Practice bankAppendices A & C companionFree, no account

The AI prompt library.

The numbered prompt sets the book routes you to: copy a prompt, replace [YOUR L1] with your first language, paste it into any AI assistant, and drill.

How to use this page. The sets run in the order the book’s action plans prescribe: diagnose with Set 1, build with Sets 2 and 3, analyse your own transcripts with Set 4, and push correction to speaking speed with Set 5. Your language family’s recommended sequence is in Appendix A and repeated in the calendars below. Record every session; the errors are the data.

01The method

Copy, personalise, paste.

Every prompt below runs on the free tier of any current assistant: ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. No account here, no paid plan there.

Copy a prompt with its button, replace [YOUR L1] with your first language (and [PATTERN] with a target, where a prompt asks for one), paste it into the chat and press enter. The assistant takes the coach role and the drill starts. Sets 1 to 3 are the beginner drills the action plans in Appendix C of The Proper English Grammar Guide to IELTS Speaking route you to; Sets 4 and 5 are the sophisticated end: transcript analysis and timed correction. The five-minute setup guide, the action-plan generator and the recording guide are Appendix C of the book; recording and transcription guidance also lives on the bank's front page.

  • ChatGPTchatgpt.com, or the mobile app. A free account is enough. Open a new chat, paste the prompt, press enter. The app takes voice input, which suits speaking drills.
  • Claudeclaude.ai, or the mobile app, on the free tier. Open a new chat, paste, enter. Voice input on mobile.
  • Geminigemini.google.com, free with a Google account. New chat, paste, enter. Voice input on mobile.

Interfaces move; the method does not. Whatever the app looks like this month, the constant is: open a new conversation, paste the full prompt, press enter. This page is kept current as the tools change.

02Prompt Set 1

The diagnostic drills.

Twenty scored items, one pattern, a baseline in about fifteen minutes. Start with the pattern your Appendix A diagnostic scored highest.

Article Diagnostic DrillSet 1 · beginner · articles
You are my English accuracy coach. My first language is [YOUR L1] and I am preparing for IELTS Speaking. Run an article diagnostic. Give me 20 short sentences one at a time, each with one blank where an article may or may not be needed. I answer with a, an, the, or nothing. After each answer, tell me right or wrong in one line with the rule in ten words or fewer, then give the next item. Keep score throughout. Build the items around the article errors speakers of [YOUR L1] typically make. After item 20, report: my score out of 20, the two article rules that cost me most, and one memory rule for each. Start with item 1 now.
Agreement Diagnostic DrillSet 1 · beginner · subject-verb
You are my English accuracy coach. My first language is [YOUR L1] and I am preparing for IELTS Speaking. Run a subject-verb agreement diagnostic. Give me 20 short sentences one at a time, each with its main verb in brackets in the base form. I type the correct form of the verb. After each answer, tell me right or wrong in one line with the rule in ten words or fewer, then continue. Keep score. Include the traps that catch speakers of [YOUR L1]: third-person -s, there is versus there are, verbs separated from their subjects, and collective nouns. After item 20, report my score, my two weakest rules, and one memory rule for each. Start with item 1 now.
Preposition Diagnostic DrillSet 1 · beginner · prepositions
You are my English accuracy coach. My first language is [YOUR L1] and I am preparing for IELTS Speaking. Run a preposition diagnostic. Give me 20 short sentences one at a time, each missing one preposition, drawn from high-frequency speaking territory: time, place, dependence, interest, ability, travel. I supply the missing word. After each answer, tell me right or wrong in one line, name the fixed phrase it belongs to, then continue. Keep score, and where my wrong answer looks like a direct translation from [YOUR L1], say so. After item 20, report my score and the five pairings I should write on a card. Start with item 1 now.
Tense Diagnostic DrillSet 1 · beginner · tense consistency
You are my English accuracy coach. My first language is [YOUR L1] and I am preparing for IELTS Speaking. Run a tense diagnostic. Give me 20 short situations one at a time, each with a time marker and a verb in brackets, for example: Yesterday I (visit) my grandmother. I type the correct verb form. After each answer, tell me right or wrong in one line, naming what the time marker demanded, then continue. Keep score. Watch especially the distinctions that trouble speakers of [YOUR L1], and always enforce: yesterday, last, ago and past years force the simple past; since and for with unfinished periods need the present perfect. After item 20, report my score and my single weakest marker-tense pairing. Start with item 1 now.
03Prompt Set 2

The system builders.

