How the Speaking test works
The Speaking test lasts 11–14 minutes and is face to face with an examiner. It has three parts:
- Part 1 (4–5 minutes): short questions about familiar topics such as your work or studies, your home, your area of Lagos, food or hobbies.
- Part 2 (3–4 minutes): a cue card. You get one minute to prepare, then speak for up to two minutes on the topic.
- Part 3 (4–5 minutes): a discussion of broader, more abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic.
You are marked on four criteria: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation.
Fluency and accuracy: finding the balance
Many Lagos speakers are naturally fluent, sometimes very fast. Speed is not the same as fluency. Examiners listen for speech that flows logically and is easy to follow. If you rush, you may swallow word endings or jump between ideas.
On the other hand, stopping to correct every small slip breaks your flow. Aim for a steady pace, extend your answers with a reason or an example, and use natural linking: "the main reason is…", "having said that…", "a good example would be…".
Pronunciation points for Lagos speakers
Your accent is not a problem in itself. Examiners do not expect a British or American accent; they mark how easy you are to understand and how well you use features such as stress and intonation. Speakers from Nigerian language backgrounds often work on a few specific points:
The "th" sounds
In many Lagos accents, "think" becomes "tink" and "this" becomes "dis". Practise placing the tongue lightly between the teeth for /θ/ and /ð/, especially in common words: three, thought, the, they, without.
Vowel length
Pairs such as ship/sheep, full/fool and cot/caught may sound the same. Say each pair slowly, then in sentences, and record yourself.
Stress and rhythm
Nigerian English often gives each syllable similar weight, while IELTS examiners are used to stronger contrasts between stressed and weak syllables. Practise reducing small words ("to", "of", "and") and stressing key words in a sentence. Watch word stress too: "deVElopment", "PHOtograph" but "phoTOgraphy".
Language-specific points
Some Hausa speakers mix /p/ and /f/; some Igbo speakers work on /l/ and /r/; some Yoruba speakers add or drop /h/ ("hour", "house"). Not everyone has these features, so record yourself and notice your own patterns.
Practising when you have no partner
Plenty of candidates in Lagos prepare alone: a nurse between night shifts, a developer in Yaba after a sprint, a graduate at home in Ikotun. You can still practise properly:
- Use IELTS Learning's 186 prompts for Parts 1, 2 and 3. Speak your answer, and the AI gives feedback on your transcript, including vocabulary, grammar and how well you developed your ideas.
- Use the Part 2 cue-card timer: one real minute to prepare, then a two-minute countdown. Speaking for the full two minutes is a skill, and the timer trains it.
- Record yourself on your phone and listen back for speed, "th" sounds and repeated filler words.
- Talk through a Part 3 question aloud during a long drive or while stuck in traffic on the Lekki-Epe Expressway.
When a teacher makes the difference
AI feedback is fast and good for regular practice, but Speaking is a human conversation. 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, ask follow-up questions and give you honest pronunciation feedback. One session early on and another a week or two before your test is a common pattern.
Speaking topics with a Lagos flavour
Part 1 and Part 2 questions often touch on your daily life, so prepare vocabulary for the things you actually talk about: commuting and traffic, markets, music, football, family celebrations, technology and your work. Practise describing places in Lagos, such as a beach, a market or a part of the city you like, with precise adjectives instead of "nice" and "very good".
Avoid slipping into Pidgin or very local slang during the test; it may be natural with friends, but the examiner is assessing your range in standard English. Equally, do not memorise long speeches: examiners notice rehearsed answers and will move you on.
IELTS Speaking practice in Lagos is easiest when it becomes a daily habit. Register free, try a cue card with the real timer and see your first feedback today. Your account also includes Daily Vocabulary for fresh words to use in your answers.