How to practise IELTS Speaking at home for free (Parts 1–3)

What IELTS Speaking actually tests

IELTS Speaking is an 11–14 minute conversation with a human examiner, scored on four equally-weighted criteria. Knowing them turns vague 'practice' into targeted practice.

• Fluency & Coherence — keeping going without long pauses, and organising ideas logically.
• Lexical Resource — a range of vocabulary, including less-common words and collocations, used naturally.
• Grammatical Range & Accuracy — a mix of sentence structures with frequent error-free sentences.
• Pronunciation — clear sounds, word stress and natural rhythm (a 'native' accent is not required).

Part 1 — the interview (familiar topics)

Part 1 asks about you: home, work or study, hobbies, food, weather. Answers should be two or three sentences — enough to add a reason or example, never a one-word reply and never a memorised speech.

Free drill: list 15 common Part 1 topics, then answer three questions on each out loud. Push every answer past the first sentence by adding 'because…' or 'for example…'.

Part 2 — the cue card (the long turn)

You get a card, one minute to prepare with paper, then you must speak for 1–2 minutes. Use the prep minute to jot 4–6 keywords (not sentences), one for each bullet, plus a couple of strong words you want to use.

Free drill: practise the full ritual — one minute of notes, then talk until the two minutes are up without stopping. Tell it like a short story with specifics (names, places, reasons, feelings); detail is what keeps you talking and shows range.

Part 3 — the discussion (abstract ideas)

Part 3 develops the Part 2 topic into bigger questions: opinions, comparisons, causes, and the future. Examiners want extended, reasoned answers, not quick facts.

Free drill: take any 'why / how / do you think' question and answer in a mini-structure — state your view, give a reason, give an example, then consider the other side. Practising that shape out loud makes it automatic on test day.

Rehearse out loud every day (free)

The examiner rewards fluency, and fluency only grows when you actually speak. The problem with silent study is that the words freeze when you finally have to say them.

A speaking game is the easiest way to guarantee daily out-loud practice, because it won't progress until you speak. engforedu.com/pine-speak is free and includes an 'Exam speaking' genre with IELTS-style read-aloud, repeat and long-turn/describe prompts — so warming up on it doubles as Part 2 and Part 3 rehearsal. Do a few rounds a day and speaking stops being scary.

Record, then mark yourself against the four criteria

Record every Part 2 attempt on your phone and listen back with the four criteria in front of you. Where did you pause? Did you repeat the same simple words? Were your sentences all short and simple? Did any sounds get swallowed?

For sharper feedback, free AI-scored practice at engforedu.com/journey marks spoken and written answers against the official IELTS criteria and shows exactly what to fix — the per-criterion feedback that normally needs a teacher. Rewrite or re-record the weakest bit, then try again; that loop is where the band actually moves.

Common mistakes that cap your band

• Memorising 'template' answers — examiners spot them and they rarely fit the question.
• Stopping too early in Part 2, which caps your fluency score.
• Giving one-line answers in Part 3 instead of developing an argument.
• Using only simple sentences, or complex ones full of errors.
• Practising silently and never recording, so you never hear your real weak points.