This page covers Speaking. Pricing and booking steps are on the online IELTS tutor page for Singapore; open times are on the booking page.
How a one-to-one Speaking session with Mike works
Mike holds the Cambridge CELTA and teaches every session himself, live on Google Meet and in English, from Hanoi. His own IELTS result is 7.5 overall and 8.5 in Speaking (About Mike). Every session is online and one-to-one: no group classes and no centre in Singapore.
A regular session lasts 60 minutes. A Speaking session can run Parts 1, 2 and 3 following the timings of the real test, with feedback during the session rather than days later. Sessions can be recorded on request, with written progress notes in your account afterwards; the IELTS Speaking coaching page has the full description. This is practice, not an IELTS test, and no band is promised: progress depends on where you start and the work you do between sessions.
The real IELTS Speaking test: three parts, 11 to 14 minutes
According to ielts.org's Speaking format page, the test is a face-to-face interview between you and an examiner. It is recorded, and certificated IELTS examiners assess you throughout.
| Part | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1, introduction and interview | The examiner introduces themselves, checks your identity, then asks general questions on familiar topics such as home, work, studies or interests. | 4 to 5 minutes |
| Part 2, long turn | A task card and one minute to prepare, with pencil and paper. The preparation should leave you able to keep talking for 2 minutes; the examiner stops you when time is up and may then ask one or two questions on the same topic. | 3 to 4 minutes, including preparation |
| Part 3, discussion | You and the examiner discuss issues related to the Part 2 topic in a more general and abstract way. | 4 to 5 minutes |
Speaking is the same for IELTS Academic and General Training, according to ielts.org's test types page; Reading and Writing differ (see Academic vs General Training). For practice material, see the Part 2 cue cards, the Part 1 and Part 3 topics (themes, not real test questions) and the Speaking Part 2 timer.
What the four IELTS Speaking assessment criteria mean in plain words
ielts.org's scoring page says Speaking is scored on four areas of equal weighting, and the average gives the Speaking score. The format page and ielts.org's key assessment criteria (PDF) describe them like this.
| Area | In plain words, and what the guidance looks at |
|---|---|
| Fluency and coherence | Keeping going at a natural pace, with ideas in an order the listener can follow. The guidance looks at speech rate, a flow not excessively interrupted by false starts, backtracking, needless repetition or pauses to search for words, and linking. |
| Lexical resource | The range of vocabulary you use and how accurately and appropriately you use it, including saying something another way when a word will not come. |
| Grammatical range and accuracy | The range of grammar you use and how accurately. The guidance looks at sentence length, subordinate clauses, how many errors there are and whether they affect meaning. |
| Pronunciation | How easily a listener can follow you. The guidance looks at chunking, rhythm, stress, intonation, individual sounds and the effect of accent on intelligibility. |
The public Speaking band descriptors (PDF) add that a candidate is rated on average performance across all parts of the test. Bands 6, 7 and 8 are compared in IELTS Speaking from Band 6 to Band 7.
How the Speaking test is arranged in Singapore
IDP and the British Council both run IELTS in Singapore: see IELTS by IDP Singapore and British Council Singapore. You book the test with one of them, not with Band Booster; they set the fee and the dates, so this page quotes neither. Their Singapore pages were read in October 2026; your booking confirmation is what applies.
Face to face or video call, and when Speaking is held
Short answer: the sources do not agree, and IDP's own Singapore pages differ from each other. Most IDP Singapore pages describe Speaking as face to face, but a few IDP Singapore articles say it is assessed in person, face to face or online, or via video call; the British Council's Singapore pages say that some of its centres deliver it by video call; and ielts.org's Guide for Test Takers says face to face or via video call. The providers' Singapore pages also word the timing of Speaking differently, so ask your provider and rely on your booking confirmation.
IDP's IELTS on computer page for Singapore says Listening, Reading and Writing are done on a computer while Speaking remains a face-to-face discussion with a trained IELTS examiner, and its paper page also says face to face, as does its article on preparing for Writing on Paper, which says Speaking is always conducted face to face with an examiner. Another IDP Singapore article, on improving pronunciation for IELTS Speaking, says IELTS Speaking is assessed in person with an examiner or via video call, and two IDP Singapore comparison articles (on PTE and on TOEFL) mention an online interview or video-call tests, so IDP's own Singapore pages differ. The computer page matches ielts.org's Ways to take IELTS page, which describes a face-to-face session for IELTS on computer, but ielts.org's Guide for Test Takers says the Speaking test is taken face to face or via video call. The British Council's Singapore Academic and General Training pages call Speaking a face-to-face interview and add that some of its Singapore test centres deliver it by video call at the test centre, with the same content, scoring and timing, whereas its own page on IELTS on computer says only that Speaking stays face to face. The sources are not consistent, so ask which applies to your booking.
