How IELTS Writing is Evaluated
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Following is the details of how IELTS Writing task is marked. Understanding the writing marking scheme is important to address the writing task and to hit a good score.
Band Score 9:
Task Achievement:
- Fully satisfies all the requirements of the task.
- Clearly presents a fully developed response.
Coherence &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 & sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy:
- Uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’.
Band Score 8:
Task Achievement:
- Covers all requirements of the task sufficiently.
- Presents, highlights and illustrates key features / bullet points clearly and appropriately.
Coherence &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 & Accuracy:
- Uses a wide range of structures.
- The majority of sentences are error-free.
- Makes only very occasional errors or inappropriacies.
Band Score 7:
Task Achievement:
- Covers the requirements of the task.
- (Academic) 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 &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.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy:
- Uses a variety of complex structures.
- Produces frequent error-free. sentences.
- Has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors.
Band Score 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 &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.
- Makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy:
- Uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms.
- Makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication.
Band Score 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 &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.
- May make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy:
- Uses only a limited range of structures.
- Attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences.
- May make frequent grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader.
Band Score 4:
Task Achievement:
- Attempts to address the task but does not cover all key features / bullet points; the format may be inappropriate.
- (General Training) 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 &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.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy:
- Uses only a very limited range of structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses.
- Some structures are accurate but errors predominate, and punctuation is often faulty.
Band Score 3:
Task Achievement:
- Fails to address the task, which may have been completely misunderstood.
- Presents limited ideas which may be largely irrelevant/repetitive.
Coherence &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 & Accuracy:
- Attempts sentence forms but errors in grammar and punctuation predominate and distort the meaning.
Band Score 2:
Task Achievement:
- Answer is barely related to the task.
Coherence &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 & Accuracy:
- Cannot use sentence forms except in memorised phrases.
Band Score 1:
Task Achievement:
- Answer is completely unrelated to the task.
Coherence &Cohesion:
- Fails to communicate any message.
Lexical Resource:
- Can only use a few isolated words.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy:
- Cannot use sentence forms at all.
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