Skip to main content

How is IELTS Speaking Graded? Understanding the IELTS Band Descriptors




How is IELTS Speaking Graded?

The IELTS speaking test is an important part of the IELTS exam. There are no right or wrong answers. So, how is your speaking scored in the IELTS speaking test? How can you know what is needed to get IELTS speaking band score 6.5 or IELTS speaking band score 7.5?

You must understand the four features of your speaking the examiner will evaluate: fluency, cohesion, grammatical range and accuracy and pronunciation.

It is essential to practice and make sure you can meet these criteria for the IELTS speaking band score you need to achieve.

Here are some tips to help you achieve the best IELTS speaking score you can.

IELTS Speaking Test

The IELTS speaking test consists of three different sections during which the IELTS examiner will ask you some introductory questions.

Then the IELTS examiner will ask you to talk about a topic for 1 -2 minutes.

And in the final part, the IELTS examiner will ask you some follow up questions related to the topic in the second part of the interview and expand the discussion asking you about your views and ideas in response to some additional discussion questions.

The purpose of the IELTS speaking test is to evaluate how effectively you can communicate in English.

Each IELTS speaking interview lasts an average of 15 minutes and is recorded.




IELTS speaking performance

The IELTS candidate’s speaking performance is given an IELTS speaking band score based on the 9 levels of proficiency in IELTS. For more detailed information and a description of the IELTS bands see the


IELTS information for candidates PDF booklet.


IELTS speaking criteria

The IELTS examiner will listen to the IELTS candidate’s responses during the IELTS interview and grade or evaluate their speaking performance throughout the interview based on the following criteria:

  • Fluency and Coherence

    This is the candidate’s ability to speak in a normal way, continuously, at a normal speed, without any longer than normal pauses, and the candidate’s skill at organizing and connecting their ideas together to form coherent speech. The rate of speech and ability to maintain continuity of speech provide evidence of the candidate’s fluency.
  • Lexical Resource

    This evaluates the candidate’s ability to use a wide range of vocabulary and their level of competence using English to express meaning and attitude with accuracy or precision. How varied the vocabulary is that the candidate uses and how appropriate and suitable the words are related to the context are important factors. The candidate’s ability to deal with occasions when they can’t remember a certain word and have to paraphrase or use other words to describe things is also taken into account.
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy

    This measures the IELTS candidate’s ability to use a variety of different grammatical structures and the level or degree of accuracy or precision the candidate demonstrates when applying them. How frequently the candidate makes errors and how much those errors influence the clarity of communication are important in the evaluation.
  • Pronunciation:

    This evaluates the IELTS candidate’s ability to use normal phonological features of English pronunciation correctly, consistently and precisely in order to transmit correct meaning. The rhythm, emphasis and intonation of the IELTS candidate’s speech are monitored as well as the clarity of sounds and how easily the candidate can be understood.

IELTS speaking band scores

All four areas are equally important, so each area evaluated represents 25% of the overall IELTS Speaking test band score given for each IELTS candidate. You can see and download a copy of the official IELTS band descriptors for speaking here...


IELTS Speaking Descriptors PDF


Good luck with your IELTS speaking test!





Popular posts from this blog

Cambridge IELTS 11 Test 1 Writing Task 1 Question and Answer

Task 1 Question How to Answer Task 1 Questions Sample Answer Cambridge 11 Writing Task 1 IELTS Writing Task 1 (Academic) tests your written communication skills - how well you can report/describe information. Cambridge IELTS Book 11 Test 1 Writing Task 1 IELTS Writing Test Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The charts below show the percentage of water used for different purposes in six areas of the world. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant Write at least 150 words. International English Language Testing System How would you answer this IELTS 11 Writing Task 1 question about water used for different purposes? IELTS 11 Writing Test 1, Task 1 Answer (useful vocabulary is highlighted ) The pie charts illustrates water usage in six different regions around the world. Notably , Europe consumes the greatest quantity of water for in

How to Answer Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1

IELTS Writing How would you answer this IELTS Writing Task 1 question about: The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010? How to answer IELTS Task 1 writing questions? This is a question that many people ask when they are thinking about taking the International English Language Testing System exam. Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 - The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English. Cambridge 11 Test 2 Writing Task 1 - The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English. IELTS Writing Task 1 Structure If you want to do well in IELTS writing, it's important that you know how to answer Task 1 correctly! In this post, we will discuss some of the bas

How To Answer Cambridge IELTS 8 Speaking Test 1

Content Cambridge IELTS 8 Speaking Test 1 How to give your opinion in English Here are some questions from Cambridge IELTS Practice Tests Book 8 Speaking Test 1. They include the IELTS Cue Card Describe a time when you were asked to give your opinion in a questionnaire . A native English speaker gave these sample answers to show you what someone might say. Remember, you can answer these questions in many different ways. Cambridge IELTS 8 Speaking Test 1 IELTS Speaking Tip Do NOT try to memorize full answers - this is unnatural and IELTS examiners are trained to identify memorized answers. Cambridge IELTS 8 Test 1 Speaking Questions & Answers Part 1 Topic | Neighbours How well do you know the people who live next door to you? I know them quite well because we’ve lived beside each other for a couple of years now. The people who live to the right of me, wel