How a one-to-one Speaking session with Mike works
Mike holds the Cambridge CELTA, is based in Hanoi and teaches every session himself, live on Google Meet and in English. His own IELTS result is 7.5 overall, with 8.5 in Speaking. Every session is one-to-one, with no group classes (about Mike). A Speaking session gives you:
- Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format;
- feedback during the session, not days later;
- a recording on request, so you can listen back;
- written progress notes in your account afterwards.
A regular session is 60 minutes, and a paid 30-minute trial can be taken once, on a first booking. You see your price in your own currency on the booking page before you pay; the online IELTS tutor page for Hong Kong explains how pricing and booking work. Progress depends on your starting point and the work between sessions, and no band is promised.
Mock Speaking test online: what a session is and is not
A session can run as a timed practice interview through Parts 1, 2 and 3, with feedback during the session, or spend longer on the part you find hardest. It is practice with a teacher, not an IELTS test, and nothing from a session is an IELTS test result. The mock interview section of IELTS Speaking coaching says more (its prices are for Vietnam), and the British Council's practice test page, linked below, lists Speaking mock tests.
The IELTS Speaking test: three parts, 11 to 14 minutes
According to ielts.org, Speaking is a face-to-face interview with an examiner, and the test is recorded. It has three parts and takes 11 to 14 minutes, and the General Training Speaking page gives the same figures. ielts.org's Academic test page, IDP Hong Kong's Speaking page and the British Council's Speaking page each say the Speaking test is the same for Academic and General Training (see Academic or General Training).
| Part | What happens, according to ielts.org | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Introduction and interview | The examiner introduces themself, checks your identity and asks general questions on familiar topics such as home, family, work, studies or interests. | 4 to 5 minutes |
| 2. Long turn | You get a task card on one topic and one minute to prepare, with pencil and paper for notes. The aim is to keep talking for 2 minutes; the examiner stops you when time is up and may ask one or two questions on the same topic. | 3 to 4 minutes, including preparation |
| 3. Discussion | You and the examiner discuss issues related to the Part 2 topic in a more general and abstract way, going deeper where appropriate. | 4 to 5 minutes |
Check the current format on ielts.org before your test date. For practice, see Part 2 cue cards, Part 1 and Part 3 topics and the Speaking Part 2 timer.
The four band criteria in plain words
The ielts.org Speaking page says certificated examiners assess your performance throughout the test, on four criteria. Its scoring page adds that each criterion carries equal weighting and the overall average gives the Speaking score. The public band descriptors add that you are rated on average performance across all parts of the test.
| Criterion | In plain words |
|---|---|
| Fluency and coherence | Whether you keep going and give long turns without too much effort, how far hesitation, repetition and self-correction get in the way, and whether ideas link clearly. |
| Lexical resource | How much vocabulary you can use on a topic, how flexibly and precisely, and whether you can say a meaning another way when a word will not come. |
| Grammatical range and accuracy | The range of structures you use, from short and simple to complex, how many sentences have no errors, and whether errors get in the way of communication. |
| Pronunciation | Whether a listener can understand you without too much effort. The descriptors look at features such as rhythm, stress and intonation. |
The descriptors cover whole bands only and use words such as "some", "frequent" and "occasional" rather than numbers, so they give no error counts, percentages or timescales. For the band-by-band comparison, see IELTS Speaking: Band 6 to 7 and Band 8. The original is the Speaking band descriptors (PDF).
How the Speaking test is arranged in Hong Kong
In short: Speaking is a recorded interview with an examiner. Whether it is on the same day as the other parts or up to a week either side, and whether it is in person or by video call, depends on the provider, centre and date, so your booking confirmation is the authority. Both the British Council and IDP run IELTS in Hong Kong and describe Speaking a little differently; this section draws on their Hong Kong pages and ielts.org, read in October 2026. Band Booster is not the exam board, so confirm with your provider.
IELTS on computer: how Speaking is delivered
ielts.org's ways to take IELTS page says that on IELTS on computer, Listening, Reading and Writing are on screen and Speaking is a face-to-face session with a trained examiner. IDP Hong Kong's IELTS on computer page says Speaking stays a face-to-face interview with an examiner, which it describes as "online / offline face-to-face" with an "in-person IELTS examiner", held in a private Speaking room at an IDP test centre. It says you can choose a Speaking time on the same test date, but a general answer on that page allows up to seven days either side at some centres; the next two subsections cover the day and the format.
