Speaking

Rating Scale

Linguistic Resources
Range and Accuracy
Discourse and Interaction Delivery and
Development, Functional Range, and Listening Comprehension Grammar Vocabulary Intelligibility
5 Production of Independent, Spontaneous Speech • Uses a wide • Uses broad • Fluent and articu-
• Explains concisely and accurately; little to no reliance on variety of basic range of late delivery
written material and complex vocabulary • Often uses rate
grammatical • Collocations, of speech and/or
• Provides coherent explanations without prompting on all structures
topics colloquial prosodic features
accurately and language, idiom- to add meaning, aid
• Presents decisions persuasively and appropriately for varying effectively atic expres- listener, and/or to
contexts • Uses a range sions used shift style/register
Contribution to Extended Interaction of grammatical accurately and appropriately
• Consistently contributes appropriately to development of structures that appropriately
interaction; very aware of listener are pragmati-
Expert

• Recommendations are appropriate and supported with cally appropriate

explanations
• Justifies position, regularly paraphrasing and elaborating to
explain and/or clarify • “Slips of the tongue” may occur, often
• Communication breakdowns are rare self-corrected; (fossilized) errors may
Listening Comprehension be present throughout discourse but
• Understands linguistic, sociolinguistic, and pragmatic in- do not impede interaction
formation in order to engage in extended, spontaneous
interaction

4 Production of Independent, Spontaneous Speech • Usually uses a • Usually uses a • Frequently fluent
• Explains concisely and accurately; some reliance on written variety of basic broad range of and articulate; may
material and complex vocabulary require minimal
• Provides coherent explanations, usually without prompting, grammatical • Collocations, listener effort
on all concrete and most abstract topics structures colloquial • Usually uses rate
accurately language, and of speech and/or
• Usually presents decisions persuasively, and usually appropri- and usually
ately for context idiomatic prosodic features to
effectively expressions are add meaning, to aid
Contribution to Extended Interaction • Usually uses often used and listener, and/or to
• Usually contributes appropriately to the development of the grammatical are usually shift style/register
interaction; very aware of listener structures that accurate and appropriately
Consistent

• Provides recommendations that are almost always supported are pragmati- appropriate • Fluency may
with explanations and are appropriate to the context cally appropriate • Occasionally slightly decline with
• Justifies position, frequently paraphrasing and elaborating to uses secondary challenging speech
explain and/or clarify statements meaning of events but this
• Communication breakdowns usually do not occur words rarely affects the
flow of discourse
Listening Comprehension • Errors in vocabulary and/or grammar
• Almost always understands linguistic, sociolinguistic, and do not cause miscommunication or
pragmatic information in order to engage in extended, spon- interrupt the flow of discourse
taneous interaction • Accuracy in vocabulary and/or
grammar may decline with more
challenging speech events

07/2014
®
 Linguistic Resources
Range and Accuracy
Discourse and Interaction Delivery and
Development, Functional Range, and Listening Comprehension Grammar Vocabulary Intelligibility
3 Production of Independent, Spontaneous Speech • Often uses a • Often uses • Often fluent,
• Adequately explains; may rely on written material variety of basic moderate range usually articulate;
periodically and complex of vocabulary may require some
• Elaborates, often without prompting, and provides coherent grammatical accurately and listener effort
explanations on almost all concrete and many abstract topics structures appropriately • Pace usually consis-
accurately and • Occasionally tent; may occasion-
• Often presents decisions clearly, appropriately; may effectively
occasionally show some limitations in ability to extend uses idiomatic ally be relatively
discourse and to provide convincing explanations • Often uses expressions and slow
a variety of colloquial • Occasionally uses
Contribution to Extended Interaction grammatical language rate of speech, and/
• Often contributes appropriately to the development of inter- structures that • Occasionally or prosodic features
action; aware of listener; may occasionally rely on interlocu- are pragmati- uses incorrect to add meaning, aid
tors for continuation of discussion cally appropriate collocations listener, and/or to
• Recommendations may require minor prompting for support- that may lead to shift style/register
Effective

