The Speaking tests of IELTS are assessed by trained examiners and they will assess the test takers/students based on the guidelines IELTS provides. In this blog, band descriptors for IELTS Speaking are discussed.
The IELTS Speaking test is assessed based on four factors:
- Fluency and Coherence
- Lexical Resources
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Pronunciation
Each test taker/student will achieve attain their band scores according to the criteria set on each band on these four factors, in other words, each band score has set criteria based on the four factors.
IELTS SPEAKING BAND DESCRIPTORS
Band Score 0
The test taker/ student will receive a Band Score of 0 if they don’t attend or fail the Speaking test. If the test taker did not participate in the exam, he/she will receive a score of 0 since no rating was provided.
Band Score 1
The test taker will receive a Band Score of 1 if the test taker’s language is not comprehendible. If communication with the test taker/student is not possible at all with the test taker, when the test taker uses a language that is not applicable according to the test, the test taker will receive 1 as their IELTS Band Score.
Band Score 2
The test taker/ student will receive a Band Score of 2 if they perform in a way distinguished by these four factors.
Fluency and Coherence: If the test taker takes long pauses before producing most words and tends to produce less communication during the test.
Lexical Resources: If the test taker produces isolated words as their answer and utters memorized answers as their answers.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: If the test taker cannot make a sentence of a basic form with correct grammar and suitable words.
Pronunciation: If the test taker’s speech is often unintelligible, incomprehensible.
Band Score 3
The test taker/ student will receive a band score of 3 if they perform in the way specified for band 3 in these four determining factors.
Fluency and Coherence: If the test taker takes long pauses in their speech with simple sentences/ responses and is unable to convey basic messages, the test taker is even unable to link simple sentences.
Lexical Resources: If the test taker has a limited vocabulary and uses rather simple words to convey Personal Information.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: If the test taker can produce a very limited number of accurate basic primary sentence forms, most accurate sentence forms are usually memorized expressions.
Pronunciation: If the test taker uses a limited range of pronunciation features with attempts to control the mistakes, yet words are mispronounced and the speech is unintelligible.
Band Score 4
The test-takers/ students will obtain a band score of 4 if they performed in the way defined by the four factors determining the score of 4.
Fluency and Coherence: If the test taker has noticeable long pauses and slow speech with frequent repetition and self-correction, the test takers can link sentences but with the use of simple repetitive connectives.
Lexical Resources: If the test takers are capable of talking about familiar topics producing basic meanings but on unfamiliar topics, they make mistakes in word choices frequently.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: If the test takers can produce primary sentence forms and a few correct sentences but have trouble with subordinate sentence structures, the test-takers frequently make mistakes leading to misunderstanding.
Pronunciation: If the test takers have a limited range of pronunciations creating frequent mispronunciations and difficulty for the listeners, the test takers try to control them, yet the mistakes are frequent.
Band Score 5
The test taker/ students will receive a Band Score of 5 if they perform in a way distinguished by these factors.
Fluency and Coherence: If the test takers can maintain the speech flow but use repetition, self-correction, and slow speech to maintain the flow, they can produce simple speech with ease but will have difficulty producing complex communications. They may use few connectives and discourse markers excessively.
Lexical Resources: If the test takers have limited vocabulary flexibility but can manage to produce a conversation about both familiar and unfamiliar topics, they tend to have little success in their attempts to paraphrase.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: If the test taker can produce a basic sentence with moderate accuracy but uses a limited variety of complex structures, the complex sentence has few mistakes causing problems in the clarity of the sentence.
Pronunciation: If the test taker uses the range of pronunciation features with long the composure in a few areas, they attempt to effectively use the pronunciation features yet fail certain times causing mispronunciation and difficulty for listeners.
Band Score 6
The test-takers/ students will attain a Band Score of 6 if they performed in the way specified by the following factors.
Fluency and Coherence: If the test taker is willing to speak at length although they tend to lose conference due to some repetitions, self-correction or hesitations, the test takers also use a variety of connectives and discourse markers but sometimes inaccurately.
Lexical Resources: If the test takers have a wide vocabulary to discuss topics at length and make clear meaning despite a few inappropriate uses, they also tend to paraphrase successfully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: If the test takers use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures but with partial flexibility, they tend to make frequent mistakes with complex structures however they do not cause problems incomprehension.
Pronunciation: If the test takers use a variety of pronunciation features with effective use but it is not sustained, they can generally be understood but the mispronunciation of individual words or sounds reduces clarity.
Band Score 7
The test-takers will receive a band score of 7 if they performed in the way defined by these four factors defining the criteria of band 7.
Fluency and Coherence: If the test taker is capable of speaking at length without the obvious effort or loss of coherence but may show few hesitations due to language or some repetitions and self-correction, the test taker is capable of using a range of connectives and discourse marker with some flexibility.
Lexical Resources: If the test taker flexibly uses wide vocabulary resources to discuss a variety of topics with the effective use of paraphrasing, the test taker also uses some less common and idiomatic vocabulary with collocations and style, but there are few inappropriate choices.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: If the test taker uses a range of complex sentence structures flexibly and usually produces errorless sentences, there are few grammatical errors seen.
Pronunciation: If the test takers use a variety of pronunciation features effectively and can be understood throughout, there are rare mispronunciations and at times the control on effective pronunciations is lost.
Band Score 8
The test takers/ students will obtain a band score of 8 if they performed in the criteria defined for band 9 of all the following factors.
Fluency and Coherence: If the test takers speak fluently with only occasional rare repetitions and self-correction, the hesitations are usually related to finding language for the topic., they can develop topics coherently and appropriately.
Lexical Resources: If the test taker can flexibly use a wide range of vocabulary and present precise meaning, they can also use paraphrasing effectively per the requirements. The test takers have the tendency to use less common and idiomatic vocabulary with very few inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: If the test takers use a wide variety of structures flexibly and produce most errorless sentences with few occasional appropriacies or with dew systematic errors,
Pronunciation: If the test takers use a wide range of pronunciation features with sustained flexibility in the use of features and very few mistakes, the speech can be easily understood but their first language has some minimal effect on intelligibility.
Band Score 9
The test-takers will attain a band score of 9 if they are successful in fulfilling the criteria defined by the following four factors for band 9.
Fluency and Coherence: If the test takers can maintain fluency with only rare repetitions and self-correction related to content than for words or grammar, the test takers must speak coherently and cohesively while developing topics appropriately.
Lexical Resources: If the test takers use a wide range of words with fully flexible vocabulary and accuracy, while also using idiomatic language accurately and logically.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: If the test takers use fully natural and appropriate grammar structures, the sentence should be accurate, consistent structures apart from the ”slips” characteristics of native speakers’ speech.
Pronunciation: If the test taker uses precise and subtle, full range of pronunciation features sustaining flexible usage and a speech that is effortless to comprehend.
We hope our Gurubaa Blog on “IELTS band descriptors” helped you understand the criteria for band scores in the Speaking section of tests. For more information and answers to your queries feel free to comment or contact Gurubaa.
