Assessing speaking: Teacher version
Task achievement Pronunciation
This scale measures …
 the extent to which the
student achieves the
communicative goal(s) of the
main speaking task
 how the student interacts with
others, including use of
strategies to start, maintain,
repair and end conversations.
Excellent All content is relevant and fully
developed.
The student communicates with
ease, using excellent strategies
to interact with others
successfully.
Good Most content is relevant and
well developed.
The student communicates well,
using some strategies to interact
with others successfully.
Fair Content is generally relevant and
developed.
The student communicates fairly
well, using some strategies
which aided interaction.
Room to Content needs further
improve development and in some places
is irrelevant.
Communication is a problem and
interaction is limited.
Fluency
This scale measures …
 the effort required by the
listener to understand the
student
 the flexible and accurate use
of natural pronunciation
features (e.g. stress,
intonation).
The student is understood
without effort.
The student uses natural
features of pronunciation flexibly
and accurately to sound natural.
The student is understood
without much effort.
The student uses natural
features of pronunciation with
some flexibility and accuracy to
sound natural.
The student is understood but
with some effort needed.
The student uses natural
features of pronunciation with
varied success.
The student is difficult to
understand.
Attempts to use natural features
of pronunciation are largely
unsuccessful.
Range and appropriacy
This scale measures …
 the extent to which students
can express themselves
coherently using suitable
discourse features (e.g.
interjections, signposting) to
make their message easy to
follow
 their ability to speak at a
suitable speed and length
without hesitation.
The student is able to express
him/herself coherently with
suitable use of discourse
features.
Speech flows naturally with little
hesitation or need for self-
correction.
The student is generally able to
express him/herself coherently
with mostly suitable use of
discourse features.
Speech flows naturally with only
a few hesitations or need for
self-correction.
The student sometimes finds it
difficult to express him/herself
coherently with some overuse or
unsuitable use of discourse
features.
The flow of speech is
occasionally broken by
noticeable hesitations and self-
corrections.
The student is often incoherent
with overuse and/or unsuitable
use of discourse features.
The flow of speech is frequently
broken by noticeable hesitations
and self-corrections.
Accuracy
This scale measures … This scale measures …
 the student’s ability to flexibly  the student’s ability to
use a range of lexis and accurately use lexis and
grammar to convey intended grammatical structures.
meaning
 their ability to use suitable
language in terms of style and
register of the given context.
The student uses an excellent There are few errors or mistakes
range of language. but they do not impede
understanding.
Language is suitable in terms of
style and register for the
context.
The student uses a good range of There are some errors and
language. mistakes but they do not
generally impede understanding.
Language choices are generally
suitable in terms of style and
register for the context.
The student uses a fair range of There are mistakes and errors
language. some of which impede
understanding.
There is an attempt to use
suitable language for the context
in terms of style and register but
this is not consistent or always
successful.
The student uses a limited range There are frequent errors and
of language. mistakes which sometimes
impede understanding.
Some forms of expression are
unsuitable for the context in
terms of style and register.