS is an English language test. You can’t get a higher score because you practice IELTS tests. You get a higher score because your English is a high level. Think about reviewing your English language.

  30. Hi Liz
    Is it OK to say more than 1 story in part 2 peaking test even if the cue card says talk about a book I read , as an example . Can I talk about 3 different book ?
    Thanks in advance

    • Sure. There are no fixed rules for part 2 speaking. Expand your talk as you want.

      • Hi liz,
        I am a big fan of ur’s 🙂 . I want to clear one thing that as u said above v can talk over more than one book but the question said talk about a book not books so how v can answer for many books ? m just confused 🙁

        • In IELTS speaking, you are not marked on the information you give. You are not marked on completing the task. You are not marked on being on or off topic. None of these things affect your score in speaking. They affect your score for writing. But in speaking, you can go beyond the topic, tell stories and add any information you want. It is essential that you understand this or you will not do well in speaking.

          • thanku so much for ur prompt reply really appreciated 🙂

          • Thanks Liz for your tutorship,
            In the instructions for your speaking practice you said, “if you didn’t finish all the 12 questions in 5mins ,your answers are too long… “. Does this mean I have to keep my answers short, I there a penalty for speaking continuously in part 1? I assumed the examiner will stop me.

            • This is only for practising with a video and to help you get used to the length of answers. In the real test, the examiner will control the length of your answers. The examiner will decide to ask 12 questions or 10 or 8. You keep talking until the examiner asks the next question. This video is only to develop general awareness.

          • Hi Liz! You’re such a great help! I am currently enrolled in an IELTS review center here in Philippines but still, I religiously visit this website of yours! You’re a real blessing to all the IELTS takers! Thank you so much!

  31. exellent

  32. thank u very much for your sport,i need your speaking topic 3 on education there was not answer,could you please post it.

  33. is it not good if I ask a question to examiner during speaking test when I haven’t caught well a question?

  34. some time i forget the ideas and blink .not good speaking in the front of teacher plz suggestion to me

    • The speaking test is 14 mins long – it isn’t long. You need courage and confidence for only 14 mins of your life. I’m sure you can do it. You need to practice speaking in front of other people, develop lots of ideas and build your past memories to share with the examiner. Remember, it’s only 14 mins!! Also think about booking more than one test – you’ll feel better in your second test.

  35. Hello liz I’m very poor in grammar and speaking skills pls suggest how to improve such ways mam…..

  36. Dear Liz,

    I have a general question. Does extending answer in part 1 questions increase or lower score? For example, examiner asks the current popularity of the specific job in home country. I respond to the question by adding future state of this job as well.

    Thank you.

    • You must ALWAYS extend your answers, in all parts of the speaking test. You keep talking until the examiner asks a new question.

  37. Liz:

    This website is just fantastic!! It is so good!

  38. Precious points Liz, appreciated

  39. Dear Liz,
    We would be grateful to you if you would allow us to copy useful information from your page for revision as the feature of copying is not allowed.
    Taiseer

  40. Liz please post june to august cue card topics

    I wait

  41. Hi Liz,

    Thanks for the tips!

    My friend got a question “Do you think that makes you insular?”, it was a follow up on a question regarding socializing, but he didn’t know what ‘insular’ meant. Would it be ok to ask the instructor a meaning of a word? Or is that part of the grading and you must answer to what you think it means?

  42. Sidra Aleem says

    Hi Liz,
    I gave my speaking test today…it was fine I got confused at many points but managed to answer every question..examiner was interrupting me during answers and did not allow me too complete my answers as he was rushing what could be the reason behind this ?will it be affecting my band score

  43. Dear Liz,
    Thank you so much for such a splendid support to IELTS candidates.
    I just want to ask if IELTS by AEO (Acadamic version) has acceptability in UK universities?

  44. Dear Liz,
    You are a guiding star. I must complement your natural flair for English language, you are a fantastic coach. Thanks a lot for sharing best practices for IELTS with everyone alike. I am very soon going to appear in this exam and shall keep you posted. Keep up your excellent work and continue to guide learners.

