Use this guide to organise what to listen for during an IELTS speaking test so that you can grade

efficiently.

THE 4 IELTS SPEAKING SKILLS

FLUENCY AND COHERENCE LEXICAL RESOURCE
Fluency and Coherence are two ways of describing how well you This skill tracks a student’s range of vocabulary, colloquial and idiomatic
communicate logically, clearly, and without difficulty. knowledge and their ability to say things in different ways.
Speaking at length does not guarantee a high fluency score. ● Using a high volume of complex vocabulary doesn’t actually get a
● If they pause sometimes, they can still get a perfect IELTS score. It high score here. Only appropriate topical vocabulary is necessary
is repeated pauses and stumbles that lowers their score. to get to Band 6.
● A high score here requires no noticeable effort to find the ● If they never paraphrase, they cannot get above Band 3 in this
appropriate vocabulary and easily manipulating grammar to skill.
express ideas. ● If they frequently repeat common vocabulary they cannot get
● Linking, connective and transition words are necessary to achieve above Band 5 in this skill.
Band 4. ● If they don’t use collocations and idioms they cannot score above
● If they frequently pause to think then they cannot get above Band Band 6.
6.

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY PRONUNCIATION

This skill is looking for use of different sentence structure types and the The IELTS test is an international English test, which means that different
use of different types of clauses. English speaking countries’ words and accents are all acceptable.
● This skill at higher levels asks for a mix of simple and complex ● Having an accent ONLY reduces score if it causes understanding
structures, NOT only complex structures. difficulty.
● If they don’t use subordinate (dependant) clauses, they cannot get ● At lower scores, they may have pronunciation errors which cause
above Band 3. difficulty for the listener to understand them.
● Must consistently attempt complex sentences to get above Band ● At higher scores, they are using various pronunciation features
4. and their speech sounds natural.
● If they make frequent syntax or tense errors then they cannot get -See below for a list of pronunciation features.
above Band 6.
What to listen for when grading a speaking test:

1. First, listen for paraphrasing. (LR)

-Effective paraphrasing is to present the original information in their own words without losing the full meaning of the information.
-This means synonyms but also reorganizing the word/clause order and using different grammar forms of the same vocabulary.

2. Word choice.
-Are there noticeable pauses before they answer? (FC)
-Do they pause before using topical vocabulary? (FC)
-Are they repeating basic vocabulary or using a range of topical words? (LR)
-Is their choice of words appropriate and accurate to convey the meaning of their answer? (LR)

3. Sentence structures.
-Are they using linking words to join clauses? (FC)(GRA)
-Are they varying their linking words? (LR)
-Are they using the correct verb tense? (GRA)
-Are their words in the correct order? (GRA)

4. Speaking naturally.
-Is the candidate using contractions? (P)
-Do they pause in the middle of a sentence? (FC)
-Are they stressing their words correctly? (P)
-Can you hear appropriate intonation? (P)
To get the band, a student must achieve 100% of all positive criteria. If they do not, they cannot advance.

BAND FLUENCY AND COHERENCE LEXICAL RESOURCE GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY PRONUNCIATION

9 ❏ Perfectly fluent English ❏ Expresses exact, precise ❏ Grammar comes naturally ❏ Consistently uses chunking,
speaker ideas. ❏ Only one or two ‘slips’ just like a intonation, stress and speed
❏ Uses idioms naturally and native speaker effortlessly.
appropriately. ❏ Generally effortless to
understand.

8 ❏ Speaks fluently with only one ❏ Uses less common idioms, ❏ Uses many different conjunctions ❏ Frequently uses chunking
or two repetitions. sometimes inappropriately. and joins clauses with little effort. naturally.
❏ Hesitation is ONLY from ❏ Shows off an advanced ❏ Very few grammar mistakes ❏ Intonation and word stress is
searching for language. vocabulary to express well developed with
❏ Develops topics fully. complex or subtle ideas. occasional misuse.
❏ Sustains pronunciation
features throughout.

7 ❏ Generally effortless speech. ❏ Uses a few common idioms ❏ Uses many complex sentences with
❏ One or two repetitions or with some inaccuracy a range of different conjunctions. ❏ Fully understandable
corrections. ❏ Paraphrases effectively ❏ Makes several statements with no language. (even with some
❏ Uses a varied range of linking ❏ Vocabulary is wide enough errors. mispronounced words))
words for any topic ❏ Makes a few mistakes with more ❏ Can vary intonation, speed and
complex structures. stress to affect meaning.
❏ Able to divide utterances into
“chunks” (see below)

6 ❏ Usually speaks at length with ❏ Generally able to paraphrase ❏ Uses both simple and complex ❏ Can generally be understood
some coherence loss. successfully. sentences. throughout.
❏ Some repetition or self ❏ Has a diverse vocabulary to ❏ Uses a few different conjunctions ❏ Some mistakes disrupt clarity.
correction. discuss most topics. with frequent mistakes but the ❏ Uses intonations, speed and
❏ Uses a range of connectives ❏ Missing some useful meaning is not lost. stress with some inaccuracies.
and discourse markers, vocabulary but is still able to ❏ Rarely mispronounces difficult
express clear meaning. sounds.
❏ Uses appropriate contraction
5 ❏ Maintains flow, but may ❏ Attempts to paraphrase but ❏ Can speak in short simple sentences ❏ Can generally be understood
speak slowly or repeat this causes some loss of without many grammar mistakes. throughout, with occasional
themselves to maintain it. flow/clarity. ❏ Complex structures attempted but difficulties
❏ Simple answers are good, ❏ Can answer most questions with more mistakes that cause ❏ Attempts to use intonation
more complex speech causes but repeats vocabulary. noticeable misunderstanding. and word stress with some
difficulty. inappropriacies.
❏ Some repetition of ❏ Generally uses contractions
connectives and discourse appropriately.
markers.

