LanguageCert Academic Speaking: role plays, read-aloud and the presentation

For Australian visas, the Speaking minimum for LanguageCert Academic is the highest of the four skills at every level up to Proficient: 70 for Competent English and 82 for Proficient. That makes Speaking worth serious preparation, and its four parts need different skills.

Part 1: questions

You give and spell your name, say where you are from and answer up to five questions on everyday topics. Answer in two or three sentences: a direct answer, a reason, and a detail. "I prefer studying in the morning, because the library is quiet then. I usually get there by eight." One-word answers give the interlocutor nothing to assess.

Practise spelling your family name aloud at a steady pace. It sounds trivial, but nerves make people rush.

Part 2: two role plays

The interlocutor gives you a situation in an academic setting, such as asking a tutor for an extension or arranging a group meeting. In one role play the interlocutor speaks first; in the other, you start the conversation.

What scores well:

• Open clearly. "Hi, have you got a minute? I wanted to ask about the field trip next week."
• Explain, then ask. Give the reason before the request.
• Respond to what is said. If the interlocutor offers two options, choose one and say why.
• Close the conversation. "Great, I'll send you the form this afternoon. Thanks for your help."

The most common problem is giving short, passive answers and waiting. A role play is a conversation; keep it moving.

Part 3: reading aloud

You have 20 seconds to read a short academic text silently, then read it aloud, then answer follow-up questions. This task shows your pronunciation more clearly than anything else in the test, because the words are fixed.

How to read well:

1. Use the 20 seconds to find difficult words and decide how to say them.
2. Read in meaning groups. Pause at commas and full stops, not in the middle of a phrase.
3. Stress the important words: numbers, contrasts and key nouns.
4. Don't rush. A steady pace sounds more fluent than a fast one with mistakes.

A daily habit helps: read one paragraph of a news article aloud and record it. Listen back once a week and you will hear your own patterns.

Part 4: the presentation

You get a topic, prepare for one minute and speak for two minutes, then answer questions. Use the minute to write a plan, not sentences:

• Opening: what you will talk about
• Point 1 + example
• Point 2 + example
• Point 3 or a personal view
• Closing sentence

Two minutes is about 250 to 300 words. If you finish your plan early, add an example rather than repeating yourself. If time runs out, finish your sentence and stop calmly.

How Speaking is assessed

Responses are judged on task fulfilment and coherence, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation and fluency. Range matters, but so does accuracy: a few well-chosen phrases used correctly are better than many ambitious ones with errors.

Practising without a partner

Our practice tests play the interlocutor's lines in your browser and record your answers, including both role plays and the read-aloud. The report gives a score for each criterion with comments on specific words and phrases. Try the free Speaking practice.