IELTS Speaking Test Preparation

Scored on

• Fluency and coherence25%

  Score against the IELTS band markers. Band 5: keeps going but relies on repetition, self-correction and slow speech; over-uses simple connectives such as and, but, because; loses coherence in longer turns. Band 6: willing to speak at length, though loses coherence at times through hesitation, repetition or self-correction; uses a range of connectives and discourse markers but not always appropriately. Band 7: speaks at length without noticeable effort or loss of coherence; may show some language-related hesitation or repetition; uses a range of connectives and discourse markers with some flexibility; develops topics clearly. Band 8: speaks fluently with only occasional repetition or self-correction, hesitation is usually content-related, not to find words or grammar; develops topics coherently and appropriately. Map band 5 to about 45, band 6 to about 60, band 7 to about 75, band 8 to about 90 on the 0 to 100 scale.

• Lexical resource25%

  Band 5: manages to talk about familiar and unfamiliar topics but uses vocabulary with limited flexibility; attempts paraphrase with mixed success. Band 6: has a wide enough vocabulary to discuss topics at length and make meaning clear despite inappropriacies; generally paraphrases successfully. Band 7: uses vocabulary resource flexibly to discuss a variety of topics; uses some less common and idiomatic vocabulary and shows some awareness of style and collocation, with some inappropriate choices; uses paraphrase effectively. Band 8: wide vocabulary resource used readily and flexibly to convey precise meaning; uses less common and idiomatic vocabulary skilfully with occasional inaccuracies; paraphrases effectively as required. Reward topic-specific words used accurately on the cue card topic and in the abstract Part 3 discussion; penalise memorised chunks that do not fit the question. Map band 5 to about 45, 6 to 60, 7 to 75, 8 to 90.

• Grammatical range and accuracy25%

  Band 5: produces basic sentence forms with reasonable accuracy; uses a limited range of more complex structures, but these usually contain errors and may cause some comprehension problems. Band 6: uses a mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility; may make frequent mistakes with complex structures, though these rarely cause comprehension problems. Band 7: uses a range of complex structures with some flexibility; frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist. Band 8: uses a wide range of structures flexibly; the majority of sentences are error-free, with only very occasional inappropriacies or basic or non-systematic errors. Listen specifically for tense control when narrating a past event, conditionals and modals in Part 3 speculation, article and preposition errors typical of Indian English, and subject-verb agreement. Map band 5 to about 45, 6 to 60, 7 to 75, 8 to 90.

• Pronunciation25%

  Band 5: shows all the positive features of band 4 and some, but not all, of band 6. Band 6: uses a range of pronunciation features with mixed control; shows some effective use of features but this is not sustained; can generally be understood throughout, though mispronunciation of individual words or sounds reduces clarity at times. Band 7: shows all the positive features of band 6 and some, but not all, of band 8. Band 8: uses a wide range of pronunciation features; sustains flexible use of features, with only occasional lapses; is easy to understand throughout, with first-language accent having minimal effect on intelligibility. Judge sentence stress, chunking, intonation that carries meaning, and clarity of individual sounds; an Indian accent by itself is never penalised, only loss of intelligibility is. Map band 5 to about 45, 6 to 60, 7 to 75, 8 to 90.

Pass mark 60 / 100 · IELTS Speaking test — three-part examiner interview