#2. Scoring & Performance Standards

Your speaking is rated in four areas. Use the guides below to shape every answer.

The four dimensions (plain view)

1) Content & Coherence

What raters listen for

• Clear main idea in the opening
• Two or more developed points
• Short examples or details (time, place, small number)
• Logical order from start to finish

Do

• Open with your advice/opinion in one line
• Give 2 reasons, each with a tiny example
• Use light signposts: first, because, so, for example, in short

Avoid

• Long backstories
• Jumping between ideas

2) Vocabulary

What raters listen for

• Precise, natural word choice for the situation
• Range without odd or forced words
• Correct collocations for daily Canadian contexts

Do

• Paraphrase the prompt (improve bus service → make buses more reliable)
• Rotate key words: problem → issue, delay, concern
• Use everyday collocations: rush hour traffic, repair timeline, route change

Avoid

• Repeating the same word every line
• Fancy words that don’t fit your tone

3) Listenability

What raters listen for

• Smooth rhythm and natural pauses
• Clear pronunciation and intonation
• Clean grammar inside easy sentence patterns

Do

• Mix sentence types: simple + because/so + for example
• Pause at idea breaks; keep a steady pace
• Use quick self-fixes: “the bus—sorry—the route”

Avoid

• Filler chains (uh, like, you know) that bury the point
• One long sentence with many commas

4) Task Fulfillment

What raters listen for

• You answered the task and stayed on topic
• Tone fits the situation (polite for calls/emails; direct for opinions)
• You used the full time without trailing off

Do

• Follow the task frame (e.g., advice → 2–3 suggestions + reasons)
• Keep a polite style when speaking “to” someone
• Use the last seconds for a brief wrap

Avoid

• Ignoring part of the task
• Finishing 20–30 seconds early with silence

Side-by-side samples (Before → After)

Content & Coherence

• Before: “There are many things about buses… it’s complicated.”
• After: “I support bus-only lanes because they cut travel time and keep trips on schedule. First, the 5:40 ride often becomes 6:00 in traffic. Second, faster trips bring new riders, so roads are less crowded.”

Vocabulary

• Before: “This is very bad and causes many problems.”
• After: “These delays are a serious concern because riders miss transfers.”

Listenability

• Before: “Uh so like the thing is um people are—”
• After: “First, trips are slower because of construction. For example, yesterday’s ride doubled.”

Task Fulfillment (advice tone)

• Before: “You should just relax.”
• After: “Practice with your slides once a day, record one rehearsal, and ask a coworker for quick feedback. This reduces nerves before Friday’s talk.”

Quick self-rating cards (copy these)

Content & Coherence

• Clear opening line
• 2 developed points
• Short, concrete examples
• Order makes sense

Vocabulary

• Prompt paraphrased
• Natural collocations
• Repetition reduced
• No odd word choices

Listenability

• Steady pace; clear pauses
• Mix of sentence types
• Few fillers; clean self-fixes
• Grammar mostly clean

Task Fulfillment

• Task fully answered
• Tone matches situation
• Used full time with a close

Match your level to official samples (calibration routine)

1. Pick a task (e.g., Task 7 Opinion).
2. Listen to two official samples at nearby levels (e.g., Level 7 vs. Level 9).
3. Write what’s different in each dimension (idea depth, word choice, flow, task completion).
4. Record your version; compare your notes to the descriptors.
5. Set one target per dimension (example: “add a concrete example to each reason”).

Aim to raise one dimension at a time. Many score jumps happen when your weakest area reaches the level of your stronger areas.

Micro-drills tied to each dimension (5–7 minutes total)

• Content & Coherence (90s): Write 3 bullets: opening / reason A / reason B. Speak once.
• Vocabulary (90s): Replace 3 vague words with precise ones; add 2 collocations. Record again.
• Listenability (120s): Read your outline with short pauses and because/so links.
• Task Fulfillment (60s): Add a one-line close that answers the task directly.

One-page rubric (use after every practice)