IELTS Speaking Band 9 Sample Test
Hi, I’m Stephanie.
Welcome to Oxford Online English!
In this lesson, you can see a model IELTS
speaking exam with band 9 language.
You’ll see each section of the IELTS speaking
test, and after each section we’ll highlight
the features that could help you to improve
your IELTS speaking score.
If you’re watching on YouTube, you should
check out the full lesson on our website.
There’s a link underneath the video.
The full lesson includes a transcript, so
you can study the answers in your own time.
Let’s start with part one, where I’ll
be the examiner.
Hello, my name is Stephanie.
This is the IELTS speaking test.
Can you tell me your full name, please?
My name’s Olivier Guiberteau.
And can you tell me where you’re from?
I’m from a small town near Northampton,
in the UK.
Can I see your identification, please?
Yes, of course.
Here you are.
Okay, thank you very much.
Now, in this first part I’d like to know
something about you.
First of all, can you tell me about the kind
of music you like?
Sure, well, I’m a big fan of what you might
call alternative electronica.
It’s hard to classify, because when you
say ‘electronica’, people think of dance
music, but I wouldn’t call it that.
Basically, I listen to a lot of stuff with
hip-hop, funk or disco influences, but most
of my friends think my taste in music is a
bit weird.
I see.
And, where do you like to listen to music?
I listen to music pretty much any time that
I’m at home.
So, if I’m doing housework, or cooking,
or anything like that, I’ll put some music
on.
Sometimes I also listen to music on the bus.
Especially if I’m going to play sport or
to the gym, I’ll listen to some high-energy
tunes on the way to get myself pumped up.
Yeah, okay.
Why do you think music is so important in
many people’s lives?
Hmm…
That’s a big question…
Well, first of all music has always been part
of human culture, so in that sense obviously
it’s an important part of our lives.
I guess that’s because music can have such
a powerful effect on our emotions.
Music can lift you up, or inspire you, or
make you feel sad.
I’d certainly find it hard to live without
it!
Uh-huh.
I’d like to move on and talk about transport.
What’s the best way to get around your city?
I live in quite a small town, so it’s very
easy to get around.
You can walk or cycle to a lot of places,
although some roads are a bit dangerous for
bikes.
There are buses which are fairly reliable,
but they’re not the fastest way to get around.
Finally, you can take a taxi or an Uber if
you want to get somewhere fast and you don’t
mind paying a bit extra.
Alright.
And, have you ever learned to drive?
Yes, I learned in the UK as soon as I was
old enough, although I have to say I haven’t
driven for several years!
I’m not sure if you’d want to get in a
car with me, but I guess I’d pick it up
again quite quickly.
There’s just not much point in having a
car where I am now, because I can walk or
ride my bike around town, and take public
transport if I want to go somewhere else,
for the weekend or whatever.
I see.
Do you think everybody should learn to drive?
Er…
That’s a strange idea.
I think it’s up to each person to decide.
It can be very useful in some places.
For example, where I grew up in the UK…
It’s a rural area, and if you don’t have
a car you’re pretty isolated.
If you live somewhere like that, you should
probably learn to drive.
But, it’s still a choice, right?
Let’s look at some key points from this
part of the speaking exam.
First, to get a high score in IELTS speaking—band
seven or above—you need to speak fluently,
without hesitation.
That doesn’t mean you can never pause or
hesitate, but your hesitations should not
be language-related.
So, if you’re pausing or stopping because
you can’t remember vocabulary, or because
you can’t build a sentence fast enough,
that will make it difficult to get a high
score.
Secondly, Oli’s answers were all relevant
and appropriately developed.
He gave full answers to every question and
added extra detail, but he never went off-topic.
This is also essential: you need to do both
of these things to get a high score in your
IELTS speaking test.
He also used linking words and connecting
devices well.
Let’s look at one answer as an example:
Notice that I didn’t use a lot of linking
words here.
IELTS students often overuse linking words,
and they end up getting a lower score because
they make errors or sound unnatural.
