Hi! I'm Lumi — let's get you that band 7 🎯

IELTS Speaking: How to Get Band 7

Most candidates prepare the wrong thing. They memorise answers about hometowns and hobbies — and get band 6 anyway. The examiner isn't grading your topics; they're grading four specific things, and once you know what those are, band 7 stops being luck.

What the examiner is actually scoring

Your score is the average of four criteria, each worth exactly the same. Most people obsess over vocabulary and ignore the other three:

• Fluency & Coherence — can you keep going without long pauses, and does your answer follow a logical line? Self-correcting once is fine; repeating the question back to buy time is not.
• Lexical Resource — range and precision, not fanciness. One well-used phrasal verb beats a misused "plethora".
• Grammatical Range & Accuracy — do you use complex sentences and get them right? Only simple sentences caps you at 6.
• Pronunciation — intelligibility and natural stress. Your accent is not a problem; flat, word-by-word rhythm is.

Band 6 vs band 7: the actual difference

Officially it's descriptor language. In practice, three things separate them:

• Length of answer. Band 6 answers a question. Band 7 answers it, gives a reason, and adds an example — without being asked.
• Hesitation pattern. Band 6 pauses to search for words. Band 7 pauses to think about ideas — which sounds natural, because native speakers do it too.
• Error density. Band 7 still makes mistakes. The difference is they don't repeat the same basic one (missing -s, wrong tense) in every second sentence.

Part 1 (4–5 min): short, warm, complete

Simple questions about you. The trap is answering in three words — it starves the examiner of evidence. Use the answer + why + detail shape:

• "Do you like cooking?" → "Not really, to be honest. I find it quite stressful after work — I'd rather order something and use that hour to read."Answer, reason, small concrete detail. Three sentences is plenty.
• "I'd say…" / "Probably…" / "It depends, actually…"Natural openers that buy you half a second without sounding stuck.

Part 2 (the long turn): what to do with your 1 minute

You get a card, one minute to prepare, then you talk for 1–2 minutes. Do not write sentences — you'll read them aloud and sound robotic. Write five nouns, one per bullet on the card, and one ending.

1. Glance at the four prompts — they're your structure, use them in order.
2. Write one keyword per prompt (a name, a place, a number, a feeling).
3. Write your last sentence — knowing your ending removes the panic of "how do I stop?"
4. Start with a frame, not a hesitation: "I'd like to talk about…"

• "This happened about three years ago, when I was still studying…"Past narrative frame — instantly unlocks past tenses, which the examiner is listening for.
• "What made it memorable was…" / "The thing I remember most is…"Signals the "why it matters" prompt, which most candidates skip.
• "So overall, that's probably why it still stands out for me."A clean ending. Never trail off with "…yeah, that's it."

Part 3 (discussion): abstract, and where band 7 is won

Now the questions leave your life: society, technology, education. Nobody expects expert opinions — they expect developed ones. Two moves carry this part:

• "It varies from country to country, but in my experience…"Turns an impossible general question into one you can actually answer.
• "On the one hand… but at the same time…"Complex structure + balanced view. Two criteria in one sentence.
• "That's an interesting one — I've never really thought about it. I suppose…"Legitimate thinking time. Far better than silence or "I don't know".
• "Take my city, for example…"One concrete example lifts an abstract answer more than any advanced word.

The five mistakes that cap your score

• Memorised answers. Examiners are trained to spot them, and they stop counting as your language.
• "I don't know." A full stop with no evidence. Say "I'm not sure, but I'd guess…" instead.
• Speaking fast to sound fluent. Fluency is about continuity, not speed — and speed multiplies errors.
• Repeating the question. "Do I like cooking? Well, do I like cooking…" — pure filler, and the examiner hears it as hesitation.
• One long sentence with 'and'. Endless "and… and… and…" reads as limited range. Full stops are free.

A 14-day plan that actually fits a working week

1. Days 1–2: record yourself answering 5 Part 1 questions. Listen once. Write down your ONE most repeated error.
2. Days 3–5: Part 2 drills — one card a day, 1 min prep, 2 min speaking, out loud, standing up.
3. Days 6–8: hunt your repeated error only. Nothing else. Ten minutes a day.
4. Days 9–11: Part 3 — practise the four moves above on any question you can find.
5. Days 12–13: two full mock tests, timed, no stopping, no restarting sentences.
6. Day 14: light review. Sleep. Tired English is bad English.

FAQ

Can I really improve my speaking band in two weeks?
Half a band, realistically — if you fix a repeated error and stop giving three-word answers. Going from 5 to 7 takes months of speaking, not a fortnight of tips.

Does my accent lower my score?
No. Pronunciation is scored on how easily you're understood and whether your stress and rhythm sound natural. Plenty of band 8 speakers have strong accents.

Is it bad to ask the examiner to repeat a question?
No, and it's better than answering the wrong question. "Sorry, could you repeat that?" is neutral. Just don't do it every turn.

What if I go blank in Part 2?
Describe what's in front of you or around the topic — a place, a person, a time. An imperfect answer that keeps going scores far above a perfect answer that stops after 20 seconds.

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