Understanding IELTS: Speaking Course - British Council

Prepare for the IELTS Speaking test and improve your English speaking skills with this British Council IELTS preparation course.

This course is part of the Understanding IELTS program, which will enable you to prepare for your IELTS test. Practise with other learners. Perfect your English.

Prepare for success in your IELTS Speaking test

The four courses in the British Council’s Understanding IELTS ExpertTrack give you a complete guide to everything you need to know as you prepare for the IELTS test.

This 3-week course focuses on the speaking test. You’ll look in detail at the three parts of the test and learn about the four criteria that will be used to assess your spoken English.

Build your confidence in English speaking

The course will begin with an introduction to the team, where you can find out how they can help you succeed in the IELTS speaking test. We’ll take a look at some examples of questions in part 1 of the test and think about how best to answer them.

In order to build your confidence, we’ll look at ways of improving the fluency and coherence of your answers and come up with effective strategies.

Understand each part of the IELTS speaking exam

In the second part of the test, you’ll get the chance to shine and give a successful talk. We’ll discuss the characteristics of an effective talk and explore how to prepare.

We’ll evaluate the band descriptors and see what you need to do to impress regarding English grammar and pronunciation. Finally, we’ll delve into part 3 of the speaking test and you’ll get to do a practice interview.

Through our tips, techniques and practice activities, you’ll build confidence and feel fully prepared on test day.

Who will you learn with?

Neil McLaren

I live and work in Bratislava and have been teaching for more than twenty-five years. I’m the Social Community Manager in charge of the British Council’s global social media channels for learners.

Sally T

Hi - I’m from Britain but I live and work in Spain. I’m an English teacher, EFL materials writer and online courses coordinator.

Who developed the course?

British Council

The British Council is on the ground in six continents and over 100 countries connecting the best of UK culture with a global audience and providing high-quality English language courses.

Learning on FutureLearn

What topics will you cover?

• The IELTS Speaking test format
• The assessment criteria
• Understanding the task
• Building confidence
• Giving a talk
• What to expect on test day

Who is the course for?

This IELTS preparation course is aimed at anyone who wants to improve their English speaking skills in preparation for the IELTS Speaking test. It might also be useful for IELTS teachers. There are no formal entry requirements.

What will you achieve

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to:

• Explore the IELTS Speaking test and learn how to improve your test performance.
• Investigate in detail the three parts of the IELTS Speaking test and learn about the four criteria that will be used to assess your spoken English.
• Apply techniques to improve your English speaking and to help you succeed.
• Develop confidence and feel fully prepared on test day.