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The IELTS speaking test is designed to get progressively more difficult so the examiner can see what you can do in English.  Part 1 is very simple.  It is just a question-and-answer session about you.  You just have to say what you think and why you think it. The questions are relatively simple.

However, Part 2 affects what questions you will face in Part 3. How so?

Well, in Part 2 you, you have to talk for 2 minutes about a topic the examiner has chosen.  However, the question is still about you in that it is a familiar topic.  It affects Part 3 for a very important reason.

Part 3 secrets

The speaking examiner has 3 sets of questions they can ask you in Part 3 and in each set, there are 4 questions.  The examiner can only ask you 2 of the 3 sets of questions.

Set 1 – For low level candidates (up to Band 6)

Set 2 – For normal level candidates

Set 3 – For high level candidates (Band 7+)

This is why Part 2 is important.  Based on your performance in Part 2, the examiner will choose which Part 3 sets of questions to ask.  The first set of questions is relatively easy and designed for low level candidates (Band 6.0 max).  If you are asked Set 1 and Set 2, then the highest mark you can get is Band 6/6.5 and it will be difficult to get that.  Therefore, you want to make sure you are asked Set 2 and Set 3 questions and this is why Part 2 is so important.  You need to speak for as long as you can in Part 2.  If you only speak for 30 seconds then the examiner will be thinking that you don’t have the language to deal with Set 3 questions and so your speaking mark will be capped.

Just as a note, if a candidate is very poor in Part 2 and the examiner starts Part 3 with set 1 questions but finds that the candidate is actually very good, they can move to set 3 questions after to give the candidate a chance to get higher marks, so it isn’t the end of the world.

If you want to do a full IELTS speaking test with an IELTS examiner, then you can purchase one here or get in touch for more details.