Fifteen minutes of targeted build per session, in measured rounds, so the last five minutes prove what the first five found.

Article System BuilderSet 2 · beginner · articles
You are my English article coach. My first language is [YOUR L1], which does not handle articles the way English does. Run a 15-minute article-building session in three rounds. Round 1, five minutes: eight sentences with blanks; I supply a, an, the, or nothing; correct me after each with the rule in one line. Round 2, five minutes: four IELTS Part 1 questions, one at a time; I answer each in two or three sentences; after each answer, quote every article error in my exact words and show the corrected sentence. Round 3, five minutes: re-test the rules I got wrong with six fresh sentences. Close the session with: my Round 1 versus Round 3 error rate, the one rule to study next, and one sentence pattern to practise tomorrow. Focus throughout on the article errors most common for speakers of [YOUR L1]. Start Round 1 now.
Subject Inclusion AutomationSet 2 · beginner · sentence frame
You are my English sentence-structure coach. My first language is [YOUR L1]. Languages like mine may drop subject pronouns, hold verbs back, or leave out auxiliary verbs; English demands the full frame every time. Drill me to automation. Give me a short idea in note form, for example: yesterday / heavy rain / match cancelled. I turn it into one complete spoken-style English sentence with the subject stated, any auxiliary present, and standard word order. Correct each attempt immediately: quote what I wrote, mark anything missing or misplaced, give the repaired sentence. Run ten items, then tell me which of the three areas cost me most: subject stated, auxiliary present, or word order. Then run eight faster items on that area alone. Start now.
Preposition Mapping BuilderSet 2 · beginner · prepositions
You are my English preposition coach. My first language is [YOUR L1], and most of my preposition errors are direct translations from it. Build my map. Take ten high-frequency IELTS speaking phrases that demand a fixed preposition: depend on, interested in, good at, arrive in a city, arrive at a building, listen to, and four more of your choosing. One at a time, ask me to use the phrase in a sentence about my own life. Correct instantly, and where my error follows [YOUR L1] structure, name the clash. Then quiz all ten in random order, twice, faster the second time. Close with the three pairings I most need to write on a card and review tomorrow. Start now.
04Prompt Set 3

The tense consistency builder.

Consistency is checked in connected speech, where it actually breaks, not in single sentences, where it rarely does.

Tense Consistency BuilderSet 3 · beginner to development · tense
You are my English tense coach. My first language is [YOUR L1] and I am preparing for IELTS Speaking. Drill tense consistency in connected speech, not in single sentences. Ask me one Part 1 style question at a time that sets a clear time frame: last weekend, when I was a child, these days, since I started work, next year. I answer in three or four full sentences. Check one thing only: does every verb sit inside the frame my time markers set? Quote each verb that breaks the frame, name what the marker demanded, and give the repaired sentence. Enforce throughout: yesterday, last, ago and past years force the simple past, never the present perfect; since and for with unfinished periods need the present perfect; stative verbs like know, believe, own and understand resist the continuous. Eight questions per session across past, habit, experience and future. Close with my consistency rate and the one marker-tense pairing to drill tomorrow. Start now.
05Prompt Set 4

AI error pattern recognition.

Record, Analyse, Improve: your own transcripts become the syllabus. Beginners join from the second or third week; advanced candidates start here.

AI Error Pattern Recognition (Record, Analyse, Improve)Set 4 · all levels · one transcript
You are my IELTS Speaking error analyst. My first language is [YOUR L1]. I will paste the transcript of a spoken answer I recorded. It may contain transcription mistakes; ignore anything that is clearly the transcriber's error rather than mine. Analyse it in this order. 1. List every grammar error, grouped by pattern: articles, subject-verb agreement, prepositions, tense, other. Quote my exact words and give the correction for each. 2. Tell me which single pattern cost me most, and whether it matches the errors typical of [YOUR L1] speakers. 3. Point out one vocabulary choice that was imprecise, with a stronger alternative. 4. Name one thing I did well that I should keep. Do not comment on my accent or my opinions. Wait for my transcript.
Trend TrackingSet 4 · all levels · across sessions
You are tracking my spoken-error trends across practice sessions. My first language is [YOUR L1]. I will paste several transcripts of my recorded answers from different days, each labelled with its date. Compare them. For each error pattern: articles, subject-verb agreement, prepositions, tense; tell me whether its frequency is rising, flat, or falling across the dates, quoting one example from the earliest transcript and one from the latest. Then answer two questions only: which pattern is improving fastest, and which pattern has not moved and needs a different drill. Wait for my transcripts.

