The three parts of the Speaking test
The Speaking test is a face-to-face conversation with an examiner and lasts 11 to 14 minutes. It is recorded.
- Part 1 (4–5 minutes): questions about familiar topics such as your home, studies, work, hobbies or food. Answer naturally in two to four sentences.
- Part 2 (3–4 minutes): you receive a cue card, have one minute to prepare notes, then speak for up to two minutes. The examiner may ask one or two short follow-up questions.
- Part 3 (4–5 minutes): a discussion of more abstract ideas linked to the Part 2 topic. This is where you show you can explain, compare and give reasons.
Speaking is marked on four criteria: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation.
Fluency versus accuracy
Students tend to lean one way. Some speak quickly and confidently but with many small errors; others speak slowly, correcting every sentence. Neither extreme reaches band 7.
Remember that the examiner is assessing your English, not your opinions or knowledge. A simple idea explained clearly, with a reason and an example, scores better than a clever idea you cannot finish.
- If you are fluent but inaccurate, slow down slightly and focus on verb tenses and articles. Record yourself and count errors.
- If you are accurate but hesitant, practise speaking for the full two minutes in Part 2 without stopping, even if you make mistakes. Fillers like "Well, that's an interesting question" give you thinking time naturally.
Pronunciation points for Muscat's speakers
Pronunciation is about being easy to understand, not about sounding British or American. Your accent is fine. These are points that speakers from Muscat's main language backgrounds commonly work on.
Arabic speakers (including Omani candidates)
- /p/ and /b/: "park" and "bark" can sound the same. Practise minimal pairs.
- /v/ and /f/: "very" may sound like "ferry".
- Consonant clusters: a short vowel sometimes slips in, so "street" becomes "isstreet" or "problem" becomes "porblem".
- Vowel length: "ship" and "sheep", "full" and "fool".
- Word stress: English stresses one syllable strongly, such as "deVELopment" and "PHOtograph".
Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu and other South Asian speakers
- /v/ and /w/: "wine" and "vine", "west" and "vest".
- Syllable-timed rhythm: giving every syllable equal weight can make longer sentences hard to follow. Practise stressing key words.
- Speed: confident speakers sometimes talk very fast. Slowing slightly often improves clarity scores.
Filipino speakers
- /f/ and /p/: "fine" may sound like "pine".
- /v/ and /b/: "very" may sound like "berry".
- The "th" sounds in "think" and "this".
Practising when you have no partner
Many candidates in Muscat prepare alone, after a shift or late in the evening. You can still practise properly:
- Use real timing. Our Part 2 cue cards give you exactly one minute to prepare and a two-minute speaking timer, just like the test.
- Speak out loud every time. Thinking an answer in your head is not practice.
- Read your transcript. IELTS Learning gives AI feedback on the transcript of your answer. On the page you will spot repeated words ("very", "good", "so"), unfinished ideas and short answers.
- Record and re-record. Answer the same cue card twice, a day apart. The second attempt is usually much better, and you can hear the difference.
- Talk about Muscat. Many Part 1 and Part 2 topics are personal. Prepare vocabulary for describing your neighbourhood, a place you like to visit such as the corniche or the mountains, local food, the weather, transport and your work.
We have 186 prompts across all three parts, from simple Part 1 questions to challenging Part 3 discussions on technology, education, the environment and society.
Teacher sessions for real conversation
AI feedback is useful for words and structure, but nothing replaces speaking to a person. Book a Teacher gives you a 1-to-1 online session of about 20 minutes, from $5, with an IELTS teacher who can run a mock Speaking test and give you clear points to work on. Many students book a session early to find their level and another one or two in the final weeks before their test.
Start speaking today
The free sample mock includes a full Speaking section with AI feedback. To use every prompt and keep track of your progress, Full Access is $12 for 2 months. Start your IELTS Speaking practice now: create a free account, and read more tips on the blog.