Marking Bands and Criteria for Oral Presentations
The criteria below give an indication of how your oral presentations in the target
language are graded. 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 presentation exercise.
1:1
90100
* Near-native pronunciation and intonation which is accurate and
varied
* Excellent degree of fluency throughout
* Excellent command of grammar structures with minimal formal
errors
* Excellent command of a wide range of vocabulary and idiom
and an outstanding grasp of registers appropriate to spoken
presentations and discussion
* Extremely coherent structure; material is very well presented
and attention has been paid to argument flow and cohesiveness
* Ideas and arguments are developed to an advanced level and
are presented in their complexity
* Excellent contact with the audience maintained throughout;
almost complete independence from notes. Displays extensive
ability to reformulate, summarise and expand. Good steady pace.
* Interacts effortlessly and effectively with others in dialogue and
questions are answered fully
* Paralinguistic features (body language, gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact) are used convincingly and enhance
performance
8089
* Almost near-native pronunciation and intonation which is
accurate and varied
* Very high degree of fluency throughout
* Excellent command of grammar structures with virtually no
formal errors
* Excellent command of a wide range of vocabulary and idiom
and an excellent grasp of registers appropriate to spoken
presentations and discussion
* Very coherent structure; material is well presented and
attention has been paid to argument flow and cohesiveness
* Ideas and arguments are developed to a very high level and are
presented in their complexity
* Excellent contact with the audience maintained throughout;
almost complete independence from notes. Displays extensive
ability to reformulate, summarise and expand. Good steady pace.
* Interacts largely effortlessly and effectively with others in
dialogue and questions are answered fully
* Paralinguistic features (body language, gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact) are used convincingly and enhance
performance
2:1
7079
* Very good pronunciation and intonation which is mostly
accurate and varied
* High degree of fluency throughout
* Very good command of grammar structures with no major
formal errors
* Very good command of a wide range of vocabulary and idiom.
Employs a register and style that is appropriate to spoken
presentations and discussion
* Coherent structure; material is well presented and attention has
been paid to argument flow and cohesiveness
* Ideas and arguments are developed to a high level and are
presented in their complexity
* Very good contact with the audience maintained throughout;
almost complete independence from notes. Demonstrates a high
degree of linguistic resourcefulness and an ability to reformulate,
summarise and expand when necessary. Good steady pace.
* Interacts well with others in dialogue and questions are mostly
answered fully. Deploys a range of strategies to deal with any
gaps in linguistic knowledge, minor misunderstandings, and
breaks or switches in dialogue.
* Paralinguistic features (body language, gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact) are used convincingly and enhance
performance
6069
* Good pronunciation and intonation which is largely accurate
and varied
* Good degree of fluency throughout
* Good command of grammar structures with some minor errors,
but these do not interfere with communication
* Good command of a range of vocabulary and idiom. Employs a
register and style that is mostly appropriate to spoken
presentations and discussion
* Coherent structure; material is well presented and there are
clear links between ideas. Easy to follow.
* Ideas and arguments are largely explored in depth and
examples are relevant
* Good contact with the audience maintained throughout; some
dependence on notes and presentation may lack spontaneity.
Demonstrates a good ability to reformulate, summarise and
expand when necessary. Steady pace that is easy to follow.
* Engages with others in dialogue and questions are mostly well
answered, if not always in depth. Deploys a range of strategies to
deal with gaps in subject and linguistic knowledge, minor
misunderstandings, and breaks or switches in dialogue.
2:2
3rd
fail
* Paralinguistic features (body language, gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact) are used to enhance performance
50- * Pronunciation and intonation are solid. May contain some flaws,
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but these do not impact upon ability to communicate
* Reasonable degree of fluency, may contain some hesitation
* Satisfactory grasp of grammar structures with several formal
errors, but these do not interfere with communication
* Reasonable ability to vary vocabulary and idiom. Limited
sensitivity to nuances of register and style; may contain some
errors
* Structure is relatively easy to follow and there is some evidence
of linking, but points may be confused.
* Ideas and arguments are covered reasonably, but the
presentation does not go into detail; examples are mostly
relevant.
* Some contact with the audience, but also relies a lot on notes;
presentation lacks spontaneity. Demonstrates a limited ability to
reformulate, summarise and expand.
* Questions are mostly understood and answered reasonably
well, but not in depth. Deploys a limited range of strategies to
deal with gaps in subject and linguistic knowledge,
misunderstandings, and breaks or switches in dialogue.
* Paralinguistic features (body language, gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact) are used to enhance performance
40- * Some problems with pronunciation and flat intonation. Errors
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may impact upon ability to communicate and listener may not be
able to follow all that is said
* Performance is halting
* Patchy grasp of grammar structures with frequent formal errors
which disrupt, and may even compromise, communication
* Basic knowledge of vocabulary and idiom. Limited awareness of
nuances of register and style and presentation may contain
frequent use of inappropriate register
* Structure is not clear and links between points are not always
successfully executed.
* Ideas and arguments are covered only superficially; some
examples may be irrelevant; presentation may contain some
inaccuracies and some extraneous material
* Heavy reliance on notes; presentation lacks spontaneity. May
contain some attempts to reformulate, summarise and expand,
but with a limited to very limited degree of success. Pace may be
inappropriate.
* Questions are not always understood and answers may be
hesitant, patchy, overly simplistic and incomplete.
* Paralinguistic features (body language, gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact) are only employed in a limited fashion
26- * Pronunciation and intonation are an obstacle to communication.
39% * Very halting
* Major shortcomings in the understanding of grammar
structures which seriously compromise communication
* Serious deficiencies in knowledge of vocabulary and idiom. No
awareness of nuances of register and style. Register may be
inappropriate to task.
* Unclear and confused structure
* Information presented is insufficient, inaccurate and/or
irrelevant
* Very heavy reliance on notes. Pace is inappropriate.
* Questions are frequently misunderstood and answers may be
extremely limited, overly simplistic and incomplete.
* Paralinguistic features (body language, gestures, facial
expressions, eye contact) are not employed to enhance the
presentation
Lowest 0* Presentation is incomprehensible or significantly incomplete.
fail
25% * No effort is made to communicate or, if attempted,
communication is almost entirely unsuccessful.
* Grave deficiencies in the areas of grammar, vocabulary and
register
* Information presented is insufficient, inaccurate and/or
irrelevant
* No engagement with the audience
* Unable to understand questions and/or to engage in dialogue