How the IELTS Writing Exam is scored and what that means for you
If you’re aiming for a high score in the IELTS Academic Writing exam, you’ll need more than just a good grasp of grammar and vocabulary in English. You need to understand exactly what the examiners are looking for and how they decide your score.
In this post, we’ll break down the four marking criteria used in both Task 1 and Task 2 of the writing exam. Once you understand these, you can focus your preparation and build your confidence.
The Four IELTS Writing Marking Criteria
1. Task Achievement / Task Response:
This is about how well you answer the question.
- Did you write at least the minimum word count?
- In Task 1: Did you describe the key features of the chart, graph, map, or table?
- In Task 2: Did you present a clear opinion and support it with explanations and examples?
2. Coherence and Cohesion
This is about how easy it is to follow your writing.
- Are your ideas organised clearly into paragraphs?
- Are your arguments logical and easy to understand?
- Do you use a range of linking words naturally?
Be sure to check out this blog post or Kate’s Ask Us Anything on linking words for contrast to understand what linking words are and how to use them:
3. Lexical Resource
This refers to your vocabulary range and accuracy.
- Are you using a good variety of words?
- Are your word choices suitable for an academic task?
- Do you understand and use collocations correctly?
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
This is about sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation.
- Are you using both simple and complex sentences?
- Are most of your sentences free from errors?
- Are your tenses consistent and your punctuation accurate?
What Band 7 looks like
You don’t need to be perfect to score Band 7 or higher. What you do need is consistency:
- Most of your sentences should be accurate.
- Your ideas should be clearly explained and logically organised.
- You should show flexibility in both grammar and vocabulary.
Not sure where to start?
If this feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. That’s exactly why we created the IELTS Writing Challenge.
Every day this month, we have been sharing short, practical video lessons on the Intrepid English YouTube channel. These 5-minute lessons are designed to help you build the exact skills examiners are looking for.
- 👉 Subscribe to the Intrepid English YouTube channel.
- 👉 Book your £1 trial lesson to talk about the different memberships with Intrepid English to be able to then get personalised feedback on your writing.
If you’re an Intrepid English Academy member, you also get:
- Weekly comprehension quizzes
- Structured writing assignments
- Feedback from certified IELTS teachers