This study probes the role of deictic expressions in the IELTS speaking test, targeting a research gap concerning how test-takers at varying proficiency levels employ deixis in spoken assessment. Analyzing a 30-transcript corpus spanning levels from low-intermediate to advanced, the researchers applied Levinson’s classification of deixis and combined quantitative frequency counts with qualitative discourse analysis to track personal, temporal, and spatial deixis.
Results showed personal deixis as the most frequent, followed by temporal and spatial forms, yet a one-way ANOVA detected no significant usage differences across proficiency levels. These outcomes illuminate how deixis functions in test-taker discourse, inform IELTS preparation and speaking-proficiency evaluation, and underscore the need for deeper investigation of discourse features in language assessment.