Lesson 2. Speaking

Generally, speaking test takes place on a different day from the other three parts of the test, and in some centres you may do all four parts on the same day. It's 11 to 14 minutes long, and that there are three parts. Let's take a look at those three parts now.

The first part of the test takes four or five minutes and gives you a chance to introduce yourself. The examiner introduces him or herself, asks you to introduce yourself, and checks your identity. Then the examiner will ask you some general questions about you-- your family, your job, things like that. 

After that, you'll move on to the next part. In this part you have to talk for a couple of minutes. The examiner gives you a task card, which asks you to talk about a particular topic. The card also includes points that you can cover in your talk. You get a minute to prepare what you're going to say and a pencil and paper to make notes. When the minute is up, you'll be asked to speak for up to two minutes. After that, the examiner might ask you one or two questions about the topic you've been talking about. The whole of part two lasts between three and four minutes. 

Then we move on to the third part. This lasts between four and five minutes. The examiner asks you more questions that are related to the topic you talked about in part two. This time, though, the questions give you an opportunity to discuss things that are more abstract than part two. It's a chance to discuss your ideas and opinions.

https://view.vzaar.com/3572638/video

The assessment criteria

Fluency and coherence:

This describes how fluent and connected your English sounds. Do you speak without much hesitation and do you use a range of different ways to connect your ideas?

Lexical resource:

This describes how wide your vocabulary is. Can you talk accurately about any topic and use idiomatic language?

Grammatical range and accuracy:

This describes both the range of different grammatical structures you can use and how well you use them.

Pronunciation:

Can you be easily understood at all times?

The marking criteria

Fluency and coherence

• A Band 9 “speaks fluently with only rare repetition or self-correction”
  
• A Band 6 “is willing to speak at length, though may lose coherence at times due to occasional repetition, self-correction or hesitation”
  
• A Band 3 “speaks with long pauses”
  

Lexical resource

• A Band 9 “uses vocabulary with full flexibility and precision in all topics”
  
• A Band 6 “has a wide enough vocabulary to discuss topics at length”
  
• A Band 3 “uses simple vocabulary to convey personal information” but “has insufficient vocabulary for less familiar topics”
  

Grammatical range and accuracy

• A Band 9 “uses a full range of structures naturally and appropriately”
  
• A Band 6 “may make frequent mistakes with complex structures though these rarely cause comprehension problems”
  
• A Band 3 “makes numerous errors except in memorized expressions”
  

Pronunciation

• A Band 9 “uses a full range of pronunciation features with precision and subtlety”
  
• A Band 6 “uses a range of pronunciation features with mixed control”
  
• A Band 4 “uses a limited range of pronunciation features”
  

Read the full assessment criteria in the PDF.

https://ugc.futurelearn.com/uploads/files/05/a9/05a90951-5fbe-4086-8e6b-b8ad2c192953/Speaking_Band_descriptors_2014.pdf