    Best Regards,
    Pooja

  45. And one more thing, I forgot to ask you. Since I am pregnant, I am often hungry and if I don‚t eat immediately my stomach starts to hurt me. Should I report it to my test center and will they allow me to eat during the writing exam for example? I hope it wont be necessary but just in case I want to know.

    Thanks in advance.

    • In this case, you definitely should speak to the test center. Just tell them you are pregnant and need to eat once during the three hours. Hopefully they will allow you. good luck!

      • They will allow you if you have doctor’s note. I remember I prepared some medicine just in case my headache will trigger. The lady from the exam center said she will allow me if I have a certificate.

  46. Hello Liz,

    I was wondering, is it ok if I correct myself while I am speaking with the examiner? The speaking part of the test is very hard for me and very stressful, I often make mistakes but I am aware of it and I always correct myself. Will I get the lower mark if I do this? Thank you again for your answer.

    • You can correct yourself but don’t do it often. You are marked on your fluency which means speaking without pausing – every time you correct yourself, you are pausing and lower your fluency score. It’s best to ignore your mistakes and continue speaking.

  47. Hi, Liz!
    I took the exam a couple of days ago. It went wrong in many different ways, but speaking is what concerns me the most. I was wondering if you could clear some things up for me.
    First of all, the examiner didn’t give me a minute to prepare for the second part. In fact, I doubt if I even had 20 seconds, since I didn’t write two coherent phrases on my paper for notes. Thankfully, the topic was easy and I’m quite fluent, but I needed this time to prepare mentally (he didn’t even ask me if I was ready, he just said “start speaking now”). The whole things was rushed, I panicked and forgot to introduce the topic properly. When I realised my mistake, I said something like “I’m talking about *blank*”, but still. Also I wasn’t speaking for 1,5-2 minutes, I had 40 seconds tops, I barely managed to say four sentences before he stopped me. Was it ok on his part to not give me enough time? And how not introducing the topic properly would affect my score?That’s my issue number one.
    The second issue is that, well, I stutter. And it’s not like a stereotypical stutter, I don’t prolong vowels or repeat syllables, my type of stutter is silent blocks. Sometimes I just stop mid-sentence for a second or two, unable to produce a sound. It’s quite subtle, but I still had a few weird mid-sentence stops throughout the test, even though I knew what to say and how to say it. It’s not an issue of anxiety by the way, in my case it’s a tic, and there’s no way I can control it. I was wondering if this would affect my pronunciation score, or if maybe examiners are familiar with this issue and don’t punish examinees for it.

    P.S. sorry if my post is too long.

    • For your first issue, in the speaking test, the examiner MUST give you 1 min to prepare – it isn’t negotiable. These are the rules for IELTS. Any examiner giving allowing less than one minute is breaking the rules and should be reported. The speaking test is recorded and it is easy to review if the rules have been broken. Similarly, you must be given 2 mins for your talk. If you naturally stop before 2 mins, then that’s fine. But if the examiner is cutting your talk and interrupting your talk to stop you, it is again breaking the rules. No examiner has the right to take away your 2 mins. So, this is easily something you can complain about if you want to. In terms of introducing the talk, this is part of fluency and coherence – it won’t be a big problem without a intro but it is best to have one.

      Your second issue is about your stutter. This is something you should have talked to your test center about before your test. It is possible to submit a doctors certificate which can be taken into consideration. If you fail to do this and you stop speaking in the middle of sentences, it will affect your score for fluency – depending on how many times it happens in the test.

      I hope this helps. Keep in touch.
      Liz

      • Thanks for replying!
        I’ve got one more question. What happens if I do report the examiner? I really want to do something about it, not even for myself. His attitude threw me off, and even though still managed to perform decently, I can see someone with a lower English level or less confidence fail completely because of him.

        • I don’t have experience of that. It’s something you should discuss with your test center. You need to ask them what steps they will take. They should review the recording but you need to check. If you are not happy with their steps or their attitude, you can apply for a remark after you get your results. This means your recording would go to London where a senior examiner would listen to it. Try to get as much information from them before you make the decision.

  48. Thanks for liz I am doing daily Practice i better improve my speaking now. so I give exam 25th april 2017 , so I want to any partner for speaking online or skip my email ( rehan1928@hotmail.com)

  49. lalithakarthik says

    i think its tooooo dificult for me…..

