How IELTS Writing Is Scored: The Four Assessment Criteria

Updated on 24th Aug 2026 | 10 min read

By Ravi Jaiswal

How IELTS Writing Is Scored: The Four Assessment Criteria

Quick Overview

To get better at IELTS Writing you need to know what the examiners are looking for. The IELTS Writing task is graded by a person who checks your work against four things:

Task Achievement for Task 1 or Task Response for Task 2

How well your writing makes sense in terms of the flow

The words you use and,

How good your grammar is

The IELTS Writing Test uses a score range from 0 to 9. There are four areas that are used to judge the test score. Each of these four areas has importance, which is 25% of the total IELTS Writing Score. Task 1 and Task 2 are both looked at separately and evaluated against the four areas. It is important to remember that Task 2 has more importance than Task 1 in the IELTS Writing Score.

Criterion	Weight	Applies to
Task Achievement / Task Response	25%	Task 1 / Task 2
Coherence and Cohesion	25%	Both tasks
Lexical Resource	25%	Both tasks
Grammatical Range and Accuracy	25%	Both tasks

Key Takeaways

There are four criteria which are assessed during the IELTS Writing test with equal importance. And all of these criteria are marked on a scale of 0 to 9.

Task Achievement is used to assess the IELTS Writing Task 1 while Task Response is used to assess the IELTS Writing Task 2. Apart from Task Response and Task Achievement, the other three criteria include Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. All these three criteria are used to assess the IELTS Writing Task 1 and IELTS Writing Task 2.

IELTS Writing Task 2 is more significant than the IELTS Writing Task 1 as it holds more weightage in terms of band score.

Writing less than 150 words in Task 1 and less than 250 words for Writing Task 2 will result in a penalty score for Task Achievement or Task Response.

Generic and memorized answers have been mentioned by coaching centers and the examiners to be punished for Task Response when there is no interaction with the given question. It is not an official criterion, but just a warning issued by the test preparation center.

The distinction between Band 6 and Band 7 is consistency and not difficult vocabulary issues.

Less number of mistakes, good organization and command over complex sentences.

The paper-based version of IELTS will end in India from September 2026, along with a handwriting option for writing tasks in select computer-based tests.

Planning to Study in the UAE? Let Us Guide You the Right Way.

Introduction

Most IELTS Writing test takers realize they should "write a good essay" but hardly any of them knows exactly what the examiner is looking for while grading their work as it gets graded by a specially trained person who evaluates a student's response against some publicly available criteria.

Luckily, all those criteria are publicly available since IELTS test makers publish Writing band descriptors openly. Once a student understands what is assessed under each criterion, IELTS Writing test preparation becomes nothing but a list of things to do. This guide analyzes all four criteria, shows how they form an overall Writing band, describes what kind of response students will produce at each band, and discusses some particular changes regarding India which will be introduced starting from September 2026. Those who are interested in a general description of the Writing test, can visit IELTS exam pattern and syllabus guide which covers Writing alongside Listening, Reading, and Speaking. Here we go.

The Four Criteria, and Why They're Weighted Equally

Any writing task in the IELTS test is judged against rules. These rules have four parts which are used to score your work from 0 to 9. The scores for each part are added up and averaged to give you a final score. IELTS tests want to make sure that no one part is more important than the others. So if you write something with great word choice but no structure and flow then, you will not get a higher score than someone who uses simpler words and makes sense and is easy to follow.

1. Task Achievement / Task Response

It is in this section where students forget to put their attention to. What you need to keep in mind is whether you are able to answer the question asked and all its requirements. This will be achieved through your well-developed content.

The expectation depends upon the kind of test that is to be taken and the task that has to be performed:

Academic Task 1: You get credit for Task Achievement when you correctly interpret and present the information given in a graph, chart, table or diagram. You should also describe the overall trend. All the data you present must be relevant and accurate. You are not required to mention all figures.

General Training Task 1: You are awarded Task Achievement if you cover all points that need to be included in the letter. If you use the correct tone and language that match the addressee of the letter.

Task 2 in both formats: You are awarded for Task Response if you give a clear response to every aspect of the question posed. You should not only write an essay on the topic.

In case you are not yet sure of which format of the test to choose from, you should consider Academic vs General test to find out which one the UAE universities would want you to sit for.

