5 min freeFull speaking testFull speaking test, rehearsed out loud
3
people run this conversation
13 min
The shortest conversation
Reported in nine bands, half-bands allowed. Test centres book out about three weeks ahead.
All three parts, timed to the real structure, with an examiner who follows the script and does not help you.
A2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confidentC1 · advanced
Who you will be talking to
Full speaking test, with 3 of these 3.
In whichever order helps. The first 5 minutes with a free partner cost nothing, so you can talk to two of them before you choose.
5 min freeFull speaking test
5 min freeFull speaking test
Full speaking testWhat actually happens
Five things people say before they start.
One of them is usually the real reason. What sits underneath it is what actually gets scored.
/01
“You finish part one feeling good and the examiner has moved faster than you expected.”
Part one, and overrunning it
Short questions about your own life. Two sentences and a reason is the shape; four sentences is the warning sign and it costs you in a part you thought was the easy one.
/02
“You cover every bullet on the card in seventy seconds.”
The long turn
One minute to prepare, two to speak, no interruption and no rescue. Running out at ninety seconds is the most common failure in the whole test.
/03
“You answer a general question with a personal anecdote.”
Part three, and abstraction
The questions stop being about you and start being about society, change and comparison. This is where the band is actually decided.
/04
“You have never once practised this against a clock.”
Being timed
The examiner stops you. Knowing what that feels like in advance is most of what a rehearsal is for.
Not the situation you need?
Bring the real thing: the job description, the date on the letter, the words the school used. Everyone who runs full speaking test will work from what you actually walked in with.
How a first conversation worksWhat it costs
One price a minute, whoever you talk to.
A harder conversation simply runs longer. The shortest way to rehearse full speaking test is 13 min.
You pay for the seconds you talk, and the minutes come off a balance you already hold. Nothing renews, and you are never sent a bill. Plans and refunds.
Your first 5 minutes
What 5 free minutes are for.
01
Sit the whole thing once
Not a part. The whole test, so you find out where your time actually goes.
The terms, in full
- Free
- 5 minutes
- No card asked for
02
Read the four criteria separately
Fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation are weighted equally, and almost nobody is equal across them.
Paid for out of your free minutes
- Part one, and overrunning it
- The long turn
- Part three, and abstraction
- Being timed
Questions
What people ask before they start.
Nearby
What people open next.
The rest of Exams first, then everything else at the same difficulty.
All the situationsThe long turn
A2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confidentTwo minutes alone on a card you were given one minute to think about.2 peoplefrom 6 minPart one questions
B2 · confidentC1 · advancedShort answers about your own life, which is where most people overrun.1 personfrom 5 minBehavioral round
A2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confidentC1 · advancedTell me about a time. Then: what did you actually do, and what would you do differently.3 peoplefrom 12 min
A2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confidentTwo minutes alone on a card you were given one minute to think about.2 peoplefrom 6 minPart one questionsB2 · confidentC1 · advancedShort answers about your own life, which is where most people overrun.1 personfrom 5 minBehavioral roundA2 · basicB1 · workingB2 · confidentC1 · advancedTell me about a time. Then: what did you actually do, and what would you do differently.3 peoplefrom 12 min