  50. Hi Liz,
    I given speaking test today.
    your website really helped me in preparing.
    1st part – about myself work or study
    what do you do?
    what is your job?
    what do you like to do after your work
    shoes-
    do u like good looking shoe or comfortable shoe?
    do u think you should spend lot of money on shoe?
    do people have so many pair of shoes?
    do you know how to play any music instrument?
    is it easy to learn any music instrument?
    do you think is it important to add music classes in a school education?
    part 2
    talk about the restaurant and shop which served you with good customer service?
    part 3
    is it important to provide good service?
    how bad service impacts business?
    in which industry good service is important?
    what is the word of mouth marketing? Does it effects the business?

    • Thanks for sharing 🙂

      • Hello Ma’am
        I will be giving my speaking test day after tomorrow. In reference to the question above about preferring good looking shoes or comfortable ones, is it okay if I reply along the lines of both? I mean, I say that both the criteria are important and they should be comfortable and satisfactorily good looking at the same time. Would you recommend such an answer and how will it affect my marking?

        • Look at your answers and check the fluency, grammar, vocab and your pron – those are the marking criteria – nothing else it marked.

  51. Simran Kaur says

    Hi Liz
    If speaking part third is not gone good then how much band score will examiner deduct ?

  52. what was your first day like?——>study

  53. hello mam your lessons are very usefull

  54. Pradip Shrestha says

    Ma’am, your site is a complete library of valuable ideas, tips and knowledge. Anybody going through it is sure to be enriched with precious gains.

  55. I am Sorry,but u r so beautiful mam

  56. michael s jose says

    Dear Liz mam,
    my exam is day after tomorrow. morning 7.30 (Qatar) is my ielts test (reading, writing & listening). same day 1.30 my speaking test. Please pray for me…

  57. thank you, about the task 3 are the questions appeared on screen? because if they are not appeared the candidate can not memorize all these questions, and ultimately cannot answer them

  58. michael s jose says

    Dear Liz mam,
    my exam is coming 24th sept. I have only 13 days . shortage of cash, i wont joined any ielts coaching class. I am afraid in listening and reading. please suggest me what i will do for coming days. how can i prepare myself.
    Expectingyour reply mam..

    • There are over 300 free pages of tips and practice exercises on this website. Go to the red bar at the top of the website and start learning the main parts of the test.

  59. Hii Liz,
    you are exceptional………………..and your way of teaching and clarifying doubts is very easy to understand for many people as well as very simple.So, i want you to give a advice on speaking test because day after tommorrow that is on 02/september/2016, that is on friday. So, i want you to give an advice on how to improve on my skills in one day so that, atleast i can express myself freely and confidently when i go to speaking test.

  60. Hi Liz, Is it a bad sign if can’t answer all 12 questions in part 1 in 5 minutes? Does it have be 12 anyway or is that just the maximum? I only got to question 8 or 9 in 5 minutes… Thank you!

    • The examiner will ask 12 questions. If your answers are long, the examiner will interrupt you and move on to the next question. It doesn’t affect your score. However, make sure you practice offering language packed answers without hesitation for part 1. Look at the model answers to see the length of each answer for part 1.

      • Do they really ask 12 questions?
        I was hardly asked 6 questions and in part 2 I was not even given 1 min to think as I had written just one word and was speaking for 30-40 seconds and was pausing he moved to part 3 not related to part2? Thought of EOR but everything is happening behind the curtain even if I did apply I am sure they will not change my score?

        • when your score is remarked, it is remarked by senior examiners – not local ones. Your recording is sent away for remarking. The examiner is breaking the rules if you didn’t have 1 min to prepare in part 2. Part 3 questions are decided by the examiner.

  61. Hello Ma’am,
    I want to know the information about real IELTS exam. Is there any difference between British Council and IDP questions paper? Are they provide same questions paper in reading, listening, writing modules? I want to sit for exam on August 27. But, both organizations will take only Academic Module in that day. Will they make questions difficult? Because they will not take General Module in the same day.
    I am eagerly waiting for your response.
    Thanks.

