This is our fourth article blog on the IELTS speaking test. Today we are going to look at the third section of the IELTS speaking test. The idea is to give you an idea of what is coming in the third section of the IELTS test, so that you can prepare for it. At ieltshelpnow.com, we have a variety of IELTS practice tests and this includes sets of question of all the different parts of the IELTS speaking test. We also have examples recordings and some films of real IELTS candidates practicing with our questions. There are also examiner reports on each recording, so you can read what a real IELTS examiner says about how the students perform. That’s our IELTS practice tests!
So, after the second section of the IELTS speaking test (the individual long turn), the examiner will begin the third turn by saying that the following questions will be loosely connected to the topic that you spoke about in part 2. The examiner will have two sets of questions, with four questions each set. So, there could be eight questions asked, but, like section 1, the number of questions to be asked depends on how long the student takes in his or her answers. As an examiner, I believe that candidates should give fairly long and complex answers if possible, as this shows the examiner that he or she can do this. Not having to use all the questions is for me an indication (not the only one of course) that a candidate has ability.
Both sets of questions will be linked to the topic in section 2, though sometimes the connection is quite vague. Have a look at an example IELTS test to see. Ours are good at this, but any should be able to do this. The questions in these two sections will be of a higher level than those in section 1 and will require greater thought and linguistic ability to answer them. The questions will be fairly general in subject, but you may need to use your imagination and theorise or predict something without any certainty. It’s no good just saying that you know nothing about that, as that is just annoying for an examiner. You need to show that you are an intelligent and flexible English speaker, and this is what the test examines. The types of question will possibly ask you to imagine, compare, predict, analyse, theorise… etc. The topics asked about of course will be of higher level and require more thought before speaking. None is impossible of course. The questions are carefully made to test normal people who take IELTS. Check our IELTS practice tests if you want to see.
So, this section goes on for four to five minutes and then the examiner will end the test. The examiner should not tell you how you have performed, so just thank him or her politely and look forward to the result!
This is our last article blog on the IELTS speaking test, but probably in the future we will give some more article on improving speaking performance. We will also write some articles on the other sections of the IELTS test very soon.