LanguageCert C1 Expert cheat sheet

Speaking

• The exam is conducted with an interlocutor and includes a short warm-up, a long turn on a topic card with preparation time, and a discussion extending the topic.

• The long turn is assessed on coherence and fluency over roughly two minutes; a monologue that stops early loses range and discourse-management marks.

• Fluency is judged by flow and repair, not by accent; self-correction is acceptable, but long pauses and abandoned sentences reduce the score.

• Interactive communication is scored in the discussion phase: initiating, responding, and developing the interlocutor's point rather than answering in single sentences.

• Grammar and vocabulary are assessed across the whole test; a candidate who uses accurate simple language only will not reach the top band.

• Discourse markers ("on the other hand", "what I mean is", "to take an example") are the main evidence of coherence at C1 level.

• Topic cards usually ask for speculation and evaluation ("why might this be", "how important is it"); descriptive listing alone is insufficient.

• Pronunciation is assessed for intelligibility and stress placement; consistent misplacement of word stress impedes understanding more than individual vowel quality.