The international English language testing system is designed to check the English language proficiency of students who want to study or work abroad. Speaking module is one of the modules that is checking your fluency and clarity of thoughts over a particular day-to-day life task. In this blog, we are going to discuss the relevance of 4 band parameters in the speaking module.

Let’s discuss in detail the 4 band parameters of speaking IELTS.

• What is the speaking module of IELTS?
• Different rounds of speaking module
• What are the 4 band parameters?
• What role does it play in the calculation of bands?

What is the objective of the speaking module of IELTS?

• Face-to-face conversation with certified examiners; it’s formal speaking.
• Exam content is the same for academic and general training.
• Scores are reported in whole and halves.
• Tests will be audio recorded.
• It will be conducted in CBT or pen and paper IELTS.

Purpose of the test:

• Designed to assess the whole range of speaking skills
• To express and justify your opinion and everyday task.
• Analyze, discuss, and speculate on the question.

What are the three different rounds of speaking module?

Round 1. Introductory round

It basically about your name, background, educational qualification and question related to your surroundings.

Easy questions on familiar topics.

Round 2-cue card

Cue card is generally a specific topic on which students have to speak for 2 minutes and prepare for 1 minute.

Cue card topics will be on familiar and general topics.

Round 3-followups round

In this round examiner generally asks questions related to cue card, which is just spoken by the candidates.

What are the four band parameters?

There are some parameters on which a candidate is being checked in his/her speaking ability.

There are four important parameters in IELTS speaking-

·         Task achievement:

This is the most important parameter on which a candidate is being judged, it is basically we have to fulfill the requirement of question that is cue card, what is being asked in the question?

Put relevant ideas related to cue card, bring clarity of thoughts while speaking.

·         Coherence and cohesion:

This is second most important parameter which means being logical and consistent with the ideas.

We need to be consistent with our ideas while speaking otherwise there is scope of band deduction.

·         Lexical resources and fluency:

It is choice of words and lexicons, as we have to use a good range of vocabulary while we are speaking.

The most important thing is to learn synonyms to avoid repetition of words to make your ideas more effective and clear.

Do not use memorized words.

We need to be very fluent with our communication; avoid fillers and long pauses while speaking.

·         Grammar range and pronunciation of words:

Grammatical concepts should be clear, as tenses, verbs, and synonyms are important concepts.

This is checking the proper use of grammatical concepts while we are speaking.

Also, the pronunciation of words should be appropriate; avoid native language influence.

What role does it play in calculating bands?

It plays a very important role in calculating bands in IELTS speaking, as each parameter would be counted out of 9 bands.

These parameters are checking the overall speaking ability, expressions, and thoughts of a person.

It is counted like task achievement; we have got 7 out of 9 bands; likewise, if we have got bands in each parameter separately, then it would be counted overall.

Task achievement 7, coherence and cohesion 8, lexical resources and fluency 7, and grammar 7 mean your overall band in speaking is 7.

So these are some important 4 band parameters on which you will be checked by the examiner. to get good bands, make sure you are mastering these 4 band parameters.