Criteria for Assessing Oral Communication
Level A2
| Points | FORMAL ACCURACY (Morphology and Syntax) |
ORAL ACCURACY (Pronunciation and Prosody,Fluency) |
VOCABULARY (Range and Activation) |
STYLE (Pragmatic / Sociolinguistic Aspects) |
COMMUNICATIVE EFFECTIVENESS (Appropriate Task Completion) |
| 5 | Effective and accurate use of grammatical structures required at this level. ⃰ Despite few morphological and syntactic errors, the communication is clear. | Can be understood easily (slight accent), correct prosody. Fluent, appropriate pace of speech, independent flow of utterance. | Wide range of vocabulary related to concrete everyday needs and topics matching speakers’ interest. Varied/accurate use of words. Lexical errors rarely occur. | The most basic social communication is effective.Organization and presentation of content entirely adequate for this level. Control of appropriate basic register. | Ideas and content communicated effectively and with ease in concrete everyday situations. |
| 4 | If the quality of oral communication exceeds the performance described under point 3 but worse than what is described under point 5, a score of 4 should be given. | ||||
| 3 | Adequate use of simple grammatical structures required at this level. Typical minor morphological and syntactic errors do not hinder understanding. | Can be understood quite well (slightly stronger accent). Errors in prosody. Satisfactory pace of speech, less independent flow of utterance. | Adequate use of vocabulary (required for everyday topics). The occasional paraphrases and semantic mistakes do not impair comprehension. | Satisfactory organization of content. The organization of the text can be followed. The style of the speech suits the everyday conversational norm. The use of basic register is not alwaysappropriate. | Task completed satisfactorily in concrete everyday situations, difficulties are overcome with some help. |
| 2 | If the quality of oral communication does not match the performance described by point 3, but exceeds what is described by point 1, a score of 2 should be given. | ||||
| 1 | Limited use of grammatical structures required at this level. Almost total lack of variety of structures causing misunderstanding and impairing comprehension. | Hardly intelligible (very strong accent), prosodic errors almost hindering comprehension. Slow pace of speech with frequent pauses, complete lack of independent flow of utterance. | Very limited range of vocabulary. Inadequate (confusing) use of words, serious semantic errors make understanding impossible. | Candidate does not attempt to use basic register, cannot handle very short social exchanges. | Task is hardly completed. Questions have to be reformulated, basic communication problems. |
| 0 | If the candidate’s achievement does not reach the requirements of descriptions for point 1, and the oral communication is too short or cannot be understood, or irrelevant, the entire grade for the task should be 0. | ||||
* See Guidelines for the Oral Exam
Criteria for Assessing Oral Communication
Level B1
| Points | FORMAL ACCURACY(Morphology and Syntax) | ORAL ACCURACY
(Pronunciation and Prosody, Fluency) |
VOCABULARY(Range and Activation) | STYLE
(Pragmatic / Sociolinguistic Aspects) |
COMMUNICATIVE EFFECTIVENESS(Appropriate Task Completion) |
| 5 | Varied and accurate use of grammatical structures required at this level. ⃰ Minimal morphological errors do not hinder communication. | Can be understood easily (slight accent), correct prosody. Fluent, appropriate pace of speech, independent flow of utterance. | Wide range of vocabulary used, varied/accurate use of words in his own everyday situations. Paraphrases may be used in unknown topics. | Effective organization and presentation of content and everyday conversation at this level. Control of appropriate basic register. Thoughts are easy to follow, social formalities are well applied. | Task fully completed. Simple ideas and content communicated effectively and with ease. |
| 4 | If the quality of oral communication exceeds the performance described under point 3 but worse than what is described under point 5, a score of 4 should be given. | ||||
| 3 | Adequate use of grammatical structures required at this level. Minor morphological and syntactic errors. | Can be understood well (slight accent). Errors in prosody. Satisfactory pace of speech with some inadequate pauses. | Adequate use of vocabulary (required for the topics at this level). The occasional paraphrases and semantic mistakes do not impair comprehension.. | Satisfactory organization of content and everyday conversations. Some evidence of using appropriate basic register. Thoughts well connected, social formalities well applied. | Task completed satisfactorily, some paraphrases occur. Ideas and feelings conveyed satisfactorily, difficulties are overcome with some help. |
| 2 | If the quality of oral communication does not match the performance described by point 3, but exceeds what is described by point 1, a score of 2 should be given. | ||||
| 1 | Limited use of grammatical structures required at this level. Lack of variety of structures causing misunderstanding and impairing comprehension. | Hardly intelligible (very strong accent), prosodic errors hindering comprehension. Slow pace of speech with frequent pauses, complete lack of independent flow of utterance. | Very limited range of vocabulary. Inadequate (confusing) use of words, serious semantic errors. | No basic register used. Text organization cannot be followed. Cannot keep on and follow everyday conversations. | Task not completed. Questions have to be reformulated. Persistent help has to be provided. |
| 0 | If the candidate’s achievement does not reach the requirements of descriptions for point 1, and the oral communication is too short or cannot be understood, or irrelevant, the entire grade for the task should be 0. | ||||
* See Guidelines for the Oral Exam
Criteria for Assessing Oral Communication