  62. Thank you very much Liz for your help to everyone, I`ve got your advanced writing lectures and I think it is great, and it is an indispensable resource for IELTS preparation. It was really my first time to understand how to write an essay after I studied your advanced writing lectures. I hope if you can make same style advanced lectures for speaking module or if you can make private online tuition for the speaking module please let me know. thanks, regards.

    • I’m really pleased that my advanced lessons were useful. I tried to put in as many tips and explanations as I could. I do plan to make advanced lessons for writing task 1 and speaking but not until next year. Unfortunately, I don’t offer private lessons at the moment. Good luck in your test! 🙂

  63. hi liz maam ,
    tell me some tips to improve my speaking ability i have exam on august 4 for general
    plz help me

  64. Pritesh Srivastava says

    Hi Liz

    I am appearing for the IELTS exam in next two days, is it possible to have list of topics that probably can be asked in part-2 of the listening test.

    Thanks
    Pritesh

    • There is no such thing as a list of topics for listening part 2. All you should know is that part 2 is one speaker and it is often a tour guide or someone presenting information.

      • Hello Liz,
        I have exam (speaking) in less than 2hrs from now.
        I want to know if it’s possible i quote people using my local dialect.
        Like my friend just snapped and said to me… “You dey crase?” Meaning are you crazy or mad.
        And can i also say i like… Say a particular local delicacy and go ahead mentioning the name? Like Ofe nsala (a particular local soup prepared with periwinkle)?

        • You are scored on your use of English language and nothing more – it’s best to avoid local dialect if you can. If you accidentally use it in the test, just add a clause with the meaning in English.

  65. Shamair Malik says

    Liz my writing listening and reading is also very weak if its possible u will take test from me and talk with me live on my mob if its possible or not because I want to build my confidence that’s why I say u plz

  66. Respected Liz,
    will u please send me link speaking part 1 questions with models answers

  67. Your videos r very helpfull , may God bless u ,u r doing an amazaing work

  68. Hi Liz thank you very much for the lessons, I find it very useful. I have a question related to the speking test: In my IELTS speaking test, part 2 I was asked to explain a good new I had received, so choose when I passed a course in university, The point is that while speaking I said de course subject in Spanish, actually it was something like this, “…which name in Spanish is Concreto Armado 1″(I studied in my mother language, which is spanish)…Did I make a terrible mistake? Did I have to traslate it to English? Does it affect my score?…Thank you

    • It’s not a bad mistake and you explained that it was the actual name of the course. Don’t worry, it won’t affect your score. However, the correct way of saying this in English is: “which is called Concreto Armado in Spanish”.

  69. Hi madam Liz…I really appreciate you….thanks to giving me lot of knowledge…

  70. LIZZZZZZZZZZZZZ, BUNDLE OF THANKS…… I LOVE YOUR BLOG.

  71. Mukesh Makwana says

    Thank you so much Liz for all the wonderful tips and lessons on your blog. It helped me immensely. I gave my IELTS General speaking test on 29th. Here’s a list of questions I remember:

    Part 1
    – Usual introduction followed by ID check and questions asking full name and whether I work or study. Since I work my next set of questions were related to my work.
    – What is your work?
    – Do you enjoy your work?
    – Would you like to change your work?
    – Do you like historical places and have you ever been to a museum?
    – Do you enjoy movies based on historical events?
    – Do you stay awake late?
    – What do you generally do when you are awake late nights?
    – Does it disturb your schedule next day?

    Part 2
    Describe a recent event that made you happy.
    You should say:
    – what the event was
    – when it happened
    – why did it make you feel happy.

    Part 3
    – Mostly follow up questions related to happiness and what makes people happy. Don’t recall much, but there was a question about what government can do make people happy.

    Hope this helps.
    Good luck folks and once again thank you so much Liz for all your efforts!!

    Cheers.
    Mukesh

  72. Hi Liz ,
    I would like to thank you for all those useful videos
    I’m going to do my test on 18 /06/16
    I’m worried a bit about the speaking part as I consider my self not very confident
    Could you tell me please how can I prepare for it, shall I learn the different questions and the model answers then pick up new terms or I learn the answers as it is which I think it’s more difficult because sometimes the structure of the questions will be different

  73. Hi liz,
    I have been watching your videos for couple of day, they are very useful and outstanding you are an excellent teacher. I am afraid why I didn’t came to know about you before, I had searched many times for videos for practicing ielts but never came across your videos, I really regret that. Anyway Today I am going to have my ielts speaking test, I hope to do well I am aiming for 7 band. Do you think I can get that?

