Speaking Self-Assessment Rubric

Score your own recordings honestly on the seven criteria below. This rubric mirrors the qualities ETS raters reward — but it is a study tool, NOT an official TOEFL score.

CriterionStrong (≈ band 5-6)Developing (≈ band 3-4)Beginning (≈ band 1-2)
DeliveryPaced, steady, intelligible; pauses organize ideas.Frequent stalls or rushing blur words.Long silences; speech often hard to follow.
Language useVaried, accurate sentences; errors rarely affect meaning.Mostly simple sentences; errors noticeable.Fragments and errors that obscure meaning.
Topic developmentComplete answer: position + support + ending, on-question throughout.Answer present but thin or partly off-track.Minimal response; question barely addressed.
GrammarRange of structures used accurately under time pressure.Basic structures mostly accurate.Grammar breaks down beyond memorized chunks.
VocabularyPrecise, topic-appropriate words and natural collocations.General words ('good', 'thing') dominate.Vocabulary too limited to develop ideas.
PronunciationStress, rhythm and sounds clear on first listen.Understandable with occasional listener effort.Frequent effort needed; endings/stress often lost.
CoherenceIdeas linked visibly (first, because, for example, so).Some linking; sequence occasionally jumps.Ideas listed without connection.

Method: score each criterion after listening ONCE to your playback. Your lowest criterion is your next practice target — fix one thing at a time.

Self-evaluation checklist (after each recording)

This checklist is a self-study tool. It is NOT an official TOEFL score and no browser tool can give one — use it to find the one thing to fix next time.

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