FCE Speaking assessment criteria explained in plain English

There are two examiners in the room, and both of them mark you.

• The assessor does not speak to you. They listen to the whole test and give you a mark on each of the four analytic criteria: Grammar and Vocabulary, Discourse Management, Pronunciation and Interactive Communication.
• The interlocutor runs the test and gives you one Global Achievement mark, which reflects your overall performance across all four parts.

Each criterion is marked out of 5, and half marks are possible. The marks are then weighted to give a total out of 60, as shown in the quick facts above. You are marked as an individual, not as a pair, so your partner's mistakes do not lower your mark.

The official descriptors are published by Cambridge in the B2 First handbook. We do not reproduce them here; instead, this page explains in our own words what each criterion means for you in practice. To see how your Speaking mark becomes part of your overall result, read B2 First scoring and grades.

In plain English: how accurately and how widely you use English.

This is about two things at once. Accuracy means making few mistakes, especially mistakes that confuse the listener. Range means using a variety of structures and words, not just the simplest ones. At B2 the examiners hope to hear things like conditionals, modals for speculation, present perfect, passive forms, phrasal verbs and topic-specific vocabulary.

In practice: a candidate who uses only simple sentences with no mistakes is not showing range. A candidate who tries ambitious language and makes a few small slips is often doing better. Do not be afraid to try.

In plain English: whether you can talk at length in a clear, organised and relevant way.

The examiners want to hear answers that are long enough for the task, that stay on topic, and that are joined together with linking words and phrases ('because', 'although', 'on the other hand', 'for example'). Long hesitations and repeated ideas weaken this mark.

In practice: this is where short answers in Part 1, describing instead of comparing in Part 2, and drifting off topic in Part 4 cost you. Organising your answers (opinion, reason, example) is the quickest way to improve. Our speaking phrases and linking words pages help with the connecting language.

In plain English: how easy you are to understand.

This is not about having a British or American accent. Everyone has an accent, and that is fine. The examiners listen to whether individual sounds are clear, whether you stress the right syllables in words, whether you stress important words in sentences, and whether your intonation sounds natural (for example, rising for some questions and falling at the end of a statement).

In practice: speaking too fast, too quietly, or in a flat voice makes you harder to understand. Recording yourself is the best way to notice these problems.

In plain English: how well you take part in a conversation.

This covers starting a discussion, responding to what others say, keeping the conversation going, inviting your partner to speak, and working towards a decision. It also includes simple things like responding appropriately to the interlocutor's questions and asking for repetition when you need it.

In practice: Parts 3 and 4 give the clearest evidence for this criterion. Dominating the conversation is as unhelpful as saying nothing. See Speaking Part 3 for detailed strategies.

In plain English: the interlocutor's overall impression of how well you handled the tasks.

The interlocutor is busy running the test, so they give one holistic mark rather than four separate ones. It reflects whether you dealt with each task effectively, spoke with reasonable ease, and communicated your ideas clearly across the whole test. Because Global Achievement carries a heavier weighting in the total, a consistent, confident performance in every part really matters.