ing explanations; may occasionally be awkwardness to appro- vagueness appropriately

priateness of word choices/phrasing
• An increase in rate
• Justifies position adequately; usually able to paraphrase; • Range of vocabulary and grammatical of delivery may
clarity of meaning may occasionally be lacking when provid- structures extends beyond what has occasionally lead
ing supporting details been provided orally and/or in writing to a decrease in
• Communication breakdowns may occur during challenging • Gaps and/or errors in vocabulary clarity of speech or
speech events; usually repaired and/or grammar, sometimes self- comprehensibility
corrected, frequently do not hinder • Fluency may decline
Listening Comprehension
communication, but may rarely cause with more challeng-
• Usually understands linguistic and sociolinguistic information
interruptions in communication flow ing speech events
and often understands the pragmatic information in order to
engage in extended, spontaneous interaction • Accuracy in vocabulary and/or but this does not
grammar often declines with an stop the flow of
increase in rate of speech and/or with discourse
more challenging speech events

2 Production of Independent, Spontaneous Speech • Frequent • Limited range of • Listener effort

• Usually explains by repeating language already provided use of basic vocabulary frequently required
• Occasionally able, when prompted, to elaborate and provide structures (i.e., • Frequently uses • Delivery is often
explanations on most concrete topics; explanations frequent- lack of complex vague and/ slow and halting
ly lack coherence and organization sentences) that or inaccurate
often contain • Pausing and
• Usually presents decisions by repeating language already vocabulary phrasing are
errors
produced often incorrect,
negatively affecting
Contribution to Extended Interaction
• Vocabulary and grammar structures intelligibility
• Frequently relies on other participants to initiate, develop,
Dependent

maintain discourse; rarely offers feedback or commentary used are typically repetitions of what • Production may
has been provided orally or in writing be word by word,
• Usually able to recommend; occasionally able, when prompt-
• Gaps and/or errors in vocabulary resulting in a lack
ed, to provide supporting explanations
and grammar may disrupt effective of sentence rhythm
• Attempts to justify a position are usually unclear and and flat intonation
communication
repetitive
• L1 influence may
• Communication breakdowns may occur during any speech disrupt intelligibility
event and often are not repaired
Listening Comprehension
• Limitations in comprehension may often result in interrup-
tions in exchange and in communication breakdowns

ECPE Speaking Rating Scale 2

 Linguistic Resources
Range and Accuracy
Discourse and Interaction Delivery and
Development, Functional Range, and Listening Comprehension Grammar Vocabulary Intelligibility
1 Production of Independent, Spontaneous Speech • Uses only basic • Very limited • Slow and halting
• Unable to explain; merely reads information provided structures that vocabulary delivery
• Occasionally able, when prompted, to elaborate on concrete regularly contain • Regularly • Production is often
and familiar topics; explanations usually lack organization errors searches for word by word,
• Usually able to present basic position on concrete topic; very words resulting in a lack
little elaboration; usually repeats language already produced • Frequently of sentence rhythm
uses vague and flat intonation
Contribution to Extended Interaction
expressions • Errors in rhythm,
• Frequently unable to contribute to the development of dis-
stress, and intona-
course on topics that have been provided; considerable reli-
tion disrupt intelligi-
Limited

ance on interlocutors • Regular gaps and/or errors in vocabu- bility, often causing
• Usually able to state a recommendation or opinion but lary, grammar, and/or delivery considerable listener
unable to provide supporting explanation • Gaps and/or errors frequently prevent effort
• Rarely able to justify and defend; attempts are almost always communication • L1 influence may
unclear and repetitive disrupt intelligibility
• Almost always unable to repair communication breakdowns
Listening Comprehension
• Extreme limitations in comprehension result in an inability to
engage in extended discourse

ECPE Speaking Rating Scale 3