IELTS Speaking Practice: Diagnostic Quiz

Do you know what score you’d get in IELTS Speaking if you took the test tomorrow? With this IELTS Speaking Diagnostic Quiz, you can get some idea of where you’re at and set your current baseline score. Though it isn’t a full IELTS Speaking Practice Test, this speaking evaluation simulates an interview like the one you’ll experience on IELTS test day, and provides tips for scoring your own diagnostic. We know that practicing spoken English can be a challenge, especially without a fluent speaker to help you out—but taking this IElTS Speaking assessment is a good (low pressure) place to start!

Note that some of the questions in this quiz also appear in our free full-length IELTS practice test. We recommend taking that, too, if you’d like to practice taking a full-length, timed IELTS for free! And if you’re taking this partly to assess how hard the IELTS will be for you, be sure to also read our article “How Hard is the IELTS“?

How this IELTS Speaking Evaluation is Structured

Content: This quiz imitates a full IELTS Speaking interview, and contains three sections, as follows:

Part 1: Introduction and Interview

• This section is 4-5 minutes.
• You must introduce yourself and confirm your identity.
• You will answer general questions on basic topics from daily life such as school, work, family, holidays, etc.

Part 2: Individual Long Turn

• This section is 3-4 minutes, including 1 minute preparation time.
• You will receive a question card with a topic and some bullet points to discuss in your talk.
• You will have one minute to prepare and record notes if you wish.
• You should talk for 1-2 minutes.
• The examiner will ask some follow-up questions after you finish your talk.

Part 3: Two-Way Discussion

• This section is 4-5 minutes.
• You must respond the examiner’s questions, which will be related to the topic in Task 2.
• The topics and questions will be more abstract.
• The following practice materials give you an example of the kinds of questions you might encounter on the Speaking exam.

IELTS Speaking Practice Test Instructions and Video

Watch the interactive video for our quiz. In this video, Eliot, our lead IELTS instructor, will act as the IELTS Speaking interviewer. Pause the video to practice answering his questions.

Record and save your responses, using a free program such as Windows Sound recorder, or a free online app such as Online Voice Recorder or Speak Pipe. (Note that if you have a Magoosh IELTS subscription, you can record and store additional responses right in your Magoosh account!) Beneath the quiz video, I’ll give you some sample answer explanations, as well as instructions on how to score yourself for this quiz.

Magoosh’s Interactive Video Quiz For IELTS Speaking

Magoosh IELTS Speaking Score Calculator: How to Grade Your IELTS Speaking Diagnostic Quiz

At this point, we’d love to be able to record your answers and automatically calculate your IELTS Speaking band score. Unfortunately, we are neither highly sentient robots nor magical wizards able to apparate (that’s Harry Potter for “teleport”) to your side…but we can give you some expert advice on how to accurately grade your own IELTS Speaking assessment!

Now that you’ve watched our IELTS Speaking Quiz video and given your answers, check out our video of sample answers. You’ll see a transcript of the questions and answers below the video, in case you’d like to read what you just heard. (Answers in the transcript will be in italics.)

IELTS Speaking Quiz: Example Answer Video

IELTS Speaking Quiz: Example Answer Transcript

(Again, remember that the example student responses are in italics.)

IELTS Speaking, Part 1

Let’s talk about travel….

Where is an interesting place you’ve traveled?

I spent a month in Canada last year, with a friend from my hometown. We began in the west, in Vancouver, and we took a train across the country to Quebec, stopping several places in between. I found the scenery and the cities very interesting.

Do you like to fly on airplanes? Why or why not?

I don’t mind flying on airplanes, but I don’t love it. It’s not fun going through all the security to get on the flight, and the seats are always uncomfortable. It’s usually a relief to get off the plane at my destination.

What place would you really like to visit?

I would love to visit Australia one day. I am a scuba diver, so I’m especially interested in seeing the Great Barrier Reef.

OK, now let’s talk a little bit about food.

What is your favorite food?

I really love sweets, and chocolate is my favorite treat by far. I have at least one small piece of chocolate every day.

What kids of food do people from your country normally eat for breakfast?

Breakfast is not a big meal in my country. Most people have a cup of coffee and some bread and butter, or perhaps some cereal and yogurt.

Who did most of the cooking in your home?

My mother and father shared the cooking duties in our family. Both of my parents worked during the day, so whoever came home first would start preparing dinner.

Do you prefer eating a home-cooked meal or eating at a restaurant?

That’s a difficult question to answer. I do love trying new types of food, food that I can’t make easily at home. And it’s very fun to socialize with friends at a restaurant. But these are special occasions. In general, I prefer to eat food at home and spend time with my family at the dinner table.