Both providers say that from 28 June 2026 IELTS is delivered on computer in Singapore (IDP adds that IELTS Life Skills stays on paper), though some pages on both sites still carry older paper wording. The British Council's IELTS page says all IELTS tests are delivered on computer from 28 June 2026, and IDP's test dates page says both providers no longer offer IELTS on paper in Singapore from that date (IELTS Life Skills stays on paper).
On the timing of Speaking, the Singapore pages are worded differently, so rely on your booking confirmation:
- IDP Singapore says Speaking is on the same day or up to 7 days before or after the test date in some centres, and that for IELTS on computer it is on the same day, before or after the other three parts.
- British Council Singapore says on its test day page that Speaking may be on the same day or up to a week before or after, with notice if it is on a different day. Its dates page still ties a 7-day window to IELTS on paper and says you can choose your Speaking slot, on computer or on paper. With both providers stating that paper is no longer offered, treat that paper wording as older text.
IELTS Online and One Skill Retake
ielts.org's ways to take IELTS page says IELTS Online, offered in some countries for IELTS Academic only, has Speaking in an online video call with a trained examiner. IDP Singapore's site still carries older pages that present IELTS Online, but no Singapore provider page read says it can be booked there, so ask IDP or the British Council first. IDP Singapore's One Skill Retake page lists Speaking among the four skills you can retake if eligible; One Skill Retake or a full retake compares the options.
Singapore time and Hanoi time: one hour apart all year
Singapore Statutes Online sets Singapore's standard time as eight hours ahead of Greenwich mean time (UTC+8), and the IANA time zone database puts Vietnam at UTC+7. According to the IANA database, neither place currently uses daylight saving, so Singapore is one hour ahead of Hanoi all year: 19:00 in Hanoi is 20:00 in Singapore. The calendar on the booking page shows every slot in your own time zone.
Speaking practice and mock tests online
- A mock Speaking interview with Mike. Parts 1, 2 and 3 in order and to time, with feedback during the session. It is practice, not an IELTS test: it gives no IELTS result and no band is promised.
- Speaking sample tasks. The ielts.org Academic sample test questions page links a PDF of Speaking sample tasks for Parts 1, 2 and 3, and the British Council's Speaking practice page offers a downloadable Speaking sample tasks PDF.
- IDP Singapore. Its Speaking preparation page links practice questions, an article on question types and articles on pronunciation.
Sample tasks are practice material, not a marked test. One gap: ielts.org's IELTS Trial Test and IDP's familiarisation test cover Listening, Reading and Writing, not Speaking. The British Council's familiarisation test page says it takes you through all four skills including Speaking, but gives no Speaking result because a human marks Speaking in the real test.
General tips for improving IELTS Speaking
These are general practice ideas, not guidance from ielts.org, IDP or the British Council, and they promise no band.
- Practise Part 2 against a clock. According to ielts.org, the aim is to be able to keep talking for 2 minutes, and the examiner stops you when time is up.
- Practise all three parts. Candidates are rated on average performance across all parts of the test, so this page's own reading is that Part 2 alone is not enough.
- Add a reason and a detail. A reason gives you more to work with than a one-word reply.
- Listen to yourself. Record a practice answer and listen for pauses, needless repetition and unclear sounds.
- Work on one area at a time. The four areas are scored separately, so practise the one that costs you most.
Who this suits, and who it does not
It may suit you if you want to speak aloud to a live listener, get feedback while the answer is fresh and book sessions as you need them, with no subscription or package.
It may not suit you if:
- you want a class with a fixed weekly timetable or classmates, since every session is one-to-one and depends on the open slots in Mike's calendar;
- you want a tutor in the room in Singapore, because every session is online;
- you want a promised band or timeline, because none is promised;
- you want a real IELTS result from practice, or help registering: Band Booster does not run or register for the test.