IELTS Speaking Band Score Description
The IELTS Speaking test is scored on a nine-band scale, with band 1 being the lowest and band 9 being the highest. Here are the band score descriptions for the IELTS Speaking test:
Band 9 – Expert User: The test-taker speaks fluently with a high degree of accuracy and complexity. They can convey subtle nuances of meaning and use a wide range of vocabulary and idiomatic language. The test-taker also has excellent control of pronunciation and intonation.
Band 8 – Very Good User: The test-taker speaks fluently with only occasional errors. They can express ideas clearly and coherently and use a good range of vocabulary and grammatical structures. The test-taker also has good control of pronunciation and intonation.
Band 7 – Good User: The test-taker speaks reasonably fluently, with some errors and hesitations. They can convey meaning effectively and use a fair range of vocabulary and structures. The test-taker also has some control of pronunciation and intonation.
Band 6 – Competent User: The test-taker speaks with some fluency but makes frequent errors and hesitations. They can convey basic meaning and use a limited range of vocabulary and structures. The test-taker also has some control of pronunciation and intonation.
Band 5 – Modest User: The test-taker speaks with limited fluency and makes frequent errors and hesitations. They can communicate basic information and use a limited range of vocabulary and structures. The test-taker also has limited control of pronunciation and intonation.
Band 4 – Limited User: The test-taker speaks with very limited fluency and makes frequent errors and hesitations. They can convey only simple information and use a very limited range of vocabulary and structures. The test-taker also has very limited control of pronunciation and intonation.
Band 3 – Extremely Limited User: The test-taker speaks with great difficulty and only understands very basic language. They can convey only very simple information and use a very limited range of vocabulary and structures. The test-taker also has very limited control of pronunciation and intonation.
Band 2 – Intermittent User: The test-taker can only communicate very basic information and has great difficulty understanding and using English. They can only use a very limited range of vocabulary and structures, and their pronunciation and intonation are very difficult to understand.
Band 1 – Non User: The test-taker cannot communicate in English at all, except for a few isolated words or phrases.
Download Official Public Band Descriptors
The band score descriptions provide a general idea of what to expect at each band level, but it’s important to remember that every test-taker’s performance is unique and evaluated based on a range of factors, not just these descriptions.
