Euro B1 Webset - Speaking - MARKING CRITERIA Page 1
Scoring in the speaking test Glossary of terms
circumlocution You don’t know a word so you talk around it,
All four tasks (interview, picture story, e.g. bird that thing that flies
transactional dialogues and communication
task) are marked together. The assessor (the coherent discourse What you are saying is logical and makes
person who is NOT asking the questions) sense
gives a maximum of twenty marks in total. The cohesive devices Words like and, but however, also, first of all
interlocutor gives five marks. which tie your sentences together and make
it easy to understand
Range and Accuracy (5 marks) - is the
candidate using grammar, vocabulary and connected speech When words are said together in sentences
other language appropriate for the level? And they change. E.g. Fish and Chips sounds like
fi-shan-chips
to what extent is the candidate getting it right?
intonation patterns This is ‘music’ of the language. Yes/no
Fluency and Coherence (5 marks) – is questions for example go up at the end, e.g.
the candidate speaking without stopping and Are you ill?
starting? Is s/he making sense?
register Different groups of people use different
Pronunciation (5 marks) – can we types of language. The register of lawyers for
understand the words? Does it sound like example is different from pop group singers.
English? repair strategies Everybody (including native speakers) go
wrong sometimes when they are saying
Communication Strategies (5 marks) –
something. Repair strategies are putting it
is the candidate really talking to the examiner
right again.
and (in task 4) other candidate? E.g. answering,
asking, listening. turns When people talk together they take turns.
Knowing how to take your turn or giving a
turn to other people is an important speaking
skill.
Fluency and Communication
Range and Accuracy Pronunciation
Coherence Strategies
A wide range of grammar,
lexis and cohesive devices
Some hesitation while
attempted to in completing
formulating language, but
Pronunciation is Initiates maintains and
the tasks although clearly intelligible in ends turns satisfactorily
can effectively maintain
circumlocution may be spite of evident foreign although not always
flow of speech. Can link
necessary. accent. Occasional smoothly. Uses basic repair
5 Few errors in simple
ideas into clear, coherent
mispronunciations put strategies (clarification,
discourse although with
sentences. some strain on the circumlocution) where
noticeable jumpiness in
Errors when attempting listener but rarely impede necessary. Uses
especially in extended
more complex structures communication. appropriate register.
contributions.
and lexis do not generally
hinder communication.
4
Sufficient range of
grammar, lexis and
cohesive devices to
Keeps going Attempts made to initiate
adequately complete Pronunciation is clearly
comprehensibly in spite of maintain and end turns
the tasks although intelligible, although
frequent hesitation when using basic language.
circumlocution is common mispronunciations and
formulating language and Evidence of ability to
3 and avoidance strategies
considerable jumpiness
inability to produce certain
use repair strategies
may be necessary. sounds may sometimes
and reformulation during (clarification,
Errors, although they may impede communication of
longer turns. circumlocution) although
be frequent even when the message.
Requires a patient listener. not always applied.
using simple language,
do not significantly hinder
communication.
2
Range of grammar, lexis
and cohesive devices Generally, fails to initiate
Mispronunciations and
insufficient to adequately Frequent hesitation and maintain and end turns
inability to produce certain
complete the tasks. inability to link ideas satisfactorily.
1 Repeated errors even coherently causes great
sounds significantly
Does not use repair
impedes communication of
in simple sentences strain on the listener. strategies (clarification,
the message.
significantly hinder circumlocution).
communication.
0 Insufficient language for assessment
