Oral rating scale for oral exam

United Nations English Language Proficiency Exam (LPE)

Oral Rating Scale

90-100              Bilingual. Speech is fluent and idiomatic. Pronunciation is native or very clear. It is evident that the candidate had had long and intensive exposure to the spoken language and probably uses it as a primary language.

80-89                Working knowledge. Speech is fluent but definitely non-native. The candidate can sustain conversation, i.e. the candidate can bring up new topics, move freely over a wide variety of topics and provide detailed information easily. Overall, the candidate interacts comfortably with the interviewer, and has probably had intensive experience with the language in a native language environment. Any mistakes in vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation do not impede the flow of communication.

75-79                Superior candidate with limited experience in a native-speaking environment. Candidate has enough control over the language to discuss a variety of topics and is capable of sustaining the conversation in some of them. However, fluency, range of expression, and vocabulary usage are not fully developed.

70-74                Candidate is willing to discuss many topics; however, speech is not smooth and may become laboured if a topic is too complex or needs expansion. The candidate can definitely discuss a variety of topics and engage in a general conversation; however, fluency is uneven or rate of speech is very deliberate.

65-69                Minimal pass. The candidate is able to express him/herself coherently in complete sentences over a variety of topics; however, there is great hesitancy and effort evident in the performance. Vocabulary and range of expression are basic.

55-64                Communication breaks down. Candidate is either very hesitant to speak or cannot find adequate vocabulary to express his or her ideas. Responses are often very short and do not consist of complete sentences. The candidate depends heavily on the interviewer for prompts and show persistent comprehension problems. The interviewer is restricted in the types of topics introduced.