Four criteria, one quarter each
Writing is marked on four criteria, weighted equally:
- Task achievement (Task 1) or task response (Task 2)
- Coherence and cohesion
- Lexical resource
- Grammatical range and accuracy
Each is scored on the 0-9 band scale and the four are averaged.
One weighting fact that catches people: Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1 in the overall Writing score. A strong Task 1 does not rescue a weak Task 2, so the twenty minutes Task 2 gets is deliberate rather than generous.
Task achievement
For Task 1 this means: an accurate overview, the key features selected rather than every figure listed, data described correctly, and no opinion. The word the descriptor keeps using is accurate, which is why describing something the chart does not show is a direct hit on this criterion.
For Task 2 it means answering every part of the question, developing each main point with explanation or evidence, and taking a clear position where the question asks for one.
At Band 7 the requirement is a clear overview and key features highlighted and supported. At Band 8 the overview becomes skilful and the selection is well judged.
Coherence and cohesion
Two different things, and candidates conflate them.
Coherence is logical: does the paragraph have a topic sentence, do the ideas follow in a sensible order, is there a progression rather than a list.
Cohesion is the mechanical linking: pronouns, demonstratives, substitution, conjunctions, and the logical connectors.
At Band 7 the descriptor asks for logical organisation and clear progression, plus "effective use of cohesion". Band 8 is where cohesion becomes unobtrusive — the linking is there but draws no attention.
The practical consequence: one or two connectors per paragraph is right. Starting every sentence with "Furthermore", "Moreover" and "However" is overuse, and overuse reads as mechanical rather than cohesive.
Lexical resource
Range, precision and spelling. The Band 7 descriptor asks for a sufficient range to allow some flexibility and precision, with occasional inappropriate word choice.
Two things worth being precise about.
Precision beats volume. A candidate with a modest vocabulary used accurately outscores one with a large one used vaguely. "A sharp rise" is lexical precision; "a very big increase" is not, even though both convey the meaning.
Spelling sits here, not under grammar. A paragraph with good words and several spelling errors loses marks in the criterion you thought you had secured.
Grammatical range and accuracy
Range means variety of structure. Accuracy means error-free sentences with only occasional errors that do not impede meaning.
Mix simple and complex. A paragraph of fifteen simple sentences scores lower on range than the same ideas in five well-chosen complex ones. But "well-chosen" is the operative word: an inversion used for decoration is a range error, not a range gain.
Useful structures without being fragile: relative clauses for detail ("a system which, while costly, is sustainable"), conditionals for consequences ("were this trend to continue, the figure would double"), participle clauses to compress ("facing rising costs, many providers consolidated").
How the overall band is calculated
The four criterion scores are averaged and rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band; an average ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
So 7, 7, 8 and 7 averages 7.25 and gives 7.5.
Two consequences people get wrong. First, you do not need the target band in all four criteria — a Writing 7.0 can come from 7, 7, 7 and 6.5. Second, lifting one criterion by half a band does not always move the overall, because it may only move the average by an eighth of a band, which rounding then discards. The criterion to lift is usually the lowest one, because that is where the distance to the next is shortest.
Which criterion to work on
Candidates self-assess the fourth worst. Listening and Reading are counted, so there is nothing to guess; Writing and Speaking are judged against descriptors most candidates have never read.
So mark one essay against the four criteria, line by line, and find the lowest. Then work only on that one for a fortnight. Fixing all four at once is why most attempts fix none.
One properly marked essay is worth five written and not marked, and self-marking is close to useless for this because a mediocre vocabulary and a weak paragraph structure are both invisible from the inside.
The Grammar Portal covers the accuracy half of criterion four, and the IELTS Practice Portal gives you timed practice to mark against the descriptors afterwards.
🎯 Practice What You Learned
Put these tips into action with our student practice portals:
All nine portals need a login we approve: IELTS and PTE are for enrolled students, while Grammar, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Korean and Mandarin are open to everyone. Daily practice is what actually moves a score, so use them as often as you can and keep track of your own mock results.
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