IELTS Speaking 9-8-7-6

The IELTS speaking is marked in four areas. Fluency, vocaublary, grammar and pronunciation. If
you want to have an idea about what the examiners are looking for and what your / your partners
level is, look at the following tables about the four areas.
Fluency
Any
repetition?
Any
hesitation?

9
Rarely

8
occasionally

7
Some to lok for
words
Some

Only to look for Occasionally to

ideas, NOT words look for ideas,
rarely to look for
words
None
None
Some

Any self
correction
Use of
Always correct
joining
words /
expressions

How do they Fully

develop
ideas?

Always correct

Some flexibility

6
occasionally
occasionally

occasionally
Not always
appropriate
Doesnt overuse /
repeat them

Fully

At length

Willing to speak at
length, but
sometimes loses
what he / she was
saying
- joining words refers to things like it, they, both, as well.. as well as signaling words like first of
all, unfortunately, on the other hand... Bad use can be
a) connected with grammar people need to think. If he doesnt
b) connected with building your ideas first of all.. but then no second point
c) connected with mechanical use / repetition on the one hand, on the one hand, on the one hand,
moreover, moreover, moreover. This is very typical for 5 / 6, where students have learnt
expressions, but cant use them flexibly. They mechanically produce them in their answer to each
question
Vocabulary
How well do they
use vocabulary to
answer?

9
Fully flexible,
completely easy
to discuss topics

8
Uses a wide
range easily to
discuss topics

Do they make
mistakes with
words?

No

Occasionally

7
Has a good range
to be flexible
when discussing
topics
Sometimes

6
Good enough to
discuss topics

Sometimes to
often
NB mistakes do
not prevent

understanding
How do they use Naturally
less common /
idiomatic
vocabulary?
How do they use Naturally
collocations?
How do they
paraphrase

Skillfully

Sometimes uses it

Skillfully

Shows awareness Sometimes well,

often not well
Uses paraphrase Generally
effectively
paraphrases
successfully
- examples of less common / idiomatic expressions are when I meet up with friends (meet friends)
try your hardest (try very hard) corrupt politicians are despicable (very bad).
- remember it is about how do you use vocabulary to give your answer to a question.
E.g what kind of food do you like?
I really adore steak. Its absolutely wonderful. I often eat it in unbelievable restaurants
Lots of big words, but what picture does this give the listener?
I really adore steak. Its great to have a succulent, medium-rare steak, lightly salted and with a
good dose of pepper sauce, served up with a platter of crisp chips.
The big words are actually used to convey / give meaning, here, a description.
Grammar
What range of
structures do they
use?
How flexible are
they?
Do they make
mistakes?

9
Full

8
wide

Fully flexible

Flexible

No (apart from
native speaker
ones)

Very occasional
NB non
systematic

7
Has a range

6
Has a mix of
complex / simple
sentences
Some flexibility Limited
flexibility
Most sentences May make
are correct,
frequent mistakes
though there are with complex
some problems structures
NB rarely
causes trouble for
understanding

- range of structures means how many grammar structures you use. The key thing to keep in mind is
whether the student is using complex sentences or simple sentences. Complex sentences are ones
with who, which, if, when, because, so, although
Pronunciation
Do they use a
range of
pronunciation
features?

9
Fully

8
Uses a range

7
6
Between 8 and 6 Has a range

How often do
All the time
they manage to
use the features?
Can they be
All the time
understood?
easily

Most of the time Between 8 and 6 Sometimes, but

not sustained
All the time
easily

Between 8 and 6 At times not

clear, but can
generally be
understood
- pronunciation features includes things like intonation, pitch, sentence stress and connected speech
The following table is from the website www.ielts.org I put the important parts (in my opinion) in
bold
Band Fluency and Coherence Lexical resource
9

speaks fluently all topics

with only rare
uses
repetition or
selfcorrection;
idiomatic
language
any hesitation is
naturally
content-related rather
and
accurately
than to find words or
grammar
speaks
coherently with
fully
appropriate
cohesive

Grammatical range
and accuracy
uses a full
range of
structures
naturally
and
appropriately
produces
consistently
accurate
structures
apart
from slips
characteristic of
native speaker
speech

features

Pronunciation
uses a full
range of
pronunciation
features with
precision and
subtlety
sustains
flexible use of
features
throughout
is effortless
to understand

develops topics
fully and
appropriately
uses vocabulary
with full
flexibility and
precision in
8

speaks fluently
with only
occasional
repetition or
self-correction;
hesitation is usually
content-related
and only rarely to

uses a
wide
vocabulary
resource
readily and
flexibly to convey
precise meaning
uses less

uses a wide
range of
structures
flexibly
produces a
majority of
error-free
sentences
with

uses a wide
range of
pronunciation
features
sustains
flexible use of
features, with
only

search for language

common
only very occasional occasional lapses
and
inappropriacies or
idiomatic basic/nonsystematic
develops topics
is easy to
vocabulary
coherently and
understand
errors
appropriately
throughout; L1
skilfully, with
accent has
occasional
inaccuracies
minimal effect on
intelligibility
uses
paraphrase
effectively
as required

speaks at length
without
noticeable effort
or loss of

uses
vocabulary
resource
flexibly to
discuss a

uses a
range of
complex
structures
with some

coherence
variety of topics
may
demonstrate
language-related
hesitation at
times, or some
repetition and/or selfcorrection

uses some
less
common
and
idiomatic
vocabulary

flexibility

shows all the

positive
features of
Band 6 and
some, but not all, of
the positive

frequently
produces
error-free
sentences,
though

some grammatical
and shows some
mistakes persist
awareness
of
style
uses a range of
connectives and and
discourse
collocation, with
some
markers with some
inappropriate
flexibility
choices
6

is willing to
speak at length,
though may lose
coherence at times due
to occasional repetition,
self-correction or
hesitation

has a wide
enough
vocabulary
to discuss
topics at
length and make
meaning clear in
spite of

uses a range of inappropriacies

connectives and
discourse

uses a mix
of simple
and complex
structures,
but
with limited
flexibility
may make
frequent
mistakes
with

uses a range
of
pronunciation
features with
mixed
control
shows some
effective use
of features but
this is not
sustained

markers but not always

appropriately

generally
complex
paraphrases
successfully structures, though
these rarely cause
comprehension
problems

can generally
be understood
throughout,
though
mispronunciation of
individual words or
sounds
reduces clarity at
times