IELTS Speaking is marked on four criteria: Fluency and coherence, Lexical resource, Grammatical range and accuracy and Pronunciation. Each one gets a band from 0 to 9, the four carry equal weight, and your Speaking band is their average. The criteria are the same for IELTS Academic and General Training. Each band is defined in the official IELTS Speaking band descriptors, in examiner language.
This guide puts bands 6, 7 and 8 side by side in plain English, with sample answers and data on where Speaking scores actually drop. The short version: at band 6 you get your message across, but the effort shows. At band 7 you speak at length without noticeable effort. At band 8 you are precise, and most of your pauses are about ideas, not words. In the GoPrep sample analysed below, the AI examiner most often gave its lowest score for grammar.
Band 6 vs 7 vs 8 at a glance
Here is what changes in each criterion as you move up. None of it is about sounding British or American.
| Criterion | Band 6 | Band 7 | Band 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluency and coherence | Happy to speak at length, but hesitation or repetition sometimes breaks the thread. Linking words are not always used well. | Speaks at length without noticeable effort. Pauses to find a word, but the listener never loses the thread. | Rarely repeats or corrects. Most pauses are to decide what to say, not how to say it. |
| Lexical resource | Enough words to talk at length. Some words are wrong for the context, but the meaning is clear. | Uses words flexibly on many topics, with some less common words and natural word pairs. Some slips. | A wide range on any topic, including less common and idiomatic words, used with skill and precision. |
| Grammatical range and accuracy | A mix of simple and complex sentences. Complex ones often have errors, but they rarely block the meaning. | A range of structures used flexibly. Error-free sentences are frequent. A few basic errors remain. | A wide range of structures. Most sentences are error-free. |
| Pronunciation | Generally understood without much effort. Uses stress and intonation, but not consistently. Some words or sounds are unclear now and then. | Everything in band 6, plus some (not all) of band 8. | Easy to understand throughout. Keeps a steady rhythm and uses stress and intonation flexibly, even in long answers. The accent has minimal effect. |
How the examiner uses the descriptors
The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview in 3 parts that lasts 11 to 14 minutes. The notes under the official table add two rules:
- Your whole test counts. You are rated on your average performance across all three parts, so one weak answer does not decide your band.
- A band has to fit fully. To get band 7 in a criterion, you must show all of its positive features, not most of them.
Then the four scores are averaged: 7, 7, 6 and 6 give 6.5, so one weak criterion pulls down the other three. How Speaking counts towards your overall score is in our guide to how the IELTS score is calculated. If you think your real test was marked too low, see when an IELTS remark is worth it.
Your opinion is not marked right or wrong: all four criteria are about language. Staying on topic and developing your answer still count, under Fluency and coherence.
Which criterion scores lowest
On GoPrep, one criterion stands out in the AI examiner's scores. Grammar was the only lowest criterion in 45% of Speaking tests, and the lowest or joint lowest in 97%. Fluency came second at 51%, ties included. The pattern holds for learners who are close to band 7: see the last column.
| Criterion | Average, all tests | Lowest or joint lowest | Average, first test at 6.0 to 6.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammatical range and accuracy | about 5.0 | 97% of tests (the only lowest in 45%) | about 5.5 |
| Fluency and coherence | about 5.5 | 51% of tests | about 6.0 |
| Lexical resource | about 5.5 | 18% of tests | about 6.0 |
| Pronunciation | about 6.0 | 8% of tests | about 6.5 |
The last column shows students who scored 6.0 to 6.5 on their first test, so compare that profile with your own criterion scores. Among those 402 students, grammar was the only lowest criterion in 47% of first tests and tied for lowest in another 52%. More than half (56%) had grammar at 5.5 or lower, and in about 1 in 5 it sat a full band or more below their best criterion.
Averages are shown to the nearest half band for readability, and shares add up to more than 100% because criteria can tie. These are AI examiner scores on GoPrep, not the spread of official IELTS scores.
What gets flagged most? Among 6,394 tests with a list of fixes, the AI examiner suggested these most often.
| Suggested fix | Share of tests | What to check in your answer |
|---|---|---|
| Subject-verb agreement | 62% | In affirmative present simple sentences, check the -s after "he", "she" and "it": "she always helps", not "she always help" |
| Word choice and word pairs | 52% | General words like "good" or "very" where a precise word or natural pair fits better |
| Filler words | 41% | An "um" in every gap. A silent pause or "let me think" is fine |
| Verb tenses | 37% (past tense in stories: 20%) | Past events in past forms. Change tense when the time reference changes, not by accident |
| Prepositions | 13% | Fixed pairs such as "interested in", "depend on", "good at" |
Agreement and tenses are the "basic errors" the descriptors mention. A suggestion rate is not an error rate, but it shows where to look first.
