General points
• An interview takes place between one examiner and one candidate for between 11 and 14 minutes.
• The candidate’s speaking is assessed on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.
• A band mark is awarded between 1 and 9 with 9 being the highest. Half marks e.g. 5.5 are not awarded in speaking.
Speaking test format
Part 1 Examiner and candidate introduce themselves, candidate answers general questions on familiar topics e.g. family, job, studies, free-time etc. about 4 to 5 minutes
Part 2 Candidate asked to speak on a given topic (information is written on a task card) for 1-2 minutes. One minute of preparation in which the candidate can make notes is allowed. 4 minutes
Part 3 Discussion on more abstract issue related to the chosen topic in part 2 of the test. about 4 to 5 minute
