SPEAKING - Lexical Resource

The Lexical Resource criterion assesses the range and complexity of your vocabulary.

There are three main descriptors within the LR criterion that the examiner is focusing on:

language resource - how well you can discuss topics using the language you know;

vocabulary - the range and complexity of the words you know;

your ability to paraphrase your ideas in a discussion.

This table shows how these three descriptors change from Band 5 (B5) up to Band 7 (B7):

To score above B6 for Lexical Resource you must be able to discuss topics flexibly while making use of higher-level vocabulary; and be able to paraphrase, or re-state, your ideas within a discussion without repeating your exact wording and phraseology.

Watch this Native Speaker Interview extract which focuses on Lexical Resource. The high-level, 'more-complex', vocabulary used by the native speaker is highlighted. He shows full flexibility of language resource when answering the Virtual Examiner's questions and doesn't make repeated use of the same lexis and terminology in his responses on this topic.

Now test your own  SPEAKING - Lexical Resource