IELTS speaking test samples: where to find them and two model answers of ours
IDP and the British Council publish real IELTS Speaking samples and practice tasks, and this page says where. It also gives model answers of our own for Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3, with notes on what they do well. We do not give our samples a band, because only examiners mark IELTS.
People who search for an IELTS speaking sample want to hear what a real answer sounds like and how it is built. The sources below are the test owners'. The model answers are ours, labelled as ours, and written to study, not to recite.
Where real IELTS speaking samples are
The test owners publish them. We point you to them and do not copy them.
If you searched for an IELTS speaking test sample, you probably want to hear what a real test sounds like. Both test partners publish material, and some of it is recorded. We do not reproduce it here. This is what each one says about its samples.
"Take a closer look at IELTS Speaking test and get a better idea of the questions you might encounter on test day. Add these free IELTS practice tests to your IELTS study plan to help you prepare."
"Watch this Speaking test sample, where Anuradha from Malaysia talks about ‘Famous people’."
"Listen to Aashish from Nepal. He received a band 7.5 for his overall performance in his Speaking test."
"Speaking sample tasks (PDF, 0.46mb)"
"hear examples of the kinds of topics and questions you may be asked"
A note on bands. IDP says one sample was given a band 9, and says why. We pass that on as IDP's claim about its own sample. We make no such claim about the answers we write below. Only trained examiners mark IELTS, and no web page can give you an official band for an answer; at best a mock gives an indicative estimate.
If you want a topic list rather than a sample, go to IELTS speaking topics and themes.
What a sample answers to
The three parts and the four marking criteria, in IELTS.org's words.
A sample only makes sense if you know what it is trying to do. In Part 1 you talk about yourself, in Part 2 you give one longer talk, and in Part 3 you discuss ideas. IELTS.org describes them like this.
| Part | What IELTS.org says it is | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | The examiner introduces him/herself and checks your identity, then asks general questions on familiar topics. | 4–5 minutes |
| Part 2 | The examiner gives you a task card. You have one minute to prepare and keep talking for 2 minutes. They may then ask you one or two questions on the same topic. | 3–4 minutes, including the preparation time |
| Part 3 | You and the examiner discuss issues related to the Part 2 topic in a more general and abstract way. | 4–5 minutes |
And these are the four things the examiner listens for. When you read or write your own sample, check it against them.
- Fluency and coherence.
- Lexical resource.
- Grammatical range and accuracy.
- Pronunciation.
"Each of the criteria carry equal weighting and the overall average gives the IELTS score for Speaking."
Model answer 1: Part 1, getting around
Our own example. Three questions, three short answers.
The questions and answers below are our own work. They are written to read like speech, but speech has pauses and restarts that print cannot show. Do not memorise them. Use them to see how a short answer is built, then write answers with your own facts.
You: Mostly by train. There's a station about ten minutes' walk from my flat, and the train takes me straight into town, so I don't have to worry about traffic. If I'm running late I'll take a taxi instead, but that's quite rare because it adds up.
You: Honestly, yes. The trains stop early in the evening, so if I'm out with friends I either have to leave before the end or pay for a taxi home. If I could change one thing, I'd ask for a late service on Fridays and Saturdays.
You: I cycled to school every day, in all weathers. We didn't have a car back then, and the school was only a couple of kilometres away. I actually miss it, because I was a lot fitter in those days than I am now.
What this example does well
- It answers in the first sentence. The question is about how you travel, and the answer begins with how you travel.
- It adds a reason or an example in the second sentence. This is the extension to add before the examiner has to ask 'why?'.
- It matches tenses. A present question gets a present answer, a hypothetical gets 'I'd', and a childhood question gets the past.
- It uses small natural linking words (so, instead, because, actually), a few times across the three answers and not in every sentence.
- It stays at three sentences. It does not try to say everything about transport.
- It is specific. Ten minutes, Fridays and Saturdays, a couple of kilometres. Details like these are easy to say when they are true, so use your own.
Model answer 2: Part 2 and Part 3, waiting
Our own example. One task card, one long talk, three discussion questions.
Here is a task card we wrote in the same shape as the ones IELTS.org describes: a topic, some points to cover, and a closing question. After it comes a talk of the right length, about two minutes of natural speech.
You should say:
what you were waiting for
how long you waited
what you did while you waited
and explain how you felt when it finally happened.
The first day I checked my phone every few minutes. By the second day I'd decided that the only way to cope was to keep busy, so I cleaned the whole flat, which my flatmates were very happy about, and I went for long walks. I also asked my friends not to mention the test, because every time they did, I started imagining all the little mistakes I might have made.
The email finally arrived on the Wednesday morning while I was standing at the bus stop. I was so nervous that I almost didn't open it. When I saw that I'd passed, I laughed out loud, and a woman next to me asked if I was all right. I told her I'd just passed my driving test and she congratulated me, which was a nice moment.
Looking back, what I felt most was relief, but also a bit of pride, because I'd stayed calm for those three days. It taught me that waiting is easier when you give your hands something to do.
