Linguaskill General - Speaking
Linguaskill General Speaking is a computer-delivered test of everyday spoken English, lasting about 15 minutes. It usually has five parts: an interview, a read-aloud task, a long turn, a chart-based task and follow-up questions. Your answers are recorded and marked by trained examiners. The test samples fluency, pronunciation, range and the ability to respond appropriately rather than academic presentation skills.
Core rules
- Answer the question that was asked, then add a reason, example or contrast. Two or three sentences are usually enough in the interview.
- Use connected speech naturally: contractions, weak forms and thought groups. In read-aloud, pause at punctuation rather than after every word.
- In the long turn, structure your answer: what, why, example, conclusion. Keep talking until the task moves on.
- In the chart task, give an overview first (rise, fall, steady), then support it with two or three figures. Do not list every number.
- If you cannot recall a word, paraphrase: “a kind of machine that…” rather than stopping.
Worked example
Question: “Tell me about your job.” Weak: “I am a teacher.” Strong: “I’m a secondary-school science teacher. I mainly teach chemistry to 14- and 15-year-olds, and what I enjoy most is explaining a difficult idea until students get it.” Reasoning: the strong answer adds context (secondary school), specific detail (chemistry, age group) and a personal reaction. It uses natural linking (“and what I enjoy most”) and gives the examiner more language to assess. It is not a memorised speech; it answers the question directly.
Traps
- Giving one-word answers or a rehearsed monologue that ignores the prompt.
- Reading aloud too fast and flattening sentence stress.
- Describing a chart point by point without an overview.
- Filling silence with sounds from your first language.