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This page covers Speaking only. The online IELTS tutor page for Indonesia covers all four skills, booking steps and payment.
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; there are no group classes. In his own IELTS test he scored 7.5 overall and 8.5 in Speaking (About Mike). IELTS Speaking coaching describes the same sessions, with prices for Vietnam.
- The real test format: Part 1, then Part 2 with a task card (often called a cue card) and one minute to prepare, then Part 3.
- Feedback during the session, not days later.
- A recording on request, and written progress notes in your account after each session.
Regular sessions last 60 minutes. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work between sessions.
Using a session as a mock Speaking test
Used as a mock test, a session is a timed practice interview in the real three-part format: practice with a teacher, not an IELTS test, with no IELTS result.
The IELTS Speaking test format, according to ielts.org
The ielts.org Speaking format page describes a recorded, face-to-face interview with an examiner, in three parts, lasting 11-14 minutes.
| Part | What happens | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1: introduction and interview | After checking your identity, the examiner asks about familiar topics such as home, work or studies. | 4-5 minutes |
| Part 2: long turn | You get a task card and one minute to prepare, then speak until the examiner stops you; one or two questions on the topic may follow. | 3-4 minutes, including preparation |
| Part 3: discussion | Issues related to the Part 2 topic, discussed in a more general and abstract way. | 4-5 minutes |
ielts.org says your Part 2 notes should help you keep talking for two minutes, and its test types page says Speaking is the same in Academic and General Training (see Academic vs General Training).
Sample tasks and practice material
- ielts.org publishes Speaking sample tasks (PDF), and IDP Indonesia has Speaking practice questions and sample tasks.
- Neither IDP's computer familiarisation test nor the ielts.org Trial Test includes Speaking.
The four Speaking criteria in plain words
ielts.org says examiners assess four criteria throughout the test. Its public band descriptors (PDF) say you are rated on average performance across all parts, and must fully fit a band's positive features to be placed at it.
- Fluency and coherence: speaking at normal speed without too much hesitation, and ordering ideas logically. At band 6, coherence may be lost at times through hesitation, repetition or self-correction; at band 7 some may still occur, often mid-sentence, but they do not affect coherence.
- Lexical resource: the range of vocabulary and how accurately and appropriately you use it, including other wording (paraphrase) when you lack a word.
- Grammatical range and accuracy: the range of grammar and how accurately you use it.
- Pronunciation: being understood without too much effort. The band 6 descriptor mentions chunking, rhythm, stress and intonation.
The PDF has the exact wording; IELTS Speaking: band 6 to 7 and band 8 compares the descriptors.
How to improve IELTS Speaking: general advice
This is general teaching advice, not guidance from ielts.org, IDP or the British Council, and it promises no band.
- Practise aloud, in the test order and to time: try the Part 2 cue card themes, the Part 1 and Part 3 topics and the Speaking Part 2 timer.
- Use the Part 2 minute for a few keywords, then talk from them; in Part 3, give an opinion with a reason and an example.
- Keep going when a word does not come: paraphrase instead of stopping.
- Work on one criterion at a time, and listen back to a recording if you have one.
How the Speaking test is arranged in Indonesia
Band Booster IELTS is a private tutor, not the exam board or a test centre. It does not register students, set fees or choose test dates, and it is not affiliated with IDP or the British Council. In Indonesia the British Council offers its exams through its sister organisation, Yayasan Dewan Inggris Indonesia (the British Council Indonesia Foundation), whose pages are cited below. This section was read from ielts.org and the providers' Indonesia pages (English and Indonesian versions) in October 2026. It quotes no exam fee or test date.
Does the move to computer change IELTS Speaking in Indonesia?
IDP Indonesia's computer page says only Listening, Reading and Writing move to the computer, while Speaking remains a face-to-face interview with the examiner. ielts.org announced on 5 March 2026 that from mid-2026 IELTS would no longer be offered as a paper-based test, with timelines varying by market, and the British Council Indonesia Foundation's IELTS page gives 21 June 2026 as the date from which it no longer offers IELTS on paper in Indonesia. Some IDP pages still mention paper-based IELTS, so confirm the format when you book.
You book with a test provider such as IDP Indonesia or the British Council; the ielts.org test-centre finder lists centres.
Face to face or by video call? The sources differ
Most pages read describe Speaking as a face-to-face interview with an examiner, but the sources differ on video call, so confirm with your provider.
- ielts.org's ways to take IELTS page says Speaking is face to face with a trained examiner for IELTS on computer at a test centre, and an online video call for IELTS Online (some countries, Academic only). Its Guide for Test Takers (PDF) says more generally that you take Speaking face to face or via video call with an examiner, so ielts.org's own pages do not word it the same way.
- IDP Indonesia's English Speaking page says all Speaking tests are face to face and recorded. Its Indonesian-language Speaking page says Speaking can be taken face to face or by video call with a certified examiner.
- The British Council Indonesia Foundation's IELTS Academic page says its test centres are delivering the Speaking test via video calls, and its General Training page says some of its test centres are; both say the video-call test matches the in-person one in content, scoring, timing, question format and security, delivered by an examiner. Both also give Speaking's format as a face-to-face interview, and its Indonesian-language pages for both tests say some (beberapa) test centres. Its test-day page says only that Speaking may be on the same day or up to a week before or after, while its pages on IELTS on computer say Speaking is live with an examiner (English) and still face to face, tatap muka (Indonesian). None of these pages says which venues use which method. The video-call wording on its UKVI page applies only to IELTS for UKVI Life Skills, a separate test. The British Council's global site describes Speaking as a face-to-face interview with an examiner.
- IDP Indonesia's IELTS Online page says IELTS Online is no longer available in Indonesia and describes its bookings as paused. It is undated, so check.
When Speaking takes place
The sources are not consistent, so rely on the Speaking date in your own booking confirmation. IDP Indonesia's English Speaking page says Speaking may be held on the same day as the other tests or a week before or after. Its test day page says that on computer it is on the same day, before or after the other three parts, although the same page also gives up to 7 days before or after at some centres. The British Council Indonesia Foundation's test day page says Speaking may be offered on the same day or up to a week before or after, with advance notice if it falls on a different day, and its dates page says you can choose your Speaking slot. If Speaking falls before the other sections, your last practice session needs to be earlier too.
Time difference between Indonesia and Hanoi
Hanoi is on UTC+7, the same clock time as WIB (Jakarta, Java, Sumatra). WITA (Bali, Sulawesi) is one hour ahead and WIT (Maluku, Papua) two hours ahead. Indonesia's Keputusan Presiden 41/1987, a 1987 decree, set WIB at GMT+7, WITA at GMT+8 and WIT at GMT+9, and the IANA time zone database lists the same offsets, with regions in its zone list. Its current lines for Indonesia and Vietnam carry no daylight saving rule, so the gaps stay the same all year.
The calendar on the booking page shows each time in your own time zone, and Mike's calendar decides which slots are open.
Who this suits, and who it does not
It may suit you if
- you want to practise aloud with a live person in the real format and hear feedback during the session;
- you can follow a conversation in English, since sessions are taught in English, and prefer one-to-one sessions booked as you need them.
It may not suit you if
- you want explanations in Bahasa Indonesia;
- you want classmates or a fixed timetable, since sessions depend on the slots open in Mike's calendar;
- you want a promised band or timeline: none is promised here;
- your English is very basic for now: see starting IELTS with rusty English.
Price and booking
Your price appears in your own currency on the booking page before you pay, with the payment options. Indonesia is in the same regional price tier as Vietnam. A paid 30-minute trial is available once per student, on a first booking, and you can reschedule at no charge up to 12 hours before a session.