07/06/2025
FOUR MAIN CRITERIA OF IELTS SPEAKING: WHAT ARE THEY?
What are they?
1. Fluency and Coherence
- The ability to speak long sentences without much difficulty
- Ability to use Discourse Markers; Conjunctions to make compound sentences
- Coherent sentences: this means that your answer must be the right heart of the question; the answers are closely linked and not disjointed.
- Stable speaking speed, no interrupt: a moderate speaking rate will help the examiner easily hear your answer.
- In addition, when you speak continuously and without interruption while answering, the examiner can see your ability to use the language.
- Number of self-corrections
- Focus: Flow of speech, clear ideas, and use of linking words.
2. Lexical Resource
- The ability to use vocabulary focused on Topics that you encounter when taking the exam
- The ability to explain concepts that you do not know in English
- Paraphrase ability
- Focus: Using appropriate and varied words, including idiomatic expressions.
3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- The examiner will rely on the sentence structures you use when answering the question to assess whether you have met the requirements correctly.
- You should not only use simple sentences but combine complex sentences
- Avoid mistakes about tenses, basic grammar
- Focus: Tenses, complex sentences, articles, prepositions, etc.
4. Pronunciation
- The ability to pronounce vowels and consonants
- Press the correct stress
- Has intonation
- Do not speak too fast or too slow
- When speaking, you need to pause in the right place
- Focus: Intonation, stress, rhythm, and individual sounds.
HERE IS THE PICTURE OF IELTS SPEAKING CRITERIA AND BAND DESCRIPTOR (PUBLIC VERSION):