IELTS Sample Examinations: Speaking and Writing

This article is a treat for you. I will be dishing out some sample exams for the International English Language Test System’s  Speaking and Writing subtests. See how well you will be able to do.

Good luck!

SPEAKING EXAMINATION

The IELTS Speaking Test is the shortest subtest of all sub-examinations. You only have 11-14 minutes to complete this examination. It is a face-to-face interview and your goal is to be able to convince your examiner you are able to speak English fluently, with a logical flow, and with appropriate Grammar and vocabulary.

The Speaking Test is divided into three parts: Task 1 (Interview), Task 2 (Individual Long Turn or Speech) and Task 3 (Discussion or Conversation). You are graded using the following criteria: Fluency and Coherence (25%), Lexical Resource (25%), Grammatical Range and Accuracy (25%), and Pronunciation (25%).

Here are some sample questions for you:

Task 1

Describe yourself.

What does your name mean?

Describe your home town.

What are your hobbies?

What is your favorite color? (Why?)

Do you like going on vacation? (Why?)

What sports do you play?

Task 2

For this Task, you have one (1) minute to come up with a 2-minute speech to answer the questions.

Describe a television program you enjoy. You must say

What it is about

When you watch it

Why you enjoy it

And say if you think it is better than other TV programs shown at the same time and why

Task 3

Task 3 questions are often related to Task 2 questions.

What are the differences of TV programs today and ten years ago?

What can be done to improve the quality of television programs today?

Can television be educational? Why or why not?

WRITING EXAMINATION

The IELTS Writing Test has two tasks. Task 1 is different from GT (letter writing) and Academic (data description) but both require a minimum of 150 words and should be finished in 20 minutes. Task 2 is an essay which would need at least 250 words and would take 40 minutes of your 1 hour for Writing.

The Writing Examination is graded using the following criteria: Task Achievement or Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Each component contributes 25% to your score.

Here are some sample questions for you.

Academic Writing Task 1

The table below summarizes important demographic information about HIV and AIDS in the Philippines in July 2012. (Data from DOH)

Summarize the data and include major points.

General Training Writing Task 1

You live in a room in college which you share with another student. However, there are many problems with this arrangement and you find it very difficult to work.

Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In the letter,

•describe the situation

•explain your problems and why it is difficult to work

•say what kind of accommodation you would prefer

Writing Task 2

1.      A growing number of people feel that animals should not be exploited by people and that they should have the same rights as humans, while others argue that humans must employ animals to satisfy their various needs, including uses for food and research.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

2. There are many types of music in the world today. Why do we need music? Is the traditional music of a country more important and should it be preserved or is international music that is heard everywhere nowadays more useful to a society?

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