Fluency And Coherence

This criterion evaluates how smoothly and naturally the test taker can speak. It considers factors like:

Fluency: The ability to speak at a natural pace without excessive pauses or hesitations.
Coherence: The logical connection and relevance of ideas within the spoken response.
Effort: The amount of mental exertion required to produce appropriate and connected speech.

Essentially, this criterion assesses the test taker’s ability to express themselves clearly and effectively, with a natural flow of speech and well-organized thoughts.

Key Things to Focus On When Trying To Improve Fluency and Coherence

1. The ability to keep going, to keep speaking without pausing, loss of coherence, hesitation, repetition and/or self-correction.

Minimizing pauses: Avoiding excessive hesitations and interruptions in speech.
Reducing self-correction: Limiting the need to correct oneself frequently.
Avoiding repetition: Repeating words or phrases unnecessarily should be minimized.

Hesitations can be categorized as:

Language-related: Caused by difficulty in retrieving specific words or grammatical structures.
Content-related: Reflecting moments of reflection or emphasis on a particular point.

Performance levels and fluency:

Band 5: Moderate fluency with occasional hesitations, repetitions, and self-corrections. Fillers (“um,” “uh,” “well”) are often used.
Band 6: Generally fluent with occasional hesitations and repetitions.
Higher Bands (7-9): High fluency with minimal hesitations. Hesitations primarily reflect thoughtful pauses rather than difficulty with language.

Essentially, fluency is about speaking with ease and naturalness, minimizing disruptions to the flow of speech. While some hesitations are inevitable, the more fluent a speaker is, the less they will rely on pauses, self-corrections, and repetitions.

2.The rate of speech

An excessively rapid speech rate can make it difficult for the listener to understand the speaker.
Conversely, an excessively slow speech rate can also hinder communication as it may require increased listener effort to follow and retain the information.

Performance levels:

Bands 4 and 5: Often characterized by a slower speech rate.

Essentially, the speaker’s speech rate should be at a comfortable and appropriate pace that allows for clear and effective communication.

3. Fluency is closely linked to the effective use of discourse markers. These are words or phrases that connect ideas and improve the flow of speech.

Basic discourse markers: Simple connectors like “and,” “but,” “so,” and “also” are common, but overuse or misuse can hinder clarity.
Sophisticated discourse markers: Fluent speakers demonstrate a wider range of discourse markers, including less common connectors and effective pronoun referencing.

Performance levels:

Bands 4-7: Focus on the appropriate and effective use of discourse markers.
Higher Bands: Assumes a high level of coherence, including the seamless and natural use of discourse markers.

Essentially, the skillful use of discourse markers enhances fluency by making speech more organized, coherent, and easy to understand.

4. Topic Development:

Higher Bands (8 and above): Speakers are expected to develop topics in a clear, organized, and in-depth manner.
Band 9: Requires consistent and well-structured development of all topics.
Limitation at Band 8: Even with strong use of discourse markers, insufficient topic development can prevent a speaker from achieving a higher band score.

Essentially, topic development refers to the ability to explore and expand upon ideas in a comprehensive and engaging way. It’s crucial for achieving high scores in speaking assessments.