The samples below are transcripts, so they show words, not pauses or sounds. A single answer never gets a band, so the labels mean "shows band 6 features" for that criterion. For the same Part 1, 2 and 3 questions answered at each level, see Speaking sample answers at band 6, 7 and 8.
Fluency and coherence: why you pause
Fluency is not speed. The official key assessment criteria ask for a rate that is "not too slow" and speech not constantly broken by false starts, repetition and word searches. Coherence is about order: ideas in a logical sequence, joined by linking words that fit.
- Band 6: "a willingness to produce long turns", but "coherence may be lost at times" through hesitation, repetition or self-correction.
- Band 7: you speak at length "without noticeable effort". You may pause mid-sentence to find a word, but coherence holds.
- Band 8: you may occasionally search for words, but most of your hesitation is "content related": you stop to think about what to say.
So ask yourself not "how fast am I?" but "why did I stop?". If the answer is nerves, see how to recover when you freeze.
Question (Part 1): Do you prefer reading books or watching films?
Shows band 6 features
I think I prefer books. Because, um, when I read, I... I can imagine. Films are also good, of course, and on the other hand I watch films with my friends. Moreover, books are cheaper. So, yes, books, I think.
It keeps going, but the ideas don't build: imagination, friends, price, none developed. The contrast is unclear, moreover is too formal for a chat, and it ends where it started.
Shows band 7 features
Books, mostly. When I read, I get to picture the characters myself, whereas a film does that work for me. That said, on a Friday night with friends I'd pick a film, because it's something we can enjoy together. So it depends on whether I want time alone or time with people.
Each sentence adds a reason, a contrast or a conclusion, and whereas and that said match what the sentence does.
Lexical resource: flexible, not fancy
- Band 6: you have enough vocabulary to talk at length. Some word choices "may be inappropriate but meaning is clear", and you can usually paraphrase.
- Band 7: some "less common and idiomatic items" (like make ends meet) and "an awareness of style and collocation", with some slips. A collocation is a natural word pair: make a decision, heavy traffic.
- Band 8: a wide vocabulary on all topics, used to "convey precise meaning", with only occasional slips.
Paraphrase (saying it in other words) counts at every one of these bands. If a word won't come, describe it: the thing you use to open a bottle keeps you talking.
Question (Part 3): How has technology changed the way people work?
Shows band 6 features
Technology changed work very much. Now people can work from home, it is very good. They use computer and internet and it is very useful. But some people have a problem, because they work very much time.
The meaning is clear, but the words are general (very good, very useful), and work very much time is not a natural phrase.
Shows band 7 features
It's changed things enormously. Working from home used to be a rare perk, but now plenty of office staff split their week between home and the office. The downside is that the line between work and personal life has become blurred: people answer emails late at night, and some end up burning out.
Less common words (perk, blurred, burning out) and natural pairs (split their week), all in the right place. None is rare. They are just precise.
Grammatical range and accuracy: range and accuracy together
At band 6, errors "frequently occur in complex structures". At band 7, "error-free sentences are frequent" and a few basic errors persist. At band 8, "the majority of sentences are error free". But band 6 already has complex sentences, so to reach 7 and 8 you need both accuracy and a flexible range of structures. Short, safe, error-free sentences won't get you there, and neither will complex ones that keep breaking. Here is the same answer at three levels.
Question (Part 1): Did you enjoy school as a child?
Shows band 6 features
Yes, I enjoyed it a lot. My teacher was very kind and she always helped us. If I missed school, I feel bored the whole day. We had a big garden, which we played football there every break.
The simple sentences are correct. The errors sit in the complex ones: a conditional that mixes past and present (If I missed... I feel) and a relative clause that repeats the place (which we played football there). The meaning still comes through.
Shows band 7 features
Yes, I really did. I had a teacher who always made time for us, and I think that's partly why I loved going. If I missed a day, I'd feel as if I'd lost something. We also had a huge garden, where we used to play football every break, although it were usually muddy by Friday.
Relative clauses, would for a past habit, as if, used to, almost all correct. One basic slip remains (it were), which band 7 allows.
