IELTS Academic Speaking Syllabus

Speaking syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Speaking in IELTS Academic, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Speaking Test Format

   2 topics

   • Structure of the Interview
   • Face-to-face with an Examiner
2. 2

   Assessment Criteria

   4 topics

   • Fluency and Coherence
   • Lexical Resource
   • Grammatical Range and Accuracy
   • Pronunciation
3. 3

   Part 1: Familiar Topics

   3 topics

   • Common Question Themes
   • Extending Short Answers
   • Natural and Confident Responses
4. 4

   Part 2: The Long Turn

   4 topics

   • Understanding the Cue Card
   • Using the One-minute Preparation
   • Structuring a Two-minute Talk
   • Handling Follow-up Questions
5. 5

   Part 3: Abstract Discussion

   4 topics

   • Expressing and Justifying Opinions
   • Speculating and Hypothesising
   • Comparing, Contrasting, and Evaluating
   • Developing Ideas in Depth
6. 6

   Pronunciation and Fluency

   4 topics

   • Word and Sentence Stress
   • Intonation and Rhythm
   • Individual Sounds and Clarity
   • Reducing Hesitation and Fillers
7. 7

   Vocabulary and Grammar for Speaking

   3 topics

   • Idiomatic and Less Common Language
   • Paraphrasing and Avoiding Repetition
   • Using a Range of Tenses Accurately

Speaking flashcards for IELTS Academic

25 of 50 cards from the Speaking deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. How many parts does the IELTS Speaking test have, and how long does the whole interview last?

   It has 3 parts and lasts 11–14 minutes in total: Part 1 (Introduction and Interview, 4–5 min), Part 2 (Individual Long Turn, 3–4 min), Part 3 (Two-way Discussion, 4–5 min).

2. What happens in Part 1 of the IELTS Speaking test?

   The examiner checks your identity, then asks familiar, personal questions on topics such as home, work, studies, hobbies, and daily life for 4–5 minutes.

3. What happens in Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking test?

   You receive a cue card with a topic and prompts, get 1 minute to prepare with a pencil and paper for notes, then speak alone for 1–2 minutes; the examiner may ask one or two rounding-off questions.

4. What happens in Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test?

   A 4–5 minute two-way discussion of more abstract, general questions linked to the Part 2 topic, requiring opinions, analysis, speculation, and justification.

5. Is the IELTS Speaking test taken face-to-face or by computer, and is it recorded?

   It is a live, face-to-face interview with a certified human examiner (in person or via video call), and the entire test is audio-recorded for quality and re-marking purposes.

6. Why is it acceptable to ask the examiner to repeat a question in the IELTS Speaking test?

   You are assessed on your English, not your knowledge; asking naturally for repetition or clarification (e.g., 'Sorry, could you say that again?') does not lower your score, though in Part 1 the examiner can only repeat, not rephrase.

7. Name the four criteria used to score IELTS Speaking and their weighting.

   Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation — each worth an equal 25% of the Speaking band score.

8. What does the 'Fluency and Coherence' criterion assess?

   How smoothly and continuously you speak (speed, hesitation, self-correction, repetition) and how logically your ideas are connected and organized, including use of linking devices.

9. What is the difference between fluency and coherence?

   Fluency is the ability to speak at length with a natural flow and minimal hesitation; coherence is the logical organization and connection of ideas so the listener can follow you easily.

10. Give four discourse markers/linking phrases that improve coherence in IELTS Speaking.

    Examples: 'to be honest', 'as a result', 'on the other hand', 'that reminds me of', 'first of all / another thing is', 'having said that'.

11. What does the 'Lexical Resource' criterion assess?

    The range, precision, and flexibility of your vocabulary: topic-specific words, less common items, collocations, idiomatic language, and the ability to paraphrase when you don't know a word.

12. What is paraphrasing, and why does it matter for Lexical Resource?

    Expressing an idea in different words when the exact word is unknown (e.g., 'the machine you use to make coffee' for 'coffee maker'); it shows flexibility and prevents breakdowns, and is explicitly rewarded in the band descriptors.

13. What is a collocation? Give two examples useful for IELTS Speaking.

    A natural pairing of words that native speakers use together, e.g., 'heavy traffic' (not 'strong traffic'), 'make a decision', 'take responsibility', 'bitterly disappointed'.

14. What does the 'Grammatical Range and Accuracy' criterion assess?

    The variety of grammatical structures you use (simple and complex sentences, a range of tenses, conditionals, passives, relative clauses) and how free your speech is from errors.

15. Which types of complex structures help push Grammatical Range toward Band 7+?

    Relative clauses ('which is why...'), conditionals ('If I had more time, I would...'), passives, comparatives, subordinate clauses ('Although..., ...'), and a mix of past, present, and future tenses.

16. In IELTS band descriptors, what marks the grammar difference between Band 6 and Band 7 speakers?

    Band 6 uses a mix of simple and complex forms but with frequent errors; Band 7 uses a range of complex structures with some flexibility and produces frequent error-free sentences.

17. What does the 'Pronunciation' criterion assess?

    Intelligibility and use of pronunciation features: individual sounds, word stress, sentence stress, intonation, rhythm, and chunking (connected speech) — not your accent.

18. Does having a foreign accent lower your IELTS Pronunciation score?

    No. Accent itself is not penalized; what matters is being easy to understand and using features like stress, intonation, and rhythm effectively.

19. What is word stress? Illustrate with 'photograph' vs 'photography'.

    Word stress is emphasizing one syllable within a word more than others: PHO-to-graph stresses the first syllable, while pho-TOG-ra-phy stresses the second — wrong stress can make words hard to understand.

20. What is sentence stress, and which words normally carry it in English?

    Sentence stress is emphasizing the words that carry meaning — content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs) — while grammar words (articles, prepositions, auxiliaries) are reduced and spoken more quickly.

21. How can shifting sentence stress change meaning? Use 'I didn't say she stole the money.'

    Stressing different words changes the implication: 'I didn't say SHE stole it' (someone else did) vs 'I didn't say she STOLE it' (maybe she borrowed it) — stress signals which information is contrastive or new.

22. What is intonation, and how is it typically used in questions and lists?

    Intonation is the rise and fall of pitch: yes/no questions typically end with rising pitch, wh-questions and statements with falling pitch, and list items rise until the final item, which falls.

23. List six common Part 1 question themes in IELTS Speaking.

    Hometown, work or studies, home/accommodation, hobbies and free time, food, family and friends — plus recurring themes like weather, travel, technology, music, sport, and daily routine.

24. What kinds of themes typically appear in Part 3 compared with Part 1?

    Part 3 moves from personal to abstract and societal: changes over time, comparing generations, advantages vs disadvantages, government policy, future predictions, and impacts of technology or globalization.

25. Why should you avoid one-word or very short answers in Part 1, and what is the recommended answer length?

    Short answers give the examiner no evidence of fluency, vocabulary, or grammar; extend each answer to roughly 2–4 sentences by adding a reason, example, or detail — without turning it into a monologue.

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Planning Speaking for IELTS Academic

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