IELTS Speaking is an 11-14 minute conversation with an examiner in three parts, marked on four equally weighted criteria.
The criteria
- Fluency and coherence - speaking at length without long pauses, with linked ideas (because, however, for example).
- Lexical resource - range of vocabulary, natural collocations, paraphrasing when you don't know a word.
- Grammatical range and accuracy - a mix of simple and complex sentences, with few errors.
- Pronunciation - clear, easy to understand; accent is fine.
Band 6 vs band 7 - the practical difference
- Band 6: speaks at length but sometimes loses coherence; enough vocabulary but some inappropriate word choices; mix of structures with frequent errors.
- Band 7: speaks at length without noticeable effort; uses some less common vocabulary and idiomatic language with awareness of style; frequent error-free sentences.
The three parts
- Part 1 (4-5 min): familiar topics - home, work, studies, hobbies. Answer in 2-3 sentences with a reason or example.
- Part 2 (3-4 min): a cue card; 1 minute to prepare, then speak for up to 2 minutes. Use the four prompts as structure and add a personal story.
- Part 3 (4-5 min): abstract discussion on the Part 2 theme. Give opinions, compare past and present, speculate about the future.
Practice that works
- Record yourself on cue cards with a timer; listen for fillers and repeated words.
- Learn topic vocabulary in phrases, not single words ("cut down on screen time", not "reduce").
- Practise Part 3 "why" questions - they separate 6.5 from 7+.
- Get feedback on each criterion, not just an overall band.
Take a full speaking mock and get band-wise feedback on every answer.