IELTS Writing
How IELTS Writing is marked
Each Writing task gets a band from 0 to 9 on four criteria, each worth a quarter: Task achievement (Task 1) or Task response (Task 2), Coherence and cohesion, Lexical resource, and Grammatical range and accuracy. Your Writing band combines the two tasks, with Task 2 counting double.
Knowing what each criterion rewards helps you spend your time well: a clear overview and full answer to the question matter as much as advanced grammar.
The four criteria
Task achievement (Task 1)
Covers what the task asks, gives a clear overview of the main trends or stages, and picks out key features with accurate figures.
Task response (Task 2)
Answers every part of the question, keeps a clear position throughout, and develops ideas with reasons and examples.
Coherence and cohesion
Ideas in a logical order, one clear idea per paragraph, linking words used accurately (not in every sentence), clear references such as 'this' and 'they'.
Lexical resource
A range of vocabulary used precisely, natural collocations, few errors in spelling and word formation.
Grammatical range and accuracy
A mix of simple and complex sentences, most of them error-free, with accurate punctuation.
How to answer
Four Assessment Criteria
- IELTS Writing is assessed using four criteria: Task Achievement or Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
- Task Achievement applies to Task 1. It assesses how well you meet the task requirements.
- Task Response applies to Task 2. It assesses how well you address the question and develop your response.
- Coherence and Cohesion assesses organisation and connections between ideas. Lexical Resource assesses vocabulary; Grammatical Range and Accuracy assesses grammar.
Example: A learner asks what the four criteria assess. Task Achievement (Task 1) and Task Response (Task 2) assess how well you meet each task’s requirements. Coherence and Cohesion assesses organisation and links between ideas. Lexical Resource assesses vocabulary. Grammatical Range and Accuracy assesses grammar.
Task Achievement Basics
- Read the instruction and visual together. Check that your response covers every requested feature, category, stage or time period.
- Give an overview of the main pattern or stages; do not leave the reader to infer the key message from details alone.
- Choose the most important features and support them with accurate figures or comparisons when the visual provides them.
- Check that no major category or change is missing, and that each statement matches the visual.
Example: Practice-style bar chart: visitors (thousands) at three attractions in 2000 and 2020. Museum: 20 and 50; park: 40 and 30; aquarium: 10 and 25.. Overall, visits to the museum and aquarium rose, while park visits fell. The museum had the highest figure in 2020. Museum visits increased from 20,000 to 50,000, and aquarium visits rose from 10,000 to 25,000. By contrast, park visits dropped from 40,000 to 30,000.
Task Response Basics
- Underline every instruction in the question. Turn a two-part question into two smaller questions.
- Match your answer to each instruction: a “why” question needs reasons; an opinion question needs a clear view.
- Do not assume that a relevant detail answers every part. Check that each part has a direct response.
- Before finishing, reread the question and check that none of its requests is missing.
Example: Task 2 question: Some people think children should start learning a second language in primary school rather than secondary school. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?. Starting early gives children more time to practise and become comfortable using another language. However, younger pupils may have less time for other subjects. Overall, I believe the advantages outweigh this drawback because regular practice over several years can build strong skills.
Coherence and Cohesion Basics
- Coherence means ideas follow a clear, logical order. Put related information together and move from one point to the next naturally.
- Give each paragraph one main purpose. For example, describe an overall pattern before adding supporting details.
- Cohesion comes from links between ideas, such as pronouns, repeated key nouns and linking words.
- Use linking words only when they show the correct relationship. Too many links can make writing less clear.
Example: Task 1: a line graph showing monthly visitors in January, February and March. Overall, visitor numbers increased across the period. They rose from 200 in January to 300 in February, then reached 450 in March. This final figure was the highest of the three months.
Language Score Basics
- Lexical Resource is about the range, precision and suitability of your vocabulary.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy is about the sentence structures you use and how correctly you use them.
- A word-choice problem is mainly lexical; a verb-form or agreement error is mainly grammatical.
- A sentence can show both criteria. Using varied structures helps only when they are accurate.
Example: Two edits to one sentence. Original: The amount of residents who used buses were higher in 2020. Revised: The number of residents who used buses was higher in 2020. “Number” is more suitable with countable residents (Lexical Resource). “Was” agrees with the singular subject “number” (Grammatical Range and Accuracy).
Practise
Short items from the ielts.coach lessons. Answer them, then check to see why each answer is right.
1Which pair correctly names the task-specific criteria?
2Which criterion assesses how ideas are organised and connected?
3A chart shows visitors (thousands) to three attractions in 2000 and 2020: museum 20 and 50, park 40 and 30, aquarium 10 and 25. Which summary covers the key features most fully?
4A chart shows weekly hours spent reading, doing sport and watching television in 2010 and 2020: reading 5 and 3, sport 2 and 4, television 6 and 6. A response describes reading and sport only. Which key feature is missing?
5Question: “Some people prefer to shop online. Why is this? What problems can this cause?” Which response answers both parts?
6Question: “Many people use cars for short journeys. Why? What could encourage them to walk or cycle?” Response: “People use cars because they are convenient and save time. This also causes traffic and air pollution.” Which part is missing?
7Which order creates the clearest paragraph about a graph?
8In this paragraph, what does "This figure" refer to? "The total reached 600 in June. This figure was the highest recorded."
Test hacks
Task 1 needs an overview
Write a sentence that sums up the main trends or the biggest differences, without numbers. Many writers skip it.
Why it works: An overview is essential for a high Task Achievement score.
Answer every part of Task 2
Underline each question in the prompt. A two-part question needs two clear answers.
Why it works: Missing part of the task limits your Task Response score, however good your English is.
Give Task 2 more time
Spend about 20 minutes on Task 1 (150+ words) and 40 minutes on Task 2 (250+ words).
Why it works: Task 2 counts for twice as much as Task 1 in your Writing score.
Practise with feedback on every answer
ielts.coach builds daily lessons and practice around your interests and level, marks Writing and Speaking like an examiner in seconds, and plans your weeks to test day.