From our research
What this interview looks like
The IELTS Speaking test is a recorded face-to-face interview with one certified examiner lasting eleven to fourteen minutes, and it is exactly the same for Academic and General Training candidates. It can be taken on the test day or up to a week before or after the written papers, and on the computer-delivered test it is still conducted by a human examiner, in person or by video call. Part 1, four to five minutes, is an identity check followed by short questions on two or three familiar topics such as home, work, study, hobbies or daily routine. Part 2, three to four minutes, gives you a cue card with a topic and prompts, one minute to prepare with pen and paper, and one to two minutes to speak, followed by one rounding-off question. Part 3, four to five minutes, is a two-way discussion of more abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic. The examiner scores you against the public band descriptors for fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation, each worth a quarter, and the Speaking band counts equally with Listening, Reading and Writing in your overall band. ExamPilot runs the same three parts in fourteen minutes with the same scripted phrasing and the same no-feedback-during-the-test rule, then gives you a descriptor-based score for each criterion.
How it is weighted
Speaking is one of four equally weighted components; the overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. Speaking is scored in half bands from 0 to 9 by averaging four equally weighted criteria: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Universities set a minimum per component as well as overall, so a weak Speaking band can fail an application that meets the overall requirement.
Who this is for
Anyone may register; there is no minimum qualification or age limit, though centres advise candidates be at least 16. Academic is the module required by universities in the UK, Canada, Australia, the US and Europe, and by professional bodies such as the UK NMC and GMC, Australian AHPRA and Canadian provincial colleges. The Speaking test itself is identical to the General Training version; what differs is the band you need, usually 6.0 to 7.0 per component for admission and 7.0 in Speaking for nursing or medical registration.
The panel focuses on
- Sustaining a one to two minute long turn on the cue card without drying up or memorised filler
- Giving extended, reasoned Part 3 answers about society and trends rather than personal anecdotes
- Using less common, topic-specific vocabulary and natural paraphrase instead of repeating the same words
- Producing frequent error-free complex sentences, especially past narrative tenses and conditionals
- Intonation and sentence stress that carry meaning, with clear individual sounds, accent untouched
- Keeping Part 1 answers short, direct and natural, without recited self-introductions
Step 1
Pick your subject
The expert on the panel probes these areas at the level of this post. Optional here; you can choose during setup.
Step 2
Choose how you want to be interviewed
1:1 interview
One interviewer runs every round and adapts the focus as you go. Lower pressure; ideal for a first attempt.
Ms. Deepa Narayanan
Language expert
Panel interview · 2 members
Most realisticEach member leads their own round and hands over to the next. They hear each other, so a weak answer will be revisited.
Ms. Deepa Narayanan
Language expert
Mr. Samuel Fernandes
Language expert
What to expect
4 rounds · 14 minutes
A faithful run of the IELTS Speaking test, which is identical for Academic and General Training. One certified examiner conducts a recorded one-to-one interview of eleven to fourteen minutes in three parts. Part 1 is an identity check followed by short questions on two or three familiar topics. Part 2 gives the candidate a cue card, one minute to prepare with pen and paper, and one to two minutes to speak, followed by one rounding-off question. Part 3 is a two-way discussion of abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic. The examiner never teaches, corrects or gives feedback during the test, uses the scripted IELTS phrasing, stays neutral, and scores afterwards against the four public band descriptors: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.
- Round 1
Part 1: Introduction and interview
· 4:00Run Part 1 exactly as an IELTS examiner does: identity check, then short questions on two or three familiar topics, so the candidate settles and you can hear their everyday fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation on familiar ground.
Ms. Deepa Narayanan2–3 questions - Round 2
Part 2: Individual long turn
· 4:00Give one cue card from the bank for the chosen topic area, allow one minute of silent preparation, hear a one to two minute long turn without interrupting, and ask one rounding-off question, so the candidate's ability to organise and sustain extended speech can be scored.
Ms. Deepa Narayanan1–1 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 3
Part 3: Two-way discussion
· 5:00Conduct an abstract discussion linked to the Part 2 topic, using the Part 3 set from the bank that matches the cue card's theme, pushing for extended, reasoned, speculative answers so the top of the candidate's range is heard.
