There is no edge, but the question usually asks for only one part of information. It is therefore best to give this information and add an extra sentence or two.

No. It may be better to finish within two minutes for several reasons. First, you do not really want to be interrupted by the examiner. Second, your response will be more coherent if you end with a firm concluding sentence such as So, that’s why (restate question topic). Third, you are more likely to make mistakes if you keep talking beyond what you planned to say. A candidate who answers the question fully in 90 seconds can easily receive a higher score than one who speaks for the full two minutes and has to be stopped.

It depends which part you are answering. In Part 1, the examiner is able to repeat the question but will not offer you much help beyond that. In Part 2, you can ask for clarification during your one minute of preparation time if you need to. It’s not a good idea to ask questions during the two minutes of speaking time as this will disturb the fluency of your response. In Part 3, the examiner is able to offer much more help and can paraphrase the question for you. You should try to ask checking questions such as Do you mean…? Rather than simply say Sorry, I don’t understand.

These follow-up questions are just a way for the examiner to show interest in what you have said and to move the discussion on to Part 3. You do not need to give lengthy answers to these questions. Just a few words should be sufficient.

None! You should begin speaking immediately. Since you will not be able to come up with ideas right away, it’s important to be able to use filler expressions such as That’s an interesting question. Well, I suppose…. ‘Playing for time’ is not cheating – native speakers do it all the time!

There is no limit, but you should certainly give longer answers than in Part 1. If possible, try to give more than one reason to support your opinion. Even better, compare and contrast different ideas to expand your answer further. However, be careful! The longer you speak, the less coherent your response may become. That’s why it’s so important to return to your original idea at the end.

The important thing to remember is that you are being tested on your ability to communicate ideas, not the quality of those ideas. Even if your ideas sound basic or predictable, you will still get a high score if the language you use to express them is appropriate to academic discussion. Another thing to remember is that it is possible to use other people’s ideas as well as your own. If you don’t have any views on a topic, try imagining what other people would say on this issue and talk about that instead. Finally, it is always a good idea to learn a few useful expressions to use when you just can’t come up with anything to say. Even if you aren’t able to give a satisfactory answer to the question, the examiner may still judge that you have spoken fluently and accurately. A good example is: I’m afraid I’ve never really thought about this issue before. 

No. The examiner wants to hear your opinions, so there’s nothing to be gained by asking What do you think?!

The examiner will pay attention to four main areas: (1) How fluent and understandable your answer is; (2) The range and accuracy of vocabulary you use; (3) The range and accuracy of grammatical forms you use; (4) Your pronunciation.