FLUENCY AND

COHERENCE

LEXICAL
RESOURCE

GRAMMATICAL
RANGE AND
PRONUNCIATION
ACCURACY

speaks fluently with only

rare repetition and selfuses a full range of
correction; any hesitation is uses vocabulary with uses a full range of pronunciation features
content-related rather than full flexibility and
structures naturally with precision and
to find words or grammar precision in all topics and appropriately subtlety
sustains flexible use of
9 speaks coherently with fullyuses idiomatic
produces
appropriate cohesive
language naturally and consistently accuratefeatures throughout
features
accurately
structures apart fromis effortless to
develops topics fully and
'slips' characteristic understand
appropriately
of native speakers
uses a wide
vocabulary resource
speaks fluently with only readily and flexibly to
occasional repetition or
convey precise
self-correction; hesitation is meaning
usually content-related and uses less common and
idiomatic vocabulary
8 only rarely to search for
language
skilfully , with
develops topics coherently occasional
and appropriately
inaccuracies
uses paraphrase
effectively as required

uses a wide range of uses a wide range of

structures flexibly pronunciation features
produces a majority sustains flexible use of
of error-free
features, with only
sentences with only occasional lapses
very occasional
is easy to understand
inappropriacies or throughout; L1 accent
basic/nonhas minimal effect on
systematic errors
intelligibility

uses vocabulary
resource flexibly to
speaks at length without
discuss a variety of
noticeable effort or loss of
uses a range of
topics
coherence
complex structures
uses some less
shows all the positive
may demonstrate languagewith some flexibility
common and idiomatic
features of Band 6 and
related hesitation at times,
frequently produces
vocabulary and shows
some, but not all, of the
error-free sentences,
7 or some repetition and/or
some awareness of
positive features of Band
self-correction
though some
style and collocation,
8
uses a range of connectives
grammatical
with some
and discourse markers with
mistakes persist
inappropriate choices
some flexibility
uses paraphrase
effectively
6 is willing to speak at length, has a wide enough
uses a mix of simple uses a range of
though may lose coherence vocabulary to discuss and complex
pronunciation features
at times due to occasional topics at length and structures, but with with mixed control
repetition, self-correction or make meaning clear in limited flexibility shows some effective
hesitation
spite of
may make frequent use of features but this is
uses a range of connectives inappropriacies
mistakes with
not sustained
and discourse markers but generally paraphrases complex structures can generally be
not always appropriately successfully
though these rarely understood throughout,
cause
though mispronunciation

comprehension
problems

of individual words or
sounds reduces clarity at
times

usually maintains floe of

speech but uses repetition,
self-correction and/or slow
speech to keep going
may over-use certain
connectives and discourse
5
markers
produces simple speech
fluently, but more complex
communication causes
fluency problems

produces basic
sentence forms with
manages to talk about
reasonable accuracy
familiar and
shows all the positive
uses a limited range
unfamiliar topics but
features of Band 4 and
of more complex
uses vocabulary with
some, but not all, of the
structures, but these
limited flexibility
positive features of Band
usually contain
attempts to use
6
errors and may
paraphrase but with
cause some
mixed success
comprehension
problems

cannot respond without

noticeable pauses and may
speak slowly, with frequent
repetition and selfcorrection
4 links basic sentences but
with repetitious use of
simple connectives and
some breakdowns in
coherence

is able to talk about produces basic

familiar topics but can sentence forms and
only convey basic
some correct simple
meaning on unfamiliar sentences but
topics and makes
subordinate
frequent errors in
structures are rare
word choice
errors are frequent
rarely attempts
and may lead to
paraphrase
misunderstanding

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

attempts basic
speaks with long pauses
uses simple
sentence forms but
has limited ability to link vocabulary to convey with limited success,
simple sentences
personal information or relies on
shows some features of
apparently
3 gives only simple responses has insufficient
Band 2 and some, but
and is frequently unable to vocabulary for less
numerous errors
not all, of the positive
convey basic message
familiar topics
except in memorised features of Band 4
expressions
pauses lengthily before
most words
2 little communication
possible

only produces isolated

cannot produce
speech is often
words or memorised
basic sentence forms unintelligible
utterances

no communication possible
no communication
no communication no communication
1 no rateable language
possible
possible
possible
no rateable language no rateable language no rateable language

does not attend

does not attend

does not attend

does not attend