We use AI technology from Speechace, the global leader in spoken language fluency assessments, to give you valuable feedback on what employers may conclude about your language fluency when reviewing your video interview. Even the most perfect native speaker will not achieve 100% on their assessment score because the software is geared for academic use, and combines vocabulary, fluency, grammar and pronunciation to give you a score that is helpful for comparison with other high fluency or native-level speakers.

I did my fluency score and I didn’t get 100% when I’m a native speaker. What gives?

The video interview system is an absolute advantage to high fluency speakers when looking for a job. Over 70% of direct hire companies have told us that they will not consider an applicant unless he or she has taken this.

It treats the various accents equally whether you have a US, UK, Australia, Jamaica, South African or other accent, it grades your ability to communicate and equalizes the playing field for those who do not speak with a standard American accent.

No judgements, just useful feedback – These fluency assessments are meant for your benefit, and we do not use these AI Fluency assessments to recommend to employers any job candidate over another.  

No one is perfect – Not even Native English speakers will get a perfect score. It’s all about your communication ability. There are many cases when a highly fluent non-native English speaker will score higher than a native speaker. If a native speaker has not prepared or speaks with only basic vocabulary with frequent pauses or stuttering, they will be assessed as less fluent than a competent and prepared non-native speaker. 

Only assess spoken fluency, not appearance or personality – The assessments do not use AI to look at any aspect of the video interview including facial expressions or the like. These assessments do not know if you are smiling, have dressed properly for the interview or likeability.  This is solely a spoken English fluency assessment. 

How does the Scoring Work?

Here is an example score:

On average a Native English speakers with a large vocabulary with excellent grammar who have prepared (few pauses, filler words, rambling, etc.) can expect a score of 7.3 or higher.  Highly fluent non-native speakers could expect a score of 6.7 or higher. 

Here are the bands for scores and what they would demonstrate:

9 or above

• Demonstrates excellent fluency and coherence with rare to no pauses.
• Has excellent vocabulary and demonstrates preciseness and sophistication in using words.
• Uses perfect colloquial grammar while speaking.
• Has excellent pronunciation and sounds at or similar to a native English speaker.

8 – 9

• Demonstrates excellent fluency and coherence with occasional pauses.
• Uses a wide range of vocabulary and idioms with rare mistakes.
• Uses perfect colloquial grammar while speaking.
• Has very good pronunciation with a very mild accent.

7 – 8   

• Demonstrates generally good fluency and coherence while speaking but may take occasional pauses.
• Is proficient in using sophisticated vocabulary and idiomatic structures.
• Proficient in expressing complex thoughts using a range of grammar structures.
• Has reasonably good pronunciation with some accent.
• Substantial task achievement that addresses most key requirements.

6 – 7 

• Demonstrates reasonable fluency and coherence. Sometimes may hesitate while speaking due to inability to come up with appropriate vocabulary or grammar.
• Has a reasonably high vocabulary and frequently uses uncommon idiomatic structures.
• Generally uses good grammar while speaking but may make occasional mistakes.
• Can generally be understood while speaking but can mispronounce frequently.
• Good task achievement which addresses most key elements.

Less than 6

• Demonstrates below average fluency and coherence. May need remedial training in speaking fluently and language construction.
• Has limited vocabulary and may have difficulty expressing complex thoughts.
• Good at speaking simple sentences but regularly makes grammatical mistakes.
• Has below average pronunciation accuracy and may not be easy to understand.
• Moderate task achievement but with significant errors.

Vocabulary Bands

9 or above

• Uses vocabulary with full flexibility and precision in all topics. Uses idiomatic language naturally and accurately.

8 – 9

• Uses a wide vocabulary resource readily and flexibly to convey precise meaning. Uses less common and idiomatic vocabulary skilfully, with occasional inaccuracies. Uses paraphrase effectively as required.

7 – 8

• 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.

6 – 7 

• Has a wide enough vocabulary to discuss topics at length and make meaning clear in spite of inappropriacies. Generally paraphrases successfully.

Less than 6

• Manages to talk about familiar and unfamiliar topics but uses vocabulary with limited flexibility. Attempts to use paraphrase but with mixed success.

Grammar Bands

9 or above

• Uses a full range of structures naturally and appropriately. Produces consistently accurate structures apart from ‘slips’ characteristic of native speaker speech.

8 – 9

• Uses a wide range of structures flexibly. Produces a majority of error-free sentences with only very occasional inappropriacies or basic/non-systematic errors.

7 – 8

• Uses a range of complex structures with some flexibility. Frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist.

6 – 7 

• Uses a mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility. May make frequent mistakes with complex structures though these rarely cause comprehension problems.

Less than 6

• Produces basic sentence forms with reasonable accuracy. Uses a limited range of more complex structures, but these usually contain errors and may cause some comprehension problems.

Pronunciation Bands

9 or above

• Uses a full range of pronunciation features with precision and subtlety. Sustains flexible use of features throughout. Is effortless to understand.

8 – 9

• Uses a wide range of pronunciation features. Sustains flexible use of features, with only occasional lapses. Is easy to understand throughout; First language accent has minimal impact on intelligibility.

7 – 8

• Confidently uses a range of pronunciation features and can be easily understood. At times may demonstrate some accent in speech.

6 – 7 

• Uses a range of pronunciation features with mixed control. Shows some effective use of features but this is not sustained. Can generally be understood throughout, though mispronunciation of individual words or sounds reduces clarity at times.

Less than 6

• Produces basic sentence forms with reasonable accuracy in pronunciation. Uses a limited range of more complex structures, but these usually contain pronunciation errors and may cause some comprehension problems.