SPEAKING | assessment

Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Speaking Examiners use a more detailed version of the following Assessment Scale, extracted from the overall
Speaking scales on page 42.

C1 Grammatical Resource Lexical Resource Discourse Management Pronunciation Interactive Communication

5 • Maintains control
of a wide range of
grammatical forms.
4 Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5.
3 • Shows a good degree
of control of a range
of simple and some
complex grammatical
forms.
2 Performance shares features of Bands 1 and 3.
1 • Shows a good degree
of control of simple
grammatical forms,
and attempts some
complex grammatical
forms.
0 Performance below Band 1.
• Uses a wide range of • Produces extended • Is intelligible. • Interacts with ease,
appropriate vocabulary stretches of language • Phonological features linking contributions
to give and exchange with ease and with are used effectively to to those of other
views on familiar and very little hesitation. convey and enhance speakers.
unfamiliar topics. • Contributions are meaning. • Widens the scope of
relevant, coherent and the interaction and
varied. negotiates towards an
• Uses a wide range of outcome.
cohesive devices and
discourse markers.
• Uses a range of • Produces extended • Is intelligible. • Initiates and responds
appropriate vocabulary stretches of language • Intonation is appropriately, linking
to give and exchange with very little appropriate. contributions to those
views on familiar and hesitation. of other speakers.
• Sentence and word
unfamiliar topics. • Contributions are stress is accurately • Maintains and
relevant and there is a placed. develops the
clear organisation of interaction and
• Individual sounds are
ideas. negotiates towards an
articulated clearly.
• Uses a range of outcome.
cohesive devices and
discourse markers.
• Uses appropriate • Produces extended • Is intelligible. • Initiates and responds
vocabulary to give stretches of language • Intonation is generally appropriately.
and exchange views, despite some appropriate. • Maintains and
but only when talking hesitation. • Sentence and word develops the
about familiar topics. • Contributions are stress is generally interaction and
relevant and there is accurately placed. negotiates towards
very little repetition. an outcome with very
• Individual sounds are
• Uses a range of little support.
generally articulated
cohesive devices. clearly.

C1 Global Achievement
5 • Handles communication on a wide range of topics, including unfamiliar
and abstract ones, with very little hesitation.
• Uses accurate and appropriate linguistic resources to express complex
ideas and concepts and produce extended discourse that is coherent and
easy to follow.
4 Performance shares features of Bands 3 and 5.
3 • Handles communication on a range of familiar and unfamiliar topics, with
very little hesitation.
• Uses accurate and appropriate linguistic resources to express ideas and
produce extended discourse that is generally coherent.
2 Performance shares features of Bands 1 and 3.
1 • Handles communication on familiar topics, despite some hesitation.
• Organises extended discourse but occasionally produces utterances that
lack coherence, and some inaccuracies and inappropriate usage occur.
0 Performance below Band 1.

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: ADVANCED SPECIFICATIONS AND SAMPLE PAPERS 41

42
Grammatical Resource Lexical Resource Discourse Management Pronunciation Interactive Communication
• Maintains control • Uses a wide range of • Produces extended stretches of language • Is intelligible. • Interacts with ease by skilfully
of a wide range of appropriate vocabulary with flexibility and ease and very little • Phonological features are used effectively interweaving his/her contributions into
grammatical forms with flexibility to give hesitation. to convey and enhance meaning. the conversation.
and uses them with and exchange views on • Contributions are relevant, coherent, • Widens the scope of the interaction and
flexibility. unfamiliar and abstract varied and detailed. develops it fully and effectively towards a
SPEAKING | Assessment

topics. • Makes full and effective use of a wide negotiated outcome.

range of cohesive devices and discourse
markers.
Overall Speaking scales

C2 • Maintains control • Uses a wide range of • Produces extended stretches of language • Is intelligible. • Interacts with ease, linking contributions
of a wide range of appropriate vocabulary with ease and with very little hesitation. • Intonation is appropriate. to those of other speakers.
grammatical forms. to give and exchange • Contributions are relevant, coherent and • Sentence and word stress is accurately • Widens the scope of the interaction and
views on unfamiliar and varied. placed. negotiates towards an outcome.
abstract topics. • Uses a wide range of cohesive devices • Individual sounds are articulated clearly.
and discourse markers.
C1 • Shows a good degree • Uses a range of • Produces extended stretches of language • Is intelligible. • Initiates and responds appropriately,
of control of a range appropriate vocabulary with very little hesitation. • Intonation is appropriate. linking contributions to those of other
of simple and some to give and exchange • Contributions are relevant and there is a speakers.
• Sentence and word stress is accurately
complex grammatical views on familiar and clear organisation of ideas. placed. • Maintains and develops the interaction
forms. unfamiliar topics. and negotiates towards an outcome.
• Uses a range of cohesive devices and • Individual sounds are articulated clearly.
discourse markers.

CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: ADVANCED SPECIFICATIONS AND SAMPLE PAPERS

Grammar and Vocabulary
B2 • Shows a good degree of control of simple grammatical • Produces extended stretches of language • Is intelligible. • Initiates and responds appropriately.
forms, and attempts some complex grammatical despite some hesitation. • Intonation is generally appropriate. • Maintains and develops the interaction
forms. • Contributions are relevant and there is • Sentence and word stress is generally and negotiates towards an outcome with
• Uses appropriate vocabulary to give and exchange very little repetition. accurately placed. very little support.
views, on a range of familiar topics. • Uses a range of cohesive devices. • Individual sounds are generally
articulated clearly.
B1 • Shows a good degree of control of simple grammatical • Produces responses which are extended • Is mostly intelligible, and has some • Initiates and responds appropriately.
forms. beyond short phrases, despite hesitation. control of phonological features at both • Keeps the interaction going with very
• Uses a range of appropriate vocabulary when talking • Contributions are mostly relevant, but utterance and word levels. little prompting and support.
about familiar topics. there may be some repetition.
• Uses basic cohesive devices.
A2 • Shows sufficient control of simple grammatical forms. • Is mostly intelligible, despite limited • Maintains simple exchanges, despite
• Uses appropriate vocabulary to talk about everyday control of phonological features. some difficulty.
situations. • Requires prompting and support.
A1 • Shows only limited control of a few grammatical • Has very limited control of phonological • Has considerable difficulty maintaining
forms. features and is often unintelligible. simple exchanges.
• Uses a vocabulary of isolated words and phrases. • Requires additional prompting and
support.