LanguageCert Academic Speaking
In short
LanguageCert Academic Speaking is a one-to-one interview of about 14 minutes with a live examiner on screen. It has four parts: questions about you, two role plays, reading a short academic text aloud, and a two-minute talk based on a chart or infographic. It's marked on five criteria, and Task Fulfilment counts double.
The examiner, called the interlocutor, joins you live on screen, and the whole test is recorded. The situations are drawn from university life: a conversation with a tutor, a classmate or an accommodation officer, and a short presentation on an academic topic.
You're marked on how you communicate, not on what you know or what you believe. LanguageCert's own tips say opinions are neither right nor wrong. What costs marks is short answers, memorised speeches and losing the flow.
Format, part by part
About 14 minutes. Roughly 3 minutes for Part 1, 2 for Part 2, 4 for Part 3 and 5 for Part 4.
Part 1: Interview (about 3 minutes)
Give and spell your name and say where you're from. The examiner then asks up to five questions, each on a different topic, often asking for your opinion on an everyday or current issue.
How to approach it: Answer, give a reason, add an example. Two or three sentences per question is the right length.
Part 2: Two role plays (about 2 minutes)
Two short situations set in university life. The examiner starts the first; you start the second. Each lasts about two turns.
How to approach it: When the task card says 'You start', start straight away. Match your tone to the person: relaxed with a classmate, polite and more formal with a tutor or an official.
Part 3: Read aloud, then answer (about 4 minutes)
You get 20 seconds to look at a short academic passage (around 100 words), read it aloud, then answer one or more questions about it. The text stays on screen.
How to approach it: Use the 20 seconds to spot difficult words and where the sentences break. If you stumble, keep going: flow matters more than one word.
Part 4: Presentation (about 5 minutes)
The examiner shows you a visual, such as a chart or infographic. You have one minute to prepare, then talk for up to two minutes, then answer follow-up questions. You can make notes.
How to approach it: Use the minute to choose one clear message and two pieces of evidence from the visual. The examiner stops you at two minutes, so plan an ending you can reach.
How it differs from LanguageCert General Speaking
- Part 4 is built on a visual you must interpret, with one minute to prepare and up to two minutes to talk. In General it's a topic with no visual, 30 seconds to prepare and one to two minutes to talk.
- Role plays are set in higher education: tutors, classmates, university services. General uses everyday and work situations such as a doctor, a manager or a station information desk.
- Academic takes about 14 minutes, General about 12.
- Parts 1 and 3 have the same shape in both exams; the reading passage here is academic.
Taking the other one? Read the LanguageCert General Speaking guide
How it’s scored
You're marked on five criteria, each 0–8. Task Fulfilment and Communicative Effect counts double, so the raw maximum is 48, and all four parts carry equal weight.
Task Fulfilment and Communicative Effect (×2)
Whether you manage each task for the level and link what you say into coherent speech. It counts twice, so incomplete tasks hurt most.
Coherence
How well your ideas connect, especially in longer answers.
Accuracy and Range of Grammar
A range of structures, used with control.
Accuracy and Range of Vocabulary
Varied, precise vocabulary, and the right register for the situation.
Pronunciation, Intonation and Fluency
Being understood easily, with natural stress, and keeping the flow going.
The examiner marks Task Fulfilment live; a second examiner marks the other criteria from the recording. For Australian visas, Speaking has the highest minimums: 54 Vocational, 70 Competent, 82 Proficient, 89 Superior.
Model answer: Part 4
Our own Part 4 visual and the opening of a strong presentation, the first 30 seconds or so.
The task
The chart shows how students at one university travelled to campus in 2015 and 2025: car fell from 40% to 22%, bus rose from 30% to 35%, and cycling rose from 10% to 28%. Talk for up to two minutes about what the chart shows and what might explain it.
Opening of a strong answer
The clearest change here is the rise in cycling, which almost tripled, from ten to twenty-eight per cent. At the same time, car use nearly halved. I think the two are connected. Many universities have made parking more expensive over the last decade, and cycle lanes have improved in most cities, so for a student the bike has become both cheaper and quicker. The bus figure moved much less, which suggests...
Why
- It leads with one clear message instead of listing every number.
- It interprets the data ('I think the two are connected'), which is what the task asks for.
- Linkers such as 'At the same time' and 'which suggests' show the Coherence the criterion describes.
- It ends a section on a new point, so the speaker is still going when time is called rather than running out after 40 seconds.
Common mistakes that cost marks
Short answers in Parts 1 to 3
LanguageCert's tips say to avoid being too brief. One-word answers lose marks under Task Fulfilment, which counts double, and under Coherence.
Reciting a memorised answer
LanguageCert says not to memorise speeches. A prepared answer rarely fits the exact task, and Task Fulfilment is about the task in front of you.
Waiting for the examiner in the second role play
The examiner starts the first situation and you must start the second. Silence there costs Task Fulfilment marks.
Using the same tone with a tutor and a friend
The Vocabulary criterion includes register. Adjust how formal you are to the person in the role play.
Ignoring the chart in Part 4
The task is to interpret the visual. A general talk on the topic misses the task, however fluent it is.
Stopping at a hard word when reading aloud
Make your best attempt and move on. Fluency is part of the fifth criterion, and the flow of the whole passage matters more than one word.
On the day
- The examiner appears live on screen and the test is recorded.
- You can ask for a question to be repeated without penalty, but the examiner can't explain what it means.
- Correcting yourself is fine: LanguageCert says it's viewed favourably.
- Speaking can be on the same day as the other three skills or up to 14 days apart. Official results arrive in 5 working days.
Try a practice task
A real practice task in the exam’s format. Sign up to answer it live with the AI examiner and get feedback on every criterion.
Study and daily life
A live examiner will greet you, ask your name and country, then up to five questions on everyday topics. Answer naturally — two or three sentences per answer.
FAQ
How long is LanguageCert Academic Speaking?
About 14 minutes, in four parts, one-to-one with a live examiner on screen.
Is the LanguageCert Speaking examiner a real person?
Yes. A trained interlocutor joins you live on screen. The test is recorded, and a second examiner marks part of it from the recording.
How long do I get to prepare in LanguageCert Academic Speaking?
None for Parts 1 and 2, 20 seconds before reading aloud in Part 3, and one minute before the Part 4 presentation.
How many role plays are in Part 2?
Two. The examiner starts the first and you start the second. Sometimes there's a third if time allows.
Which Speaking criterion matters most?
Task Fulfilment and Communicative Effect. It counts double, so completing every task fully matters more than any single grammar slip.
Related guides
Practise it: LanguageCert Speaking practice test with a live AI examiner
Practise LanguageCert Academic Speaking
Have a short interview with the live examiner and see it marked. No account needed.
Sources
Checked against LanguageCert’s own handbooks and exam pages in October 2026.