Full speaking test practice
A complete Speaking test rehearsal: three Part 1 topics, a Part 2 cue card and a Part 3 discussion, each with band 8 model answers. Listen to a band 8 long turn, then mark your own recordings against the four criteria with a self-evaluation checklist and a three-listen review method.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Complete a full rehearsal of all three parts under exam conditions, recording every answer in one take
- Match the length and style of each answer to what the examiner expects in Parts 1, 2 and 3
- Evaluate your recordings against Fluency & Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range & Accuracy and Pronunciation
- Use a structured review routine to turn each recording into one clear improvement target
The test at a glance
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Length | 4–5 minutes | 3–4 minutes, including 1 minute to prepare | 4–5 minutes |
What happens | Introductions and an ID check, then questions on three familiar topics | You get a cue card, pencil and paper; prepare for 1 minute, speak for up to 2 minutes, then answer one or two short follow-up questions | A two-way discussion of more abstract issues linked to the Part 2 topic |
Ideal answer | 2–3 sentences (about 15–25 seconds) | Keep going until the examiner stops you at 2 minutes (at least 1 minute 45 seconds) | 4–6 sentences (about 30–60 seconds) |
Examiner flexibility | Follows a script; can repeat a question but not explain it | Cannot change the card; will stop you at 2 minutes | Can rephrase questions, ask ‘Why?’ and challenge your view |
Main challenge | Sounding natural, not memorised | Keeping going with organised, detailed ideas | Explaining and justifying abstract ideas |
Set up your rehearsal
- 1
Recreate the room
Sit at a table in a quiet room with your phone face down. Have a pencil, paper and a timer ready. If a friend can play the examiner and read the questions aloud, even better.
- 2
One take per part
Record each part in a single take, without pausing or restarting. If you make a mistake, correct it and keep going, exactly as you would in the test.
- 3
Follow real timings
Part 1: answer each question as it comes. Part 2: exactly one minute for notes, then talk until the two-minute timer rings. Part 3: aim for 30–60 seconds per answer.
- 4
Don't peek
Read each set of questions only when you are ready to answer. Look at the tips and model answers after you have recorded, not before.
- 5
Review afterwards
When all three parts are recorded, take a five-minute break. Then mark yourself with the self-evaluation checklist and the three-listen method at the end of this lesson.
Speaking Part 1 practice
4 questions · up to 45s eachLet's talk about what you do. Do you work, or are you a student?
Listen to the question, then record your answer.
Tips for a band 7+ answer
- • Answer the question in your first few words, then add a reason or a detail: 2–3 sentences, about 15–25 seconds each.
- • Describe your studies naturally: ‘I'm doing a degree in…’, ‘I'm in my second year of…’. Avoid ‘I am doing my graduation in…’ or ‘I am studying in BBA’, which sound unnatural to examiners.
- • Use the present simple for facts and routines, the present continuous for temporary situations (‘I'm also doing some tutoring this year’) and ‘I might…’ or ‘I'm thinking of…’ for future plans.
- • Don't recite a prepared speech about your subject or job. Examiners are trained to recognise memorised answers.
- • Record all four answers in one take without pausing.
Speaking Part 1 practice
4 questions · up to 45s eachNow let's talk about handwriting. Do you write much by hand these days?
Listen to the question, then record your answer.
Tips for a band 7+ answer
- • This topic needs three time frames: present habits (‘these days I mostly type’), the past (‘we had to copy…’, ‘my teacher used to…’) and the future (‘it'll probably become…’). Check that your tenses change correctly.
- • ‘It depends’ is a good start only if you immediately say what it depends on.
- • Choose one precise, natural word per answer rather than a ‘big’ word: scribble, neat, illegible, cross things off.
- • If you don't know the word for something, describe it (‘a special exercise book with four lines on each row’). Paraphrase is rewarded under Lexical Resource.
- • Keep Part 1 answers short enough to sound natural. The examiner has a lot of questions to get through.
Speaking Part 1 practice
4 questions · up to 45s eachLet's talk about walking. Do you walk much in your daily life?
Listen to the question, then record your answer.
Tips for a band 7+ answer
- • Compare past and present accurately: ‘used to’ or ‘would’ for past habits (‘we used to walk everywhere’), and ‘now that…’ or ‘these days’ for the contrast.
- • For a ‘what could be done’ question, one clear suggestion with a reason is enough in Part 1. Save longer answers for Part 3.
- • Local words such as rickshaw or CNG are fine, as long as the meaning is clear from the context.
- • Vary your openings across all twelve Part 1 answers. If every answer starts with ‘Yes, of course’ or ‘Actually’, the examiner notices.
