IELTS Speaking Test Questions & Answers: Vocabulary, Idioms & Phrases

IELTS Speaking Introduction

Before we delve into the finer details of any exam, it is important to understand the pattern of that particular exam. We will cover IELTS pattern in brief in the table given below:

Now that we have covered the IELTS pattern is brief, we will cover IELTS speaking pattern in detail. IELTS speaking section is divided into three parts:

Part 1) Introduction and Interview: This part lasts for about 4-5 minutes. It begins with the introduction of the examiner. The examiner will confirm your candidate number, mention his/ her examiner number, and verify your ID. Once this initial verification is done, the examiner will ask for your introduction, hobbies, personal information, etc. The conversation changes to a small talk where a candidate is evaluated on his/ her ability to strike a normal conversation on daily-life topics.

Part 2) Individual Long Turn or Cue Card: This part lasts for about 3-4 minutes. In this section, a candidate is provided with a Cue Card or a Task Card and a few sheets of paper. Cue Card consists of a prompt, 3 dot points, and a sentence. Prompt is the main topic of the cue card, dot points need to be included in your answer, and the sentence is a follow-up question. The idea behind cue card is to evaluate your ability to speak on a particular topic in a coherent and organized fashion.

Part 3) Discussion: This part lasts for about 4-5 minutes. Discussion involves a back and forth conversation with the examiner on the topic that was provided in part 2. An example would be that if you were asked about your favorite food in part 2, part 3 might involve a discussion on food industry. This is not as focused as part 2 and might involve discussion on broad topics.

IELTS Speaking Vocabulary

IELTS Vocabulary forms the building block of your entire IELTS examination. A strong vocabulary definitely helps you to convey your thoughts and ideas in a coherent manner. Let us look at how your vocabulary is evaluated on the IELTS exam with respect to its speaking section. The table given below provides information about the scoring criteria of the IELTS Speaking vocabulary. It is based on IELTS band descriptors:

A good vocabulary helps you with the following things:

• It helps you score well on the 25% of the speaking section, as vocabulary comprises of 25% of the overall score of IELTS speaking section
• It helps you convey your ideas clearly to the examiner
• It helps you strike a balanced conversation with the examiner
• It makes your language look organic

However, there is a rider that comes with a good vocabulary. When we speak of a good vocabulary, people often confuse it with “high-level” and “complicated” words. This is not true. A good vocabulary often times might contain certain complicated words, but these are used minimally. The actual idea behind a strong vocabulary is the ability to convey your message in a coherent and logical manner without confusing the examiner. Here are a few points for you to consider when it comes to IELTS speaking vocabulary:

• Do not attempt to memorize too many complicated words. You can do well even with basic phrases for IELTS speaking. Even if you memorize complicated words and they do not fit the context, the examiner will not get impressed.
• Focus on the meaning and coherence of your sentences when you speak. Whatever you speak must have MLRC (meaning, logic, reason, and coherence). During your practice sessions, you must try to use these parameters so that it becomes a habit.
• Let your sentences be organic. Do not let the examiner feel that you have memorized something. Learning common idioms and phrases for IELTS speaking will definitely help, but their usage should be organic and not forced.
• Improvement in vocabulary takes time. It is a time taking and an organic process where you gradually improve. You must develop a habit of reading journals and newspapers in order to improve your vocabulary.

Idioms and Phrases for IELTS Speaking

Idioms are those expressions whose actual meaning is different from the meaning of words that make up an idiom. The table given below provides a list of idioms for IELTS speaking:

Must Read:- Common Mistakes in IELTS Speaking and How to Fix Them!

IELTS Speaking Questions

As discussed in the earlier part of this article, IELTS speaking section is divided into three parts. In this section, we are going to discuss IELTS speaking questions. Since Part 3 of IELTS speaking involves an organic question, we are providing IELTS Speaking Part 1 questions and IELTS Cue Card questions.

IELTS Speaking Part 1 Questions

Part 1 of IELTS speaking section involves introduction and a few questions on personal topics. Some of these questions could be:

• Where do you work?
• What sector do you work in?
• Do you enjoy your job?
• If given an opportunity, would you change your job?
• Which sector would you most like to work in?
• Are you a student?
• Do you like your academic field?
• Do you enjoy in your college?
• Where do you study?
• Where is your hometown?
• Do you miss your hometown?
• Is there anything that is special about your hometown?
• Do you enjoy art?
• Are you good at singing?
• How often do you listen to music?
• Do you celebrate your birthday?
• How was your childhood?
• Are you technology friendly?
• What is your daily routine like?

Remember, you answers should not seem memorized. Your sentences must be organic. Do not try to force difficult words into your sentences. Most importantly, do not confuse the examiner. Examiner should not have any difficulty in understanding your sentences.

IELTS Speaking Part 2 Questions

Part 2 of the IELTS speaking section consists of Cue Card or Individual Long Turn. Those who wish to read IELTS speaking topics with answers for Cue Card can visit here. IELTS cue card questions mainly fall under 6 main heads that include places, people, things, situations, work, and study. We are mentioning some of the Cue Card questions that are commonly asked:

• Describe your favorite meal
• Describe the person you admire
• Describe your hometown
• Describe your last birthday
• Describe your workplace
• Describe your field of study
• Describe a course that you would like to pursue in the near future
• Describe your favorite book
• Describe your goals that you wish to achieve five years down the line
• Describe a project that you would like to work on
• Describe the last academic institution that you attended
• Describe your favorite holiday destination
• Describe an elderly person who you admire
• Describe a popular athlete or a sportsperson you admire