IELTS Writing Task 1 and 2 Marking and Assessment
Writing responses are assessed by certificated IELTS examiners. All IELTS examiners hold relevant teaching qualifications and are recruited as examiners by the test centers and approved by the British Council or IDP: IELTS Australia.
Each task is assessed independently. The assessment of Task 2 carries more weight in marking than Task 1. Scores are reported in whole and half bands. Detailed performance descriptors have been developed which describe written performance at the nine IELTS bands. The descriptors apply to both the Academic and General Training versions and are based on the following criteria.
IELTS Writing Marking criteria
IELTS Writing Task 1 and Task 2 scores are calculated using 4 criteria:
1.Task achievement (task1) Task response (task 2)
2.Coherence and cohesion
3.Lexical resource
4.Grammatical range and accuracy.
1. Task Achievement (TA) (task1), Task response (task2) (TR)
This means how well you answer the question. To increase score for it:
present the information accurately
answer all parts of the task
provide a clear overview
highlight key features and support detail with data (Academic task 1)
give a clear position, have a definite opinion (Task 2 and General task 1)
2. Coherence and Cohesion (CC)
This means how well is your text structured. To increase score for CC:
o manage paragraphing
o make sure that each paragraph has a central idea
o use linking words and cohesive devices (firstly, in contrast, thus, in my opinion, to sum up etc)
3. Lexical Resource (LR)
This means how good is your vocabulary resources. To increase score for LR:
o use a wide range of vocabulary
o use less common lexical items
o avoid errors in spelling and word formation
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA)
This means how good is your grammar. To increase score for GRA:
o use a wide range of grammatical structures and tenses
o manage punctuation
o avoid errors in sentences
Here are the details of each writing band scores 0-9 .There are also links to download public version of writing task1 and 2 band descriptors.
Band 9
Task achievement
Fully satisfies all the requirements of the task
Clearly presents a fully developed response
Coherence and cohesion
Uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention
Skillfully manages paragraphing
Lexical resource
Uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
Band 8
Task achievement
Covers all requirements of the task sufficiently
Presents, highlights and illustrates key features/ bullet points clearly and appropriately
Coherence and cohesion
Sequences information and ideas logically
Manages all aspects of cohesion well
Uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately
Lexical resource
Uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings
Skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation
Produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a wide range of structures
The majority of sentences are error-free
Makes only very occasional errors or inappropriacies
Band 7
Task achievement
Covers the requirements of the task
(Academic Training) presents a clear overview of main trends, differences or stages
(General Training) presents a clear purpose, with the tone consistent and appropriate
Clearly presents and highlights key features/bullet points but could be more fully extended
Coherence and cohesion
Logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout
Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use
Lexical resource
Uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision
Uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation
May produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation
Band 6
Task achievement
Addresses the requirements of the task
(Academic) presents an overview with information appropriately selected
(General Training) presents a purpose that is generally clear; there may be inconsistencies in tone
Presents and adequately highlights key features/ bullet points but details may be irrelevant, inappropriate or inaccurate
Coherence and cohesion
Arranges information and ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression
Uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical
May not always use referencing clearly or appropriately
Lexical resource
Uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task
Attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy
Band 5
Task achievement
Generally addresses the task; the format may be inappropriate in places (Academic) recounts detail mechanically with no clear overview; there may be no data to support the description
(General Training) may present a purpose for the letter that is unclear at times; the tone may be variable and sometimes inappropriate
Presents, but inadequately covers, key features/ bullet points; there may be a tendency to focus on details
Coherence and cohesion
Presents information with some organisation but there may be a lack of overall progression
Makes inadequate, inaccurate or over-use of cohesive devices
May be repetitive because of lack of referencing and substitution
Lexical resource
Uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is minimally adequate for the task
Band 4
Task achievement
Attempts to address the task but does not cover all key features/bullet points; the format may be inappropriate
(GT) fails to clearly explain the purpose of the letter; the tone may be inappropriate
May confuse key features/bullet points with detail; parts may be unclear, irrelevant, repetitive or inaccurate
Coherence and cohesion
Presents information and ideas but these are not arranged coherently and there is no clear progression in the response
Uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive
Lexical resource
Uses only basic vocabulary which may be used repetitively or which may be inappropriate for the task
Has limited control of word formation and/or spelling; errors may cause strain for the reader
Band 3
Task achievement
Fails to address the task, which may have been completely misunderstood
Presents limited ideas which may be largely irrelevant/repetitive
Coherence and cohesion
Does not organise ideas logically
May use a very limited range of cohesive devices, and those used may not indicate a logical relationship between ideas
Lexical resource
Uses only a very limited range of words and expressions with very limited control of word formation and/or spelling
Errors may severely distort the message
Grammatical range and accuracy
Attempts sentence forms but errors in grammar and punctuation predominate and distort the meaning
Band 2
Task achievement
Answer is barely related to the task
Coherence and cohesion
Has very little control of organisational features
Lexical resource
Uses an extremely limited range of vocabulary; essentially no control of word formation and/or spelling
Grammatical range and accuracy
Cannot use sentence forms except in memorised phrase
Band 1
Task achievement
Answer is completely unrelated to the task
Coherence and cohesion
Fails to communicate any message
Lexical resource
Can only use a few isolated words
Grammatical range and accuracy
Cannot use sentence forms at all
Band 0
Does not attend
Does not attempt the task in any way
Writes a totally memorised response
Download IELTS writing task 1 and 2 answer sheet
DOWNLOAD IELTS Writing Task 1 Band descriptors (public version)
DOWNLOAD IELTS Writing Task 2 Band descriptors (public version)
IELTS Writing score calculation
Each of these four criteria receives a score from 0 to 9 points. After that, an arithmetic mean is calculated to determine the task’s total score.
For example, if Task 1 gets following marks:
• Task Achievement: 6.0,
• Coherence and Cohesion: 7.5,
• Lexical Resource: 7.0,
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy – 7.5.
then score for IELTS Task 1 is (6.0+7.5+7.0+7.5)/4 =7.0.
IELTS writing total score
Note that Writing task 2 weights two times more than Writing task 1.
So if you get 8.0 for task 2 and 6.5 for task 1, the total score for IELTS Writing Section is 8.0*(2/3)+(6.5)*1/3=7.5.