- • Don't listen back yet. Go straight on to Part 2, as you would in the real test.
Part 2: the long turn
In the real test, the examiner hands you a cue card, a pencil and paper and says something like: ‘I'd like you to talk about this topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say, and you can make some notes if you wish.’
Start your timer: one minute for keyword notes, then speak until two minutes have passed. Use the routine from earlier lessons: choose a specific story fast, write 2–4 keywords per bullet, and save your best reasons and feelings for the ‘explain’ line.
Speaking Part 2 practice
1 min prep · up to 2 min talkDescribe a skill that took you a long time to learn.
You should say:
- what the skill is
- when and why you started learning it
- what difficulties you had while learning it
and explain how you feel about this skill now.
Start your one minute of preparation, then talk for up to two minutes.
Tips for a band 7+ answer
- • Exam conditions: one minute of notes (start a timer), then speak without stopping the recording. The examiner stops you at two minutes; in practice, keep going until your timer rings.
- • Pick a skill with a story. Something you genuinely struggled with (swimming, cooking, driving, an instrument, coding, a language) gives you natural material for the ‘difficulties’ bullet.
- • Use the full range of past forms: past simple for events, past continuous for background, past perfect for earlier events (‘I'd never been in deep water before’) and ‘used to’ for old habits.
- • Spend the most time on the difficulties and the ‘explain’ line. That is where reasons, feelings and less common vocabulary come in.
- • Rounding-off question afterwards: ‘Is it easy to find somewhere to learn that skill where you live?’ Answer in one or two sentences.
Listen: a band 8 long turn on the same card (a different story)
Check: the band 8 long turn and the rules of the test
7 questions- 1
How does the speaker in the audio open his long turn?
- 2
Choose TWO techniques the speaker uses to fill two minutes naturally.
Select 2.
- 3
Match each extract from the audio to the grammar it shows.
‘much harder than I'd expected’‘she'd say something like…’‘I must have burnt the bottom of the pot a dozen times’‘What finally made the difference was…’ - 4
The speaker covers the cue-card points in the same order as they appear on the card.
- 5
In Part 1, you don't understand a question. What is the examiner allowed to do?
- 6
The examiner stops you in the middle of a sentence at the end of Part 2. What does this mean?
- 7
In Part 2 you have one minute to prepare and should then speak for up to minutes.
Answer every question to check.
Part 3: the discussion
Now the examiner moves from your experience to wider issues, with something like: ‘We've been talking about a skill you learned. Now I'd like to discuss some more general questions related to this.’ The questions below are about skills and learning in society.
This is where bands 7 and 8 are usually decided, because the questions demand reasons, comparisons and speculation. Give each answer 30–60 seconds: a clear view, a reason, an example and, if you can, a contrast or a consequence.
Speaking Part 3 practice
5 questions · up to 90s eachWhat practical skills do you think every young person should learn before leaving home?
Listen to the question, then record your answer.
Tips for a band 7+ answer
- • Answer, explain, give an example, and if possible add another view or a consequence: about 30–60 seconds per question.
- • Move from ‘me’ to ‘people’. Part 3 is about society, so your own experience should be one example, not the whole answer.
- • If the examiner challenges you (‘But some people would say…’), acknowledge the point, then defend or refine your view. Disagreement is a chance to show range, not a sign that you are wrong.
- • For future and hypothetical questions, use speculation language: ‘I'd imagine…’, ‘There's a good chance that…’, ‘If machines took over…, people would…’.
- • If a question feels too broad, narrow it: ‘If we're talking about Bangladesh…’ or ‘For older people especially…’.
Calibrate your ear: band 6 vs band 8 on the same Part 3 question
Band 6
Q: Is it better to learn a new skill from a teacher or by yourself?
I think it is better to learn from a teacher. Because teacher can tell you the mistakes. For example, when I learn driving, my teacher help me a lot. Learning by yourself is also good because, um, you can learn anytime… anytime you want. But, er, but teacher is more better, I think. So teacher is better.
Band 8
Q: Is it better to learn a new skill from a teacher or by yourself?
It really depends on the skill, but for anything physical, I'd say a teacher is almost essential. When you're learning to drive or to play the tabla, a good teacher spots bad habits before they become automatic, whereas on your own you might practise the same mistake for months without realising. For skills like using new software, though, teaching yourself can actually be more efficient, because you can go at your own pace and focus only on what you need. So ideally, I think people should combine the two: learn the basics independently, and get expert feedback once they've hit a wall.
