Criteria for Assessing Oral Communication

Varied and accurate use of grammatical structures at this level. Minimal morphological errors do not hinder communication.

Can be understood easily (slight accent), correct prosody. Fluent, appropriate pace of speech, independent flow of utterance.

Wide range of vocabulary, varied/accurate use of words in everyday situations. Paraphrases may be used in unknown topics.

Effective organization and presentation of content. Control of appropriate basic register. Thoughts easy to follow, social formalities well applied.

Task fully completed. Simple ideas and content communicated effectively and with ease.

Adequate use of grammatical structures at this level. Minor morphological and syntactic errors.

Can be understood well (slight accent). Errors in prosody. Satisfactory pace of speech with some inadequate pauses.

Adequate use of vocabulary for topics at this level. Occasional paraphrases and semantic mistakes do not impair comprehension.

Satisfactory organization of content. Some evidence of appropriate basic register. Thoughts well connected, social formalities well applied.

Task completed satisfactorily, some paraphrases occur. Ideas and feelings conveyed satisfactorily; difficulties overcome with some help.

Limited use of grammatical structures. Lack of variety causing misunderstanding and impairing comprehension.

Hardly intelligible (very strong accent), prosodic errors hindering comprehension. Slow pace, frequent pauses, complete lack of independent flow.

Very limited vocabulary. Inadequate (confusing) use of words, serious semantic errors.

No basic register used. Text organization cannot be followed. Cannot keep on and follow everyday conversations.

Task not completed. Questions have to be reformulated. Persistent help has to be provided.

Varied use of grammatical structures at this level. Good grammatical control with occasional minor errors.

Can be understood easily (hardly noticeable accent). Fluent, appropriate pace of speech, independent flow of utterance.

Wide range of vocabulary, varied/accurate use of words. Some idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms.

Clear organization of content. Register/style appropriate for the topic. Adequate use of a wide range of cohesive devices. Formal and informal styles applied with ease.

Fully adequate task completion. Ideas and content communicated effectively and with ease.

Adequate use of grammatical structures. Minor (mainly morphological) mistakes which do not lead to misunderstanding.

Can be understood well (slight accent), insufficiencies in co-articulation. Satisfactory pace, some inadequate pauses.

Adequate use of vocabulary. Minor semantic mistakes and occasional paraphrases do not impair comprehension.

Adequate organization of content and appropriate style. Satisfactory use of register. Ideas easy to follow but longer talks may miss some content.

Adequate task completion. Ideas and content communicated clearly and with details. Exchange of ideas fluent and natural with only some pauses.

Very limited use of structures. Frequently occurring grammatical mistakes that impair comprehension.

Hardly intelligible (very strong accent), significant prosodic and co-articulation errors. Slow pace, frequent pauses, lack of independent flow.

Limited vocabulary. Frequent paraphrases and confusing semantic errors. Lack of proper vocabulary hinders understanding.

Conversation is difficult to follow and/or maintain. No evidence of or inadequate organization. Inadequate register.

Task not completed. Questions have to be provided and reformulated several times. Exchange of ideas is poor.

Varied and accurate use of elaborated grammatical structures. Minor, hardly noticeable mistakes. Grammatical control of complex language.

Can be understood perfectly (no accent). Fluent, pace perceived as natural by native speakers; independent flow of utterance.

Very wide, extensive and sophisticated vocabulary; varied/adequate use of words and idiomatic expressions. Synonyms help avoid paraphrases.

Clear organization of content and complex text. Effective use of a wide range of cohesive devices. Register, style and strategy suit the topic.

Ideas and content communicated effectively and with ease; good negotiation/discussion skills; candidate handles communicative situations naturally.

Adequate use of grammatical structures, with occasional minor syntactic errors not impairing comprehension.

Can be understood well (hardly perceivable accent). Minor errors in prosody. Appropriate pace, independent flow. Shorter pauses do not hinder speech.

Wide vocabulary, adequate use of words, appropriate use of synonyms depending on context. Proper use of idioms.

Appropriate organization of text and style. Versatile use of cohesive devices. Conversation followed and/or maintained adequately.

Communicatively appropriate expression of thoughts; adequate handling of unexpected situations; satisfactory command of the norms of language behaviour.

Frequently occurring grammatical errors that impair comprehension.

Intelligible (though stronger accent), significant prosodic errors. Slow pace, sometimes lack of independent flow.

Limited vocabulary. Frequent repetition of words and semantic errors.

Lack of or insufficiencies in content organization. Insufficient stylistic competence. Limited use of communication strategies.

Task not completed. Questions have to be provided and reformulated several times. Norms of language behaviour are violated frequently.