CRITERIA FOR IELTS WRITING ASSESSMENT

IELTS WRITING MODULE COMPRISE TWO COMPULSORY TASKS. EACH OF THESE TASKS WILL BE SOCRED ON THE BASIS OF FOUR DIFFERENT PARAMETERS.

Know the marking criteria at length:

The examiner will evaluate your IELTS Academic and General training writing with respect to below-listed criteria wherein each parameter contributes 25% of your total score for both task 1 and task 2.

• TASK ACHIEVEMENT ( TASK 1) AND TASK RESPONSE (TASK 2)
• COHERENCE AND COHESION
• LEXICAL RESOURCE (VOCABULARY)
• GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY

Below are the tables showing the requirement for IELTS band score 5 to 8 in writing module as per each assessment criterion.

TASK ACHIEVEMENT (TASK 1) :

This parameter will analyse a candidate's ability for interpretation of the data accurately whether you have comprehensively understood the exact demand of the task 1. The score can be boosted up ,if you:

1. Observe the chart analytically and precisely identify all the mentioned key features.
2. Highlight the introduced striking features in an overview.
3. Support your body paragraphs with relevant comparison and description of trends.
4. Abrogate the addition of any wrong information like assumptions.
5. Avoid writing any opinion.
6. Write the factual report.
7. Achieve the desired word limit( at least 150 words).

BAND SCORE 6	BAND SCORE 7	BAND SCORE 8
# No clear overview # Key features not covered adequately. # Too much detail #Inaccurate information	#There is an overview #Highlights key features #Well selected information #Some details may be inaccurate	#A clear overview # Clearly highlighted and well illustrated key points #All requirements are sufficiently covered

TASK RESPONSE  (TASK 2): 

In this criterion, the type of response a candidate has written for the essay type question is determined. The assessment for the core content of your essay and the way it has been developed using relevant examples is done in this part. To fetch a high band score:

1. Comprehend the exact demand of the question.
2. Add relevant points and support them with relative examples since irrelevant content can bring your score down.
3. Organization of the essay should be uniform and symmetrical.
4. Points ought to be arranged logically and linked in a coherent manner for a smooth flow of ideas.
5. Thesis statement ought to be added at the end of the introduction clearly and briefly.

COHERENCE AND COHESION:

The organisation of information you have provided , the way paragraphing is done and  accurate and precise usage of cohesive devices( conjunctions) will be marked under this criterion. You can easily increase your band score, if you:

1. Plan properly where to add the main and supporting ideas in an organised way.
2. Have four body paragraphs with uniformity in length ( INTRODUCTION, BODY PARAGRAPHS, CONCLUSION/OVERVIEW).
3. Use a wide range of linking devices.

BAND SCORE 6	BAND SCORE 7	BAND SCORE 8
#Insufficiently organised points # Limited paragraphing #Problematic linking words #Repetitive lack of referencing	# Logically organises the points #Good paragraphing #Uses a range of cohesive devices # May over and under use referencing	#Information and ideas are fully organised # Logical paragraphing #Manages all aspects of linking and cohesion # presents a clear central topic

LEXICAL RESOURCE:

The usage of a sufficient range of vocabulary, accurate spellings, precise implementation of collocations and most importantly, word fomation is taken into account while scoring this criterion. Inappropriate word selection and informal language might bring your score down.

BAND SCORE 6	BAND SCORE 7	BAND SCORE 8
#Minimal range of vocabulary #Frequent errors with spelling or word formation #Less common lexical items	#Sufficient range of vocabulary #Uses less common words #Some awareness of style and collocations	#A wide range of vocabulary for precise meaning #Skillfully uses uncommom lexical features #Rare errors in spellings and word formation

GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY:

To score high under this criterion, areas taken into consideration constitute compositin of sentences, a wide range in the used structures( SIMPLE, COMPOUND, COMPLEX), precise usage of tenses, correct punctuation marks wherever needed and efficient control over grammar.

BAND SCORE 6	BAND SCORE 7	BAND SCORE 8
#Limited range of sentence structures #Frequent errors in grammar #Errors in punctuation #Problems cause difficulty for the reader	#Uses a variety of complex structures #Majorly error free sentences #Good control over grammar #Occasional errors in punctuation	#Uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy #Most of the sentences are free of errors, only rare mistakes just as slips

Score calculation of writing task :

You will get a specific band score for each of the aforementioned criterion and afterwards, a total score is calculated. Here's an example:

• TASK ACHIEVEMENT : BAND 6
• COHERENCE AND COHESION: 7
• GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND ACCURACY: 8
• LEXICAL RESOURCES: 7

TOTAL SCORE FOR IELTS WRITING TASK: 7+8+6+7= 28/4= 7

Thus, to calculate the net score, add all the scores together and divide by 4.