How a one-to-one Speaking session with Mike works
Every session is taught by Mike himself, live on Google Meet and in English. He holds the Cambridge CELTA, teaches from Hanoi, and in his own IELTS test scored 7.5 overall and 8.5 in Speaking. There are no group classes; see About Mike for more.
A Speaking session runs Parts 1, 2 and 3 in the real test format, to time, with:
- Feedback during the session, while the answer is still fresh, and about your own answers because the session is one-to-one.
- A recording on request, and written progress notes in your account after each session.
A session is practice with a teacher, not an IELTS test, and no band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and the work between sessions. For booking steps, see online IELTS tutor for the USA; the IELTS Speaking coaching page is written for Hanoi (its prices are for Vietnam).
The real Speaking test: three parts in 11 to 14 minutes
According to ielts.org's Speaking format page, the Speaking test is a face-to-face interview between you and an examiner, and it is recorded. ielts.org's test types page says the Speaking and Listening sections are the same for IELTS Academic and General Training, while Reading and Writing differ; Academic vs General Training covers the sections that differ.
| Part | What happens, per ielts.org | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | The examiner introduces themselves, checks your identity and asks general questions on familiar topics such as home, work, studies and interests. | 4 to 5 minutes |
| Part 2 | A task card and one minute to prepare, with pencil and paper for notes. You talk until the examiner stops you; one or two questions on the topic may follow. | 3 to 4 minutes, including preparation |
| Part 3 | You and the examiner discuss issues linked to the Part 2 topic in a more general, abstract way. | 4 to 5 minutes |
The four band criteria in plain words
ielts.org says examiners assess Speaking on four criteria with equal weighting, and the average gives your Speaking band. Its scoring page links the public Speaking band descriptors (PDF). The table is one plain reading of them, not the wording IELTS uses.
| Criterion | In plain words, and what the descriptors look at |
|---|---|
| Fluency and Coherence | Keeping going at a natural pace, with ideas a listener can follow. The descriptors look at long turns, hesitation, repetition and self-correction, and whether they cost coherence. |
| Lexical Resource | How widely and precisely you use vocabulary, including less common and idiomatic items, and whether you can paraphrase when a word will not come. |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | A range of structures used flexibly, how many sentences contain no errors, and whether errors get in the way. |
| Pronunciation | Being understood without too much effort: rhythm, stress, intonation and clear individual sounds. |
The descriptors add that a candidate must fully fit a level's positive features and is rated on average performance across all parts of the test, so Part 3 counts too.
How to improve IELTS Speaking: start with the four criteria
These steps are general teaching advice, not a method set by IELTS, and no band or timeline is promised.
- Find the criterion that costs you most: compare your answers with the table above and the public descriptors.
- Practise all three parts to time with the Speaking Part 2 timer, Part 2 cue card themes and Part 1 and Part 3 topic themes (themes, not real exam questions).
- Avoid memorised answers: the British Council's Speaking preparation page advises against them, and says you may ask the examiner to repeat or clarify a question without affecting your score.
- Listen back: compare a recording of your own answer with ielts.org's Speaking sample tasks.
For how bands 6, 7 and 8 differ, see IELTS Speaking: band 6 to 7 and band 8.
How the Speaking test is arranged in the United States
Read on ielts.org, British Council and IDP pages in October 2026. Arrangements can change, so your centre's confirmation email is the authority for your own date.
In person at a test centre
ielts.org's IELTS in the USA page describes in-centre testing and calls the face-to-face Speaking test distinctive. Its ways to take IELTS page says that for IELTS on computer, Listening, Reading and Writing are on screen while Speaking is a face-to-face session with an examiner.
Which day, and what time
Speaking does not always fall with the other sections: ielts.org's guide for test takers says it may be on the same day or up to a week before or after. The British Council's page for the US says your confirmation email gives the start time of the Speaking test and of the Listening, Reading and Writing tests, and that centres may change the time and date of the Speaking test when necessary. No US page we read states one rule for every centre, so rely on your confirmation email.
