IELTS Speaking practice: build your speaking time before test day

How the IELTS Speaking test works

The Speaking test is a face-to-face talk with an examiner and takes 11 to 14 minutes. It has three parts:

• Part 1 (4 to 5 minutes): short questions about you, like your home, work, studies or hobbies.
• Part 2 (3 to 4 minutes): you get a task card with a topic. You have 1 minute to prepare, then you talk alone for 1 to 2 minutes. The examiner may ask one or two questions after.
• Part 3 (4 to 5 minutes): a longer discussion with more general and abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic.

What examiners listen for

Examiners judge four things: fluency and coherence (can you keep talking and connect your ideas), vocabulary, grammar range and accuracy, and pronunciation. The four count equally, and each is marked on the same 0 to 9 band scale as the rest of the test. You do not need perfect grammar. You need to keep talking clearly, with ideas that connect.

For most learners, the hardest part is Part 2: talking for a full 2 minutes without stopping. The only way to get better at it is to do it many times.

IELTS-style mock test (Premium)

Take a full test, Part 1 to Part 3, timed like the real one: about 14 minutes, with Bule as the examiner and no corrections until the end. After it, you get an estimated band for Fluency and Coherence, Vocabulary (Lexical Resource) and Grammar (Grammatical Range and Accuracy), with quotes from your answers and one thing to work on.

The test is part of Premium (free trial included) in bule.ai on the web, at app.bule.ai. Every band is an unofficial estimate.

Part 2 drill (Premium)

Short on time? Practise Part 2 alone, in about 5 minutes: one cue card, 1 minute to prepare, then speak for up to 2 minutes. Then answer the same card once more, better. You get the same kind of report after it.

Free practice with bule.ai

Voice conversation with Bule is free, so you can also lead the practice yourself. Here are three ways to use it:

• Part 1 style: say "Ask me short questions about my hometown, my work and my hobbies, one by one." Answer each in 2 to 4 sentences.
• Part 2 style: say "Give me a topic and ask me to talk about it for two minutes." Use a timer on your phone. Bule may answer when you pause for a few seconds; just say "I'm not finished" and keep going.
• Part 3 style: after your long turn, say "Now ask me harder questions about this topic." Give your opinion, a reason and an example.

Track your longest stretch

After every conversation, the Recap shows your longest stretch: the longest time you spoke without stopping, and what you said then. It is not a band score. It is a simple, honest number that shows if your long turns are getting longer. Try to beat it next time.

Tips for a better Part 2 answer

1. Use the 1 minute to write 3 or 4 key words, not full sentences.
2. Follow the card: answer each point in order, so you never run out of things to say.
3. Tell a small story with a time, a place and a feeling.
4. If you make a mistake, fix it and keep going. Stopping costs more than the mistake.
5. End with why it matters to you. It is an easy way to fill the last 20 seconds.

IELTS Speaking practice questions

These are our own questions in the style of each part, not real test questions. Say your answers out loud, or ask Bule to ask them to you one by one.

• Part 1: What did you have for breakfast today? Which room in your home do you spend the most time in? What do you usually do after a long day? Is there a song you have been listening to a lot lately?
• Part 2 cue card: Describe a time you had to wait longer than you expected. You should say where you were, what you were waiting for, what you did while you waited, and explain how you felt about it.
• Part 3: Are people today less patient than in the past? Which kinds of waiting could technology remove completely? Should shops and offices give priority to some people, such as older customers?

A 7-day IELTS Speaking practice plan

About 15 minutes a day is enough to start. Out loud every time: reading answers in your head does not count.

1. Day 1: talk with Bule for 10 minutes about yourself, then read your Recap and note your longest stretch.
2. Day 2: Part 1. Ask Bule for 10 short questions and answer each in 2 to 4 sentences.
3. Day 3: Part 2. One cue card, 1 minute to prepare, 2 minutes to talk. Do it twice.
4. Day 4: Part 3. Ask Bule for harder questions on yesterday's topic. Give an opinion, a reason and an example each time.
5. Day 5: your weakest part again, with a new topic.
6. Day 6: a full run, Parts 1 to 3, in one go. With Premium, take the IELTS-style mock test for an estimated band.
7. Day 7: look back. Is your longest stretch longer than on Day 1? Pick one thing to work on next week.

What bule.ai does not do

bule.ai does not give official IELTS scores, and it does not copy real test questions: every question is our own. Use it for what it is good at: lots of speaking practice, with no one judging you, every day before your test.