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Understand exactly how IELTS Writing is scored across 4 criteria and learn how to align every sentence you write with the band descriptors.
Toey
Examiner-informed13/09/2026
Most IELTS candidates spend hours writing practice essays without ever reading the official band descriptors. That's like training for a sport without knowing the rules. The examiners aren't grading you on a vague impression — they are working from a precise, published rubric. Once you understand exactly what that rubric rewards (and penalises), you can make deliberate choices in your writing instead of hoping for the best.
This guide breaks down each of the four IELTS Writing criteria, explains what the descriptors actually mean in practice, and shows you where most test-takers lose marks unnecessarily.
Both Task 1 and Task 2 are scored on four criteria:
Each criterion is worth 25% of your Writing band. That's the first thing to internalise: grammar is not more important than coherence, and vocabulary is not more important than task response. Candidates who obsess over complex grammar while ignoring whether they've actually answered the question are throwing away a quarter of their marks.
Task 2 is also double-weighted compared to Task 1 within the Writing component overall, so a weak essay hurts far more than a weak report or letter.
For Task 2, the examiners are checking three things: Did you answer all parts of the question? Is your position clear throughout? Is it supported with relevant, extended ideas?
The word extended is critical. A Band 6 response addresses the task but offers ideas that are "relevant but not sufficiently developed." A Band 7 response presents "a clear position throughout" with "main ideas... extended and supported." The jump from 6 to 7 here is almost entirely about depth of argument, not language.
For Task 1 Academic, the descriptor asks whether you selected and reported the key features accurately — not whether you described every single data point. Over-description (listing every number) is penalised because it shows you can't distinguish significant trends from minor ones.
Partially answering a two-part question. If the prompt asks "What are the causes of this problem and what solutions can be proposed?" and you write six paragraphs on causes and one throwaway sentence on solutions, you have not fully addressed the task. The examiner will cap your Task Response score regardless of how elegant your prose is.
Prompt: Some people think that universities should focus on providing academic knowledge. Others believe that universities should prepare students for employment. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Weak response pattern: Three paragraphs on academic knowledge → one paragraph on employment → no clear personal opinion stated.
Strong response pattern: One paragraph per view with genuine reasoning → a concluding paragraph that states a clear, reasoned position.
Coherence and cohesion are not the same thing, and the descriptor treats them separately.
Coherence is about logical organisation — does each paragraph have one clear central idea? Does the argument flow in a logical sequence from introduction to conclusion?
Cohesion is about the linguistic glue — how you link sentences and paragraphs using referencing, substitution, and connective devices.
Band 7 requires that cohesion is used "effectively" and that paragraphing is "sufficient and appropriate." Band 6 allows cohesion that is used but is "faulty or mechanical." The word mechanical is the examiner's way of describing essays that plaster transition words everywhere without logical connection — a habit that actually lowers your score.
Many candidates believe that using more linking phrases equals a higher Cohesion score. The descriptor says the opposite. If every sentence starts with Furthermore, Moreover, or In addition, the examiner marks this as mechanical overuse. Real cohesion comes from pronoun referencing, synonymous substitution, and paragraph structure — not from bolting a connector onto every sentence.
Mechanical (penalised): Climate change is a serious issue. Furthermore, it affects many countries. Moreover, governments need to act. In addition, individuals should change their behaviour.
Effective cohesion: Climate change poses a serious global threat. Its effects are already visible across multiple continents, which is why both governmental policy and individual behaviour change are essential responses.
The second version uses a pronoun (Its), a relative clause (which is why), and logical sequencing — no connector words needed.
The descriptor is looking for your ability to use vocabulary flexibly and precisely to convey meaning. At Band 7, it expects "sufficient range" with "some errors in word choice" that don't impede communication. At Band 8, it expects "wide resource" used "fluently and flexibly."
Two things stand out here. First, errors are tolerated at Band 7 — precision matters more than perfection. Second, the descriptor specifically rewards collocation and less common vocabulary used appropriately. This means knowing not just individual words but how words work together in natural English.
a marked deterioration in public health outcomes
the sharp disparity between urban and rural access to education
These are the kinds of collocations that signal a wide lexical resource. Notice they aren't rare or obscure — they're precise and natural.
Many candidates copy words from the question prompt into their introduction because they don't know how to rephrase them. The Lexical Resource descriptor penalises over-reliance on the words from the input. Practise paraphrasing the task prompt in your own words as a deliberate first step — not because it sounds impressive, but because it signals to the examiner that your vocabulary range extends beyond the words you were given.
This surprises many learners: the descriptor rewards range before accuracy. A Band 6 response uses "a mix of simple and complex structures" but makes errors. A Band 7 uses "a variety of complex structures" with "frequent error-free sentences" — but errors are still acceptable as long as they are not systematic.
The implication is clear: attempting complex structures and occasionally getting them wrong is better-scored than writing only simple sentences perfectly. The examiner wants to see that you can attempt subordinate clauses, conditionals, passive constructions, and relative clauses — even if they're not always flawless.
A systematic error is one you make every time — for example, consistently omitting the article the, or always using the wrong verb tense in conditional sentences. The descriptor treats systematic errors more harshly because they suggest a gap in underlying knowledge, not a one-off slip.
If you know you consistently confuse affect and effect, or always drop articles before uncountable nouns, those are the errors to eliminate first — not because each instance costs much, but because the pattern costs you a band level.
Systematic error pattern (penalised): "Government must take action. Public must also be educated. Media play important role."
Corrected: "The government must take action. The public must also be educated. The media play an important role."
The error here — dropping the definite article — appears three times in three sentences. That's a systematic pattern.
After you write a practice essay, don't just read it back and think "this sounds okay." Instead, run it through each criterion deliberately:
This isn't a checklist to rush through. It's a slow, deliberate editing habit that trains you to think the way the examiner thinks.
Band 7 is the target for most academic and professional visa purposes. Across all four criteria, Band 7 broadly requires:
None of these descriptors require perfection. They require control — showing the examiner you know what you're doing even when you make the occasional mistake. The path from Band 6 to Band 7 in Writing is almost always about developing ideas more fully (Task Response) and using cohesion more naturally (Coherence and Cohesion) — not about learning more grammar rules.
Understanding the descriptors doesn't just help you write better essays. It helps you spend your preparation time on the things that actually move your score.
The four criteria are Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Each criterion contributes 25% of your Writing band score.
No. All four criteria carry equal weight at 25% each. Candidates who focus exclusively on grammar while neglecting task response or coherence are giving up marks unnecessarily. A clear, well-developed argument with natural cohesion can matter more than flawless grammar.
Not if they're used mechanically. The band descriptors specifically penalise 'faulty or mechanical' use of cohesive devices. Effective cohesion comes from logical paragraph structure, pronoun referencing, and synonymous substitution — not from adding a connector to every sentence.
Task Achievement applies to Task 1 and assesses whether you selected and accurately reported the key features of the data. Task Response applies to Task 2 and assesses whether you fully addressed all parts of the question, presented a clear position, and developed your ideas with relevant supporting points.
A systematic error is one you repeat consistently throughout your writing — for example, always omitting the definite article or always using the wrong tense in conditional sentences. The descriptors treat systematic errors more harshly than occasional slips because they indicate a gap in underlying grammatical knowledge rather than a one-off mistake.
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