IELTS Speaking, Part 2

Candidate task card:

Describe something important you learned from a teacher.

You should say:

the grade in which you took the teacher’s class
the subject of the class
the important thing you learned
and explain why this lesson was meaningful to you.

You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes.

You have 1 minute to think about what you are going to say.

You can make some notes to help you if you wish.

I’ve had several excellent teachers, but one stands out to me because of a significant lesson she taught me.

I took this teacher’s math class when I was in the third year of high school. I’ve always found math frustrating, and this class was especially difficult for me. My teacher noticed that I was struggling, but she didn’t give up on me. The important lesson she taught me was that I should never be afraid to take risks and try new things, even if I might fail.

This lesson was meaningful to me, because up to that time, I generally stayed away from activities that might be difficult for me. I was afraid of failure, and even more afraid of people watching me fail. My high school math teacher noticed this in me. I always sat at the back of her class and looked down at my desk as she asked questions.

After one very difficult quiz in which I missed a lot of questions, she sat with me for nearly an hour to help me understand how to answer the problems. When we finished, she told me she would offer me an opportunity to improve my grade, but only if I would get in front of the class the next day, and teach everyone what I had learned about the questions I had answered incorrectly.

I took her offer. And by getting in front of the class and teaching others, I learned that I was not the only person struggling, and that I had the skill to teach others about these difficult problems. I think it’s a good lesson for life: it’s important to take risks and overcome the fear of failure.

Rounding off questions:

Do you use what you learned from this teacher in your life today?

Yes. I’m much more likely to try new things now than I was in high school. For example I am not a great musician, but I joined a choir recently because I like singing and music. Performing in front of an audience is fun, and it gives me confidence. It is definitely something I would not do if I still feared failure like I did before.

Did you ever tell this teacher about your appreciation?

Well, I thanked her at the time for giving me so much help with my quiz. I don’t’ think I realized the larger lesson she taught me until much later, until after I graduated from high school. It’s unfortunate, because I really would like to thank her.

IELTS Speaking, Part 3

Let’s consider teaching and learning more deeply…

What qualities make an excellent teacher?

Obviously, a good teacher should be knowledgeable about the subject matter he or she teaches. But it’s also important for a teacher to be passionate about the class. An excellent teacher is excited to be there, and wants to show the students something amazing or useful, or both.< A teacher should be very committed to student growth and learning. Some students need a lot of attention and help. Some students learn best by hearing a lecture, while others will learn best by performing an activity. Whatever the need may be, excellent teachers find ways to reach students in the most effective way.

By contrast, what are some mistakes teachers make that make them less
effective?

I think it is a mistake when teachers focus mainly on the best students. Yes, some students will always understand the class materials faster and more easily than others. But that doesn’t mean these students should receive the most attention from teachers. Teachers should find ways to push these students, and to the students who might be struggling in class.

I imagine it must feel good to teachers when the best students grasp the material quickly. They might think “I taught this idea well, since the smartest students understand.” In reality though, a teacher’s measurement of success should be how well the entire class understands, not just a few of the best students.

Would you enjoy being a teacher? Why or why not?

I don’t think I would like to be a teacher. The social aspect of teaching would be nice, daily interaction with students and parents. But I believe I would not like classroom management. It seems like so much of teaching involves managing student behavior, grading assignments, organizing clubs, and other extracurricular activities. I have enough work just organizing my own time. It seems like too much to manage an entire classroom.

Finally, let’s consider the current climate of education…

Do you think kids face too much or too little pressure related to school these days?

Well, I think they face a lot of stress and pressure, but I don’t think it’s so different from what most students will eventually find in the real world when they graduate from school.

As students mature into the higher grades, it’s more appropriate for students to face pressure. In the end I believe there’s more to life than school and work, so each person must decide how much pressure to allow into his or her life.

How to Grade Yourself on This Quiz

Carefully measure your recorded speaking responses against the official IELTS Speaking rubric.

Also compare your responses to the sample response in the video and transcript answers/answer explanations on this page.

Ideally, you should also show your recorded responses to an actual human being (teacher, classmate or friend with high English ability, etc.) and get feedback. Note: Magoosh itself does not provide feedback for students’ individual IELTS Speaking responses.

Now that You’ve Finished the Quiz, Where Can You Find More IELTS Speaking Test Practice?

Done with the quiz? Your next step is to keep practicing, so you can bring your IELTS Speaking skills to the next level. For tons of tips and tricks, as well as links to a lot of additional IELTS Speaking practice, see Magoosh’s Complete Guide to IELTS Speaking. When you’re ready for some serious IELTS prep, sign up for Magoosh IELTS.

To measure your other IELTS skills, see our diagnostic quizzes for Reading, Listening, and Writing.