Writing Scores
Band Descriptor - WT2
A detailed look into the IELTS Writing Band Descriptors for Task 2 of the IELTS Writing test.
Writing Task 2
Task Response
Fully addresses all parts of the
task.
Presents a fully developed position in answer to the question with relevant, fully extended and well supported ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion
Uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention.
Skilfully manages paragraphing.
Lexical Resource
Uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and
sophisticated control of lexical features.
Rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy.
Rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
Task Response
Sufficiently addresses all parts of the task.
Presents a well-developed response to the question with relevant, extended and
supported ideas.
Coherence and 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 and Accuracy
Uses a wide range of structures.
Majority of sentences are error-free.
Makes only very occasional errors or inappropriacies.
Task Response
Addresses all parts of the task.
Presents a clear position throughout the response.
Presents, extends and supports main ideas, but there may be a tendency to overgeneralise and/or supporting ideas may lack focus.
Coherence and 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.
Presents a clear central topic within each paragraph.
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 and 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.
Task Response
Addresses all parts of the task although some parts may be more fully covered than others.
Presents a relevant position although the conclusions may become unclear or repetitive.
Presents relevant main ideas but some may be inadequately developed/unclear .
Coherence and 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.
Uses paragraphing, but not always logically.
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 and Accuracy
Uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms.
Makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication.
Task Response
Addresses the task only partially.
The format may be inappropriate in places.
Expresses a position but the development is not always clear.
There may be no conclusions drawn.
Presents some main ideas but these are limited and not sufficiently developed.
There may be irrelevant detail.
Coherence and 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.
May not write in paragraphs, or paragraphing may be inadequate.
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.
This may cause some difficulty for the reader.
Grammatical Range and 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.
Task Response
Responds to the task only in a minimal way or the answer is tangential
The format may be inappropriate.
Presents a position but this is unclear.
These are difficult to identify and may be repetitive,irrelevant or not well supported.
Presents some main ideas but these are difficult to identify and may be repetitive, irrelevant or not well supported.
Coherence and Cohesion
Presents information with some organisation 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.
May not write in paragraphs or their use may be confusing.
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 and Accuracy
Uses only a very limited range of structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses.
Some structures are accurate but errors predominate.
Punctuation is often faulty.
Task Response
Does not adequately address any part of the task.
Does not express a clear position, presents few ideas, which are largely undeveloped or irrelevant.
Coherence and Cohesion
Does not organise ideas logically.
May use a very limited range of cohesive devices.
Cohesive devices used may not indicate a logical relationship between ideas.
Lexical Resource
Uses only a very limited range of words and expressions.
There is very limited control of word formation and/or spelling.
Errors may severely distort the message.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Attempts sentence forms but errors in grammar and punctuation predominate and distort the meaning.
Task Response
Barely responds to the task.
Does not express a position.
May attempt to present one or two ideas but there is no development.
Coherence and Cohesion
Has very little control of organisational features.
Lexical Resource
Uses an extremely limited range of vocabular.
There is no control of word formation and/or spelling.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Cannot use sentence forms except in memorised phrases.
Task Response
Answer is completely unrelated to the task.
Coherence and Cohesion
Fails to communicate any message
Lexical Resource
Can only use a few isolated words.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Cannot use sentence forms at all.
So, what are band descriptors?
IELTS Writing Band Descriptors help you understand how the IELTS examiners mark your writing task.
This includes 4 areas.
Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical range and accuracy.
Each of these areas looks at on aspect of your writing.
What is Task Response?
looks at how well your essay addresses the question presented. The more focused and more accurate your response is the higher your score will be in this area.
What is Coherence and Cohesion?
is about the links between ideas within a passage. These links could be in the form of cause-and-effect, or compare-and-contrast, or another type of link. The better the links are made between ideas the higher your score will be.
What is Lexical Resource?
is about the variety and flexibility of words use. It is not about big words, it is about using everyway words right. Take a look at this simple quiz to understand where you stand at Lexical Resource!
https://prep.firstacademy.in/test/four-letter-quiz-1
How Can I improve Grammatical range and accuracy?
is about how well you use grammar and syntax. The more accurately you use grammar and syntax the higher your score will be in this area. If you are looking to score better in the area of grammatical range and accuracy, attend a free session with us, and we will help you with tips and tricks that will instantly increase your score!
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