Recording is a phone voice memo; a transcript is Otter's free tier or Google Docs voice typing played at the microphone. Never re-record because you made errors: the errors are the data.

06Prompt Set 5

L1 pattern speed correction.

The advanced drill: corrections at speaking speed, because an error you can only fix slowly is an error you will make in the room.

L1 Pattern Speed CorrectionSet 5 · advanced · timed
You are my speed-correction coach, and this is an advanced drill. My first language is [YOUR L1]. My target is [PATTERN], for example: articles, present perfect versus simple past, word order. Fire wrong sentences at me one at a time, each containing exactly one error in my target pattern. I must reply with the corrected sentence within ten seconds; hold me to that pace. If my correction is right, fire the next immediately. If it is wrong or slow, stop, show the fix and the rule in one line, then continue. Build the sentences from the errors speakers of [YOUR L1] actually make. The level I want, from a German-speaker example: I have visited Berlin last summer must become I visited Berlin last summer, because last summer forces the simple past. Twenty sentences per round. After the round, report my accuracy, my average speed, and whether I am ready to move this drill into spoken answers. Start now.

The [PATTERN] slot takes any of the four universal patterns, or a pattern of your own from your Set 4 reports. Turkic speakers: run it with word order sentences from Week 3, as Appendix A prescribes. German and Dutch speakers: point it at the present perfect and its time markers first; the prompt's built-in example marks the level.

07The rehearsal drills

Rapport rehearsal.

The walk-in, the greeting and the first sixty seconds, rehearsed under realistic conditions until the real room feels like a re-run.

The First Sixty SecondsRehearsal · all levels · Chapter 17
You are an IELTS Speaking examiner, and we are rehearsing the opening of the test: the walk-in, the greeting, and the first minute of Part 1. Stay in role from your first message. Follow the real opening script: greet me, ask my full name, ask what you should call me, ask where I am from, and ask to see my identification. Then move straight into three Part 1 questions about where I live or what I do. Keep examiner pace: neutral, warm, brisk. Do not correct my English during the rehearsal. When I type END, come out of role and tell me: whether my opening answers were the right length, two to three sentences each; whether I sounded like a conversation or a recitation; and one thing to change on the next run. Begin as I enter the room.
The Interruption RecoveryRehearsal · all levels · Chapter 2
You are an IELTS Speaking examiner running Part 1 under realistic conditions, and this rehearsal drills recovery. Ask me ordinary Part 1 questions about home, work, studies and daily habits. Twice during the session, without warning, cut in mid-answer with a polite examiner interruption: thank you, and then the next question. My job is to stop instantly, without protest or trailing off, and give the new question a complete answer of about two sentences. Stay in role throughout. When I type END, come out of role and report: how I handled each interruption, whether my restarts were composed, and whether any answer ran long enough to invite the cut. Begin the test now.
08The calendars

Seven-day practice calendars, by language family.

Week one for each family, following the sequences Appendix A prescribes: twenty to thirty minutes a day, every session recorded. Week two repeats with fresh sessions; move a set up the sequence when a day passes cleanly.

Romance speakers (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese)

  • MonSet 1 Tense Diagnostic: baseline the time-marker habit.
  • TueSet 3 Tense Consistency Builder, past frames only.
  • WedSet 1 Article Diagnostic, abstract nouns in view.
  • ThuSet 3 again: a yesterday, last and ago sprint.
  • FriSet 2 Article System Builder on general nouns.
  • SatRecord three Part 2 answers; run Set 4 on one transcript.
  • SunRest, or reread the week’s error log.

East Asian speakers (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese)

  • MonSet 1 Article Diagnostic: baseline.
  • TueSet 2 Article System Builder, full three rounds.
  • WedSet 2 Subject Inclusion Automation.
  • ThuSet 1 Agreement Diagnostic: third-person -s in view.
  • FriSet 2 Article System Builder, Round 3 rules only.
  • SatRecord three Part 2 answers; run Set 4 on one transcript.
  • SunRest.

