This page covers Speaking only. How pricing works, what happens after you book and where to register for the test are on the online IELTS tutor page for China.
Check Google Meet before you book. Lessons run on Google Meet, and Google services are generally not reachable in mainland China without extra tools (see the online IELTS tutor page for China). Check that you can open it from where you will have the lesson, and message Mike first if you are unsure. His email, mkcenter007@gmail.com, is a Gmail address, which is a Google service, so the same limits may apply; his number, +84 383 390 963, is also on Zalo, WhatsApp and Telegram, so check which of these you can use from where you are. No other platform is promised.
How a one-to-one Speaking session with Mike works
Mike holds the Cambridge CELTA and is based in Hanoi. He teaches every session himself, one-to-one, live on Google Meet and in English. His own IELTS result is 7.5 overall, with 8.5 in Speaking (About Mike). A regular session lasts 60 minutes, and a paid 30-minute trial can be booked once, on a first booking. A Speaking session can include:
- Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real format, to the timings of the real test.
- Feedback during the session, while the answer is fresh, not days later.
- Feedback on what Mike heard across the four criteria below, which are scored separately.
- A recording on request, so you can listen back.
- Written progress notes in your account after each session.
This is practice with a teacher, not an IELTS test, and no band is promised: progress depends on where you start and on the work you do between sessions. Mike is a teacher, not an IELTS examiner, and a session gives no official result. The IELTS Speaking coaching page describes a session in full.
The real IELTS Speaking test: three parts, 11 to 14 minutes
According to ielts.org's Speaking format page, the test is an interview between you and an examiner. It is recorded and assessed throughout by certificated IELTS examiners, and it takes 11 to 14 minutes in all.
| Part | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1, introduction and interview | The examiner introduces themselves, checks your identity, then asks questions. | 4 to 5 minutes |
| Part 2, long turn | You speak on a topic from a task card, after time to prepare. | 3 to 4 minutes, including preparation |
| Part 3, discussion | You discuss issues linked to the Part 2 topic in a more general and abstract way. | 4 to 5 minutes |
ielts.org's article on the Speaking test adds that in Part 2 you get 1 minute to prepare and 2 minutes to speak, and the British Council's Speaking preparation page adds that Part 2 can come with follow-up questions. Speaking is the same for Academic and General Training, according to ielts.org's Academic test page.
The four Speaking criteria in plain words
ielts.org's scoring page says Speaking is assessed on four criteria with equal weighting, and the average gives the Speaking band. The table summarises ielts.org's public Speaking band descriptors (PDF) in plain words. It is not a quotation; read the PDF for the exact wording.
| Criterion | In plain words, and what the descriptors look at |
|---|---|
| Fluency and coherence | Keeping going, including in long turns, with ideas a listener can follow. The descriptors look at hesitation, repetition and self-correction. |
| Lexical resource | The words you can use and how precisely you use them, including paraphrasing, which means saying something another way. The descriptors mention paraphrasing. |
| Grammatical range and accuracy | The range of sentence structures you use and how accurate they are. The descriptors look at the mix of short and complex forms and the effect of errors. |
| Pronunciation | How easily a listener can follow you. The descriptors look at stress, intonation, rhythm and the effort needed to understand you. |
The descriptors rate average performance across all parts of the test, so practising only Part 2 would not cover what is assessed; that is this page's inference, not an ielts.org statement. IELTS Speaking from Band 6 to Band 7 compares the bands.
How the Speaking test is arranged in mainland China
Read in October 2026 on ielts.org and the providers' Chinese-language pages. This section covers computer-delivered IELTS only: a British Council China page still mentions paper-based tests, with a different Speaking window, so confirm your format on your booking. Band Booster does not run or register for the test, and this page quotes no fee or date.
Who runs the test
The British Council China IELTS page says IELTS in mainland China is run jointly by the British Council and the Ministry of Education's examination authority. IDP China publishes its own mainland information on a separate Chinese-language site, idpielts.cn. You register with a provider, not with Band Booster, so check which one your booking is with.
