This lesson gives IELTS speaking tips: How long should my answer be? This lesson has advice on the best length of your answer for each part of the IELTS speaking test. Learn how many sentences to use for IELTS speaking part 1 or how to expand your talk for IELTS speaking part 2. Learn how long your answer should be for IELTS speaking part 3.
Speaking Part 1 Advice
I heard that answers for speaking part 1 should be short. Are the answers below ok for part 1?
Q. What was your favorite book or story when you were a child?
A. The first book that I remember really enjoying was ‘……….’. It only took me a few days to read because I liked it so much that I couldn’t put it down.
Q. Do you like reading?
A. Yes, I like reading a lot. I read all sorts of things, including novels, newspapers, magazines, and online articles.
Advice and Tips
- Don’t limit your answer to only two sentences.
- Be more natural with your answer.
- If you have more information to give, then give it. For the second question above, I would probably give more “Yes, I like reading a lot. I read all sorts of things, including novels, newspapers, magazines, and online articles. However, most of my time is spent reading novels in order to relax and forget my problems.”.
- Speaking part 1 is 4 to 5 minutes in length for 12 questions. If your fluency is strong, you will be able to give longer answers. If you often hesitate when you answer, then you will waste time and your answers will need to be shorter.
- If you have strong fluency then don’t limit your answers to only two sentences. To get a high score in fluency, you must show you are able to speak at length without much effort.
- If your answer is too long, the examiner will stop you move on to the next question. That is not a bad thing, it’s just a natural part of the test.
Speaking Part 2 Advice
I heard that we must answer each question on the topic card. Is that true?
Describe a family celebration that you remember. You should say
– what you were celebrating
– who was present
– what happened
– and why you like that celebration
Answer to first two prompts:
• I’m going to describe my sister’s wedding day, which took place a few years ago in the town where I grew up. For my sister it was the biggest and most important day of her life.
• I think there were around 100 people at the marriage ceremony, which was held in a church. Even more people came to the party, or the wedding reception as we call it, after the ceremony. Of course, most members of my family were there, as well as the groom’s family and a collection of the bride and groom’s friends and colleagues. The person I remember most was …… because we hadn’t seen each other in over two years so that was a really pleasant surprise.
Advice and Tips
- There are no questions on the topic card.
- There are prompts on the card.
- Prompts are there to guide you – nothing more.
- To give a full talk, you must add much more information to your talk rather than only follow the prompts.
- This is your main chance in the test to show your fluency. Use this opportunity and give lots of description and information.
- If the prompt asks “who was present”, you can add why they were there, how close you were to those people, how they traveled to the wedding, if there were any people you wished hadn’t gone, describe a person you clearly remember … You choose what extra information to add.
Speaking Part 3 Advice
Is the answer below the right length?
Q. Is it better to get advice from a friend or from a family member?
A. I think it depends on the kind of advice that you need. Parents and grandparents probably have more life experience than a friend, and so you might get a wiser or more sensible answer from them. On the other hand, friends are less likely to become too worried if you go to them with a problem. For example, I probably wouldn’t want to burden my parents with a financial problem.
Answer
- The answer above is reasonable but not very detailed.
- If you have a very good level of English then this answer does not demonstrate your fluency or a good range of English.
- It’s always good in speaking part 3 to give examples.
- Give more examples of when you would seek advice from grandparents – what kinds of problems would prompt you to ask for their help?
- It is always better in speaking to give more than you need to give, than to give less.
How long should my answers be in IELTS speaking?
If you have a lower level of English with many hesitations, your answers will be shorter. If you are a fluent talker, your answer should be longer – in fact it would be a shame to have fluent English and only give short answers.
Here is a link to an IELTS speaking practice test video. There is also a link in that lesson to a model speaking test. You will be able to see clearly how long my answers are: Practice Speaking Test Video