Fluency & Coherence: the band 6 answer stalls (‘um… anytime… anytime’) and circles back to the same point (‘So teacher is better’), while the band 8 answer moves from a view, through a contrast, to a conclusion. Lexical Resource: ‘tell you the mistakes’ versus ‘spots bad habits before they become automatic’, ‘go at your own pace’, ‘hit a wall’. Grammatical Range & Accuracy: ‘when I learn driving’, ‘teacher help me’, ‘more better’ versus a whereas-clause, a relative structure and an accurate present perfect (‘once they've hit a wall’). Ask yourself honestly which answer your recording sounds closer to.
What to listen for: the four criteria in your recording
| Criterion | Listen for | Band 6 sounds like… | Band 8 sounds like… |
|---|---|---|---|
Fluency & Coherence | Where you pause, how often you restart, how your ideas connect | Keeps going, but pauses mid-phrase to find words; repeats ‘and… and then… so’; some answers lose their thread | Pauses only to think about ideas, not words; rare repetition or self-correction; ideas follow logically, linked with varied markers (‘That said’, ‘On top of that’, ‘What I mean is’) |
Lexical Resource | Precision, repetition, paraphrase | Enough words to talk at length, but general ones repeat (good, nice, very, a lot); some odd collocations; meaning still clear | Precise topic words and natural collocations (‘take something for granted’, ‘hit a wall’); idioms used sparingly and naturally; smooth paraphrase when a word is missing |
Grammatical Range & Accuracy | The range of structures and how many sentences are error-free | A mix of short and complex sentences, but frequent errors in the complex ones (tense, he/she, plural -s, articles) | A wide range used naturally (conditionals, relative clauses, passives, past perfect, modals of speculation); most sentences completely error-free |
Pronunciation | Individual sounds, word stress, rhythm and intonation | Generally understood, but some words unclear; stress on the wrong syllable; flat or rushed delivery that blurs ideas together | Easy to understand throughout; clear word stress; speech chunked into meaningful phrases; intonation highlights what matters; accent has little effect on clarity |
Self-evaluation checklist: tick what is true of your recording
How to review your recordings: the three-listen method
- 1
Listen 1 · As the examiner (no stopping)
Play the whole test once, straight through, with the checklist in front of you, and note a rough band for each criterion. The examiner hears you only once, so your first impression matters.
- 2
Listen 2 · Transcribe one minute
Choose one minute of Part 2 and one Part 3 answer and write down exactly what you said, including every ‘um’, restart and error. Your eyes catch what your ears miss: repeated words, missing articles, wrong tenses. If you start from the app's speech-recognition transcript, correct it while you listen. When it keeps mishearing the same word, check your pronunciation of that word, but treat it as a clue, not a verdict.
- 3
Mark it by criterion
Use four colours or symbols: pauses and restarts (FC), vague or repeated words (LR), grammar errors (GRA) and words you may not have said clearly (P). The criterion with the most marks is your priority.
- 4
Fix and record your errors
Write a corrected, upgraded version of the transcribed minute and add every recurring error to your personal error list. Don't turn it into a script to memorise; keep keywords only.
- 5
Listen 3 · Compare with the models
Play the band 8 audio again and shadow a few sentences, copying its stress, pauses and intonation. Compare your speed, your chunking and how you link ideas.
- 6
Re-record and track
Within 24 hours, answer the same questions again with ONE target in mind. Keep every recording with its date, and once a month listen to your first and latest attempts back to back. Progress you can hear is the best motivation there is.
Final quiz: evaluating your speaking
9 questions- 1
Match each problem you might hear in a recording to the criterion it mainly affects.
Long silences in the middle of phrases while you search for wordsSaying ‘good’ and ‘very nice’ in almost every answer‘When I was child, my father teach me to swim.’Every word stressed equally, in a flat, robotic tone - 2
A Bangladeshi accent prevents you from getting band 8 for Pronunciation.
- 3
What is the most useful way to measure your fluency on a recording?
- 4
Put the steps of the recording review in order.
Drag the cards (or use the arrows) into the correct order.
- 1Re-record the same questions with one target in mind
- 2Mark the transcript by criterion
- 3Listen once, straight through, as the examiner would
- 4Transcribe one minute word for word
- 5Write a corrected version and update your error list
- 5
You notice you said ‘I am agree’ three times in Part 3. What is the best response?
- 6
Using as many idioms as possible is the fastest way to raise your Lexical Resource score.
- 7
Choose TWO signs of band 8 Grammatical Range & Accuracy in a recording.
Select 2.
- 8
In Part 3 the examiner says: ‘But some people would say that's unrealistic.’ What should you do?
- 9
The whole Speaking test lasts between eleven and minutes.
Answer every question to check.
Key takeaways
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