The IELTS Speaking test assesses your ability to communicate in English. Your examiner will use the four assessment criteria to mark your speaking performance:
Pronunciation
Lexical resource
Fluency and coherence
Grammatical range and accuracy
Remember that each of these is worth 25% of your overall Speaking score. The marking criteria used by IELTS examiners are the same for both the General Training and Academic tests.
In this article, you will see different videos comparing the difference between Band 4 and Band 5 performances in all the speaking criteria.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation criteria assesses how easy it is to understand what you say, and you are assessed on the range of pronunciation features you can use, including stress, intonation and rhythm.
This measures how well you are understood and how clearly (and correctly) you pronounce words.
Lexical Resource
Lexical Resource means your ability to choose the right words and phrases to express yourself clearly.
The examiner looks at the kinds of words you use, whether they help make your ideas clear, and whether the words are understandable, appropriate and relevant to the topic.
The examiner also assesses your ability to paraphrase, saying what you mean using different words when you can’t think of the right word or phrase.
Fluency and Coherence
Fluency and Coherence assesses your ability to keep speaking and if you need to hesitate, self-correct and repeat yourself to keep going.
Your examiner will look at how coherent you sound - how your words, ideas and thoughts flow together, using a range of words and phrases to connect and organise your ideas, help you move on to another point.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammatical Range and Accuracy assesses your ability to produce speech that is grammatically correct using both simple and complex sentence structures.
It is also important to try and limit the number of grammatical errors you make. Become aware of the errors you usually make (e.g. articles, prepositions, subject/verb agreement) so you can make sure that your sentences are accurate.
Band 4 Speaking score: What it means
Scoring Criteria | Band 4 |
|---|---|
Pronunciation | Uses a limited range of pronunciation features Attempts to control features but lapses are frequent Mispronunciations are frequent and cause some difficulty for the listener |
Lexical resource | Is able to talk about familiar topics but can only convey basic meaning on unfamiliar topics and makes frequent errors in word choice Rarely attempts paraphrase |
Fluency and coherence | Cannot respond without noticeable pauses and may speak slowly, with frequent repetition and self-correction Links basic sentences but with repetitious use of simple connectives and some breakdowns in coherence |
Grammatical range and accuracy | Produces basic sentence forms and some correct simple sentences but subordinate structures are rare Errors are frequent and may lead to misunderstanding |
Band 5 Speaking score: What it means
Scoring Criteria | Band 5 |
|---|---|
Pronunciation | Shows all features of band 4 and some, but not all the positive features of band 6 |
Lexical resource | Manages to talk about familiar and unfamiliar topics but uses vocabulary with limited flexibility Attempts to use paraphrase but with mixed success |
Fluency and coherence | Usually maintains flow of speech but uses repetition, self correction and/or slow speech to keep going May over-use certain connectives and discourse markers Produces simple speech fluently, but more complex communication causes fluency problems |
Grammatical range and accuracy | 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 |
Learn more how the Speaking test is scored. You can also download the IELTS Speaking test assessment criteria as a PDF.
If you want to increase your Speaking band score from a Band 4 to a Band 5, or study for your IELTS Speaking test in general, you can access our IELTS Preparation Materials and Practice Tests.
You can also get paid preparation with IELTS Speaking Coaching -- an official IELTS mock Speaking test for test takers who need to improve their Speaking score. This is a 45-minute coaching session with an experienced IELTS teacher.