Slavic speakers (Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech)

  • MonSet 1 Article Diagnostic: baseline.
  • TueSet 2 Article System Builder: uncountable nouns.
  • WedSet 2 Article System Builder: singular count nouns.
  • ThuSet 1 Tense Diagnostic: perfect versus simple past.
  • FriSet 2 Subject Inclusion Automation with question forms.
  • SatRecord three Part 2 answers; run Set 4 on one transcript.
  • SunRest.

Germanic speakers (German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian)

  • MonSet 1 Article Diagnostic: baseline your articles.
  • TueSet 5 Speed Correction: present perfect versus its time markers.
  • WedSet 5 again, a faster round.
  • ThuSet 1 Article Diagnostic: re-test.
  • FriSet 5 mixing article and tense sentences.
  • SatRecord three Part 2 answers; run Set 4 on one transcript.
  • SunRest.

Turkic speakers (Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh)

  • MonSet 2 Subject Inclusion Automation.
  • TueSubject Inclusion Automation again, faster items.
  • WedSet 2 Article System Builder.
  • ThuArticle System Builder, Round 3 rules only.
  • FriSet 1 Agreement Diagnostic: re-test the frame.
  • SatRecord three Part 2 answers; run Set 4 on one transcript.
  • SunRest. From Week 3, add Set 5 with word order sentences.

Arabic and Semitic-language speakers

  • MonSet 2 Article System Builder.
  • TueArticle System Builder, full three rounds.
  • WedSet 1 Agreement Diagnostic.
  • ThuArticle System Builder, plus six agreement re-test items.
  • FriSet 1 Article Diagnostic: re-test.
  • SatRecord three Part 2 answers; tally errors by pattern.
  • SunRest. From Week 3, Saturdays run Set 4 on a transcript.

Indo-Iranian speakers (Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali)

  • MonSet 2 Article System Builder.
  • TueArticle System Builder, full three rounds.
  • WedSet 3 Tense Consistency Builder.
  • ThuSet 3: perfect versus simple past in view.
  • FriSet 1 Article Diagnostic: re-test.
  • SatRecord three answers; run Set 4 with a stative-verb watch.
  • SunRest.

Other language backgrounds: start from your Appendix A diagnostic instead. The action plans in Appendix C build your first week around your highest-scoring section using these same sets; from Week 2, borrow the calendar of the family whose error profile most resembles your own.

09Troubleshooting

When the assistant misbehaves.

Six faults cover almost every session that goes wrong, and each has a one-line fix.

The assistant answers the questions itself instead of coaching.Every prompt ends with a start instruction, which usually holds it in role. If it drifts, reply: stay in the coach role and give me the next item.
It says everything I write is correct.Free models can be generous. Reply: be strict, quote every error, including small ones. If it still passes everything, paste the same answer into a different assistant and compare; where they disagree, the Universal Patterns section of the book arbitrates.
It corrects my spoken English into essay English.Tell it: this is spoken English for IELTS Speaking; contractions and natural informality are correct, so do not formalise them. Register is yours to control, not the model’s.
Its feedback contradicts the book.Trust the book. Appendix C’s checklist covers this: trust feedback that explains why with reference to your first language and stays consistent across similar errors; verify anything that contradicts itself or the book’s rules.
I hit a free-tier limit mid-session.The sessions are built to fit inside free tiers at about fifteen minutes. If one is cut short, copy the assistant’s last summary, open a fresh chat tomorrow, paste the summary beneath the prompt, and continue.
My transcript is full of errors I did not make.Transcription tools mishear. Tell the Set 4 analyst to ignore anything that is clearly a transcription artefact rather than your error; the recording guidance on the bank’s front page shows the two free transcription routes.
→Past the prompts

AI drills the pattern. A tutor hears the person.

A model corrects the sentence in front of it; it cannot hear what your last six recordings have in common.

In lessons I track exactly that, against the same criteria the examiner uses – £20 for fifty minutes, with a written report and homework after every lesson.

The book of the method

The Proper English Grammar Guide to IELTS Speaking

The method this site drills for free, written down properly: five response frameworks, thirteen grammatical structures taken to automation, vocabulary by band, pronunciation with audio demonstrations one scan away, and first-language guidance for eight language families. 614 pages, built from more than two thousand documented one-to-one lessons. Most guides teach every candidate the same English; this one starts from what your first language makes you do.

Paperback on Amazon →Kindle edition →The free 79-page companion →