The Speaking test lasts 11 to 14 minutes and is marked on four criteria, each producing a band, averaged into the Speaking score. The short answer: all four carry equal weight, and Pronunciation measures how easily you are understood, not which accent you have.
The four criteria
From IELTS scoring in detail:
- Fluency and coherence: how continuously you speak, how often you hesitate or self-correct, whether ideas connect.
- Lexical resource: vocabulary range and the ability to paraphrase when a word is missing.
- Grammatical range and accuracy: variety of structures and error rate.
- Pronunciation: how much the listener understands without effort.
Cambridge publishes a public version of the Speaking band descriptors, so you can read what each band actually describes.
Pronunciation is not accent
This is the most common misreading. The criterion measures intelligibility: clarity of individual sounds, word stress placement, rhythm and intonation that help the listener follow. A speaker with a clearly Vietnamese accent who places stress correctly and pauses sensibly can score highly here.
The reverse also holds. Imitating a native accent while swallowing final consonants, misplacing stress in longer words and running words together costs marks, because the listener has to work.
The same logic applies to automated marking. Evidence for a pronunciation score has to come from acoustic measurement of the recording. A system that scores pronunciation by reading a transcript is measuring vocabulary and grammar a second time under a different name.
Three parts, three different demands
- Part 1: short questions on familiar topics, testing natural fluency.
- Part 2: roughly two minutes alone after one minute of preparation, testing whether you can sustain a monologue without support.
- Part 3: a more abstract discussion, testing reasoning and more complex structures.
Most candidates are strongest in Part 1 and run out of material in Part 2. The cheapest remedy is a daily two-minute recording on a random topic: play it back and count your hesitations. That number is your Fluency criterion made measurable.
Frequently asked questions
How much do grammar mistakes cost?
They affect one criterion. The other three are scored independently, so fluent, intelligible speech still lifts the average.
Does pausing to think lose marks?
Long hesitation and repetition affect Fluency. A brief pause to select a word is normal; native speakers do it too.
What if I cannot fill the two minutes in Part 2?
The examiner may stop you at time, but stopping early because you have run out of ideas shows up in Fluency and Lexical resource. Practise reaching two minutes before practising sounding impressive.