Shows band 8 features
I did, mostly. What made the difference was a teacher who genuinely seemed to enjoy our questions, so going in never felt like a chore. Looking back, if she hadn't pushed me to read aloud in class, I probably wouldn't be this confident speaking now. The only thing I'd change is the timetable: we were made to sit through double maths on Friday afternoons.
A different structure in almost every sentence: what made the difference was, looking back, a conditional linking past and present, a passive (we were made to). All correct, none forced. That is the step from 7 to 8: range used flexibly, not just accurately.
Pronunciation: clear, not native
Band 6 "can generally be understood throughout without much effort", with stress and intonation that work at times but not consistently. Band 8 "can be easily understood throughout", with a steady rhythm and flexible stress and intonation across long answers. Band 7 has all of band 6 and some of band 8. At band 8 the "accent has minimal effect on intelligibility" (how easy you are to understand).
So your accent itself is not scored, and a strong accent that is easy to follow can still meet the band 8 line. Spend your practice time on these instead:
- Chunking: pause between groups of words (In my town, / most people / work in the port), not mid-phrase.
- Word stress: PHOtograph but phoTOGraphy. Wrong stress can make a word hard to recognise.
- Sentence stress and intonation: stress the word that carries the meaning (I didn't say SHE took it) and don't stay flat.
- Speed: the band 6 descriptor links weaker rhythm to "a rapid speech rate". A little slower is often clearer.
Check your answer, then answer again
Reading the descriptors helps. Hearing yourself against them helps more, and a second, better attempt helps most.
What the notes can look like for a first attempt (our own practice example, not a learner's recording):
| What you hear | Criterion and problem | Try in the second recording |
|---|---|---|
| Because, um, when I read, I... I can imagine. | Fluency: a filler and a restart | When I read, I picture the characters myself. |
| ...and on the other hand I watch films with my friends. | Coherence: the linking word doesn't match the idea | That said, with friends I'd pick a film. |
| Books is more cheap. | Grammar: agreement and comparative | Books are cheaper. |
| Films are very good for relax. | Lexis: a general word and a wrong form | Films help me switch off. |
| comFORtable | Pronunciation: word stress | COMfortable |
Keep the second recording about as long as the first, then compare two things: how many times you stopped to restart, and what share of your sentences came out fully correct. Also check that the second attempt still uses complex structures, not just shorter sentences. If both improve, you are moving along the descriptors. This exercise won't tell you your band. It shows which features changed. For a daily version of this loop, see a self-check list for your recordings.
FAQ
How is the IELTS Speaking band score calculated?
Each of the four criteria (Fluency and coherence, Lexical resource, Grammatical range and accuracy, Pronunciation) gets a band from 0 to 9. They carry equal weight, and their average is your Speaking band.
What is the difference between band 6 and band 7 in IELTS Speaking?
At band 7 you speak at length without noticeable effort, use some less common words and natural word pairs, and use a range of structures with frequent error-free sentences. At band 6 you can speak at length too, but hesitation sometimes breaks the thread and complex sentences often contain errors.
Is 6.5 or 7 a good score in IELTS Speaking?
It depends on what you need it for. Universities, employers and visa programmes set their own minimums, often for the overall score and separately for Speaking, so check each requirement. In descriptor terms, band 7 means you speak at length without noticeable effort and error-free sentences are frequent. A 6.5 means your four criteria average between 6 and 7, for example 7, 7, 6 and 6.
Are the Speaking criteria the same for IELTS Academic and General Training?
Yes. Both versions have the same Speaking test, marked on the same four criteria with the same band descriptors.
Does my accent affect my IELTS Speaking score?
Not by itself, and you don't need a British or American accent. Pronunciation is scored on how easy you are to understand and how you use sounds, rhythm, stress and intonation. At band 8, the official descriptor says the accent has minimal effect on intelligibility.
Do I need idioms to get band 7 in Speaking?
Band 7 asks for some less common and idiomatic language, used with an awareness of style and collocation. A few natural, well-placed phrases do this job. Idioms forced into the wrong context do not.
Where to go next
The same logic applies to essays: see the Writing band descriptors. For what your target band means in CEFR terms, read IELTS and CEFR levels.
The descriptors tell you what band 7 sounds like. A plan tells you what to practise and when. Tell the quiz your target score, exam date and hardest part of IELTS, and GoPrep will build a personal study plan around your answers.
GoPrep Team
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We write about IELTS preparation using platform data and official exam materials.
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