How NAATI CCL is marked — explained in detail
Each of your 2 dialogue segments is marked out of 90 across 5 criteria. You must score at least 63 on EACH segment independently. A strong segment 1 cannot compensate for a weak segment 2.
Measures whether you accurately understood and conveyed the complete meaning of each utterance. Missing information, adding meaning that wasn't there, or misunderstanding the speaker's intent all reduce this score.
Assesses the quality and accuracy of your spoken output in the target language — fluency, grammar, word choice and register. A hesitant, grammatically incorrect or unnaturally phrased interpretation loses production marks even if the meaning was correct.
Evaluates your use of professional interpreter techniques — primarily note-taking. Candidates who take effective notes during the 2-minute dialogue retain significantly more information and score higher on Comprehension and Production as a result.
Tests whether you use correct, precise professional terminology in both languages — particularly in healthcare, legal and government contexts. Using a general term where a specific professional term is expected loses marks.
Assesses whether you behave as a professional interpreter — staying neutral, not adding opinions or advice, not simplifying or amplifying emotional content, and not breaking confidentiality. Interpreters must remain invisible.
Each segment has a maximum of 90 marks (Comprehension 27 + Production 27 + Strategies 18 + Terminology 9 + Ethics 9). You need 63 on EACH segment. If you score 70 on Segment 1 and 60 on Segment 2, you FAIL — both segments must independently meet the threshold. MockMaster's NAATI scoring breaks your result across all 5 criteria per segment so you know exactly where to focus.
The most common NAATI CCL dialogue topics
NAATI dialogues simulate real community interpreting situations. Knowing which themes appear most frequently lets you focus vocabulary building where it matters most.
The most frequent theme. Includes GP consultations, hospital admissions, pharmacy interactions, specialist referrals, mental health assessments, radiology reports and nursing home admissions.
Police interviews, court appearances, legal aid consultations, immigration hearings, family law matters and corrections. High stakes — precision in legal terminology is critical.
Centrelink, public housing, family support, immigration interviews and settlement services. Requires knowledge of Australian government systems and welfare terminology.
Parent-teacher interviews, school enrolment, special needs support, university orientation. More accessible vocabulary — good for building confidence early in preparation.