The IELTS speaking test has 3 parts.

Part 1: This is a simple interview-style that lasts for about 5 minutes. There are around 9 to 12 questions on 3 different topics and it’s all about you, for example, your job, studies, hometown, daily routine and so on. Sometimes you may get a tricky topic, check this post here.

Part 2: Here you need to tell a story based on a topic on a cue card. It lasts about 3 minutes (1-minute preparation and 2 minutes of speaking) The card will ask you to describe something. This is a topic-based task and the examiner will ask a follow-up question at the end of the 2 minutes.

Part 3: The topics here are more broader and are about society in general, whereas in part 1 the questions are about you. In part 3 you have to give an opinion and give reasons and examples with more depth to your answers. The questions are connected to the topic in Part 2. This part of the test takes about 5 minutes. So overall the speaking test lasts for around 13 to 14 minutes.