  74. Hello Liz! Is it all right with your health? I have a question in grammar. What is the difference between ‘are doing’ and ‘will be doing’ in use for future decision? Thank you for your answer in advance.

    • “are doing” is usually for a fixed action ie something scheduled. “will be doing” is for something that is strongly predicted.
      All the best
      Liz

  75. Dear Miss Liz,
    Thank you so much for sharing your learning and expertise,my husband and I are preparing for our IELTS test this 19th March, we are watching your videos at home, since we can’t hardly attend our review class because of our busy schedule at work. We feel nervous for the writing test, specially for the speaking test. During our practices, I got mental blocked. Please give me more tips. Thank you

  76. Haider Ali says

    Hi Liz,
    I am preparing for my IELTS exam, speaking being on 15th March. I am depending mostly on your videos and tips. If anything goes wrong, you will be responsible. But if I managed to get 6.5 or higher band, it will be entirely my own efforts. 🙂

    Thank you very much for your help and guidance .

    • Good luck! Be chatty in your speaking test. Add past tense, future tense, comparatives and conditionals to your answers so the examiner can see the range of your grammar.
      Liz

  77. SANDEEP SHARNA says

    Hi Liz,
    Can we use some connecting words like you know, I waana . frequent use of like …. or basically, because …

  78. I does not have any idea about this cue card
    Can u help me madam lizz?
    The cue card is
    Describe a person who has apologized to you.

  79. Mohamed Azam says

    Dear Liz,

    i am Aathik from Sri Lanka,i have seen couple of your IELTS lesson that are really helpful to everyone.Can’t i get your email id in order to get a confidence and solve the problem

  80. Hello Liz
    I find myself mostly using the phrase ”you know” in my speaking practice test, is it going to affect my band score negatively please.

  81. Dear Liz
    I was very Lucky , I had my exam today and got part-1 same as the one in the sample test and I really felt very happy because I felt like I knew the questions before the examiner asked me , my guess was true all the questions appeared in same order without any change .
    thanks for such a great blog .

  82. Muhammad Nasir says

    Dear liz,
    my speaking test on 7th feb,2016, kindly give me any suggestion topics for i have must to prepare, i really need your guidance please. am not confident in speaking english. It would be great help for me…thank you so much
    Second i have a question for READING n LISTENING section
    If i can”t find or understand the answer for some sort of question(like in listening if i missed the question or can”t fully understand) in both part, should i leave this question empty or not.? Is this give me some benefit for good score or not.?
    my ielts test is just near to me on 9th feb,2016.
    kindly i hope to read you ASAP.
    Regards,

  83. Dear Liz,
    I think the link for `How to improve your speaking at home: Video Tutorial` is wrong because when I clicked on the link it brought a page with a pdf (the ielts’ criterion for each score band).

  84. please give me some tips for speaking

  85. Muhammad Nasir says

    hi dear Liz…thank you so much for this great help doing great job…i want to share with you about my speaking strength and am much worried about to speak english. My test is coming on 9th january 2016, kindly help me how can i improve vocabulary regarding ielts test and for speaking. when i think to speak really i don t a words to say something..plz help me..
    I hope to read you back soon..i like you dear liz, you are a great teacher thankyou…
    regards

      • Muhammad Nasir says

        Hi Dear Liz
        i had a speaking test today! It was my first experience without any speaking practice just see you videos.
        In part 1 Many questions about studies, social media, photography.
        In part 2 I had to descride “Describe a movie recently you see at cinema or home”
        In part 3 some questions about enjoying movie at cinema or home.
        Unfortunately, i couldn”t perform well ,particularly in part 2 i was really stuck at the moment just repeating words and times up i can not managed as like story to describe.
        and rest of them questions i did a bit well.
        may i get 5 in speaking according to your experience?
        kindly reply please i just need 5 band atleast.
        In last many bundle of thanks thanks thanks to you dear liz for such a great help by giving videos and all related ielts. Am big fan of your really so nice teacher i ever seen..always be happy
        I hope to read you back ASAP.
        regards

