Passport to English provides you with the opportunity to experience what it is like to sit a formal English language interview for assessment purposes. Although these are not actual IELTS tests, they use the sort of questions you might encounter and give you a fair representation of what is expected in an IELTS speaking interview. The content has been developed in conjunction with UTS: INSEARCH, a major IELTS publisher and English language course provider.

Three students were filmed doing three mock interviews each, so a broad range of possible topics could be covered. These interviews followed the structure of an IELTS speaking test. The interviews are divided into three parts, each of which is available as a short video. To avoid unnecessary repetition the students only do one Part 1 each, so each student's tests are covered in seven video installments.

You can watch and download the videos on each student's page, along with transcripts and an expert, detailed commentary.

The Speaking Test is the fourth test in IELTS. It follows the Listening, Reading and Writing tests, usually in the afternoon of the test day.

The Speaking Test is an interview and lasts between 11 and 14 minutes. Part 1 lasts approximately four to five minutes. Part 2 is between three and four minutes and includes the one minute preparation time. The last part, Part 3, is approximately four to five minutes. The interview is recorded.

The 3 parts are constructed to cover a range of language features - verb tenses (present, past and future, active/passive); functions (explaining, describing, suggesting, predicting, narrating, comparing); and grammatical structures (cause/effect, reason, conditionals and comparatives). The candidate is expected to demonstrate a range of sentence types (simple, compound and complex) as well as a logical and well-constructed response. Pronunciation and fluency are also assessed.

A range of topics is covered, from common everyday topics such as the family, lifestyle, transport, diet, travel, and sports to more challenging topics such as technology, society, education, employment, health, and some of the sciences to include topics such as the weather, climate change, pollution, global warming and the environment.

For more information on IELTS:
http://www.ielts.org

For more information on Speaking Criteria (Public Version):
http://www.ielts.org/PDF/UOBDs_SpeakingFinal.pdf [pdf]