# IELTS Speaking: Parts 1, 2 and 3 Explained | topin IELTS guidesIELTS Speaking ![](/mountains/speaking.webp) IELTS Academic # IELTS Speaking: the three parts and how to score higher IELTS Speaking is an 11 to 14 minute face-to-face interview in three parts: questions about you, a two-minute talk from a cue card, and a wider discussion. It is marked on fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. [Take a free IELTS mock ](/ielts/login) Updated 29 September 2026 ยท 3 min read ## At a glance Time 11 to 14 minutes Format Face to face with an examiner, and recorded Parts 3: interview, long turn and discussion Preparation 1 minute to prepare the Part 2 talk, with pencil and paper for notes Criteria Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation Score Band 0 to 9 in half bands ## IELTS Speaking question types ### Part 1: introduction and interview Four to five minutes of questions about familiar topics such as your home, work, studies, hobbies and daily routine. Tip: Answer in two or three sentences: a direct answer, a reason and a small detail. One-word answers give the examiner nothing to mark. ### Part 2: long turn (cue card) You get a card with a topic and prompts, have 1 minute to make notes, then speak for 1 to 2 minutes. The examiner may ask a question or two to round off. Tip: Write keywords, not sentences, during the minute. Use the prompts as your structure and add a story or detail so you keep talking for the full two minutes. ### Part 3: discussion Four to five minutes of more abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic, about society, trends and opinions. Tip: Give an opinion, explain it, then add an example or a contrast. It is fine to say you have not thought about something before, as long as you then reason your way to an answer. ## How IELTS Speaking is scored The examiner marks you on four equally weighted criteria: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation. Your Speaking band is the average of the four, reported in half bands. Accent does not count against you; what matters is whether you are easy to understand. ## How to prepare for IELTS Speaking 1. 1 ### Extend every answer Examiners can only mark what they hear. Aim for two to four sentences in Part 1 and fuller answers in Part 3, adding reasons, examples and comparisons without being asked. 2. 2 ### Practise the cue card with a timer Two minutes feels long the first time. Practise with a real 1-minute preparation limit and time your talk until you reliably reach the two-minute mark without running dry. 3. 3 ### Use natural fillers, not silence Phrases like 'that's an interesting question' or 'let me think' give you a second to plan without long pauses. Use them sparingly, because the same phrase repeated sounds rehearsed. 4. 4 ### Record yourself and listen back Recording is the fastest way to hear hesitation, repeated words and unclear sounds. topin's mock records your Speaking interview, transcribes it and band-scores it on all four criteria, so you can see exactly where you lost marks. 5. 5 ### Build topic vocabulary, not memorised answers Examiners are trained to spot memorised answers and can move you on. Instead, learn flexible vocabulary for common topics such as technology, education, the environment and travel, and practise using it in new answers. ## Common IELTS Speaking mistakes * Giving one-word or one-sentence answers in Part 1. * Stopping well short of two minutes in Part 2. * Reciting memorised answers that do not fit the question asked. * Speaking too fast to sound fluent, which makes pronunciation harder to follow. * Using advanced words you are unsure of, which lowers your Lexical Resource if they are wrong. ## IELTS Speaking questions, answered How long is the IELTS Speaking test? Between 11 and 14 minutes, in three parts: Part 1 lasts 4 to 5 minutes, Part 2 lasts 3 to 4 minutes including preparation, and Part 3 lasts 4 to 5 minutes. How is IELTS Speaking scored? On four equally weighted criteria: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation. Your band is the average, reported in half bands. Does my accent affect my IELTS Speaking score? No. Pronunciation is about how easy you are to understand, including stress, rhythm and intonation, not about sounding British or American. Can I ask the examiner to repeat a question? Yes. You can ask for a question to be repeated, and in Part 3 you can ask what a word means. Asking now and then is normal and far better than answering the wrong question. Is IELTS Speaking done on a computer? No. Even on the computer-delivered test, Speaking is a live interview with an examiner, either in person or by video call at some centres. ## See where you stand in IELTS Speaking Your first full-length IELTS mock is free, with every section included. [Take the free mock ](/ielts/login)