Completing a task to the highest standards will earn you grades. A poor grade is often due to inappropriate structure or omissions or the answer not being related to the question posed at all. Even if you write a paper and have grammatically correct sentences with elegant words but the answer is unrelated to the question, you will earn poor marks for it.

2. Coherence and Cohesion

This is quite straightforward: Can readers understand your text without feeling lost? This assesses two criteria: organization of your ideas and connection between them.

In order to convey something through writing, you have to organize your thoughts properly and arrange them logically. This is what we refer to as coherence. Apart from that, your ideas need to be linked together via transitional words or phrases like "however" or "as a result". We call this cohesion.

Writing in high bands has a fluid transition between paragraphs. However, some students remain at a lower band level because they rely too heavily on linking words such as "Furthermore" or "Moreover" at the beginning of each sentence. Actually, it won't bring you any higher scores as examiners are well aware of this trick.

3. Lexical Resource

This evaluates your vocabulary usage: your capability to choose proper words, not jargon. Starting from band 7 examiners assess your ability to connect words and the correctness of idioms.

The mistakes that can lead to lower scores include the wrong usage of these words when writing, such as saying "do a decision" instead of "make a decision" or "strong rain" instead of "heavy rain." One more example is repeating the word or phrase many times, instead of choosing other ways to express the same meaning. When you rewrite the question word-for-word in your introduction it counts against your score. These requirements are set in the scoring guide.

4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy

It addresses both the variety of sentence structures used by the candidate (whether simple, compound, and complex) and the correctness of their usage, including punctuation. A text which uses solely simple sentences cannot score higher than mid-bands, even if all these sentences are correct, because “range” is an explicit part of the criteria. Similarly, making an attempt at using complex sentences which are riddled with errors is not going to work either. Accuracy in simple sentences is more important than ambition with regards to complex sentences, according to the band descriptors.

The distinction between Band 6 and Band 7 lies in the fact that the latter is characterized by consistency. While the former is allowed to make numerous grammatical errors that don’t significantly impair communication, the latter requires that most of the sentences should be free from errors, with a few exceptions. If grammar is your weak point, the IELTS preparation tips can help you plan.

What a Response Actually Looks Like at Each Band

To read the names of the criteria is one thing; to see how they work in practice as an actual band is something else entirely. This is a brief overview of what the examiner tends to be looking for on each criterion level. Use it as a guide but do not confuse it for the actual descriptors used in the IELTS exam.

Band	Task Achievement / Response	Coherence and Cohesion	Lexical Resource	Grammatical Range and Accuracy
9	Fully and precisely addresses every part of the task.	Ideas flow with complete naturalness and logic.	Wide, precise, natural vocabulary with rare minor slips.	Full range of structures used with near-total accuracy.
8	Covers all requirements, with only minor omissions.	Well organised, cohesive and skilfully used.	Wide range, occasional inaccuracy or errors in word choice.	Wide range of structures, majority error-free.
7	Addresses all parts, though some points may be underdeveloped.	Logical organisation, clear progression, occasional cohesive errors.	Sufficient range, some flexibility with less common vocabulary.	Variety of complex structures, frequent error-free sentences.
6	Addresses the task, but some parts may be fully addressed.	Organised information, but some ideas are not always effectively connected.	Adequate range, some errors in word choice or impede meaning.	Mix of simple and complex forms, errors do not reduce communication.
5	Generally addresses the task, but format may be inappropriate in places.	Organisation is present but may lack overall progression.	Limited range, noticeable errors in word choice and spelling.	Limited range of structures, frequent grammatical errors.

If you are not sure which band your current writing scores are then, you shall do an IELTS writing practice test with which you can check your writing against a rubric.

Band 6 vs Band 7: What Actually Changes

Since this is the point at which students generally find themselves struggling, it may be worthwhile examining it more thoroughly than the above table permits. This gap has very little to do with "harder" vocabulary. This gap generally revolves around control.

A sample Band 6 sentence would be:

"Many people think social media is bad and it make communication hard sometimes, but other people think it is good for connecting with old friends."

It is obvious, but there are errors in articles, verbs, prepositions, and the sentences do not vary in structure.

A Band 7 version of the same idea might look like this:

"Although many people believe social media damages face-to-face communication, others argue it strengthens relationships by helping people stay in touch with friends who live far away."

The words used are not more complicated. What has changed is how sentences are controlled: a dependent clause is used properly, articles and prepositions are correct. Two ideas are put into one sentence that is connected instead of two sentences that are only loosely linked.