You: I think it's mainly because we're used to getting things instantly. Years ago, if you posted a letter, you expected to wait a week for a reply. Now, if someone doesn't answer a message within an hour, we start to worry. So our patience has probably shrunk, and when something really does take time, like a visa or an exam result, it feels worse than it used to.
You: In some ways, yes. On the other hand, technology also gives us more information while we wait, like tracking a parcel, and that can make waiting calmer. I'd say the real problem isn't the technology itself, it's that we rarely practise doing nothing. If people put their phones away for a few minutes a day, they might find waiting less stressful.
You: They could be much clearer about timing. If an office says 'We will reply within ten days' and then actually does, people can plan around it. And if a delay happens, a short message to explain it would help a lot. I think most people don't mind waiting as much as they mind not knowing how long it will be.
What this example does well
- The talk opens by rephrasing the card, then follows its points in order: what, how long, what I did, how I felt. The structure is the card.
- It tells one small story with real detail (the bus stop, the woman next to me) rather than listing adjectives.
- It changes tense on purpose: the past for the story, the present for how the author sees it now.
- In the discussion it speaks in general terms ('people', 'we', 'public services') and does not drift back to the author's own life. That matches the advice to keep the last part general.
- In the discussion it gives reasons, weighs advantages and disadvantages, suggests solutions, and compares and contrasts (here, past and present).
- It ends each discussion answer with a clear point, so the examiner knows the thought is finished.
One caution. A written talk like this runs to about 240 words, which is close to two minutes of natural speech once you add pauses and thinking time. If you write your own, read it aloud with a timer. If you finish in one minute, you need more detail. If you are still going after two, you are speaking too fast or including too much.
What the owners say good answers do
Two points from IDP's own advice, to read alongside the examples.
Our examples were written with the owners' advice in front of us. These are the two points that matter most for samples.
| Point | In IDP's words |
|---|---|
| Extend before you are asked | Extend your responses to add some more information to your answer before the examiner asks 'why?'. |
| In Part 3, speak generally | In part 3, you are expected to discuss all topics in a general manner. |
| Do not recite | The examiner will be able to tell if you have memorised your answers and this may influence your final band score. |
| Use the preparation minute | Use this time to take notes on the topic you have been given. |
"Try to speak at a natural pace and avoid memorised answers. Examiners are trained to recognise rehearsed responses, and these can limit your score."
That last warning is why we do not give you a template to learn word for word. Learn the structure and the habits, then fill them with your own life.
Five mistakes people make with samples
Our own list.
Samples help most when you use them the right way. These are the five ways we see people waste them.
- Learning a sample by heart. It sounds rehearsed, and the examiner can tell. Take the structure, not the sentences.
- Copying the topic and not the method. Moving a sample about waiting onto your own life does not help if you cannot do the same for a topic about your town.
- Only reading. Samples are written down, speech is spoken. Always say an answer aloud before you decide it is good.
- Leaving out the pauses. Real speech has restarts and thinking phrases. A perfect-sounding paragraph is not a goal.
- Judging yourself by one answer. One good answer says little about all the other answers you will give. Record five or six and look at the pattern.
How to use a sample, step by step
A ten-minute routine.
This routine works for any sample, ours or the owners'.
| Step | What to do | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read the question first and cover the answer. Answer it aloud yourself, in your own words. | 2 |
| 2 | Uncover the sample and mark where it answers in the first sentence, where it adds a reason, and where it gives an example. | 2 |
| 3 | Mark the linking words and the tense changes. | 1 |
| 4 | Write three versions with your own facts. Do not look at the sample. | 3 |
| 5 | Record one version aloud and listen back for fillers, pace and gaps. | 2 |
Check yourself with four questions
| Criterion | Ask yourself after recording |
|---|---|
| Fluency and coherence | Did I keep going without long pauses, and could a listener follow the order of my ideas? |
| Lexical resource | Did I use more than one way to say my key words, and did I explain a word I could not find? |
| Grammatical range and accuracy | Did I use some longer sentences, and did my tenses match the question? |
| Pronunciation | Could a friend understand every word on the first listen? |
For tips by part, see IELTS speaking tips.
Common questions
IDP publishes recorded Speaking samples on its examiner tips page and its Part 1 guide, plus free practice questions. The British Council lists Speaking sample tasks as a PDF on its practice page.
In Part 1 they are short, direct answers with a reason. In Part 2 they are one organised talk of about two minutes. In Part 3 they are general, with opinions and reasons. Our model answers above show all three.
No. We do not give our own samples a band, because only trained examiners mark IELTS. IDP says one of its own recorded samples was given a band 9, and says why on its examiner tips page.
It is a bad idea. IDP says the examiner will be able to tell if you have memorised your answers, and that this may influence your final band score. The British Council says the same.
You prepare for one minute and speak for up to two. The examiner stops you when the time is up and may ask one or two questions on the same topic.
IDP lists topics you can practise, such as tourism and travel, education, transport, the environment, family life, sport and recreation, crime and punishment, the internet, and advertising and retail. Our topics page gives original questions on many of these themes.