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The IELTS Academic Speaking test will assess your proficiency in spoken English. It is conducted face-to-face with a trained IELTS examiner and all Speaking tests are recorded.

The Academic Speaking test is made up of 3 parts and takes between 11 and 15 minutes. In Part 1, the examiner will ask you about yourself and general questions from common topics like work, family, studies, interests and hobbies.

In part 2 of the Academic Speaking test, you will be given a card with a topic and asked to talk about it for 2 minutes. You will have one minute to prepare for your topic and a pencil and paper to draft your response. Part 3 is a two-way conversation, and the examiner will ask questions related to the topic discussed in Part 2.

The Academic Speaking test may be conducted on the same day as the other tests or a week before or after the other test parts.

Ask IELTS

Am I allowed to ask my Speaking examiner for an alternative topic?

No, but it is okay if you do not have any personal experience about the question. Just mention why you do not have this experience and speculate.

Free practice test and question types