The only way to explain it really is to refer to the marking system, and the criteria required for a band 7.
If you search online for 'IELTS speaking public band descriptors' you can download them and look at the descriptions for a band 7.
But I've listed them below so you can see what the examiner is looking for for each of the four criteria.
One of the key things though that clearly distinguishes a band 6 from a 7 is the ease with which they can speak (as you see in 'fluency and coherence').
With a band 6, although they can speak fairly well you will clearly notice hesitations and some issues with fluency. With a band 7 it will sound more natural with just the occasional hesitation or self-correction.
And with a 7 there will only be occasional grammar mistakes, but with a 6 they will be much more often.
Fluency and Coherence
•speaks at length without noticeable effort or loss of coherence
•may demonstrate language-related hesitation at times, or some repetition and/or self-correction
•uses a range of connectives and discourse markers with some flexibility
Lexical Resource
•uses vocabulary resource flexibly to discuss a variety of topics
•uses some less common and idiomatic vocabulary and shows some awareness of style and collocation, with some inappropriate choices
•uses paraphrase effectively
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
•uses a range of complex structures with some flexibility
•frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist
Pronunciation
•shows all the positive features of Band 6 and some, but not all, of the positive features of Band 8
Sep 04, 2017
Great by: anudr
It's really really helpful. thanks ibuddy!!!
Sep 17, 2017
Excellent by: Anonymous
Many thanks.. Very helpful indeed. Sitting for exam in about 5 weeks ..
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