The question

In the IELTS Speaking test you will be asked questions about different aspects of your life: your hobbies, where you live, your occupation. How important is it to answer truthfully?

The answer

The first thing to understand is that the IELTS Speaking test is not a normal conversation. You are not there to exchange information socially, or to get to know the examiner. Your sole objective is to show how well you can speak English. As soon as you realise this, it becomes obvious that each question is an opportunity to show the examiner what you know. To take advantage of those opportunities, here is how you can plan your answers in advance.

Part 1

Let’s look at possible answers to a simple question you might get in Part 1: ‘Where do you live?’

‘In Dubai.’

This may be true, and it does answer the question. But it doesn’t give the examiner any clue about your English level, so you won’t score any points.

‘I’m currently renting an apartment here in Dubai. The district I live in is about 10 minutes from the business area. I like it there because…’

This answer shows you understand the question, you have a varied vocabulary, and you can talk about the topic comfortably. Is it true? It may or may not be — and it doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that you have taken the opportunity to display your level of English.

There are several topics for Speaking Part 1 that are quite predictable (home, family, job, hobbies, and so on). Prepare some phrases and expressions, like the ones above, that you can use when talking about them.

Part 2

In Part 2 you will get a topic card with prompts. For example, you might be asked to describe a close friend, and to say:

• when you met them
• what you have in common
• why they are so special to you

These prompts (which always follow the same format) allow you to prepare a structure for your answer. So, for example, you can decide to make three points for each prompt:

‘There are three things that we have in common.
First…
And there’s another thing that I’d like to talk about…
But most importantly of all…’

Structuring your answer in this way not only lets you prepare useful language in advance, it also makes your answer more coherent and easier to follow. Part 2 is a section where you can really practise and build fluency.

Part 3

In Part 3, you will be asked follow-up questions about the topic from Part 2. Here again, you can learn a few expressions that can be used in an answer to almost any question:

‘Yes, I’ve often thought about that…’
‘That’s a big question these days…’
‘Yes, just the other day I was reading an article about that…’

This kind of functional language sounds impressive, and it also gives you a little extra time to work out what you are going to say. That’s why native speakers use them — and they can help develop your speaking style too.

Be careful!

Learning phrases and expressions like these is useful, just like learning standard phrases for emails (‘Thank you for your prompt reply’) or for essays (‘It could be argued that…’). However, it does not mean you should be preparing complete answers and learning them by heart.

This is the key distinction: inventing details as you speak is fine; reciting pre-written sentences is not. Fluent invention shows language skill. Memorised recitation shows the opposite. The examples above are meant to help you structure your answer while still sounding natural, not to be delivered word-for-word.

Speaking is not like writing — we speak with shorter, less complex vocabulary and simpler sentences. It’s okay to stumble or make mistakes, as long as you are able to fix them. Examiners are trained to spot scripted answers, and if they detect you doing this, those answers will be disregarded and your band score will suffer significantly.

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Check out our other guides on IELTS:

• IELTS Preparation: The best way to prepare for IELTS
• IELTS Writing: Too many words!
• IELTS Reading: How important is culture?