Do you know why IELTS takers got band 6,7 or 9? Of course band 9 would be better in English but how they are evaluated in the exam? In this article I would provide you with more details of the description of IELTS Speaking band scores.
If you do not know what IELTS Speaking test is, you can read the article IELTS Speaking Test: Full Information for Beginners
In IELTS Speaking Test, there are 9 band scores for IELTS test (from 0 to 9). Below are explanation of Speaking skills:
You belong to Band 0 if you do not attend the interview.
You belong to Band 1 if you can not communicate in English in any way.
You belong Band 2 if you:
- Pause lengthily before most words
- Have little communication ability
- Produce isolated words or memorized sentences
- If you can not produce basic sentence forms
- Your speech is unintelligible
You belong to Band 3 if you:
- Speak with long pauses
- Have limited ability to link simple sentences
- Give only simple response and unable to convey basic message
- Use simple vocabulary to express personal information
- Have insufficient vocabulary for less familiar topics
- Make numerous errors
You belong to Band 4 if you:
- Can not respond without noticeable pause and may speak slowly, with frequent
- repetition and self-correction
- Link basic sentences but with repetitious use of simple connectives and some
- breakdowns in sentences
- Produce basic sentence forms and some correct simple sentences but subordinate
- structures are rare
- Use limited range of pronunciation features
- Have frequent mispronunciations
You belong to Band 5 if you:
- Keep sentences coming slowly (without pauses)
- Can use simple sentences easily, but complex sentences are difficult for you
- Can not say the same thing in a different way (rephrase) or use a synonym for a word
- Use grammatically correct simple sentences most of the time. It is rare that you use more complex sentences and when you do, you make grammatical errors or it is difficult to understand what you’re saying.
You belong to Band 6 if you:
- Can speak for some time keeping the right speed (like in your first language), with little difficulties when you repeat words, correct yourself or get lost in words and stop making mistakes.
- Use some connecting words, even if it is not always appropriate
- Can discuss topics (familiar or not) for a long time, using wide range of vocabulary and making yourself clear
- Successfully rephrase and use synonyms
- Mix simple and complex sentences when you ask, but in making complex ones, you make mistake. Mistakes are mostly grammatical and examiner can still understand you.(See Item 9, Tips for part 3)
You belong to Band 7 if you:
- Have no problem speaking for some time keeping the right speed (like your first language); your speech is smooth and easy to understand; it is rare that you pause and look for a word to say, repeat or correct yourself.
- Can discuss any topic using a lot of smart words, use English expressions correctly.
- Use complex sentences without a lot of grammatical mistakes. There are more
- correct sentences in your speech than incorrect.
You belong to Band 8 if you:
- Speak fluently with only occasional repetition or self-correction
- Develop topic coherently and appropriately
- Use a wide range of vocabularies
- Can use paraphrases effectively as required
- Use a wide range of structures
- Use a wide range of pronunciation features
- Can produce a majority of error-free sentences with only occasional mistakes
You belong to Band 9 if you:
- Speak fluent with only rare repetition or self- correction
- Develop topic fully and appropriately
- Use vocabulary with full flexibility and precision in all topics
- Use a full range of structures naturally and appropriately
- Produce consistently accurate structures apart from “slips”- characteristic of native speaker speech
- Use a full range of pronunciation features with precision and subtlety
- Are effortless to understand