Take an Interview — start in one second, finish your sentences
Take an Interview
- You answer a series of spoken questions, as you would in a conversation.
- About 8 minutes for the whole section, so almost all your preparation is about starting quickly.
- There is nobody in the room and nothing reacts to what you say. That is the part that feels strange, and rehearsing it is free.
One shape fits almost every question
- Answer the question that was asked — first, in one sentence.
- One reason.
- One example.
- That shape starts you speaking within a second, which is the hardest part of the task.
Match each part of the answer shape to its job.
The shape exists so that you never have to invent a structure under the clock. Starting quickly is most of the score.
A silence is worse than an imperfect sentence
- Fillers real speakers use buy you a moment and sound natural: well, I suppose, that's an interesting one.
- Long pauses do not. The clock is short and silence is the most expensive thing on it.
- If you lose your way mid-sentence, repair it out loud — sorry, what I mean is — and carry on. That is marked as fluency.
You need a moment to think. What is the best thing to do?
Real speakers use fillers and they sound natural. Long silence is the most expensive thing in an eight-minute section.
Do not recite
- A memorised answer is audible: the rhythm changes, the vocabulary jumps a level, and it usually does not quite fit the question.
- Markers discount it, so the time you spent memorising is worse than wasted.
- Give reasons, not lists. Because the bus is cheaper and I can read on it beats three unexplained items.
Memorising a few strong general answers is a good use of preparation time.
A recited answer is audible — the rhythm changes and it does not quite fit the question — and markers discount it. The time is worse than wasted.
How to practise
- Answer aloud, into a microphone, with a timer running. The format is most of the difficulty and it is free to rehearse.
- Talk to yourself in English during ordinary tasks. Fluency comes from speaking hours, not from reading about speaking.
- ⚠ A typed answer always flatters you: no hesitation, no silence to fill, as much time as you like. Speak it.
- Format facts checked on the ETS website on 13 September 2026.
Writing out what you would say is a good substitute for speaking practice.
A typed answer gives you no hesitation, no silence to fill and unlimited time. It always flatters you. Speak it aloud, on a timer, into a microphone.