IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Tests
10 IELTS General Training Speaking practice tests in the real format, timed like the exam, with answers when you finish. A three-part, 11-14 minute interview: questions about yourself, a two-minute talk from a cue card, and a discussion. The Speaking test is the same for both IELTS modules.
IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 1 with Answers
A free, interactive IELTS General Training Speaking practice test with answers, about 14 minutes.
TopicsThe return of the overnight sleeper trainComplaint to a gym about equipment and chargesOnline shopping versus local shops
This IELTS General Training Practice Test 1 has 1 paper — Speaking. Choose a paper below to start; your browser will load the interactive version automatically.
Speaking
Speaking Part 1 — Introduction and interview
The examiner asks general questions about familiar topics (4-5 minutes). Answer naturally and extend each answer with a reason or example.
- Let's talk about what you do. Do you work or are you a student? Example: I work full-time as a sales coordinator for a company that makes kitchen equipment. It's mostly office-based, but I do get out to visit customers every couple of weeks, which breaks things up nicely.
- What do you find most interesting about your work or studies? Example: Probably the problem-solving side. No two customer orders are quite the same, so I'm constantly working out how to get something delivered on time when the obvious route isn't possible.
- Would you like to change your job or subject in the future? Example: Not completely, but I'd like to move into a role with more responsibility — managing a small team, perhaps. I think I'd enjoy helping newer staff find their feet.
- Now let's talk about mornings. Are you a morning person? Example: Not naturally, no. I've trained myself to get up early because of work, but left to my own devices I'd happily sleep until nine and work late into the evening instead.
- What do you usually do in the first hour after you wake up? Example: It's fairly routine: a quick shower, a strong coffee and some toast, and then I check the news on my phone on the bus. I try not to look at work emails until I'm actually at my desk.
- Is your morning routine different at the weekend? Example: Completely. At the weekend I don't set an alarm at all, and I usually make a proper cooked breakfast and take my time over it. It's one of the small things I look forward to all week.
- Let's move on to parks. How often do you go to a park? Example: Probably two or three times a week in summer, much less in winter. There's a small park near my flat, so I often walk through it on my way home just to get some fresh air.
- What do people usually do in the parks where you live? Example: All sorts of things — people jog, walk their dogs, and families bring young children to the playground. On sunny weekends it gets really crowded with people having picnics or playing football.
- Do you think cities should have more parks? Example: Definitely. Parks are one of the few free places where anyone can go to relax, and they make a real difference to people's health, especially for those who live in flats without gardens.
Speaking Part 2 — Long turn (cue card)
You have 1 minute to prepare notes, then speak for up to 2 minutes. CUE CARD: Describe a time when you had to wait for something. You should say: what you were waiting for; why you had to wait; how long you waited; and explain how you felt while you were waiting.
- Describe a time when you had to wait for something. You should say what you were waiting for, why you had to wait, how long you waited, and explain how you felt while you were waiting. You have one to two minutes. Example: (Compare the three band samples below to see what separates Band 7, 8 and 9.)
Speaking Part 3 — Discussion
The examiner asks broader questions connected to the Part 2 topic (4-5 minutes). Give extended, analytical answers with reasons and examples.
- Why do you think some people find waiting more difficult than others? Example: (See the band samples below for this question.)
- Do you think people today are less patient than they were in the past? Example: To some extent, yes. Because so much is available instantly — food deliveries, films, answers to almost any question — people have grown used to not waiting, so even short delays feel irritating. That said, people still show enormous patience in other areas, such as saving for years to buy a home, so I'd say our patience has become more selective rather than disappeared.
- How do businesses try to make waiting less unpleasant for their customers? Example: The most obvious way is simply to keep people informed — a screen showing that you're fifth in the queue makes the wait feel shorter because it's predictable. Others try to distract customers, with music, magazines or free Wi-Fi, and some restaurants text you when your table is ready so you can wander off rather than standing around.
- Should people be allowed to pay to avoid waiting for public services such as hospital treatment? Example: I have mixed feelings. On one hand, those who pay free up space in the public system, which could shorten everyone else's wait. On the other hand, it risks creating a two-tier system where treatment depends on wealth rather than need, and I think for something as essential as healthcare, fairness should come first.
- Can patience be taught to children, or is it a natural quality? Example: I think temperament plays a part, but patience can definitely be learned. Children learn it by practising small delays — saving pocket money for a toy, or taking turns in a game — and by watching how the adults around them deal with frustration. If parents always give in immediately, children never get the chance to develop it.
- Will technology reduce the amount of time people spend waiting in the future? Example: In many everyday situations, probably. Online booking and self-service systems have already cut queues at banks and airports, and better data should make public transport more predictable. But I suspect some waits — for a medical specialist, for instance — are about a shortage of people rather than technology, so they won't disappear so easily.
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IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 2 with Answers
The science of queuingApologising for missing a friend's weddingChildren, household chores and schoolwork
Speaking · about 14 min
Start Test 2 →IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 3 with Answers
The shipping container that changed the worldLetter to a neighbour about an overhanging treeWhy city dwellers don't know their neighbours
Speaking · about 14 min
Start Test 3 →IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 4 with Answers Pro
Community gardens in citiesLetter to a manager requesting a change of working hoursWhy people move abroad for work and the problems they face
Speaking · about 14 min
See Test 4 →IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 5 with Answers Pro
The psychology of losing thingsAdvice to a friend moving to your cityRaising the retirement age
Speaking · about 14 min
See Test 5 →IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 6 with Answers Pro
Repair cafés and the revival of fixing thingsComplaint to an airline about lost luggageMore people living alone
Speaking · about 14 min
See Test 6 →IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 7 with Answers Pro
The story of the supermarketLetter to a course tutor about missed sessionsThe four-day working week
Speaking · about 14 min
See Test 7 →IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 8 with Answers Pro
Island ferries and life on small islandsApplying to volunteer at a local museumFirst aid as a compulsory school subject
Speaking · about 14 min
See Test 8 →IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 9 with Answers Pro
The changing role of the zooThank-you letter to a friend after a holidayWhy fewer people cook at home
Speaking · about 14 min
See Test 9 →IELTS General Training Speaking Practice Test 10 with Answers Pro
Car-free town centresLetter to the council objecting to a bus route closureStadiums vs local sports facilities
Speaking · about 14 min
See Test 10 →
About the IELTS GT Speaking paper
A three-part, 11-14 minute interview: questions about yourself, a two-minute talk from a cue card, and a discussion. The Speaking test is the same for both IELTS modules.
How IELTS GT is scored
IELTS General Training is reported as a band score from 1 to 9 for each skill and overall. On 7ESL, Listening and Reading give an instant practice score with a band estimate (General Training Reading uses its own, stricter table), while Writing and Speaking come with Band 6, 7, 8 and 9 sample answers and examiner notes. Pro members can also have a letter or essay scored by the AI examiner.
Other IELTS GT papers
IELTS General Training Listening practice tests · IELTS General Training Reading practice tests · IELTS General Training Writing practice tests. Or sit a full IELTS GT practice test.
Study the matching course
Want to master the English behind the exam? Our IELTS Preparation course teaches the grammar, vocabulary and skills at B1-C2 level — with structured lessons, worksheets and videos. It is the ideal companion to these IELTS GT practice tests: learn on the course, then check your progress here.
7ESL practice material written in the public IELTS General Training format. 7ESL is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the IELTS partners. IELTS is a registered trademark of the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Band estimates are for practice only.