The three parts of the Speaking test
The Speaking test lasts 11 to 14 minutes and is face to face with an examiner.
- Part 1 (4 to 5 minutes): questions about familiar topics such as your home town, studies, work, food or weather.
- Part 2 (3 to 4 minutes): you get a cue card, 1 minute to prepare and then speak for up to 2 minutes. The examiner may ask one or two short follow-up questions.
- Part 3 (4 to 5 minutes): a discussion of more abstract questions linked to the Part 2 topic.
You are marked on Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation.
Fluency first, accuracy close behind
Many students freeze because they are trying not to make any mistake. Examiners expect natural speech, and natural speech has small slips. What lowers your band is long pauses, repeated restarts and very short answers.
- In Part 1, answer and add one detail or reason. "Yes, I grew up in Siliguri, near Hakimpara, so I have watched the city grow a lot."
- In Part 3, give an opinion, explain it, and offer an example or a contrast.
- If you lose a word, describe it rather than stopping.
Accuracy still matters for the higher bands, so once you speak comfortably, start listening for your repeated errors: article use, tense consistency and plural endings are common ones.
Pronunciation for Bengali, Nepali and Hindi speakers
Pronunciation is marked on how easy you are to understand, not on sounding British or American. A clear Indian or Nepali accent is perfectly fine. Still, a few habits are worth checking, because they are common among speakers of the languages heard around Siliguri:
- V and W. Many speakers use one sound for both, or replace "v" with "b" or "bh", so "very" and "berry" sound alike. Practise "vine / wine", "vest / west".
- S and SH. Some Bengali speakers say "sh" where English has "s", as in "shee" for "see". Try "sip / ship", "seat / sheet".
- Z and J. "Zoo" can become "joo", and "zero" "jero". Hold a buzzing sound for "z".
- Starting clusters. Speakers of Hindi and Nepali sometimes add a vowel before "s" clusters: "ischool", "istation". Start straight on the "s".
- Th. "Think" and "this" often become "tink" and "dis". Put your tongue lightly between your teeth.
- Word stress and intonation. English stresses one syllable strongly (PHOtograph, phoTOgraphy) and lets the others go weak. Flat or evenly stressed speech is harder to follow even when each sound is correct.
Practising when you have no partner
Most students in Siliguri do not have a practice partner who speaks English at home, especially those living in hostels or PG rooms near the university or colleges. You can still practise well:
- Speak your answers aloud, always. Thinking an answer is not practice.
- Record and transcribe. On IELTS Learning, you answer prompts by speaking and receive AI feedback on your transcript, which shows fillers, repetition and grammar slips you did not notice.
- Use local topics. Describe the view of Kanchenjunga on a clear day, a trip to Mirik, the crowd at Hong Kong Market, your favourite momo stall. Real memories produce fluent answers.
- Practise in English for ten minutes a day, even if the rest of your day is in Bengali, Nepali or Hindi.
Cue cards and the 2-minute timer
Part 2 is where timing practice makes the biggest difference. IELTS Learning has 186 prompts for all three parts, and the Part 2 cue cards use a real 1-minute preparation timer followed by a 2-minute speaking timer.
Use your minute to write four or five key words, not sentences. Then speak until the timer stops. If you finish early in practice, the next time add a story or an example to each bullet point on the card.
Ask a friend or sibling to read you Part 3 questions occasionally, even if they do not speak much English themselves. Answering a real person, rather than a screen, helps with nerves.
When to book a teacher
AI feedback on transcripts helps with vocabulary, grammar and fluency patterns, but a person hears your pronunciation and rhythm directly. A Book a Teacher session lasts about 20 minutes, from ₹299, and works well as a mock Speaking test a week or two before your exam, or as a check on specific sounds.
Start your IELTS Speaking practice with the free sample test, which includes Speaking, or register for Full Access at ₹999 for 2 months.