      • Muhammad Nasir says

        dear liz,
        One thing more i want to ask you if i got below than 5 in speaking. can i take more than 5 band over all. kindly let me know in detail please. thanks
        regards,
        Nasir

  86. Hoang Long says

    Dear Ms.Liz.
    would you give me some advices about these ideas?
    Arcoding to the model answer audio, she’s just used several less common words and complicated grammar. Is it true?, in the test, we shouldn’t forcus to word or grammar, we just express our ideas naturally as clearly as we can?
    Praticing at home, we should try to answer full of ideas, recordering it, listening again and finding the words that we couldn’t express in the recorder in the dictionary, before we do again. Is it ok?
    Thanks Ms Liz

    • Grammar and vocabulary count for 50% of your marks. You should focus on improving them in your answer while you train before your test. However, in your test, try to focus on the questions and giving clear, lengthy answers.
      Liz

    • Hi Liz,

      Good Day! I do hear your videos and the way you teach is excellent.Obviously it helps me a lot and I am learning from these.

      Thanks,
      Geeta

      • Hi Liz,

        Good Day!

        I have a question on Speaking section.You have mainly focused on to use long sentences with good grammar and vocabulary, if in case we do not get the proper words to express our views during Speaking test, then how should we proceed?Our mind becomes completely blank at times and we do not find any clue from where to start and it is a challenge for people who have not studied in English medium.There is a huge gap to think on a particular topic and then to communicate and apparently concentrating on grammar.Do you have any such suggestion on these cases?
        Regards,
        Geet

  87. Dear Liz,
    i’d just practiced speaking with my friends, we ask and answer together. It’s alright but we have a problem, we ask by Vietnamese tongue. When we take the IELTS speaking test, the examiner, absolutely foreigner, asks us by his tongue, it’s strange to us, hardly our brain to realize what it is. Therefore, would you please create more clip about asking question.
    Big thanks to you

    • Sure. I’ll try to post some audios for speaking tests.
      All the best
      Liz

    • Hoang Long says

      Dear Liz,
      I have another question, when i follow this video, at opening task 3, you said that “if you had a chance to travel anywhere, why would you go?”. But, arccoding to test question above, it is that ” if you had a chance to travel, where would you go?”. They are quite different meaning to asnwer. Is it ok?.
      Thanks

  88. Thanks for your exquisite effort. I have a question,please. ( If it’s a closer friend who I ‘ve known……) My point is, shouldn’t we use whom instead of who.Thanks

  89. Obafemi Fayomi says

    Thank You Liz For the good work. I will be sitting for my speaking test in 3 hrs time and I have studied with your guide both on youtube and on your blog. I want to say Thank You because I know I will get a band score of 7 above. Pls wish me luck. Once again Thank You. ‘Eseun’ (Thank You in my Language)

  90. liz i hope that u achieve yours goals which you have dream in your life
    help me
    i am a ielets student
    and i want to give test on the end of this month

  91. hi liz,
    i wanna ask you that , can we change the speaking part 2 question if we are unable to understand it?? please let me know as soon as possible , because on sunday (i.e., 4th oct) i have my speaking test…

    thank you…

    • You can’t change any topic. If you can’t understand your cue card, try to guess the topic and plan your talk. You can start your talk: Unfortunately, I can’t understand the exact topic but I think it means X so I will talk about Y.
      All the best
      Liz

  92. Hi Liz…
    well,thank you for every thing you do to help others…like me
    I wana ask if there are videos to learn from, and if there, could you please give to me ?

  93. Hello Liz,
    Art is common topic in speaking part 1 but can we say about dance as art

    • Sure. Everyone has their own personal view about what art is. If you get the topic of art in speaking part 2, you can say that you are going to talk about dance which you consider to be the best form of art. But if the topic is about a piece of art work then you can’t because it relates only to paintings etc.
      Liz

  94. Hi
    Thank you for useful information and practice lessons. I am studying for IELTS but I can not speak English alone and there is not any person to practice with me could you please introduce a website to speak online or face to face?
    Thanks

    • Hi Shokoofeh

      I’m studying for IELTS too, I need someone as speaking partner, Can we help together?
      contact me via 121.farzaneh@gmail

  95. Hi Liz,
    I wanted to know that in speaking test should I carry pencil and paper or will it be provided by the examiner?