4 ❏ Repeats one or two ❏ Attempts to paraphrase a few ❏ Only uses occasional subordinate ❏ Sometimes uses contractions
connective words often. times. clauses. with some mistakes.
❏ Consistently attempts ❏ Can only effectively answer ❏ Most answers are simple sentences. ❏ Frequent mispronunciations
complex sentences. questions they know. ❏ Frequent errors sometimes cause of certain sounds. s/th/b/p
❏ Pauses or self corrects in misunderstanding.
almost all answers.
❏ Loses flow often.

3 ❏ Exclusively uses one or two ❏ They do not paraphrase. ❏ Often uses incorrect verb tense ❏ Many words are stressed
connectives. ❏ Basic vocabulary only. forms. incorrectly.
❏ Has long pauses at the start ❏ Cannot answer outside of ❏ Speaks in short sentences. ❏ Misses plural S sounds.
of and during answering. basic questions. ❏ Doesn’t use subordinate clauses. ❏ Often doesn’t form word
❏ Very simple answers. ❏ Numerous grammatical errors cause endings correctly.
❏ Cannot fully say what they understanding difficulty. ❏ Consistent mispronunciations
want to express. of certain sounds. s/th/b/p

2 ❏ Pauses and hesitates ❏ Mostly one word answers ❏ Doesn’t speak in full sentences ❏ Unable to understand the
between most words. majority of their speech

1 They don’t talk at all. Near zero English response.

0 Does not attend

 Feature Skill Meaning Example

Coherence Fluency and Coherence refers to the organization of ideas. If you lack You know that you must speak at length on topics. And the
Coherence coherence, we might say your speech is incoherent and you ideas that you express must be organised logically, and
might know that incoherent means lacking in clarity or ordered with appropriate linking words, parallel structures
organization; disordered, messy. and signposts.

Connective, Fluency and A word used to connect to clauses. for, as, since, therefore, hence, consequently, though, due to,
Linking word, Coherence provided that, because, unless, once, while, when,
Conjunction whenever, where, wherever, before, and, after.

Discourse Fluency and Sequencing, comparing, contrasting, giving opinion, giving Firstly, after that, also, as well as, and, unfortunately,
Markers Coherence examples, stalling however, similarly, although, on one hand, instead of, for
instance, “I haven’t heard of that before”, “That’s an
interesting question”, as a result of, generally speaking

Idiomatic Lexical Resource Phrasal verbs, similies and idioms, not slang or Ask around, blow up, turn down, catch up, piece of cake, kill
language proverbs. two birds with one stone, glass cannon, tough as nails

Pronunciation Pronunciation 1. Individual sounds Consonant clusters, silent letters, similar sounds, the schwa,
Feature vowel length.
2. Word stress Strong and weak forms
3. Intonation Tones go up and down to express feeling
4. Enunciation Clearly pronouncing sounds
5. Linking sounds Long and short vowels. Voiced and unvoiced
6. Chunking Putting parts of a sentence together to create stress and
clarity
7. Contractions It’s, they’re, he’s, I’d

Chunking Pronunciation Word groups of common word strings such as sentence “And stuff like that” “I’m not really sure but…” “something to
fillers. The words aren't fully pronounced individually but do with…”
are pushed together into a ‘chunk’.
 Subordinate Grammatical A dependent clause attached to an independent clause ● I will go to university if I pass my IELTS exams with
Clause Range and with a linking word. a 6.5 band score.
Accuracy ● My friends and I like to go swimming when we have
time after school

Simple Grammatical A short sentence with 1 idea. 1. Global warming is a common topic these days.
structures Range and 2. Global warming causes environmental problems.
Accuracy 3. There are tough challenges associated with global
warming.
4. Global warming has very serious consequences.

Complex Grammatical A sentence with 2 or more simple structures, connected 1. One of the most common environmental issues is global
structures Range and with linking words. warming which causes many serious environmental
Accuracy problems.
2. There are tough challenges associated with this issue and
its effects have very serious consequences.

On accents and pronunciation score:

A candidate can score a band 9 even with an accent. If their accent is causing misunderstanding or pronunciation difficulties then that is what they are marked on, not the presence of an accent itself.

On the difference between bands 8 and 9:

Band 9 suggests speaking as a native, first language speaker would, not always perfectly but completely naturally.
Band 8 is ‘almost perfect’ but with a few inaccuracies that still need to be ironed out.
Paraphrasing: Some common paraphrasing mistakes come from trying
There are 3 main ways to paraphrase and a few things to do so effectively.
1. Synonyms. Changing some key words from the question and using them to begin your answer.
too hard to swap every word.
Ex: Do you have any pets at home? Some synonyms are not appropriate and can change
Yes, my family has a few domesticated animals in our household. the meaning of a sentence.
No, my apartment doesn't allow animals but I’d love to keep a parrot one day.

2. Forms. Changing the form of a word to a different tense, from an infinitive to a gerund, using adverbs. Paraphrasing effectively means making correct
Ex: Do you often play any sports?
choices for synonyms and keeping the meaning
I usually enjoy playing sports on the weekend.
clear.
3. Clauses. Moving the clauses around. Loss of clarity or understanding is not effective
Ex: Many people are unhealthy because they don’t eat well or exercise, do you agree?
I think that a lack of a healthy diet and not working out causes people to be unhealthy. paraphrasing.