Video-call Speaking: not confirmed for the US
ielts.org's guide for test takers says Speaking is taken face to face or by video call, and its IELTS Online page describes a video call with an examiner. The British Council's global IELTS on computer page also says Speaking is a live conversation with an examiner either face-to-face or via video call, while IDP's global IELTS on computer, Academic and General Training pages describe a face-to-face interview (its IELTS Online page says a live video call), so the providers' wording differs. ielts.org's ways to take IELTS page (linked above) says IELTS Online is offered in some countries, for IELTS Academic only, and that receiving organisations decide whether to accept online results. The IELTS USA page and the British Council's US page mention neither IELTS Online nor video-call Speaking, while IDP's global article on IELTS for the USA says you may also be able to take IELTS Online from home, so this page cannot say either is open to you: ask the provider and your institution.
One Skill Retake, fees and dates
ielts.org's One Skill Retake page describes retaking one section, such as Speaking, no later than 60 days after your original test, which must be an IELTS on computer test, and says to check availability with your test centre. A British Council blog post, last updated 10 October 2025, says One Skill Retake is not available for tests taken in the USA. Because these two sources differ, this page cannot say whether One Skill Retake is open to you in the United States: ask your test centre before you plan around it. Band Booster does not book the test or set its fee, so this page quotes no fees or dates; use the ielts.org test centre finder, and see One Skill Retake or a full retake for how a retake compares with a full retake in general.
IELTS Speaking mock test online: what a session gives you, and what to use between sessions
A session with Mike can run as a timed mock interview over Google Meet in the three-part format, with feedback during the session. It is practice, not an IELTS test, so there is no IELTS result. Between sessions:
- ielts.org's sample test questions link a Speaking sample tasks PDF with a transcript for each part.
- The British Council's practice and sample tests page lists Speaking mock tests.
- ielts.org's Trial Test is available for the Listening, Reading and Writing sections; its page does not mention Speaking.
The time difference between the US and Hanoi
Hanoi (UTC+7) is ahead of the contiguous US zones: 12 hours ahead of Eastern time on standard time and 11 on daylight time, and 15 hours ahead of Pacific on standard time or 14 on daylight time. Phoenix stays on UTC-7 all year, so Hanoi is 14 hours ahead of it all year, and Hawaii stays on UTC-10 all year, so Hanoi is 17 hours ahead of it. These gaps are our own arithmetic from the sources below.
A Hanoi morning is the previous evening in the US: 09:00 in Hanoi is 21:00 the previous day on Eastern standard time (22:00 on daylight time) and 18:00 (19:00) the previous day on Pacific. Vietnam does not change its clocks, so where a US place does change them, a fixed Hanoi time shows an hour earlier on that US clock after clocks go back and an hour later after they go forward; Phoenix and Hawaii do not change, so for them the gap stays the same all year. That is a conversion, not a list of open slots: Mike's calendar decides which times are open and no particular hours are promised. The booking calendar shows each slot in your own time zone, so check the time shown for the exact date, especially near a clock change.
Sources: the IANA time zone database lists Vietnam's zone (Ho Chi Minh City) at a fixed UTC+7 offset with no daylight-saving rule since 13 June 1975, and a comment in the database says that entry agrees with all of Vietnam since that date. 15 U.S.C. 261 sets the second to fifth US zones at UTC-5, UTC-6, UTC-7 and UTC-8 on standard time, and 49 CFR part 71 names them Eastern (71.4), Central (71.6), Mountain (71.8) and Pacific (71.10). Under 49 CFR 71.2, clocks advance one hour from 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March to 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November, and a State may exempt itself; the IANA database for North America shows Phoenix on UTC-7 and Honolulu on UTC-10 all year.
Who this suits, and who it does not
It may suit you if you want to practise Speaking aloud with a live listener, hear feedback straight away, and book single sessions with no subscription or package. This page is about Speaking; sessions can also cover Listening, Reading and Writing, as described on online IELTS tutor for the USA.
It may not suit you if:
- you want a fixed weekly timetable or classmates, or can study only at set hours: sessions depend on which slots are open, so check the calendar before you plan around a test date;
- you want an IELTS result, a test booking or visa advice: Band Booster does not register you for the test or give visa or immigration advice;
- you want a promised score or timeline: none is offered, because no tutor controls your result.
Your first booking can be the paid 30-minute trial, available once per student; the booking page shows your price before you pay.