You need to connect your ideas, but you don’t
get a higher score for using more linking
words.
It’s more important to use linking words
accurately and naturally.
Looking at vocabulary, Oli used a wide range
of words and phrases in his answers, including
some good collocations like alternative electronica,
disco influences, or a powerful effect on
our emotions.
He also used some idiomatic language in a
correct, natural way.
For example, I’m a big fan of…, get myself
pumped up, lift you up, or I’d pick it up
again quite quickly.
Finally, I got a question at the end which
was harder to answer: Do you think everybody
should learn to drive?
You might have to answer some strange questions
in your IELTS speaking exam, or talk about
something you haven’t thought about before.
The examiner follows a script, and has no
choice about what to ask you.
Many IELTS candidates have problems because
they try to answer questions they have no
idea about.
In this situation, it’s better to react
naturally.
For example, you could say: that’s a weird
question; hmm… that’s a tricky one, or
something like that.
Then, if you have no idea what to say, say
so!
So long as you explain why, this is fine,
and it won’t affect your score.
Your score depends on your ability to communicate,
not on your ideas and knowledge.
Let’s look at the next part of the test.
We’re going to swap roles here, so I’ll
be the candidate.
Now, I’m going to give you a topic and I’d
like you to talk about it for one to two minutes.
You have one minute to think about what you
are going to say.
You can make some notes to help you if you
wish.
Are you ready?
Yes.
Okay, please tell me about something difficult
you learned to do.
So, I’m going to tell you about learning
to drive a car with manual transmission.
I’m from the States, and almost no one drives
a manual there; most cars are automatic.
When I came to Europe, I found it was totally
the opposite here; driving a manual is the
norm, and automatics are rare.
I guess here they’re associated with very
expensive, luxury cars.
Anyway, I had to learn to drive stick, and
it was so difficult!
It was doubly hard because I already knew
how to drive, so it felt extra frustrating
to be behind the wheel but unable to do the
things I would normally do.
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea but I didn’t
get any help; I could have gone to a driving
school but I didn’t.
I just practiced and tried to learn by myself,
by driving around car parks and open spaces
and things like that.
That was okay, but when I went out and drove
properly, on the streets with traffic, it
was super stressful.
I just couldn’t get the clutch right, and
then I’d stall and I’d be stressing out
while everyone was honking at me.
I can’t say that I’m glad that I learned
it.
I mean, I just learned to do it because I
had to, and I didn’t enjoy the experience!
If it were up to me, I’d rather just have
an automatic car.
Thank you.
So, what do you use your car for?
Mostly for getting to work.
I live quite far from the nearest metro station
and the bus lines aren’t good, so it’s
much easier to drive.
Sometimes we go out of town for the weekends,
too.
Next, let’s look at some of the positive
points which Stephanie showed in this section.
First, she chose a very specific topic.
This meant she needed a lot of specialised
vocabulary to talk about it, like transmission,
drive stick, clutch, stall, honking and so
on.
If you’re aiming for a high score, you need
to choose a topic which lets you go into more
depth and use some more varied language.
If you choose a very simple topic, it’ll
be difficult to get top scores for language.
You can also see that I covered all of the
points from the cue card in detail, and
didn’t add any irrelevant information or
go off topic.
Oli already mentioned the specialised vocabulary,
but I also used some idiomatic language, like
I guess, doubly hard, extra frustrating, super
stressful, or get the clutch right.
You need to use idiomatic language naturally
and accurately to get a top score in IELTS
speaking.
Idiomatic language doesn’t just mean idioms
like “raining cats and dogs”; it also
includes conversational words and phrases
that are common in native English speech.
Don’t forget about the follow-up questions
in part two.
After you finish speaking, the examiner will
ask one or two simple follow-up questions
about what you said.
You don’t need long answers here, but you
should give focused, well-developed answers,
like with every IELTS question!
Finally, let’s look at part three of the
IELTS speaking test.