Ms. Deepa Narayanan1–2 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 4
End of test
· 1:00End the test exactly as an IELTS examiner does: a neutral thank you, no feedback, no indication of the band.
Ms. Deepa Narayanan0–1 questions
Sample questions
IELTS Speaking Academic interview questions
Questions panels commonly ask in the IELTS Speaking Academic interview, with what a strong answer covers. Practise them aloud with the AI panel.
- Part 1
I'd like to ask about your course. Which subject are you doing right now, and what made you pick it?
What a strong answer covers
A direct two-to-four sentence answer: name the subject, give one genuine reason and perhaps a brief detail, using natural linking words. Part 1 rewards short, relaxed, accurate replies, not speeches. Avoid launching into a memorised self-introduction or answering with a single word and stopping.
- Part 1
When do you get your best study done, early in the day or late at night? Why is that?
What a strong answer covers
State your preference clearly, give a reason with a small personal example, and perhaps note how it has changed since school. Use comparatives naturally, such as I find it easier to focus when. Avoid saying it depends without ever choosing, or repeating the question's words back at length.
- Part 2 cue card
Describe a lecture, talk or class that made you see a topic differently. Say who gave it, what it covered, and why it affected you so much.
What a strong answer covers
Use the minute to note a few keywords per prompt, then speak for close to two minutes: set the scene, explain the content, and spend the most time on why it mattered, using past tenses accurately. Natural fillers are fine. Avoid stopping after forty seconds or reciting a pre-learnt story that ignores the prompts.
- Part 2 cue card
Describe a piece of technology you rely on for your studies or work. Say what it is, how you use it, and what you would do without it.
What a strong answer covers
Pick something concrete, such as a laptop app or a reference tool, organise the talk around the prompts, and use topic vocabulary precisely, such as cloud storage or offline access. Include a conditional for the last prompt. Avoid listing features like an advertisement or drifting into general opinions about technology.
- Part 3 discussion
Should universities focus on preparing students for jobs, or on giving them a broad education? What is your view?
What a strong answer covers
Take a position, support it with a reason and an example, acknowledge the other side, and conclude. Use abstract vocabulary such as employability and critical thinking accurately, and vary sentence structures. Avoid answering only from personal experience or giving a one-line opinion without development.
- Part 3 discussion
How has the internet changed the way young people in India learn compared with their parents' generation?
What a strong answer covers
Compare clearly, using contrast markers and past versus present tenses: access to free courses, video learning and search, but also distraction and shallow reading. Give one specific example. Generalise about groups rather than only yourself. Avoid a single vague sentence like the internet made learning easy.
- Part 3 discussion
Do you think international students bring more benefits or challenges to the countries where they study?
What a strong answer covers
Weigh benefits such as cultural exchange and university income against challenges like housing pressure, give a balanced judgement and a reason. Use hedging language such as it could be argued. Avoid answering only about your own plans to study abroad.
- Part 3 discussion
Some people say research funding should go mainly to science and technology. Do you agree?
What a strong answer covers
Give a clear view, explain why humanities and social sciences also matter or why science should be prioritised, and support it with an example. Use complex sentences and less common vocabulary naturally. Avoid repeating the same words from the question or giving a short yes or no.
- Part 3 discussion
What qualities make a good teacher, and have those qualities changed over time?
What a strong answer covers
Name two or three qualities, explain them with examples, then discuss change over time with contrast and speculation. Use a range of grammar including relative clauses. Avoid listing adjectives without explanation.
Reading is not rehearsing. Answer these out loud to an AI IELTS Speaking Academic panel that follows up like the real one.
Practise these questionsMeet the panel
Your AI interviewers
Distinct personas, voices and questioning styles, briefed on this post.
Ms. Deepa Narayanan
ChairLanguage expert
Certified IELTS Speaking examiner, IDP test centre (Bengaluru); CELTA and DELTA qualified
Warm but scrupulously neutral, unhurried, never reacts to content.