    Thanking you in advance,
    Rushi

  96. Hi Liz,
    I just finished the speaking test, part 1 and part 3 went great i was able to extend my answers and speak with confidence, however in part 2, the examiner asked me about something i’d like to learn more about, i answered history and apparently talked for under a minute because when i stopped talking she looked at me to keep talking and that’s where i couldn’t add anything i just repeated some of the ideas and to be honest i don’t remember what else i said!! can you please tell me how is part 2 going to affect my band score in speaking !!!
    Thank you

    • Your score is calculated over the whole test not one part. Not being able to expand your talk might affect your score for fluency but if you were fluent in all other parts, you won’t need to worry too much.
      Liz

  97. Liz,

    I really appreciate all of your help. Have you thought in providing a real speaking test practice via Skype. I think many people would be more than happy to pay for this service, especially me.

    King Regards

    • I would love to offer speaking trial tests and also writing marking but this year I’m really really busy getting videos made for my online course. Hopefully next year I’ll be able to offer more services 🙂
      All the best
      Liz

  98. Dear teacher,

    I would like to ask one question in terms of vocabulary.
    In your model sample answer in speaking part 1 that you use ” hitchcock films”. I’m wondering what kind of films is about. What kind of films do you call hitchcock films?

    Thanks!

  99. Sunpreet Kaur says

    Hey. Liz thanx for the information you updated on your site. I’m not good in grammer I usually mistake in past cue cards what can i do to improve my gramme or vocabulary?

    • See the Useful Websites page in the IELTS Extra Section for grammar websites so you can self study. For vocabulary, see my vocabulary section.
      All the best
      Liz

  100. Liz! thanks so much for the videos! I’m grateful to have these videos for free.. and I’m going to take the IELTS speaking test tomorrow. To be honest, I’m quite nervy right now so can you give me a quick tip ( like in bullet form) of how to construct a answer in a general way. 🙂 Thank you so much Liz!! I hope we meet in person!

    • There is no particular way to construct an answer but here are some tips for each part:

      Part 1 – give a natural answer and add some extra information as you would if you spoke to a friend. For example “Do you often go to the library?” answer “No, I don’t. To be honest, there aren’t any good libraries near me so I usually just read online”. One extra sentence is fine. Don’t worry if the examiner interrupts you, it’s normal. There is a time limit and many questions to ask. Listen for the topic “lets talk about sport” then you can add sport vocab into your answers Q: “Do you like sport” A: “Not much although I do like watching ball sports on TV such as tennis or football”. Make your answers natural.

      Part 2 – there are no questions only prompts on your talk. They are just guidelines and it is your job to add much more information to your talk. Use your 1 min to plan how you will add more to your talk. If you are asked about a holiday (where, who what you did and why you liked it). you can also add – how you got there, what your hotel was like, what you wore, what you bought, what the locals were like, if you went there before, if you will go again (past and future tenses – add them).

      Part 3 – listen to the question and explain your ideas. The more examples and information you use to explain, the better your score will be because you will use better English to explain. Listen to hear if the question is a comparison and give comparisons (do girls … more than boys?). Listen if it is a future form question or a second conditional (would you …).

      Be natural, be chatty and don’t worry if the examiner doesn’t smile – some people are not good at smiling 🙂
      Good luck
      Liz

  101. Hi Liz,

    I have IELTS exam on 29th August. can you please forward me some sample answers related to

    do you like home or apartment.
    why you like that….

  102. Teshome Kebede says

    Dear Liz,
    I really appreciate your considerable contribution and effort to equip IELTS candidates including me. Materials uploaded on your page are very constructive and informative.
    Cheers!