Speaking is described as a video call at the test centre
For computer-delivered IELTS, both providers' China pages describe Speaking as a video call with an examiner. The British Council's IELTS on computer page says an online video call, face to face, with a real examiner, and IDP China's computer-based IELTS page describes a real-time video call with an examiner. ielts.org's Speaking format pages say a face-to-face interview, while its Guide for Test Takers says Speaking is taken face to face or via video call, so the wording differs between sources (and British Council China's own pages use video call, online face to face and person-to-person wording). Either way Speaking is with an examiner, and your booking confirmation says what applies to you.
The British Council's test-day page says video-call Speaking is identical in format to the on-site interview apart from three things: the examiner speaks through a screen, you wear headphones throughout, and the Part 2 task is shown on screen. Timings are unchanged, and candidates still go to a test centre, although the same page warns that the venue and address of the written and Speaking sessions may differ from the test centre's own address. Arrival and check-in times differ by provider, so follow your confirmation; the computer-delivered IELTS page covers test day in outline.
Is Speaking on the same day as the written tests?
- British Council China says computer-based Speaking is usually on the same day as the written test, or as close to it as possible. It can fall outside that range in special circumstances, and the time cannot be changed at the candidate's request, although its computer page also says candidates can book the Speaking time themselves in the official WeChat mini programme, so check which applies to your booking.
- IDP China says the four parts are usually completed on one day and the Speaking time is chosen when you register; in special circumstances candidates are notified separately, and IDP reserves the right to adjust the Speaking arrangement.
Neither provider promises same-day Speaking, so check your confirmation.
Is IELTS Online available in mainland China?
ielts.org's ways to take IELTS page says IELTS Online is for IELTS Academic only and is offered in some countries, with Speaking by online video call with an examiner. This page has not confirmed it for mainland China, and the China provider pages read here describe Speaking at a test centre, so ask the provider first.
IELTS Speaking mock test and practice online
Yes, as practice, not as an IELTS result. Some options:
- A session with Mike can be a mock interview: Parts 1, 2 and 3 in order and to time, with feedback during the session and a recording on request. Mike is a teacher, not an IELTS examiner, and he gives no official result. The IELTS Speaking coaching page describes the mock interview.
- Sample tasks from ielts.org: ielts.org links a PDF of Speaking sample tasks, with sample Part 1, 2 and 3 tasks, recordings and transcripts.
- Topics and timing on this site: the Part 2 cue cards, the Part 1 and Part 3 topics (themes, not real test questions) and the Speaking Part 2 timer.
The pages for ielts.org's Trial Test and for the familiarisation test on British Council China's computer page list Listening, Reading and Writing, and neither lists Speaking. This page has not checked which of these links open on your network.
Beijing time and Hanoi time: one hour apart all year
The IANA time zone database puts mainland China on Beijing time, UTC+8, and Vietnam at UTC+7, and neither currently uses daylight saving. Mainland China is therefore one hour ahead of Hanoi all year: 21:00 in Beijing is 20:00 in Hanoi. The same file lists a separate Xinjiang time, UTC+6, used by many people in western China; on that time, Hanoi is one hour ahead of you.
The calendar on the booking page shows every slot in your own time zone. Mike's calendar decides which slots are open, and no particular hours are promised.
General tips for improving IELTS Speaking
General practice ideas, not guidance from ielts.org, IDP or the British Council; no band is promised. For how the bands compare, see IELTS Speaking from Band 6 to Band 7.
- Practise all three parts, because the descriptors rate average performance across the test.
- Time Part 2: ielts.org gives 1 minute to prepare and 2 minutes to speak.
- Add a reason and a detail to short answers, since ielts.org says Part 3 assesses expressing and justifying opinions.
- Record yourself and listen for pauses, repetition and self-correction.
- Work on one criterion at a time, because the four are scored separately.
Who this suits, and who it does not
It may suit you if you want to speak aloud to a live listener, hear feedback while the answer is fresh, and book sessions as you need them, with no subscription or package. Rescheduling is at no charge up to 12 hours before a slot. It may not suit you if:
- you cannot open Google Meet where you study, because no other platform is promised;
- you want explanations in Mandarin, because lessons are in English only;
- you want a class or a fixed weekly timetable, because sessions are one-to-one and depend on the open slots in Mike's calendar;
- you want a promised band or timeline, because none is promised;
- you want a real IELTS result or help registering, because Band Booster does not run the test.