The Cambridge English Speaking Test is based on the guidelines of the Team Leader System. This system is unique globally and is structured in such a way that quality assurance is built in at various stages. The Professional Support Leader is responsible for the training and monitoring of the Team Leaders and they, in turn, are then responsible for the training and monitoring of the Examiners.
The Examiners are trained to be both an interlocutor and an assessor as they are required to fulfil both roles. The interlocutor carries out the interview and gives only one mark, the global achievement mark whereas the assessor listens only and gives marks for the other criteria, such as vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, etc.
All in all, the structure underlying the Speaking Test is a solid one and results in a fair opportunity for all candidates to prove what they can do. Good preparation for this part of the exam, like for the other exam components, is essential and can get candidates those extra points they may need in order to compensate for weaker performance in another part.
For more information on the Cambridge English Speaking Test go to: www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/resources-for-teachers/