IELTS Speaking Rules: Can You Ask the Examiner to Repeat?
Quick answer: Yes. Official IELTS preparation pages from the British Council and IDP say you can politely ask the examiner to repeat or clarify a question, and the British Council says this will not affect your score. In Part 1 the examiner usually just repeats the question, while Part 3 is more flexible. Ask when you need to, but not for every question.
Last updated: 29 October 2026. Facts checked: 29 October 2026
Is it allowed to ask the examiner to repeat a question?
Yes. The British Council's Speaking preparation page says that if you do not understand a question, you can politely ask the examiner to repeat or clarify it, and that this will not affect your score.
IDP says the same in its article on Speaking test myths: it is acceptable to ask the examiner to repeat a question or say it in a different way, and you should ask for clarification when you are unsure.
So the short answer is clear. Asking once, politely, is normal and expected. It is much better than guessing and answering a different question.
Is the rule the same in Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3?
Not quite. The official preparation pages above talk about the Speaking test in general. They do not give a separate rule for each part. The most detailed public description we found is an older research report published on ielts.org, The interactional organisation of the IELTS Speaking Test (2006). It quotes the examiner instructions in use at that time.
| Part | What the 2006 report describes | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Questions follow a fixed script. A question can be repeated once, but the examiner should not put it into their own words or explain vocabulary. | Ask for a repeat. If you still do not understand a word, give your best interpretation and answer. |
| Part 2 | You have a task card. If the talk breaks down, the examiner can repeat all or part of the instructions or ask if you can say anything more. | Read the card carefully during your one minute of preparation. |
| Part 3 | The script is looser. The examiner can adjust language to your level and ask unscripted follow-up questions. | You can ask the examiner to rephrase or explain a question. |
An honest note: current examiner instructions are not published, and the report above is from 2006. The general rule (you may ask for a repeat without losing marks) is confirmed by today's official pages. The part-by-part detail is the best public guide we found, but treat it as indicative rather than an official current rule.
Will asking for a repeat lower my score?
Asking for a repeat is not a penalty in itself. The British Council page says directly that it will not affect your score. Speaking is marked on four equally weighted criteria, according to the British Council's assessment page: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. None of them counts the number of times you ask for a repeat.
The risk is indirect. If you ask for a repeat on almost every question, you lose speaking time and the conversation becomes broken. IDP's Turkey site advises in how to answer all questions that you should be careful not to do this for every question. Ask when you genuinely need to.
Useful phrases for asking the examiner to repeat
Keep it short and polite. These phrases sound natural:
- "Sorry, could you repeat the question, please?"
- "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Could you say it again?"
- "Could you rephrase that, please?" (best for Part 3)
- "Do you mean ... or ...?" (checks your understanding and shows good interaction)
- "Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by '...'." (best for Part 3)
Avoid one-word requests such as "What?" or "Again?". They are not wrong, but a full polite sentence is better English and sounds more confident.
Worked examples: good and weak ways to ask
Part 1, weak: Examiner: "Do you prefer mornings or evenings?" Candidate: "Er... I don't know."
Part 1, better: Candidate: "Sorry, could you repeat that, please?" Examiner repeats. Candidate: "Oh, mornings, definitely. I feel more alert, so I usually study before breakfast."
Part 3, weak: Examiner: "To what extent is urbanisation changing family life?" Candidate starts talking about their favourite city.
Part 3, better: Candidate: "Sorry, do you mean how moving to big cities is changing families?" Examiner confirms. Candidate: "Right. I think one big change is that grandparents now often live far away..."
Checking the meaning in your own words is natural interaction, and you answer the real question.
What if I stop talking early in Part 2?
Part 2 gives you one minute to prepare and asks you to speak for one to two minutes. If you stop early, there is no automatic penalty, but you give the examiner less language to assess. The 2006 report describes the examiner asking whether you can say anything more if you stop or the talk breaks down.
If you run out of ideas, use the points on your cue card again, add an example, or explain how you felt. Our cue cards with sample answers show how to fill two minutes naturally.
Other common Speaking rule questions
- Can I correct myself? Yes. Self-correction is a normal part of speech. Just correct the word and continue.
- Can I pause to think? Short pauses are natural. Use phrases like "That's an interesting question. Let me think..." rather than long silence.
- Is the test recorded? Yes. The British Council page above says the Speaking test is recorded.
- Is it a real person on computer-delivered IELTS? Yes. IDP's IELTS on computer page says Speaking is a face-to-face interview with an examiner.
- Is Speaking the same for Academic and General Training? Yes, it is the same test for both.
Practise now: There is no Speaking test on this site, but you can practise the full interview format with our Speaking mock test guide. Better listening also means fewer repeats, so try Listening Test 1 or Listening Test 2.
Frequently asked questions
Can I ask the IELTS examiner to repeat a question?
Yes. The British Council and IDP both say you can politely ask the examiner to repeat or clarify a question. The British Council says this will not affect your score.
Can the examiner explain a word I do not understand?
In Part 3 the examiner has more freedom to rephrase. In Part 1, a 2006 IELTS research report says examiners could repeat a question but not explain its vocabulary. Current instructions are not published, so ask and see.
How many times can I ask for a repeat?
No official limit is published. Asking once or twice in a test is normal. Asking for every question wastes speaking time and makes the conversation less fluent, so only ask when you really need to.
Does asking for a repeat reduce my fluency score?
Asking politely once is not a penalty. Fluency is judged on how you speak overall, so frequent long hesitations or constant requests could make your speech seem less fluent.
What should I say if I mishear the question?
Say something like "Sorry, could you repeat the question, please?" or "Do you mean...?" A full polite sentence sounds better than "What?"
Is it the same rule in the computer-delivered IELTS?
Yes. IDP says that in IELTS on computer the Speaking test is still a face-to-face interview with an examiner, so the same advice applies.