The speaking part: why two strong situations beat three average ones
5 min read
The speaking part is worth only 10 points out of 80, yet it is the part that most often decides the final result. Not because it is the hardest, but because its marking rule looks at more than the total — it also looks at how the points are spread across the individual situations.
In short: the same score of 6 gives one candidate A1 and another A2. That is not an error and not examiner discretion; it is the rule, and you can use it in your favour.
How the part is built
Speaking is held face to face with two examiners, the conversation is recorded as audio, and each candidate gets 12–14 minutes. It starts at 13:00, after the electronic morning parts.
| Stage | Length | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| general questions | 2–3 min | none |
| one task | 4–5 min | 1 min |
| two short situations | 2 min each | 1 min for each |
Note the asymmetry: the general questions have no preparation, while every other stage has a single minute. Those are the only minutes in the whole exam that you spend purely on thinking.
How the points are awarded
The ten points are split like this:
- three speaking situations, 0–3 points each — marked by the assessing examiner;
- 0–1 point from the interviewing examiner for the part as a whole.
Then two thresholds are applied, and each of them has two requirements at once:
| Level | Total | Additional condition |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 5 points or more | at least two situations scored 2 each |
| A2 | 6 points or more | at least two situations summing to 5 |
The official assessment document carries a warning about exactly this:
ATTENTION! Scoring 5 points does not guarantee that A1 has been reached, and scoring 6 points does not guarantee that A2 has been reached.
The four official worked examples
The only unambiguous reading of this rule comes from the examples themselves. They are official, so we reproduce them as they are.
| Example | Interviewing examiner | Situation 1 | Situation 2 | Situation 3 | Total | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | no level reached |
| No. 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | A1 |
| No. 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | A1 |
| No. 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | A2 |
Three observations that change how you prepare:
- No. 1 and No. 2 have the same total — 5 — and different results. No. 2 has two situations at 2 points each, so A1 is reached; No. 1 has no such pair, so no level is reached on the same total.
- No. 3 and No. 4 also share a total — 6 — and differ. In No. 3 the two best situations give 2 + 2 = 4; in No. 4 they give 3 + 2 = 5. That is the boundary.
- No. 4 scored 0 on the third situation and still got A2. A zero in one situation decides nothing by itself, provided the other two are strong.
What to do with this in practice
Do not aim for evenness. Three situations at 2 points each plus the interviewing examiner's point comes to 7 out of 10 — which sounds like a lot. But the two best situations give only 2 + 2 = 4, while A2 needs 5, so that candidate gets A1. An evenly mediocre performance is the riskiest strategy available here.
Carry one situation all the way. If during your preparation minute you realise one topic is closer to you, speak longer there, in fuller sentences, with examples.
Do not leave a situation empty. In example No. 4 the zero did no harm — but only because the other two were strong. A zero inside a weak performance is simply lost points.
Use that single minute. It is short, so plan a frame rather than a text: who, where, when, why and how I will finish. The frame can be prepared in advance — it fits any situation.
Do not forget the interviewing examiner's point. It is awarded for the part as a whole — for the interaction, not for one answer. In three of the four official examples it is what carries the candidate over the threshold.
What you will not find here
The content of the speaking task cards. It is not officially published, so we neither guess at it nor reproduce it — and any source claiming to know the specific cards is not relying on an official publication.
What can be said: the exam does not go beyond the twelve topic areas of the programme, and the programme itself states that it only covers topics that should not cause candidates unpleasant emotions. That is covered separately in the exam topics.
How this fits the whole exam
Speaking is one of three parts, each counted separately. Even a perfect morning will not save you if only A1 is reached in speaking: the final result is then "A1 lygis". The full marking mechanism is covered in how the exam is marked.
You can practise speaking tasks with feedback in the training section and try the whole exam format in the sample papers. Short answers are on the FAQ page.
Sources
- Results evaluation — the basic–I category (A1–A2 level) state-language proficiency exam — https://www.nsa.smsm.lt/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/A1-results-evalution.pdf (Lithuanian version: https://www.nsa.smsm.lt/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/A1-rezultatu-vertinimas.pdf)
- Exam execution instructions (structure and timings of the speaking part) — https://www.nsa.smsm.lt/for-foreigners/lietuviu-kalbos-egzaminai-uzsienieciams/vykdymo-instrukcijos/
- State language exam programme (No. ISAK-209) — https://www.nsa.smsm.lt/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/AR_2009-06-12-1.pdf
Last verified: 5 October 2026.
"Lietuvių A2" is an independent exam-preparation website. We are not an examination centre and not a legal practice; we are not affiliated with any institution that organises or recognises the state language exam. Our feedback is practice feedback, not an official exam result. This text is informational and is not legal advice. Check the marking rules with the body that administers the exam before your exam date.