How is IELTS Speaking Graded? The IELTS speaking test consists of three different sections during which the IELTS examiner will ask the IELTS candidate some introductory questions, then ask the IELTS candidate to talk about a topic for 1 -2 minutes, and in the final part the IELTS examiner will ask some follow up questions related to the topic in the second part of the interview and expand the discussion asking the IELTS candidate for their views and ideas in response to some additional discussion questions. The idea of the is to evaluate how effectively the IELTS candidate can communicate in English. Each IELTS speaking interview lasts an average of 15 minutes and is recorded. IELTS speaking performance The IELTS candidate’s speaking performance is given an IELTS speaking band score based on the 9 levels of proficiency in IELTS. For more detailed information and a description of the IELTS bands see the IELTS information for candidates PDF booklet. IELTS speaking criteria The IELTS examiner will listen to the IELTS candidate’s responses during the IELTS interview and grade or evaluate their speaking performance throughout the interview based on the following criteria: Fluency and Coherence: this is the candidate’s ability to speak in a normal way, continuously, at a normal speed, without any longer than normal pauses, and the candidate’s skill at organizing and connecting their ideas together to form coherent speech. The rate of speech and ability to maintain continuity of speech provide evidence of the candidate’s fluency. Lexical Resource: this evaluates the candidate’s ability to use a wide range of vocabulary and their level of competence using English to express meaning and attitude with accuracy or precision. How varied the vocabulary is that the candidate uses and how appropriate and suitable the words are related to the context are important factors. The candidate’s ability to deal with occasions when they can’t remember a certain word and have to paraphrase or use other words to describe things is also taken into account. Grammatical Range and Accuracy: this measures the IELTS candidate’s ability to use a variety of different grammatical structures and the level or degree of accuracy or precision the candidate demonstrates when applying them. How frequently the candidate makes errors and how much those errors influence the clarity of communication are important in the evaluation. Pronunciation: this evaluates the IELTS candidate’s ability to use normal phonological features of English pronunciation correctly, consistently and precisely in order to transmit correct meaning. The rhythm, emphasis and intonation of the IELTS candidate’s speech are monitored as well as the clarity of sounds and how easily the candidate can be understood. IELTS speaking band score All four areas are equally important, so each area evaluated represents 25% of the overall IELTS Speaking test band score given for each IELTS candidate. For more information about how IELTS speaking is graded, see a copy of the IELTS speaking band descriptors.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 07:25:19 +0000
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