Female voice · 1 languages
Mr. Samuel Fernandes
Language expert
Certified IELTS Speaking examiner, British Council test centre (Mumbai); former senior English faculty
Measured, courteous, precise with time, gives nothing away.
Male voice · 1 languages
Languages
Answer in the language you think in
The panel asks in your chosen language. Switch mid-answer if you like.
- English
How scoring works
A report you can act on
Every round is scored on the rubric
Each interviewer scores only the criteria their round covers. Weights add up to your overall score out of 100.
Only what you actually said counts
Feedback quotes your own answers. Rounds you skip show as “Not assessed” rather than a zero.
Communication is always measured
Fluency, clarity, confidence and structure are tracked across the whole interview, in any language.
Pass mark, then a plan
You see the pass mark for this interview, your gaps, and the courses that close them fastest.
Scored on
- Fluency and coherence25%
Score against the IELTS band markers. Band 5: keeps going but relies on repetition, self-correction and slow speech; over-uses simple connectives such as and, but, because; loses coherence in longer turns. Band 6: willing to speak at length, though loses coherence at times through hesitation, repetition or self-correction; uses a range of connectives and discourse markers but not always appropriately. Band 7: speaks at length without noticeable effort or loss of coherence; may show some language-related hesitation or repetition; uses a range of connectives and discourse markers with some flexibility; develops topics clearly. Band 8: speaks fluently with only occasional repetition or self-correction, hesitation is usually content-related, not to find words or grammar; develops topics coherently and appropriately. Map band 5 to about 45, band 6 to about 60, band 7 to about 75, band 8 to about 90 on the 0 to 100 scale.
- Lexical resource25%
Band 5: manages to talk about familiar and unfamiliar topics but uses vocabulary with limited flexibility; attempts paraphrase with mixed success. Band 6: has a wide enough vocabulary to discuss topics at length and make meaning clear despite inappropriacies; generally paraphrases successfully. Band 7: uses vocabulary resource flexibly to discuss a variety of topics; uses some less common and idiomatic vocabulary and shows some awareness of style and collocation, with some inappropriate choices; uses paraphrase effectively. Band 8: wide vocabulary resource used readily and flexibly to convey precise meaning; uses less common and idiomatic vocabulary skilfully with occasional inaccuracies; paraphrases effectively as required. Reward topic-specific words used accurately on the cue card topic and in the abstract Part 3 discussion; penalise memorised chunks that do not fit the question. Map band 5 to about 45, 6 to 60, 7 to 75, 8 to 90.
- Grammatical range and accuracy25%
Band 5: produces basic sentence forms with reasonable accuracy; uses a limited range of more complex structures, but these usually contain errors and may cause some comprehension problems. Band 6: uses a mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility; may make frequent mistakes with complex structures, though these rarely cause comprehension problems. Band 7: uses a range of complex structures with some flexibility; frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist. Band 8: uses a wide range of structures flexibly; the majority of sentences are error-free, with only very occasional inappropriacies or basic or non-systematic errors. Listen specifically for tense control when narrating a past event, conditionals and modals in Part 3 speculation, article and preposition errors typical of Indian English, and subject-verb agreement. Map band 5 to about 45, 6 to 60, 7 to 75, 8 to 90.
- Pronunciation25%
Band 5: shows all the positive features of band 4 and some, but not all, of band 6. Band 6: uses a range of pronunciation features with mixed control; shows some effective use of features but this is not sustained; can generally be understood throughout, though mispronunciation of individual words or sounds reduces clarity at times. Band 7: shows all the positive features of band 6 and some, but not all, of band 8. Band 8: uses a wide range of pronunciation features; sustains flexible use of features, with only occasional lapses; is easy to understand throughout, with first-language accent having minimal effect on intelligibility. Judge sentence stress, chunking, intonation that carries meaning, and clarity of individual sounds; an Indian accent by itself is never penalised, only loss of intelligibility is. Map band 5 to about 45, 6 to 60, 7 to 75, 8 to 90.
Pass mark 60 / 100 · IELTS Speaking test — three-part examiner interview
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