Most Important Criteria for IELTS Speaking Part

Most Important Criteria for IELTS Speaking Part

By Mehrdad Sabir

If you are preparing for the IELTS test, you might be wondering what the most important criteria for the speaking part are. The speaking part is one of the four sections of the IELTS test, and it assesses your ability to communicate effectively in English in a variety of situations. In this blog post, I will explain what are the four main criteria that the examiners use to evaluate your speaking performance, and how you can improve them.

Fluency and Coherence

Fluency and coherence refer to how well you can speak without hesitation, repetition, or irrelevant information. To achieve a high score in this criterion, you need to:

- Speak at a natural and consistent pace, without long pauses or fillers (such as "um", "er", "like", etc.).

- Use a range of connectors and discourse markers (such as "however", "because", "in addition", etc.) to link your ideas and sentences logically and smoothly.

- Develop your answers fully and clearly, without going off-topic or giving too much or too little information.

Lexical Resource

Lexical resource refers to how well you can use a variety of vocabulary accurately and appropriately. To achieve a high score in this criterion, you need to:

- Use a range of words and phrases that are relevant to the topic and the task.

- Avoid using the same words repeatedly, and use synonyms or paraphrases instead.

- Use collocations (words that often go together) and idioms (expressions that have a figurative meaning) correctly and naturally.

- Avoid using words that are too informal or too formal for the context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Grammatical range and accuracy refer to how well you can use a variety of grammatical structures correctly and appropriately. To achieve a high score in this criterion, you need to:

- Use a range of simple and complex sentences, without making frequent or serious errors.

- Use different tenses, moods, and voices (such as past, present, future, conditional, passive, etc.) according to the situation and the meaning.

- Use different types of clauses (such as main, subordinate, relative, etc.) and modifiers (such as adjectives, adverbs, etc.) to add detail and complexity to your sentences.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation refers to how well you can produce the sounds and rhythms of English. To achieve a high score in this criterion, you need to:

- Pronounce individual sounds (such as vowels and consonants) clearly and accurately, without confusing or omitting them.

- Stress the correct syllables and words in a sentence, according to their importance and meaning.

- Use intonation (the rise and fall of your voice) to express your attitude and emotions, and to signal questions or statements.

- Use features of connected speech (such as linking, elision, assimilation, etc.) to make your speech sound natural and fluent.

These are the four main criteria that the examiners use to evaluate your speaking performance in the IELTS test. To improve them, you need to practice regularly with a variety of topics and tasks and get feedback from a qualified teacher or a native speaker. You can also use online resources such as podcasts, videos, apps, etc. to expose yourself to different accents and styles of speaking English. By doing so, you will be able to boost your confidence and your score in the IELTS speaking part.

I hope this blog post was helpful for you.