  103. Hi dear Liz.. I’m new person.. and I don’t have a ideal in ielts. What I do…?

    • Please visit the home page and watch the video about how to prepare for IELTS. After that, start reading the information pages in each section to learn more about the test. Then you will be ready to practice and develop.
      Liz

  104. ramyasri says

    Hello, Can you please tell me the sample answers for the 2 questions below.
    1. Describe your best friend. Explain about him and how he is known to your family.
    2. describe about a valuable gift

    • I can’t write a full sample answer. But I can give you ideas:

      Best friend – you can talk about who he is, when you first met him, how often you meet, what you do together, what kind of person he is, what he looks like, what you like about him, what you don’t like about him, what relationship he has to your family, what you plan to do together in the coming year and your favourite memory of him.

      Valuable gift – this could be something expensive or something with sentimental value which reminds you of someone special. You could talk about – what it looks like, that it is made of, how you got it, when you got it, why you got it, what you do with it, how often you use, what you like about it, what you don’t like about it and if you plan to use it in the future.

      All the best
      Liz

  105. Abdelhai says

    Hi Liz:
    Thank you so much for the efforts you have have been given to us. I’ve found your lectures so much helpful even though I found them late after been looking other lectures.
    Frankly, you are the best from all the lecturers that I have been following. My exam is going to be after 5 days. Hope to score the best!

  106. Hi, Liz the tips which you given in your web page is really useful.
    I really appreciate your work.
    Thanks

  107. Hello teacher,

    Could you explain to me this question, please?
    Is there anything which triggers happy memories for you? if so, what?

    What i understand is that this question is asking about special event in my life that makes me happy. Am I right? For this reason, I just talked about staggering moment in my life for that question. In fact, I had no ideas whether my answer is go off the topic or not. Thank you very much

    • There are not points for being on or off topic in IELTS speaking. You get marked on the English language you produce, not your ideas. If the examiner felt you had completely misunderstand the question, he or she would have asked another question and interrupted you.
      All the best
      Liz

  108. Dilmurod says

    Hi Liz ?! I am your student from Uzbekistan. I really love your all of the videos which are give me a lot of information and to improve my IELTS skills. I have entered to IELTS exam on 27 June. I got 5.0 from writing, 5,5 from speaking, reading was bad because it is 4 and listening is 5.0. I want to write one true thing that one day ago of my test eaxm, i have found your web and i have watched a little of your videos and it was very helpful. However i could not find any videos about reading. Because my score of reading is very low. Help me to improve my score of reading and listening too. Yesterday i have registered to IELTS exam for 08 August. Till the day i must improve my level of ielts skills. Because i must enter to WIUT university in Tashkent. Your videos are really understandable for me it is very clear and it gives me more confidet to do my best. Help me please and i want to watch videos which are gives me keys to find answers. Thank you for your help. Liz one day we will meet in London.

    • All my tips and advice are on the main pages for each section. For listening and reading, you also need to do the practice lessons in order to develop your skills.
      All the best
      Liz

  109. Assayed Hummad says

    Dear Liz,
    I am very grateful for your effort and contribution to support IELTS candidates to score better result of the test.

  110. Santhosh says

    Hi liza.. I’m following the site from the last 5 days.. Really i can say this site is worth the number of Professional ielts books Available. In my first attempt i got an overall score of 6. I’m retaking the test again and found this site very helpful . I knew whatever the mistakes i made in my First attempt following your posts.. Thanks once again for ur work.. for the content u have provided us..

    • I’m really pleased my blog has been helpful. Also spend time reading about the band scores for writing which will help you further.
      All the best
      Liz

  111. Hi Liz,
    Iam writing first time ielts and my exam is on 27 june. I must get band score 7. Iam weak in writing task. How to prepare for that. Can you please give some tips.

    • All my tips are in the writing task 1 and writing task 2 sections of this blog. Please take a look at the relevant sections and work through the tips, videos and lessons.
      Liz

  112. HI Liz, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your help and guidance as i was studying for my IELTS exam last May 9. Although I’m not feeling well during my exam I’m happy to say that i passed the IELTS exam with a band score of 7. thank you so much for all your videos, tips and comments those things really help me a lot and gave me so much confidence to do well in the exam. Thank you so much Liz God bless you now I’m going to prepare all my papers to Canada.. thank you so much… God Bless

    • Well done! Band 7 is a very good score. Thanks for letting me know. I hope you celebrated !
      All the best for your future 🙂
      Liz

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