The IELTS “Band Score” System. It is important to remember that your score is not calculated using “points”. Instead, the Examiner selects a number that best matches your skill level. It’s also good to remember that your score is calculated according to 4 criteria: Pronunciation — your ability to make sounds that an average English speaker can understand (this includes things like intonation and stress but NOT accent; you can’t get a higher score by sounding like a British person) Lexical Resource — your ability to accurately use a variety of words (simple as well as complex), and to communicate successfully in situations where you can’t remember (or don’t know) a particular word or phrase Grammatical Range & Accuracy — your ability to form sentences with multiple parts (clauses) using appropriate verb tenses, pronouns, etc. Fluency and Coherence — your general ability to speak easily and to be understood easily (without long pauses or confusing links between ideas) Notice that these criteria do not include “interestingness” or “truthfulness”. You do not need to tell an amazing story, and you should not treat the test like a police interrogation. Just treat the test like a polite and friendly conversation - you can make up stories if you feel like you have more time so don't be shy do add more! If you want personal coaching on improving your IELTS speaking score and to deal with the fear of making mistakes and the fear of speaking - send me a lesson request In the meantime pleasecheck my students comments in the feedback section.