About Kaplan Test of English Writing and Speaking Scores

How do Kaplan Test of English (KTE) graders score Writing and Speaking assessments?

When KTE graders score writing responses, they're looking at three main categories: 

• Overall response: Does the response have clear main ideas? Are the ideas easy to understand? Does the response include supporting details and examples? Are the details relevant to the main ideas? Is there a strong, clear, and precise argument?
• Linguistic Range & Accuracy: Does the response use a lot of different vocabulary and grammatical structures? Is there much complex grammar? Is there advanced vocabulary? Are there a lot of errors with grammar or vocabulary? Do the errors make it hard to understand the response?
• Coherence and Cohesion: Is the response organized? Does the response use connecting words? Does it flow well from one idea to the next? 

When KTE graders score speaking responses, they're looking at three main categories: 

• Overall response: Does the response have clear main ideas? Are the ideas easy to understand? Does the response include supporting details and examples? Are the details relevant to the main ideas? Is there a strong, clear, and precise argument? Is the response organized?
• Linguistic Range & Accuracy: Does the response use a lot of different vocabulary and grammatical structures? Is there much complex grammar? Is there advanced vocabulary? Are there a lot of errors with grammar or vocabulary? Do the errors make it hard to understand the response?
• Fluency: Is the pronunciation easy to understand? Does the speech flow, with sounds and words linked smoothly together? Does the response use connecting words? Does it flow well from one idea to the next?

QUESTIONS? See the Frequently Asked Questions page.