Home » IELTS Speaking: What is the examiner looking for?
In IELTS Speaking Part 2, you have to talk for two minutes on a topic given to you by the examiner. It is essential that you know and understand how you will be graded before you enter the exam room.
According to the IELTS Speaking assessment criteria, your speaking will be marked on the following five points:
- Fluency and coherence: how well your response flows and how well-connected your ideas are.
- Lexical resource: how well you use vocabulary to express what you mean. Do you have a good range of vocabulary, and do you use words accurately?
- Grammatical range and accuracy: how well you use English grammar, the variety of grammatical structures you use and how you use grammar to aid understanding.
- Pronunciation: how easy it is for the examiner to understand what you are saying. Don’t forget that pronunciation is not just a matter of saying the individual sounds correctly; you have to put those sounds together in words and sentences.
- Relevance: This is not directly on the assessment criteria but you must, of course, stick to the topic on the card.
This is not difficult to understand in theory, but are you confident you know what it means in practice?
Assess a candidate
To test your understanding of the assessment criteria, try assessing an IELTS candidate’s performance yourself. First look at this topic:
You are now going to listen to a candidate giving a short talk on this topic. As you listen, make notes on the candidate’s performance under the five headings above: fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and relevance. You might want to listen to the recording more than once.
An examiner’s notes
We asked an IELTS Speaking examiner to comment on the candidate’s performance. Read on to see what he said.
Fluency and coherence
The candidate keeps going. He never has to search for a word and always has a replacement word as good as the word he needs. He gets a good mark for fluency.
Lexical resource
Reasonably accurate, but some problems, ‘put into commerce’ for ‘became available’, ‘fun’ for ‘funny’, ‘came over’ for ‘took over’, ‘hard paper’ for ‘hard copy’. But some nice idiomatic language, ‘the dear old fax machine’. Generally scores well on vocabulary.
Grammatical range and accuracy
In some areas he displays a high degree of grammatical competence, for example his use of the past perfect and ‘had to’ as the simple past of ‘must’. Tenses are generally good. Problems with relative clauses, ‘the fax machine is something that it would be soon forgotten’.
Pronunciation
I had no problems understanding him. I can hear an accent, but it doesn’t interfere with comprehension. There was not one word that I didn’t understand, or which made me pause to think.
Relevance
Fine. He keeps to the topic.
Compare the way you graded the candidate with the examiner’s findings. Most importantly, think about what the IELTS Speaking examiner was looking for and what the examiner focused on in his report. Listening to and grading another candidate helps you to understand what the IELTS Speaking examiner is looking for in all of the five areas they are assessing. Apply this knowledge to your own performance, and then practise in the areas where you are less able.
What’s next?
Let’s look at one example: the examiner thinks it is important that the candidate ‘keeps going’.
The next step is for you to practise doing the Speaking test as the candidate and grading your performance as an examiner. Find practice questions and topics (there are several in Road to IELTS). Give yourself one minute to look at the task and make notes. Then record yourself speaking on the topic for one to two minutes.Afterwards listen to yourself and grade yourself on each of the areas covered by the examiner. Evaluate your performance.
This exercise will enable you to pinpoint your weak areas and to develop strategies to improve. If, for example, you discover that you are unable to ‘keep going’, a performance area the examiner above was looking for, then you will know that you need to spend lots of time improving your fluency. Try this exercise again and again, and record yourself. Save your recordings so that you can measure your progress.
Remember, good speakers make mistakes. But the more you can do to prepare, the better your outcome will be. If you want more IELTS Speaking practice, you can visit the IELTS Practice website for advice and tutorials, exercises and practice tests.
As an avid language enthusiast and someone deeply immersed in the world of English language proficiency exams, particularly the IELTS Speaking test, I bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to this discussion. Over the years, I've not only delved into the theoretical aspects of language assessment but have also actively engaged in practical applications, such as assessing candidates and providing valuable insights into their performance.
The article you provided, dated 18th July 2023, delves into the intricacies of IELTS Speaking Part 2 and emphasizes the importance of understanding the grading criteria before entering the exam room. Having closely followed developments in language testing and assessment methodologies, I can confidently elaborate on the key concepts covered in the article.
The IELTS Speaking assessment criteria outlined in the article include:
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Fluency and Coherence:
- Fluency refers to how smoothly and continuously the candidate speaks without hesitations or disruptions.
- Coherence focuses on the logical connection of ideas and how well the speech flows as a cohesive narrative.
- The examiner noted that the candidate in the provided audio maintained a continuous flow without searching for words, earning a positive mark for fluency.
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Lexical Resource:
- Lexical resource assesses the candidate's use of vocabulary, considering both range and accuracy.
- The examiner pointed out instances where the candidate used words inaccurately, but overall, the vocabulary was reasonably accurate.
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Grammatical Range and Accuracy:
- This criterion evaluates the candidate's command of English grammar, including the variety of structures used and their accuracy.
- The examiner noted areas of high grammatical competence but also identified issues with relative clauses in the candidate's speech.
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Pronunciation:
- Pronunciation assesses how easily the examiner can understand the candidate, considering not only individual sounds but also their combination in words and sentences.
- The provided feedback indicated that the candidate had a discernible accent, but it didn't impede comprehension, earning a positive evaluation.
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Relevance:
- Though not directly part of the assessment criteria, relevance emphasizes the importance of sticking to the given topic.
- The examiner found that the candidate adhered well to the topic provided, earning a positive assessment in this aspect.
The article then encourages readers to actively engage in assessing a candidate's performance, emphasizing the importance of understanding what the examiner looks for in each of the five areas. The provided audio, examiner's notes, and the subsequent guidance serve as valuable tools for self-assessment and improvement.
The next step involves practical application by simulating the speaking test, recording one's responses, and self-grading based on the outlined criteria. This iterative practice, coupled with regular evaluations, is suggested as a method to identify and improve upon weak areas, ultimately leading to enhanced performance in the IELTS Speaking test.
In conclusion, the article offers a comprehensive understanding of the IELTS Speaking assessment criteria, providing actionable steps for candidates to assess and enhance their performance. As someone deeply immersed in language assessment, I endorse the practical and strategic approach outlined in the article for effective IELTS Speaking preparation.
