IELTS speaking practice: how to prepare with a 1:1 teacher

The Speaking test takes 11 to 14 minutes and has three parts. You talk with a real examiner, in person or, at some test centres, by video call. It is the same for the Academic and General Training versions of IELTS.

1. Part 1, introduction and interview, 4 to 5 minutes. The examiner asks about familiar topics: your home, your work or studies, and everyday subjects such as food, weekends or the weather.
2. Part 2, the long turn, 3 to 4 minutes. You get a task card with a topic and some points to cover. You have one minute to prepare and make notes, then you speak for up to two minutes. The examiner may ask a question or two at the end.
3. Part 3, discussion, 4 to 5 minutes. The examiner asks more abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic, and expects reasons, examples and opinions.

Examiners mark four things, with equal weight: fluency and coherence, lexical resource (the range of vocabulary you use), grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. The official IELTS website publishes the band descriptors and sample questions. Read both before you start practising, so you know what the marks are for.

Part 1 rewards answers that sound natural and go a little beyond the question. Don’t stop at "Yes, I do." Give the answer, a reason and a detail, in two or three sentences, then stop. Practise with everyday topics until extending an answer feels automatic.

Part 2 is where many people lose fluency, because two minutes alone is longer than it sounds. Use the minute of preparation well: write four or five key words, not sentences, and decide the order of your points before you start. Then practise carrying on when a word escapes you, by describing it another way instead of stopping.

Part 3 asks you to discuss ideas rather than your own life. Practise phrases that help you compare, speculate and weigh things up, such as "It depends on...", "One reason might be..." and "On the other hand...". Use them to organise an answer. A phrase bolted on for show sounds like one.

Adjust the timings if you book a shorter lesson, but keep the order:

1. Five minutes: tell your teacher your test date, the band you need and which part worries you most.
2. Fifteen minutes: a full mock test, all three parts, without stopping. Ask your teacher to keep time and save feedback for the end.
3. Ten minutes: feedback against the four criteria. Ask for two or three specific things to fix, not a long list.
4. Twenty minutes: work on the weakest part with new topics. If it is Part 2, do three or four long turns back to back.
5. Ten minutes: repeat one answer from the mock test and hear the difference.

Between lessons, practise Part 2 alone with a timer: one minute to prepare, two minutes to speak. Record yourself and listen back once. Note the words you reached for and missed, and bring them to your next lesson.

Every Nattive teacher holds a teaching certificate or a degree. That doesn’t make them an IELTS examiner, and no lesson can promise you a band score. What you can do is choose a teacher whose profile fits your goal:

• Some English teachers focus on exam preparation and say on their profile which exams they know. Look for IELTS there.
• Check the levels a teacher takes. If you need band 7 or higher, choose a teacher who takes learners at C1.
• Watch the intro video and listen for a voice you follow easily. The test doesn’t reward any particular accent, so choose the teacher you understand and learn from best.
• Message the teacher before booking. Tell them your test date and ask how they would use the lessons before it.

Each teacher sets their price for each lesson length, in GBP, and you see the full price before you book. There’s no subscription, so you can book a run of lessons in the weeks before your test and stop when it’s done. Our Learn English page has more about learning English on Nattive.

10% of the teacher’s lesson price, included in the one price you see, goes to Nattive Classroom. It’s pooled until there’s enough for the next course: 8 hours of free group English courses for a small group of up to five learners in developing countries, with a teacher paid for every hour. Places are for learners in the developing countries we select for the programme, subject to funding and places. We’re building the first course now, and we’ll publish what has been funded and taught as it happens. See how Classroom funding works on Our impact.