Writing is marked by trained examiners against four criteria, each worth a quarter of the score for that task. Task 2 then counts twice as heavily as Task 1 in the final Writing band.
| Criterion | Weight | What is assessed |
|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement (Task 1) | 25% | Whether you reported the key features accurately and included an overview. |
| Task Response (Task 2) | 25% | Whether you answered every part of the question and held a clear position throughout. |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 25% | Organisation, paragraphing and linking that guides the reader. |
| Lexical Resource | 25% | Range, precision, collocation and spelling. |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 25% | Variety of structures and the frequency of errors that impede meaning. |
Task 1 is scored on Task Achievement; Task 2 on Task Response. The other three criteria are shared. The two task scores are then combined in a 1:2 ratio.
| Band | Task Response | Coherence | Lexis | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Fully addressed, fully developed | Effortless cohesion, skilful paragraphing | Wide range, natural and sophisticated | Full flexibility, rare minor slips |
| 8 | Sufficiently addressed, well developed | Logical sequencing, well managed | Wide range, fluent and precise | Wide range, mostly error-free |
| 7 | Addressed, clear position throughout | Logical progression, clear central topic per paragraph | Sufficient range with some flexibility | Variety of complex structures, good control |
| 6 | Addressed but some parts less developed | Coherent overall, cohesion sometimes mechanical | Adequate range, some errors in word choice | Mix of simple and complex, some errors |
| 5 | Only partially addressed, position unclear | Some organisation, inadequate progression | Limited range, noticeable errors | Limited range, frequent errors |
The steepest jump for most candidates is 6 to 7, and it is usually Task Response that holds them back rather than grammar — a clear position held consistently from introduction to conclusion.
You receive a band for each of the four skills, and the overall band is the average of those four, rounded to the nearest whole or half band.
Rounding works in your favour more often than people expect. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band; one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
| Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | Average | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 6.25 | 6.5 |
| 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.875 | 4.0 |
| 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.125 | 6.0 |
| Band | Descriptor | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Expert user | Full operational command. Accurate, fluent and complete understanding. |
| 8 | Very good user | Fully operational command with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies. |
| 7 | Good user | Operational command, though with occasional inaccuracies and misunderstandings. |
| 6 | Competent user | Generally effective command despite some inaccuracies and misunderstandings. |
| 5 | Modest user | Partial command, coping with overall meaning in most situations. |
| 4 | Limited user | Basic competence limited to familiar situations. |
| 3 | Extremely limited user | Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. |
| 2 | Intermittent user | Great difficulty understanding spoken and written English. |
| 1 | Non-user | No real ability beyond a few isolated words. |
| 0 | Did not attempt | No assessable information provided. |
Written by Kirill O'Nayd
IELTS expert and educator at TestSucceed, with over a decade of experience preparing candidates for the Academic and General Training modules. Author of the Complete IELTS Preparation Course on Udemy ★★★★★★4.7