IELTS Speaking assesses the ability of a candidate to communicate (speak) effectively in English.

Reasons for the inclusion of speaking module in IELTS:

As an immigrant to an English speaking nation, a candidate has to speak freely in English to lead a good social life. Similarly, a student going to an English speaking nation can never raise any question nor participate in any discussion in academics if he lacks good speaking skills. Likewise, a job seeker in an English speaking nation can never accomplish his task of getting a job, perform well and excel in his profession if he lacks good communication skills. Hence to facilitate all the aforementioned aspects and even more, speaking module is included in IELTS.

The following factors are usually considered when assessing speaking skills of a candidate:

Fluency and Coherence:

This aspect deals with the ability of a candidate to speak with normal levels of speed, continuity and to connect ideas with words to form a coherent and connected speech.

Lexical Resource:

This aspect deals with the ability of a candidate to use vocabulary efficiently. This includes the range of words used and the ability to get round a vocabulary gap by expressing the idea in a different way.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy:

This aspect deals with the ability of a candidate to use various structures available and how precisely and suitably he/she can apply them. Assessment takes into account the length and complexity of utterances as well as the effect of grammatical errors on communication.

Pronunciation:

This aspect deals with the ability of a candidate to produce understandable utterances in addition to usage of various pronunciation attributes to convey meaning. Evaluation also includes the intensity of strain experienced by the examiner to understand the speech of the speaker, and the noticeability of mother tongue influence.