Level B2
| Points | FORMAL ACCURACY ( Morphology, Syntax) |
ORAL ACCURACY
(Pronunciation and Prosody, |
VOCABULARY (Range and Activation) |
STYLE (Pragmatic / Sociolinguistic Aspects) |
COMMUNICATIVE EFFECTIVENESS (Appropriate Task Completion) |
| 5 | Varied use of grammatical structures required at this level. ⃰ Good grammatical control with occasional minor errors. | Can be understood easily (hardly noticeable accent).Fluent, appropriate pace of speech, independent flow of utterance. | Wide range of vocabulary used, varied / accurate use of words.Some idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms. | Clear organization of content. Register / style appropriate for the topic. Adequate use of a wide range of cohesive devices. Formal and informal styles are applied with ease. | Fully adequate task completion. Ideas and content communicated effectively and with ease. |
| 4 | If the quality of oral communication exceeds the performance described under point 3 but worse than what is described under point 5, a score of 4 should be given. | ||||
| 3 | Adequate use of grammatical structures required at this level. Minor (mainly morphological) mistakes which do not lead to misunderstanding. | Can be understood well (slight accent), insufficiencies in co-articulation. Satisfactory pace of speech, some inadequate pauses. | Adequate use of vocabulary (required for the topics).Minor semantic mistakes and occasional paraphrases do not impair comprehension. | Adequate organization of content and appropriate style.Satisfactory use of register and a limited number of cohesive devices. Ideas are easy to follow but longer talks may miss some content. | Adequate task completion. Ideas and content communicated clearly and with details. Exchange of ideas fluent and natural with only some pauses. |
| 2 | If the quality of oral communication does not match the performance described by point 3, but exceeds what is described by point 1, a score of 2 should be given. | ||||
| 1 | Very limited use of structures. Frequently occurring grammatical mistakes that impair comprehension. | Hardly intelligible (very strong accent), significant prosodic and co-articulation errors. Slow pace of speech with frequent pauses, lack of independent flow of utterance. | Limited range of vocabulary. Frequent paraphrases and confusing semantic errors. Lack of proper vocabulary hinders understanding. | Conversation relevant at the level is difficult to follow and/or maintain. No evidence of / or inadequate organization of content. Inadequate register. | Task not completed. Questions have to be provided and reformulated several times. Exchange of ideas is poor. Limited content. |
| 0 | If the candidate’s achievement does not reach the requirements of descriptions for point 1, and the oral communication is too short or cannot be understood, or irrelevant, the entire grade for the task should be 0. | ||||
* See Guidelines for the Oral Exam
Criteria for Assessing Oral Communication
Level C1
| Points | FORMAL ACCURACY (Morphology, Syntax) | ORAL ACCURACY
(Pronunciation and Prosody, Fluency) |
VOCABULARY (Range and Activation) |
STYLE (Pragmatic /Sociolinguistic Aspects) |
COMMUNICATIVE EFFECTIVENESS (Appropriate Task Completion) |
| 5 | Varied and accurate use of elaborated grammatical structures. ⃰ Minor, hardly noticeable mistakes.Grammatical control of complex language. | Can be understood perfectly (no accent). Fluent, with a pace of speech perceived as natural by the native speaker; independent flow of utterance. | Very wide, extensive and sophisticated vocabulary, varied and adequate use of words, the use of idiomatic expressions. Synonyms help avoid paraphrases. | Clear organization of content and complex text.Effective use of a wide range of cohesive devices. Register, style and strategy suit the topic. | Ideas and content communicated effectively and with ease, good negotiation / discussion skills, candidate can handle communicative situations naturally and with ease. |
| 4 | If the quality of oral communication exceeds the performance described under point 3 but worse than what is described under point 5, a score of 4 should be given. | ||||
| 3 | Adequate use of grammatical structures, with some occasional minor syntactic errors not impairing comprehension. | Can be understood well (hardly perceivable accent). Minor errors in prosody. Appropriate pace of speech, independent flow of utterance. Shorter pauses do not hinder speech. | Wide vocabulary, adequate use of words, appropriate use of synonyms depending on context. Proper use of idioms. | Appropriate organization of text and style. Versatile use of cohesive devices.Occasionally inaccurate use or lack of relevant rhetoric devices. Conversation followed and/or maintained adequately. | Communicatively appropriate and accurate expression of thoughts, adequate handling of unexpected situations, satisfactory command of the norms of language behaviour. Only few repetitions occur. |
| 2 | If the quality of oral communication does not match the performance described by point 3, but exceeds what is described by point 1, a score of 2 should be given. | ||||
| 1 | Frequently occurring grammatical errors that impair comprehension. | Intelligible (though stronger accent), significant prosodic errors. Slow pace of speech, sometimes lack of independent flow of utterance. | Limited range of vocabulary. Frequent repetition of words and semantic errors. | Lack of / insufficiencies in content organization. Insufficient stylistic competence. Limited use of communication strategies. | Task not completed. Questions have to be provided and reformulated several times. The norms of language behaviour are violated frequently. |
| 0 | If the candidate’s achievement does not reach the requirements of descriptions for point 1, and the oral communication is too short or cannot be understood, or irrelevant, the entire grade for the task should be 0. | ||||
* See Guidelines for the Oral Exam
