Speaking · Unit 1: Know the test
S02: The 4 criteria, each worth 25%
Target band 5.5 to 6
The examiner isn't judging your personality, your opinions or how smart you are. They're listening for four specific things. Each one counts for a quarter of your Speaking score. If you know what the four are, you know exactly what to practise.
Why this matters
Many Bangladeshi students focus only on grammar and vocabulary. But half of the score is Fluency and Pronunciation. A student with good grammar who speaks slowly with long pauses, or who is hard to understand, will be held back.
Criterion 1: Fluency and Coherence
Can you keep talking smoothly, and are your ideas connected?
- Speaking at a natural pace, without long pauses
- Not stopping to search for words too often
- Ideas that follow logically
- Natural spoken linkers: actually, the thing is, so, because
Criterion 2: Lexical Resource (vocabulary)
Do you have the words to talk about different topics?
- Enough vocabulary to discuss familiar and less familiar topics
- Precise, natural word choice
- The ability to paraphrase when you don't know a word (S40)
- Some less common words and phrases, used naturally
Criterion 3: Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Can you use a range of structures correctly?
- A mix of simple and complex sentences
- Correct tenses (especially past tenses in Part 2 stories)
- How many sentences are error-free
Criterion 4: Pronunciation
Are you easy to understand?
- Clear individual sounds
- Correct word stress
- Natural rhythm and intonation
- Not your accent. A Bangladeshi accent is completely fine (S08).
Band 6 vs band 7: the usual differences
This is a simplified summary, not official wording. Read the public Speaking band descriptors on the IELTS website for the exact text.
| Criterion | Band 6 usually... | Band 7 usually... |
|---|---|---|
| Fluency | speaks at length, but with some hesitation or repetition | speaks at length without noticeable effort; some hesitation for language |
| Vocabulary | has enough words to discuss topics, but not always precise | uses vocabulary flexibly, with some less common words and collocations |
| Grammar | mix of simple and complex forms, with frequent errors in complex ones | range of complex structures, with frequent error-free sentences |
| Pronunciation | generally clear, but some sounds or stress cause problems | easy to understand; good use of stress and intonation |
What this means for practice
- For fluency, practise speaking a lot, not just studying.
- For vocabulary, learn topic collocations and paraphrasing.
- For grammar, focus on accuracy in tenses you use often.
- For pronunciation, work on the specific sounds and stress patterns Bangla speakers find hard (S13 to S17).
Try it yourself
Which criterion?
- A student pauses for five seconds before every answer.
- A student says "I goed to Cox's Bazar last year."
- A student says "bery good" instead of "very good".
- A student uses "good" and "nice" for everything.
Show the answers
1) Fluency. 2) Grammar. 3) Pronunciation. 4) Vocabulary.
Honest note
The four criteria affect each other. When you're nervous, fluency drops, and then grammar and pronunciation get worse too. That's why practice under realistic conditions matters so much.
Your task today
Record a 1-minute answer about your favourite food. Listen and score yourself from 1 to 9 on each criterion. Which is lowest?