The three parts of the Speaking test
The test lasts 11 to 14 minutes, face to face with an examiner, and is recorded.
- Part 1 (4–5 minutes): questions about familiar topics such as your home, studies, work, food or festivals.
- Part 2 (3–4 minutes): you get a cue card, 1 minute to prepare, and then speak for up to 2 minutes without interruption.
- Part 3 (4–5 minutes): a deeper discussion linked to the Part 2 topic, where you give opinions, compare and speculate.
You are marked on four criteria: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation.
Fluency or accuracy: which matters more?
Both, but students in Ahmedabad often lean too far one way. Some speak fast and freely but with many small errors; others stop after every sentence to check grammar, and the conversation loses flow.
A useful rule: keep talking, but finish your sentences. Short pauses to think are natural; long silences and frequent restarts hurt your fluency score. Use natural thinking phrases like "That's an interesting question; I'd say..." instead of "umm" repeated.
For Part 3, extend your answers with a reason and an example. "Yes, I think so" is a closed door; "Yes, mostly, because..." opens the conversation.
Pronunciation points for Gujarati speakers
Pronunciation is about being easy to understand, not about sounding British or American. A clear Indian accent is perfectly acceptable. Still, speakers of Gujarati, and of Hindi as a second language, often find it helpful to work on a few specific sounds:
- "z" and "j": some speakers say "jero" for "zero" or "jebra" for "zebra". Practise the pair "zest / jest", then words such as "zone", "size" and "prize".
- "v" and "w": "village" and "wine" use different mouth shapes. For "w", round your lips without touching your teeth.
- "f" and "ph": English "f" is made with the top teeth on the lower lip, so "fan" should not sound like an aspirated "p".
- "s" and "sh": in some speakers these swap, so "sip" and "ship" need practice.
- Extra vowels: avoid adding a sound before "st", "sp" and "sk" words ("istation", "ischool").
- Word stress and intonation: stress the right syllable (deVELopment, PHOtograph, phoTOgraphy) and let your voice rise and fall instead of staying flat.
Record yourself reading a short paragraph once a week and listen back; you will notice patterns quickly.
Practising when you have no speaking partner
Plenty of students in Ahmedabad live in homes where Gujarati is the everyday language, so English speaking practice does not happen naturally. You can still practise properly:
- Talk to the screen. Our 186 Speaking prompts cover Parts 1, 2 and 3. Record your answer, then get AI feedback on your transcript, which shows repeated words, grammar slips and short answers.
- Describe your day aloud while you make tea, wait for the BRTS, or after dinner.
- Use local topics. Part 1 and 2 questions on festivals, food or a place you like are easy to practise with Uttarayan kite-flying, a Sunday at the Sabarmati Riverfront, or a favourite street food lane.
- Practise with a friend in English only for fifteen minutes, swapping examiner and candidate roles.
The cue-card timer: train for the real minute
Part 2 is where nerves show. On IELTS Learning the cue card gives you a real 1-minute preparation timer and then a 2-minute speaking timer, just like the test. Use your minute to jot four or five words, not sentences: one for each bullet point and one personal detail.
Many students stop after 50 or 60 seconds. Practise until speaking for the full two minutes feels normal; adding a short story or a comparison usually carries you there.
A simple structure helps: say what or who you are describing, give the background (when and where), add one specific detail or memory, and finish with how you feel about it now. For a cue card on "a place you enjoy visiting", that might be the Riverfront at sunset: when you first went, who you go with, the walk past the flower garden, and why it feels calm compared with the traffic outside.
Do not worry if the examiner stops you at two minutes. That is normal and does not lower your score; it simply means you used the time fully.
Teacher sessions before your test
AI feedback is excellent for daily practice, but a real conversation builds confidence. Book a Teacher gives you a 1-to-1 online session of about 20 minutes, from ₹299, with an IELTS teacher who can run a mock Speaking test and tell you what to improve. Many students book one session early and one in the last week.
Regular IELTS Speaking practice, with honest feedback, takes the fear out of test day. Create a free account and try a cue card now.