Right, I’d like to ask some questions related
to this topic.
First, let’s talk about learning new things.
What motivates people to learn new things?
Wow… that’s a big question!
Well, there are lots of reasons.
The main one I guess is just necessity.
For example, if you want to work in a particular
field, you’ll need some specific training,
skills, qualifications…
Then, when you start a new job, you generally
have to adapt and learn a lot of new things,
even if you came in with a lot of theoretical
knowledge.
What else?
I think also interest is important…
I mean, people learn to do new things because
they’re interested in them or they find
something enjoyable.
For example, no one needs to learn to play
a musical instrument, but a lot of people
do so because it brings them pleasure.
Do you think the way that people learn new
things has changed compared to the past?
Absolutely.
Of course, the Internet and the development
of smartphones and other new technologies
have had a huge influence.
We all have easy access to so much information
now, which wasn’t the case in the past at
all.
Before, people would need to dedicate a lot
of time and effort to finding an expert, or
doing research in order to learn about something
new.
Now, you can find tutorials online, ask people
for help in discussion forums, and things
like that.
So, it’s a big difference, but I think it’s
mostly for the better.
How do you think technology will change the
way people learn new things in the future?
Hmm…
I’m not sure.
I think we’ll see the same trends developing…
What I mean is: the big changes have already
happened, but I don’t think they’ve run
their course yet.
So, a lot of people still have the idea that
you learn something by going to a class, reading
books, and so on, and they haven’t realised that
you just have more options nowadays.
To tie all this together, I think that in
the future, education and learning will be
more globalised and democratic, in that everybody
will have similar opportunities to learn.
I suppose that might mean that formal education
diminishes in significance, but I’m not
sure that will actually happen.
Okay, let’s move on to talk about school
and education.
How can parents or students choose the best
school or university?
In my experience, the only way to know what
a school or university is really like is to
talk to people who already study there and
see what they say.
Of course, you can go and look around, but
I don’t think you can learn very much just
by walking around a school.
If you talk to some of the staff and students,
you can get a feel of what kind of establishment
it is, and whether it’s a good fit for you,
or your child, whoever you’re talking about.
Mm-hmm.
How do people in your country feel about private
education?
Huh…
I really don’t know.
I went to a public school, and so did everyone
I know.
It’s not really a topic which comes up that
much, you know?
Personally, I don’t have strong opinions;
if someone wants to pay to send their child
to a private school, then why not?
Given that there aren’t that many private
schools, it’s just not something that people
are so aware of.
I see.
Do you think that university education should
be free?
Definitely, yes.
In the USA, university is insanely expensive;
parents have to start saving up from the moment
their child is born.
I think this leads to elitist outcomes…
I mean that the richest kids go to the best
universities, and if you don’t have a lot
of money behind you, your options are more
limited.
That said, I realize that graduates tend to
earn more, so it might be fairer to have some
kind of graduate tax, so that the people who
erm… benefit from higher education also
help to fund it.
That seems to me to be the fairest solution.
Thank you.
That’s the end of the speaking test.
So, let’s look at these answers more closely,
and see what made them effective.
Many things here you’ve already heard.
Stephanie’s answers were fluent, relevant,
well-developed and clear.
She used a wide range of grammar and vocabulary
accurately, including idiomatic language.
She also used linking phrases and fillers
to keep her answers fluent, even when she
was dealing with more difficult answers.
For example:
At the start, she used fillers to give herself
thinking time without leaving an unnatural
pause.
She also used linking phrases, like what I
mean is and to tie this all together to focus
her answer when she wasn’t sure how to finish
a sentence or an idea.
Remember that you can read the full script
of this video on our website: Oxford Online
English dot com.
You can read the answers and see exactly what
words, phrases and structures I used to answer
these questions.
Have you taken the IELTS speaking exam recently?
Please share your experiences in the comments:
what went well, and what did you find difficult?
Good luck if you have an IELTS test coming
up soon!
Thanks for watching!
See you next time!