First impressions are so important but, after Part Zero, which Sophie talks about in the video above, comes the rest of the speaking exam and you need to prepare well to get a good mark.

Here's some basic information about the rest of the Speaking Exam.

• The test is between 11 and 14 minutes long and it has three parts.
• In Part 1, you answer questions about yourself, your family,
  your work and your interests.
• In Part 2, you speak about a topic. You will be given a task
  card which asks you to speak about a particular topic and includes points that you should cover in your talk. You will be given 1 minute to prepare your talk. You will then speak for 1-2 minutes.
• In Part 3, you have a longer discussion on the topic.
• The examiner will ask you further questions connected to the topic in Part 2.
• The topics for Part One can vary a lot. While it's not a good idea to rehearse set answers to the questions, practising and thinking about how you would answer some of the most common questions is a good idea.
• Remember the Speaking test is the same for both Academic and General Training tests.

Would you like to start your IELTS preparation today?

Download our free PDF of some topic ideas for IELTS Speaking Part One. We'll also send you more tips and ideas from our IELTS experts on how to prepare for your exam:

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SO ARE YOU STILL CONFUSED OVER WHICH EXAM TO TAKE?

​If you still have to decide whether to do IELTS or CAE, Sophie talks about some of the differences between the two exams here.​

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IELTS Preparation Courses at The English School Como

If you want more specific and personalised help with preparing for IELTS, our expert teachers can help.

Our courses will prepare you to face the IELTS exam and get the results you need.

In our course you will get:

- lessons with a fully qualified IELTS specialist. The course will be divided, just like the exam, into reading, writing, listening and speaking lessons. During each lesson you will work together with your teacher on one part of the test to make sure you understand how it works, how marks are awarded and to develop all the techniques you need to approach that part well;

• complete, timed simulations of the listening, reading and writing exam. These simulations can be booked all in one session or divided up, depending on how much time you have available. You will sit in exam conditions at our school and be given the amount of time you actually have in the exam to complete the simulation;
• accurate marks for each simulation you do provided by one of our experts.
• specific, personalised advise on where your weaknesses and strengths are and on how to focus your preparation time;
• speaking simulations with detailed feedback;
• constant email support from our experts, who will give you consistent guidance so you always know where to focus your efforts.

By the end of the course you will have a clear idea of every aspect of the exam and more importantly an accurate estimate of what final mark you can hope to achieve at this point in your preparation.

This course is for you if:

• You have to present a B2 or C1 Certificate by a certain date;
• You need to concentrate your preparation in an intensive way to get the results you need;
• You've already tried do-it-yourself preparation and you feel you are wasting your time;
• You know that expert guidance and feedback on where to concentrate your study efforts will get you a better mark;

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​Get in touch for more information about our courses ​

​The English School Como ​

via Tommaso Grossi 9,

22100 Como

Telephone: 031 3100945

Email: [email protected]