Guide · Speaking

Speaking at 8–9

The examiner is not assessing your opinions or your life story, but how well you use the language. We break down what that means in practice.

Who it's for

You understand the questions but give short answers and freeze up
You've memorised answers and worry that it shows
Your Speaking is at band 6.5 and you need 7.5

What's inside

The four assessment criteria and how band 7 differs from band 8
Part 1: how to answer concisely but with development
Part 2: one minute of preparation that guarantees two minutes of talk
Part 3: abstract questions and how to think aloud
Sample band 8 answers with analysis
Pronunciation for non-native speakers: sounds, word stress and intonation
What to do if you don't know a word or didn't understand the question
A three-week practice plan you can follow without a partner

Free excerpt

IELTS Speaking at 8–9: Speak Fluently, Not from a Template

Speaking is an 11–14 minute conversation with the examiner. The conversation is recorded, but a human examiner awards the scores against four criteria. Many test takers fear this part more than the others, although it is the most predictable in terms of structure: the questions in the three parts follow the same pattern in every test.

The biggest preparation mistake is memorising answers. Examiners are trained to recognise memorised language: it has a different rhythm, different intonation and vocabulary that sounds odd in natural speech. When an examiner hears a memorised stretch, they will change the question, and that stretch will not count towards your score. The aim of this guide is to teach you to speak well on any topic, not from a crib sheet.

1. Format

Part	Duration	What happens
Part 1	4–5 minutes	Questions about you: study or work, home, hobbies, everyday topics. Usually 2–3 topics with 3–4 questions each.
Part 2	3–4 minutes	A cue card with a topic and bullet points. One minute to prepare with paper and pencil, then a 1–2 minute talk. The examiner may ask one or two short follow-up questions afterwards.
Part 3	4–5 minutes	Discussion of abstract topics linked to Part 2. The questions are more difficult and the answers are longer.

2. Four Criteria

Each counts for 25%. In plain English:

Fluency and Coherence

Fluency is not speed, but the ability to speak without long pauses, repetition and self-correction, coherently and logically.

Band 7: speaks at length without noticeable effort, with occasional pauses while searching for language, uses linking devices.
Band 8: speaks fluently, with pauses only to consider ideas, not to search for language; development of ideas is logical.

Important: a pause to think about what to say is normal — native speakers do this too. A pause to remember how to say it lowers your score.

Lexical Resource

Band 7: flexible vocabulary for a range of topics, some less common words and idiomatic language, occasional inaccuracies.
Band 8: wide vocabulary, precise word choice, idiomatic language used naturally, skilful paraphrase.

At band 8, natural conversational vocabulary is particularly valued: phrasal verbs, collocations and softening expressions. I'm not really into it sounds more natural than I do not have a great interest in this activity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Band 7: a range of complex structures, frequent error-free sentences, but some errors remain.
Band 8: most sentences are error-free, with only rare, non-systematic errors.

Pronunciation

Band 7: easy to understand throughout, some appropriate use of intonation and stress.
Band 8: wide range of pronunciation features, accent has minimal effect on intelligibility.

Pronunciation does not mean a "British accent". What is assessed is intelligibility, word stress, intonation, rhythm and connected speech. An accent is acceptable at any level as long as it does not affect intelligibility.