Band 7.0 - 7.5

There is a good range of vocabulary that includes an ability to use less common words/expressions (e.g. forensic science; prominent; business hub) and a grasp of native-like informality (e.g. outdoorsy; classy). However, turns are not notably rich in such less common/idiomatic language and this would limit the candidate’s ability to achieve one of the higher bands. The candidate provides several examples of effective paraphrase. 

There are only a few errors (e.g. word form: give me a confident boost [give me a confidence boost]; collocation: wear [dress] a lot more formally), which, however, have minimal impact on the clarity of the message.  

A good range of grammatical complexity is presented. This includes complex verb tenses and a full range of subordinate clauses with particularly effective use of adverbial clauses and relative clauses to load responses with additional detail. 

Part 1 is almost completely free of mistakes.  In Parts 2 & 3, error-free sentences are very common and throughout, grammatical complexity is achieved without any significant increase in error density. Mistakes that do occur are minor with little impact on the clarity of the message. 

A good level of fluency throughout though minor breakdowns occur due to repetitions, the use of fillers, and self-corrections – the latter being most noticeable in the more challenging Part 3. A willingness and ability to extend answers without negatively impacting fluency is a feature of the overall performance. 

Sentence stress and intonation are also showcased, though there are times when the candidate’s focus switches from the message to production of language, as in the initial response to the Part 1 question: Where do the tourists who come to your country like to go? Compare this to the response in Part 3 to the question: Do you think people at work make judgments about their colleagues based on the clothes they wear to work? … when the candidate’s focus is absolutely on the message and stress and intonation are used to greater effect. 

Although precision could be enhanced by a more vigorous production of hard consonants, especially in final position, pronunciation is quite accurate and the message is always easy to follow.