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Descriptors Scoring criteria for Academic and General Training tests  \nPlease visit IELTS.org for updates  \nPage 1  \n\n| Band Score | Fluency and coherence | Lexical resource | Grammatical range and accuracy | Pronunciation |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 9 | Fluent with only very occasional repetition or self-correction.\u003Cbr>Any hesitation that occurs is used only to prepare the content of the next utterance and not to find words or grammar.\u003Cbr>Speech is situationally appropriate and cohesive features are fully acceptable.\u003Cbr>Topic development is fully coherent and appropriately extended. | Total flexibility and precise use in all contexts.\u003Cbr>Sustained use of accurate and idiomatic language. | Structures are precise and accurate at all times, apart from ‘mistakes’ characteristic of nativespeaker speech. | Uses a full range of phonological features to convey precise and/or subtle meaning.\u003Cbr>Flexible use of features of connected speech is sustained throughout.\u003Cbr>Can be effortlessly understood throughout. Accent has no effect on intelligibility. |\n| 8 | Fluent with only very occasional repetition or self-correction.\u003Cbr>Hesitation may occasionally be used to find words or grammar, but most will be content related.\u003Cbr>Topic development is coherent, appropriate and relevant. | Wide resource, readily and flexibly used to discuss all topics and convey precise meaning.\u003Cbr>Skilful use of less common and idiomatic items despite occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation.\u003Cbr>Effective use of paraphrase as required. | Wide range of structures, flexibly used. The majority of sentences are error free.\u003Cbr>Occasional inappropriacies and non-systematic errors occur. A few basic errors may persist. | Uses a wide range of phonological features to convey precise and/or subtle meaning.\u003Cbr>Can sustain appropriate rhythm. Flexible use of stress and intonation across long utterances, despite occasional lapses.\u003Cbr>Can be easily understood throughout. Accent has minimal effect on intelligibility. |\n| 7 | Able to keep going and readily produce long turns without noticeable effort.\u003Cbr>Some hesitation, repetition and/or selfcorrection may occur, often mid-sentence and indicate problems with accessing appropriate language. However, these will not affect coherence.\u003Cbr>Flexible use of spoken discourse markers, connectives and cohesive features. | Resource flexibly used to discuss a variety of topics.\u003Cbr>Some ability to use less common and idiomatic items and an awareness of style and collocation is evident though inappropriacies occur.\u003Cbr>Effective use of paraphrase as required. | A range of structures flexibly used. Error-free sentences are frequent.\u003Cbr>Both simple and complex sentences are used effectively despite some errors. A few basic errors persist. | Displays all the positive features of band 6, and some, but not all, of the positive features of band 8. |\n\nSpeaking Band Descriptors Scoring criteria for Academic and General Training tests  \nPlease visit IELTS.org for updates  \nPage 2  \n\n| Band Score | Fluency and coherence | Lexical resource | Grammatical range and accuracy | Pronunciation |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 6 | Able to keep going and demonstrates a willingness to produce long turns.\u003Cbr>Coherence may be lost at times as a result of hesitation, repetition and/or self-correction.\u003Cbr>Uses a range of spoken discourse markers, connectivesand cohesive features though not always appropriately. | Resource sufficient to discuss topics at length.\u003Cbr>Vocabulary use may be inappropriate but meaning is clear.\u003Cbr>Generally able to paraphrase successfully. | Produces a mix of short and complex sentence forms and a variety of structures with limited flexibility.\u003Cbr>Though errors frequently occur in complex structures, these rarely impede communication. | Uses a range of phonological features, but control is variable.\u003Cbr>Chunking is generally a","cbCaidZONgtFJnVZ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidZONgtFJnVZ","pdf",91142,"English","# Speaking Band Descriptors\n## Scoring criteria for Academic and General Training tests\n## Band Score breakdown (9-4)","[{\"question\":\"What criteria are used in the IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors?\",\"answer\":\"The descriptors evaluate four areas: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Band 9 speaking differ from Band 8?\",\"answer\":\"Band 9 requires fluent speech with only very occasional repetition or self-correction and fully coherent topic development, while Band 8 allows limited hesitation and generally coherent, appropriate topic development with minor inaccuracies.\"},{\"question\":\"What signs of performance are expected at lower bands like Band 4 and Band 5?\",\"answer\":\"At Band 4, the speaker cannot keep going without noticeable pauses with frequent repetition and breakdowns in coherence, while Band 5 relies on repetition and self-correction and shows limited flexibility in vocabulary and grammar.\"}]","Speaking Band Descriptors | PDF",1790835872]