Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Understand what category of student you fall into.
2. Identify the criteria stopping you from Band 7 in speaking.
3. Learn what you can do about it.

Most students unable to get Band 7 usually fall into 1 of 3 categories:

Summary:

• Most are so close but fall short in vocabulary (6) and grammar (6).
• The next most common group tends to have decent pronunciation (7), but not only do they need to work on vocabulary (6) and grammar (6) – they also need more practice time for their fluency and coherence (6).
• The final group generally haven’t yet got enough experience to pronounce (6) words and sentences with clarity and smoothness.

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What does a 6, 6.5 and 7 Look like?

Knowing if you are a 7667, a 6667 or a 6666 can more efficiently and effectively help you use your time to develop the areas that will improve your score the most.

Look at how fulfilling different criteria can result in different scores:

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Marking Checklist:

Ask your teacher to assess you with a mock test, making sure to complete this checklist:

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The Problems

After establishing your issues, work on the problems that you have.

Problem 1: Vocabulary Lacks idiomatic language
Problem 2: Lack of Precise Vocabulary
Problem 3: Weak Paraphrasing
Problem 4: Lacking a Range of Complex Structures
Problem 5: Too many Grammar Mistakes
Problem 6: Lacking Appropriate Discourse Markers/ Connectives
Problem 7: Too much hesitation
Problem 8: Makes Pronunciation Errors/ Inaccuracies