9

-       Speaks fluently with only rare repetition   or self correction; any hesitation is content-related rather than to find   words or grammar

-       Speaks coherently with fully appropriate   cohesive features

-       Develops topics fully and appropriately

-      Uses vocabulary with full flexibility and   precision in all topics

-      Uses idiomatic language naturally and   accurately

8

-       Speaks fluently with only occasional   repetition or self-correction; hesitation is usually content related and only   rarely to search for language

-       Develops topics coherently and appropriately

-      Uses a wide vocabulary resource readily and   flexibly to convey precise meaning

-      Uses less common and idiomatic vocabulary   skilfully, with occasional inaccuracies

-      Uses paraphrase effectively as required

7

-       Speaks at length without noticeable effort or   loss of coherence

-       May demonstrate language-related hesitation   at times, or some repetition and/or self-correction

-       Uses a range of connectives and discourse   markers with some flexibility

-      Uses vocabulary resource flexibly to   discuss a variety of topics

-      Uses some less common and idiomatic   vocabulary and shows some awareness of style and collocation, with some   inappropriate choices

-      Uses paraphrase effectively

6

-       Is willing to speak at length, though may   lose coherence at times due to occasional repetition, self-correction or   hesitation

-       Uses a range of connectives and discourse   markers but not always appropriately

-      Has a wide enough vocabulary to discuss   topics at length and make meaning clear in spite of inappropriateness

-      Generally paraphrases successfully

5

-       Usually maintains flow of speech but uses   repetition, self-correction and/or slow speech to keep going

-       May over-use certain connectives and   discourse markers

-       Produces simple speech fluently, but more   complex communication causes fluency problems

-      Manages to talk about familiar and   unfamiliar topics but uses vocabulary with limited flexibility

-      Attempts to use paraphrase but with mixed   success

4

-       Cannot respond without noticeable pauses   and may speak slowly, with frequent repetition and self-correction

-       Links basic sentences but with repetitious   use of simple connectives and some breakdowns in coherence

-      Is able to talk about familiar topics but   can only convey basic meaning on unfamiliar topics and makes frequent errors   in word choice

-      Rarely attempts paraphrase

3

-       Speaks with long pauses

-       Has limited ability to link simple   sentences

-       Gives only simple responses and is   frequently unable to convey basic message

-      Uses simple vocabulary to convey personal   information

-      Has insufficient vocabulary for less   familiar topics

2

-       Pauses lengthily before most words

-       Little communication possible

-      Only produces isolated words or memorised   utterances

1

-       No communication possible

-       No rateable language

-       No communication possible

-       No rateable language

0

-       Did not attend

-       Did not attend

9

-       Uses a full range of structures   naturally and appropriately

-       Produces consistently accurate   structures apart from ‘slips’ characteristic of native speaker speech

-      Uses a full range of   pronunciation features with precision and subtlety

-      Sustains flexible use of   features throughout

-      Is effortless to understand

8

-       Uses a wide range of structures   flexibly

-       Produces a majority of   error-free sentences with only very occasional inappropriateness or   basic/unsystematic errors

-      Uses a wide range of   pronunciation features

-      Sustains flexible use of   features, with only occasional lapses

-      Is easy to understand   throughout; L1 accent has minimal effect on intelligibility

7

-       Uses a range of complex   structures with some flexibility

-       Frequently produces error-free   sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist

-      Shows all the positive features   of Band 6 and some, but not all, of the positive features of Band 8

6

-       Uses a mix of simple and   complex structures, but with limited flexibility

-       May make frequent mistakes with   complex structures, though these rarely cause comprehension problems

-      Uses a range of pronunciation   features with mixed control

-      Shows some effective use of   features but this is not sustained

-      Can generally be understood   throughout, though mispronunciation of individual words or sounds reduces   clarity at times

5

-       Produces basic sentence forms   with reasonable accuracy

-       Uses a limited range of more   complex structures, but these usually contain errors and may cause some   comprehension problems

-      Shows all the positive features   of Band 4 and some, but not all, of the positive features of Band 6

4

-       Produces basic sentence forms   and some correct simple sentences but subordinate structures are rare

-       Errors are frequent and may   lead to 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

3

-       Attempts basic sentence forms   but with limited success, or relies on apparently memorised utterances

-       Makes numerous errors except in   memorised expressions

-      Shows some of the features of   Band 2 and some, but not all, of the positive features of Band 4

2

-       Cannot produce basic sentence   forms

-      Speech is often unintelligible

1

-       No communication possible

-       No rateable language

-       No communication possible

-       No rateable language

0

-       Did not attend

-       Did not attend