ORAL SKILLS - MARKING CRITERIA – LEVEL 1 – Post A-Level
The criteria below give an indication of how examiners grade oral proficiency in first-year post A-level language modules. The criteria are cumulative (a higher grade implies
possession of the skills described at lower grades, as well as the absence of deficiencies described at lower grades). At the same time, the grade profiles are necessarily
general and typical: a candidate need not fit all aspects of a profile to fall into that grade band and there may be elements that do not apply to every oral assessment. Students
should be aware that different languages may have different learning outcomes. Moreover, depending on the exercise being assessed, a proportion of the overall mark may be
awarded for any or all of the following: intellectual content, presentation skills, debating skills, or contribution to group discussion. Students can expect to be told by their
language discipline if this is the case and how the mark is split.There may be elements that do not apply to every oral assessment task.
High 1st
Exemplary and consistently fluent performance throughout; exceptional standard of communication; a highly accomplished standard of accuracy, range of
90-100
expression, comprehension, presentation and general communication skills. Highly advanced level of discursive structure and organization of ideas.
An outstanding, consistently coherent and fluent performance; highly effective communication and full and active participation; only minimal errors in
Good 1st
pronunciation, grammar and/or vocabulary, not affecting communication; wide range of advanced vocabulary and structures; clear organisation of ideas.
1st
80-89
Performances which would be judged as excellent or very good at the next highest level of study.
Low 1st
An excellent performance, demonstrating an advanced level of comprehension and communication skills as well as very good fluency, pronunciation and
70-79
intonation. Evidence of a wide lexical range and some structural complexity; demonstrates thorough preparation and consistent clarity. Occasional errors
and gaps in vocabulary may occur, but they do not affect the communication of ideas and may be compensated by excellence in other areas.
A very good and fluent performance, with minor hesitations for this level. Overall effective communication and active participation / interaction with other
High 2:1
speakers. Evidence of sound grasp of syntax and morphology and a very good lexical range. While some mistakes occur, they tend not to affect
65-69
communication seriously and there will be at least some evidence of self-monitoring of speech. Typically at this level there are few problems with
pronunciation and intonation; the structure and organization of ideas is overall clear and coherent.
At this level, there is typically a good level of pronunciation and fluency with some hesitations that do not compromise the communication process
Low 2:1
significantly. There may be some gaps in vocabulary, but a reasonable range of vocabulary is demonstrated and an appropriate register is generally
60-64
maintained. The range of structures that the speaker uses may be less broad, but s/he nevertheless uses correctly an appropriate range of structures.
Generally clear handling of material and evidence of thorough preparation.
2nd
With some hesitations and simplifications, the candidate can converse competently and communicate his/her ideas. While the performance will be mainly
High 2:2
fluent with generally competent pronunciation, there tend to be moments of hesitation. The speaker generally manages to interact appropriately with other
55-59
speakers and there is evidence of good preparation, appropriate comprehension and some clarity and control.
There is evidence of an appropriate level of participation and comprehension. The performance is mainly fluent for this level, but with some hesitations,
somewhat impeding communication, although a reasonable flow is generally maintained. The speaker tends to mispronounce certain sounds and to make
Low 2:2
certain categories of grammatical and lexical mistakes frequently. The range of vocabulary is less broad and the speaker may show a limited sensitivity to
50-54
register. There will be moments when a lack in communicative strategies or linguistic resourcefulness impairs the effectiveness of communication quite
strongly. The speaker may introduce irrelevant pre-learned material.
The candidate is able to conduct a basic dialogue, but finds it difficult to develop her/his ideas. S/he is obliged to simplify most statements, making it
difficult to convey shades of meaning. The speaker’s language shows a limited grasp of grammatical principles, a limited lexical range and lacks structural
complexity. Frequent errors, many of them major, a lack of fluency as well as consistent mispronunciations, pose an obstacle to clear communication. The
3rd
40-49
speaker may misunderstand some of the language spoken by others and in some cases the student may be reluctant to engage in discussion. Some
broad organization of ideas is apparent, but there is a lack of clear structure, making it difficult to follow the spoken interaction.
At the lower end of the range, the speaker may have difficulty forming some of the basic sounds in the language and some statements may be
unintelligible.
While the meaning of most statements made by the speaker is intelligible, the range of vocabulary and structures is so limited as to make communication
laborious. Inadequate pronunciation and intonation, lacking in fluency as well as consistent grammatical and lexical inaccuracies severely impair
26-39
communication. Lack of comprehension, presentation and communication skills, as well as linguistic resourcefulness, prevent the speaker from performing
Fail
the task successfully.
Inability to comprehend the majority of statements, even when people speak slowly and clearly. The student may be able to recognise familiar words and
0-25
basic phrases, but overall listening comprehension is severely limited.