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 of the overall band, scored in half bands from 0 to 9 against four equally weighted criteria: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Immigration points systems in Australia and Canada score each component separately, so Speaking alone can add or lose points; a UKVI visa route usually needs the required CEFR level in every skill, Speaking included.
Who this is for
Anyone may register; no minimum qualification. General Training is the module used for skilled migration and permanent residence in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, for UK work and family visas through IELTS for UKVI, and for below-degree training and work experience programmes. Candidates are typically nurses, tradespeople, IT professionals, spouses and skilled-visa applicants. The Speaking test is identical to Academic; typical targets are 6.0 per component for Competent English in Australia or CLB 7, and 7.0 in Speaking for CLB 9 and Proficient English points.
The panel focuses on
- Answering the question actually asked in Part 1, briefly and naturally, including everyday topics like home, work and routine
- Organising a cue-card answer across all prompts and reaching at least one and a half minutes
- Explaining opinions about work, community and everyday life with reasons and examples in Part 3
- Reducing fillers and repetition that drag fluency and coherence down to band 5 or 6
- Everyday and workplace vocabulary used accurately, with collocations rather than translated phrases
- Clear pronunciation of word endings and sentence stress so meaning is never lost
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.
Mr. Samuel Fernandes
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.
Mr. Samuel Fernandes
Language expert
Ms. Deepa Narayanan
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.
Mr. Samuel Fernandes2–3 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.
Mr. Samuel Fernandes1–1 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.
Mr. Samuel Fernandes1–2 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.
Mr. Samuel Fernandes0–1 questions
Sample questions
IELTS Speaking General Training interview questions
Questions panels commonly ask in the IELTS Speaking General Training interview, with what a strong answer covers. Practise them aloud with the AI panel.
- Part 1
Now, your home. Is it a house or an apartment, and which part of it do you enjoy most?
What a strong answer covers
A short, natural answer describing your home and one specific thing you like with a reason. Use everyday vocabulary accurately, such as balcony or neighbourhood. Avoid long memorised descriptions of your whole city or a one-word reply.
- Part 1
What do you usually do on a weekday evening after work?
What a strong answer covers
Describe a real routine using the present simple and frequency words like usually or once in a while, add one detail such as a walk with your children or cooking dinner, and a reason. Keep it relaxed and accurate. Avoid switching tenses randomly or giving a single-word answer.
- Part 1
Do you think you will stay in your current line of work for the next ten years?
What a strong answer covers
Give a clear answer with a reason and a little detail, using future forms like I am planning to or I might. Show natural fluency. Avoid answering a different question about your whole career story.
- Part 2 cue card
Describe a time when you helped a neighbour or someone in your community. Say who it was, what you did, and how you felt afterwards.
What a strong answer covers
Plan quickly around the prompts, tell the story in order with past tenses, include details that make it real, and explain your feelings. Aim for close to two minutes. Avoid stopping early or going off-topic.
- Part 2 cue card
Describe a skill you learned at work that you did not expect to need. Say what it was, how you learned it, and how it has helped you.
What a strong answer covers
Choose one specific skill, such as handling difficult customers or using a new billing system, explain the situation that forced you to learn it, how you learned, and how it helps now. Use past and present tenses accurately and aim for close to two minutes. Avoid generic skills like teamwork with no story.
- Part 3 discussion
Why do people in your country move to other countries for work?
What a strong answer covers
Give two or three reasons such as higher salaries, career growth, children's education or family already abroad, illustrate one with an example from your community, and perhaps mention a downside like loneliness. Speak about people in general, not only yourself. Avoid one-line answers or a list with no development.
- Part 3 discussion
Is it better to work for a large company or a small one? Why?
What a strong answer covers
Compare both sides, for example job security and training in large firms against variety and faster responsibility in small ones, then take a position with a reason and an example. Use comparatives and linking words like whereas and on the other hand. Avoid giving only one side or refusing to choose.
- Part 3 discussion
How can communities help new people feel welcome when they move to a new place?
What a strong answer covers
Suggest two or three practical ideas such as welcome groups, language exchanges or festivals open to everyone, explain why each works and add a brief example. Use a range of vocabulary and modal verbs like could and should. Avoid listing ideas in single words without explaining them.
- Part 3 discussion
Do you think people today have a better work-life balance than people did twenty years ago?
What a strong answer covers
Compare then and now: shorter commutes with remote work and more leisure options, but phones keeping people always available and longer hours in some jobs. Reach a clear, reasoned view. Use past and present forms accurately and generalise. Avoid only describing your own working day.
Reading is not rehearsing. Answer these out loud to an AI IELTS Speaking General Training 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.
Mr. Samuel Fernandes
ChairLanguage 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
Ms. Deepa Narayanan
Language 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
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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