How the NAATI CCL is marked: omissions, distortions and register

Knowing how the CCL is marked is the fastest way to raise your score. Each of the two dialogues is worth 45 marks, and examiners deduct marks for each error. You need 29 in each dialogue and 63/90 overall.

The four kinds of error

• Omission: leaving information out. A missed number, name, date or clause is the most common way to lose marks.
• Distortion: changing the meaning, such as a wrong number, the wrong person doing something, a missed "not" or the wrong term. This usually costs more than an omission.
• Addition: adding things the speaker didn't say, such as explanations, opinions or "I think".
• Register and delivery: speaking in the third person ("he says…"), using an informal form of address where a polite one is needed, unnatural word-for-word phrasing, or long hesitations and self-corrections.

What examiners don't penalise

You don't need to use the exact words of a model answer. Synonyms, natural word order and common loanwords (Medicare, Centrelink, visa) are fine as long as the full meaning reaches the listener.

How to protect your marks

1. Note every number, name and date, and say them back exactly.
2. Finish listening before you start speaking.
3. Interpret in the first person, as if you were the speaker.
4. If you missed something, say a close, accurate version rather than guessing wildly: a distortion costs more than a small omission.
5. Keep your delivery steady. Brief pauses are fine; restarting sentences again and again is not.