IELTS Speaking band descriptors

9

Fluent, very occasional repetition or self-correction.

Hesitations for content, not words or grammar.

Cohesive and coherent topic development.

Total flexibility, precise in all contexts.

Accurate and idiomatic language.

Precise, accurate structures like native speaker speech.

Full range of features for precise meaning.

Effortlessly understood, accent doesn't affect intelligibility.

8

Fluent, very occasional repetition or self-correction.

Hesitations are mostly content-related.

Coherent, appropriate topic development.

Wide resource, flexible for all topics, precise meaning.

Skillful, despite occasional inaccuracies.

Wide range, mostly error-free.

Occasional inappropriacies, some basic errors.

Wide range of features for precise meaning.

Easily understood, minimal accent impact.

7

Can speak at length, some hesitation, repetition, and mid-sentence issues.

Cohesive use of discourse markers.

Flexible for various topics.

Some less common items, occasional inappropriacies.

Range of structures, frequent error-free sentences.

Some errors.

Positive features of band 6, some of band 8.

6

Can speak at length, coherence may be lost due to hesitation.

The range of discourse markers, not always appropriate.

Sufficient for lengthy discussions.

Clear meaning, occasional inappropriate vocabulary.

A mix of short and complex sentences, errors in complex structures.

Range of features, variable control.

Generally understood without much effort.

5

Relies on repetition, self-correction, and slow speech.

Disfluency in complex speech, fluency in simpler language.

Discusses familiar topics, limited flexibility. Attempts paraphrasing.

Basic sentences are fairly accurate.

Complex structures limited, contain errors.

Positive features of band 4, some of band 6.

4

Noticeable pauses, slow speech, frequent repetition.

Simple sentence linking, some coherence breakdowns.

Sufficient for familiar topics.

Frequent errors in word choice.

Rare paraphrasing.

Basic forms, short utterances, frequent errors.

Acceptable features, limited range.

Understanding requires effort.

3

Frequent, long pauses. Limited sentence linking.

Frequent failure to convey basic message.

Limited to simple vocabulary for personal info.

Inadequate for unfamiliar topics.

Attempts basic forms, numerous errors.

Some features of band 2, some of band 4.

2

Lengthy pauses, isolated words.

Little communicative significance.

Extremely limited, isolated words.

Little communication without gestures.

No evidence of basic sentence forms.

Few acceptable features, mainly mispronounced, often unintelligible.

1

Incoherent speech.

No resource beyond a few words.

No communication is possible.

No rateable language unless memorised.

Occasional recognisable words, unintelligible.

0

Did not attend.