IELTS speaking practice with a mock examiner on WhatsApp
Speaking is the part most people cannot practise alone, because nobody asks the follow-up questions. Here your todo.is agent plays the examiner on WhatsApp or Telegram: it sends Part 1, 2 and 3 questions, you answer with voice messages, and it transcribes what you said and tells you what cost you marks.
The prompt
- Be my IELTS Speaking examiner on WhatsApp. Run a full mock test: Part 1 (4–5 questions about [TOPICS FOR PART 1]), a Part 2 cue card with 1 minute to prepare and up to 2 minutes to speak, then Part 3 discussion questions on the same theme. Send one question at a time and wait for my voice message. After the test, transcribe my answers and give me an estimated band for Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation, with examples from my own answers. My target is [TARGET BAND]. List the words you could not understand, and give me 5 better phrases I could have used. Repeat this mock every [DAYS AND TIME] with new topics.
What to change
- [TOPICS FOR PART 1]: Everyday themes, e.g. "my hometown, work or studies, free time". Leave it to your agent if you want surprise topics like the real test.
- [TARGET BAND]: E.g. "7.0". The feedback compares your answers with that band.
- [DAYS AND TIME]: E.g. "Tuesday and Friday at 19:00". Remove this sentence for a one-off mock.
Example result
- Mock test 3 feedback
- Part 2 cue card: Describe a place you visited that was very crowded. · Your long turn: 1 min 25 s
- Estimated bands
- • Fluency and Coherence: 6.5. You kept talking in Part 1, but in Part 2 you stopped after 85 seconds. Use the cue card points as a plan: where, when, why it was crowded, how you felt.
- • Lexical Resource: 6.5. Good: "packed", "elbow to elbow". You repeated "very crowded" six times.
- • Grammatical Range and Accuracy: 6.0. Past tenses mostly right. Few complex sentences, and "If I go again, I would…" mixes conditionals.
- • Pronunciation: 7.0. Clear overall. I transcribed "thirty" as "dirty" twice, so check your "th" sound.
- From your answers
- • "It was very very crowded" → "It was absolutely packed" or "There was hardly room to move"
- • "If I go there again I would go early" → "If I went there again, I would go early"
- • "I was feeling not comfortable" → "I felt quite uncomfortable"
- 5 phrases for next time
- • "What struck me most was…"
- • "I'd have to say that…"
- • "It's not something I'd do again in a hurry."
- • "Looking back, I think…"
- • "That's a tricky one, but I suppose…" (buys thinking time in Part 3)
- Part 3 follow-up to answer now
- Why do people still visit popular tourist sites even though they know they will be crowded? Answer in 40–60 seconds by voice message.
- Next mock
- Friday 19:00, with new topics: technology, neighbours, a skill you learned.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and set your topics, target band and practice schedule.
- Send it to your todo.is agent on WhatsApp or Telegram, so you can answer by holding the microphone button.
- Answer each question by voice message, as you would in the exam room.
- Read the feedback, then say "ask me that Part 3 question again" to retry with the better phrases.
Tips for a better result
- Record in a quiet room and hold the phone close. A clean recording makes the transcript, and the feedback, more accurate.
- In Part 1, give 2–3 sentence answers with a reason or example. One-word answers and long speeches both score lower.
- Use the minute before Part 2 to write 4 keywords, one per cue card point, and talk through them in order.
- Ask your agent to keep a list of your repeated mistakes and start each mock with a 2-minute warm-up on them.
IELTS speaking practice: FAQ
- How accurate is the speaking band estimate? It is an estimate based on the public band descriptors and a transcript of your voice messages, not an official score. Pronunciation is judged from what the transcription could and could not understand, so treat it as a guide.
- How long is the real IELTS Speaking test? About 11 to 14 minutes in three parts: a short interview, a 1–2 minute talk on a cue card, and a longer discussion on the same theme.
- Can it send me questions as audio, like a real examiner? Yes. Add "send each question as a voice note" and your agent turns the questions into audio with text to speech, which also trains your listening.
- Can I practise for the General Training test? Yes. The Speaking test is the same for Academic and General Training, so this practice works for both.
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