Webinar 22 Oct - What Examiners Look For

Language Centre
IELTS – What do
examiners look for?
22 October 2022
www.britishcouncil.org
Today’s Topic
By the end of today’s session you will:

• Better understand the assessment
• Know how to approach the speaking and
writing tests
• Feel better about attempting the real test
www.britishcouncil.org 2
What do examiners look for?
Assessment Criteria
3
Discuss with a partner!
1. What do examiners look for in your

speaking?
2. What about for your writing?
3. If you want to achieve your score,
which things should you focus on
most?
Global Band Descriptors
Band Skill Level Description
8 Very good user The test taker has fully operational command of the language with only occasional
unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriate usage. They may misunderstand some things in
unfamiliar situations. They handle complex and detailed argumentation well.
7 Good user The test taker has operational command of the language, though with occasional
inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations. They generally
handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning.
6 Competent user The test taker has an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies,
inappropriate usage and misunderstandings. They can use and understand fairly complex
language, particularly in familiar situations.
5 Modest user The test taker has a partial command of the language and copes with overall meaning in
most situations, although they are likely to make many mistakes. They should be able to
handle basic communication in their own field.
Global Band Descriptors
• Fully operational command of the language

Basically, can easily make meaning in nearly all situations, from concrete to
abstract, from informal to formal
• Operational command of the language

Basically, can make meaning in a variety of different situations, even more
abstract and formal ones
• Effective command of the language

Basically, can make meaning in most day-to-day situations, mostly concrete
and informal
• Partial command of the language

Basically, can make meaning in most day-to-day situations, but not always
easily
Still kinda confusing, right?
Let’s look at the differences between two real life test-takers

doing the exact same test!
Xin’s Performance
This candidate is able to give extended responses. He uses a range of markers (you
mean; you know; it’s really a hard question; in this way) and other cohesive features, such
as referencing, but he uses only a narrow range of linking words (so; because). He repeats
himself quite a lot and self-corrects, but coherence is only occasionally threatened.
He has a wide enough vocabulary to discuss topics at length and his ideas and opinions
are quite clearly conveyed (change the world; focus on the real things; use reputation to
gain a lot of profit). Vocabulary is sometimes inappropriate but meaning can be worked
out from the context (have a silence instead of ‘have privacy’; signature instead of
‘autograph’; act well instead of ‘behave well’).
He produces a mix of simple and complex structures though his attempts at longer, more
complex sentence forms tend to contain errors. Mistakes in verb tenses, subject/verb
agreement and prepositions are quite frequent, but these do not impede communication.
His pronunciation is generally clear and there is some effective use of stress and
intonation. However, his speech is mainly syllable-timed, so his rhythm is rather
mechanical. Some words are mispronounced (uerally for ‘usually’) or are wrongly stressed
(profit). This reduces clarity at times, but understanding generally requires little effort.
Hendrik’s Performance
This candidate can maintain the flow of speech without noticeable effort and there is no
loss of coherence. He uses a variety of linking words and markers (I would say; that’s a
good question; as I said; as long as), but he overuses the filler (yeah) and sometimes
referencing is inaccurate (for the one or the other reasons).
He uses a wide range of vocabulary, including some less common and idiomatic items and
effective collocation (easy to blame; global warming; financial crisis; he stands for
something; can’t stand the pressure). However, sometimes he lacks precision in his choice
of words and expressions (Greek instead of ‘Greece’; on the other side of the lake;
environmentally people/things; a big branch).
His grammar displays a good range of both simple and complex structures. Many of his
sentences are error-free but he makes some mistakes in subject/verb agreement (people
who wants; the people who admires him), articles (the normal person) and relative
pronouns (everything what happens).
His pronunciation is clear and easy to follow. He uses both sentence stress and intonation
effectively to convey meaning (you can’t blame a soccer player but it’s easy to blame the
politicians). He does have a noticeable accent, however, and his mispronunciation of a few
words results in occasional loss of clarity (wole model for ‘role model’; wong for ‘wrong’;
serf the planet for ‘serve the planet’).
What do the examiners asses?
If you looked at the discussion on performance in the previous

section, you will have noticed that it has 4 sections.
• Fluency and organisation
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Pronunciation
See QR code for in-depth band descriptors on speaking
Which criteria should you focus on the most?
Is this the same with Writing?
Not really. Although the Vocabulary and Grammar are relatively

similar, the two big changes are:
• Task achievement/response
• Coherence and cohesion
Get the band descriptors below to task 1 (left) and task 2
(right)
The most important thing in writing is that you…
Answer the question!
Task Achievement/Response
To get a 7 in …
Task 1: cover the requirements of the task
Task 2: address all parts of the task
Understand what examiners are looking for
See examples of this in the document here. It gives

you:
• Sample answers for different questions
• Band scores
• Examiner comments
Approaching the test
16
Remember! Examiners are on your side!
Examiners…
• train in how to give you the best
possible examination experience
• are there to help you showcase your
language
• want you to succeed
Remember! Examiners are human too!
Examiners…
• often have to do multiple tests in a
row
• have to ask the same questions over
and over again
So treat them like humans and be

empathetic!
Try to relax and be positive
The more relaxed you are, the less

panicked you will be..
The less panicked you are, the more
positive you will be..
The more positive you are, the more this
will reflect on the examiner
So make sure that before the test, you

do as many relaxing things as possible!
How do you plan on relaxing?
With a partner, discuss:

1. What will you do the night before the
test?
2. How early to the test centre will you
be?
3. What will you do before you get to
the test centre?
4. How can you stay relaxed during the
test?
Any questions?
21

Webinar 22 Oct - What Examiners Look For

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Webinar 22 Oct - What Examiners Look For

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Language Centre

By the end of today’s session you will:

1. What do examiners look for in your

• Fully operational command of the language

• Operational command of the language

• Effective command of the language

• Partial command of the language

Let’s look at the differences between two real life test-takers

If you looked at the discussion on performance in the previous

Which criteria should you focus on the most?

Not really. Although the Vocabulary and Grammar are relatively

Answer the question!

See examples of this in the document here. It gives

Approaching the test

So treat them like humans and be

The more relaxed you are, the less

So make sure that before the test, you

With a partner, discuss:

You might also like