Same day or another day?
The providers differ. IDP Hong Kong's computer page says Speaking is done just before or after the written parts on the same day, but a general answer on that page allows up to seven days either side at some centres. British Council Hong Kong's test-day page says Speaking may be on the same day or up to a week before or after, with advance notice if it is on another day.
Face to face or by video call?
ielts.org's Speaking format pages say face to face and do not mention video, but its Guide for Test Takers says the Speaking test is taken face to face or via video call. British Council Hong Kong's dates, fees and locations page says some of its test centres deliver Speaking face to face by video call on some dates, that its Admiralty centres offer in-person or video-call Speaking depending on the test date, and that you should check before registering. Its main IELTS page also carries a video-call Speaking notice saying its test centres are delivering the Speaking test by video call. IDP Hong Kong describes face-to-face Speaking, but its computer page also uses the phrase "online / offline face-to-face", and it does not say which sessions use a video link. ielts.org says IELTS Online (Academic only) has Speaking by video call. These pages are not consistent with each other, so if the difference matters to you, ask your provider.
What about paper?
ielts.org announced on 5 March 2026 that from mid-2026 IELTS would no longer be offered on paper, with timelines varying by market. British Council Hong Kong says neither it nor IDP offers IELTS on paper in Hong Kong from July 2026, while some IDP Hong Kong pages, and some older wording on British Council Hong Kong's own site, still describe paper-based IELTS. This page therefore does not describe paper Speaking arrangements: confirm with your provider, and see the paper question on the online IELTS tutor page for Hong Kong. Fees and dates are not quoted here; see British Council Hong Kong and IDP IELTS Hong Kong.
Time difference between Hong Kong and Hanoi
Hong Kong (UTC+8) is one hour ahead of Hanoi (UTC+7) all year, and neither changes its clocks. The Hong Kong Observatory gives Hong Kong Time as eight hours ahead of UTC and its summer time table lists none from 1980 to now; the IANA time zone database gives Vietnam's zone, Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh, as UTC+7 with no daylight saving rules, and says that entry agrees with all of Vietnam since 13 June 1975. The booking page calendar shows every slot in your own time zone, and Mike's calendar decides which slots are open.
How to improve IELTS Speaking
The public band descriptors give no timescale for moving up a band, and nothing on this page promises one. The four criteria above show what is being assessed, and IELTS Speaking: Band 6 to 7 and Band 8 compares the bands. The British Council's Speaking preparation page advises you to:
- extend your Part 1 answers;
- use the Part 2 preparation time for notes, and speak for the full two minutes if you can;
- avoid memorised answers;
- politely ask the examiner to repeat a question if you need to, which it says does not affect your score.
Two further points are general teaching advice, not IELTS rules: record yourself on a Part 2 topic and listen back with the four criteria in mind, and find your weakest criterion before choosing what to practise. Neither promises a band.
For practice between sessions, ielts.org lists Speaking sample tasks on its sample test questions page, IDP Hong Kong publishes Speaking practice questions, and the British Council's practice test page lists Speaking mock tests. The ielts.org Trial Test page lists Listening, Reading and Writing, and the IDP Familiarisation test page lists Listening, Academic Reading and Academic Writing, so neither is Speaking practice.
Who this suits, and who it does not
It may suit you if
- you are comfortable being taught in English and want to speak aloud with one teacher;
- you want feedback while the answer is fresh, and written notes afterwards;
- you can use the times that Mike's calendar offers.
It will not suit you if
- you want explanations in Cantonese or Chinese: lessons are in English only;
- you want lessons in person, a classroom or classmates: lessons are online and one-to-one;
- you want an actual IELTS test result, or a promised band.
Next steps
This page covers Speaking only. The online IELTS tutor for Hong Kong page covers all four skills, how your price is shown and the booking steps. Ready? Pick a time on the booking page. Questions first? Message Mike on WhatsApp, Telegram or Zalo at +84 383 390 963 (a Vietnam number), or email mkcenter007@gmail.com.