The biggest differences between Band 6 and Band 7 writing are:

Articles and prepositions are used throughout again and again instead of just being used once.

Starting many paragraphs with connectors like- "Furthermore" or "In addition"

Use of repetitive language where the same words are used instead of varying vocabulary.

The emphasis on these three areas rather than attempting to write in a fancier way tends to be the fastest way to get from Band 6 to Band 7. Study From UAE's list of recommended IELTS books and mock tests includes a few that are specifically useful for drilling this transition.

How Task 1 and Task 2 Combine Into Your Writing Band

Each task is marked independently against the four criteria above and given its own average score. Task 2 carries double the weight of Task 1 in the final Writing band, reflecting its greater length and complexity.

Component	Weight in final Writing band
Task 1 score	1 part
Task 2 score	2 parts
Formula	(Task 1 + Task 2 × 2) / 3, rounded to the nearest half band

To illustrate, here is a calculation example:

Let us assume you scored a Band 6 in IELTS Task 1 and Band 7 in IELTS Task 2. You will compute as follows: you will add up the score and get (6 + 7 + 7) / 3 = 20/3 = 6.67, which rounds down to 6.5. If you scored a Band 7 in both IELTS Task 1 and Task 2, then you scored 7.0 Band. That is why coaching centres advise you to devote time to IELTS Task 2 while writing for 60 minutes. IELTS requires you to spend 20 minutes on IELTS Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2.

Word Count and Task Achievement/Task Response

During the writing task 1 of the IELTS test, one must write a minimum of 150 words. In the case of IELTS writing task 2, it is a minimum of 250 words. There is no maximum limit, but that does not mean you can write as many words as you like; it is also considered a penalty if you write less than the minimum word limit because it will show that you cannot express your thoughts and opinions in respect of the question asked.

In the computer-based test, there is a live word count on the screen which avoids any kind of speculation. It is recommended to build a word buffer beyond the minimum in practice rather than aiming for exactly 150 or 250 words.

A point for candidates taking the IELTS exam in India: the paper version of the IELTS in India will be phased out with the final paper versions of the IELTS exam taking place on 25 July, 6 August, and 22 August 2026. Starting from September 2026, all IELTS exams will be computer-based, although a “writing on paper” handwriting option will be provided for computer-based exams for those who like to handwrite. If you are looking to take the exam near this period, then make sure to check your test centers’ format directly. You should also look at a computer-delivered vs paper-based IELTS comparison which will show you how the two formats are different on the day of the test.

What's Being Said About Task Response and Memorised Answers

Some coaching centers and exam markers suggest that the examiners have been taking a strict view regarding essays written according to template. This suggests that you may be penalized if your essay is not based on answering the question asked directly. For instance, if the question requires an essay regarding ban on sports, but you write a generic template essay regarding government policies which you could have previously read, then you may receive low marks in Task Response irrespective of how good your grammar and vocabulary is.

There is no official statement issued by any of the organizations that conduct IELTS, including British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. However, it is evident from the marking criteria of IELTS that Task Response is one of the four areas tested during the examination. If you are weak in this area then this will affect your Task 2 score as well. As discussed before, Task 2 is more important than that of Task 1 for your final writing score. So, always practice by answering questions directly and avoid using any templates. Make minor modifications to templates even if you use one.

Practising Against the Criteria, Not Just the Topic

Knowing what exactly the criteria evaluates, makes practice easier and more specific. Practicing with a complete IELTS Writing test for 20 minutes in Task 1 and 40 minutes in Task 2 is way better than analyzing the samples, since it involves juggling all four criteria at once, while the latter will make you concentrate only on one aspect of writing skills.

The official material for writing practice tests by IDP and British Council includes samples with comments from the examiner, which is one of the most useful free sources that exists, as it contains the same script evaluated by each of the four criteria separately. For other free sources you can visit free IELTS preparation resources. If general strategy and study routines are what you need next, IELTS Preparation Tips from Toppers is a useful companion read alongside this criteria breakdown.

Common Mistakes Against Each Criterion

Task Achievement/Response: Failing to respond directly to the question you have been asked but providing an answer to another version of the question you had prepared for; omission of a bullet point in a General Training letter; writing a response to Task 1 without any overview statement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Failing to follow the principle of one idea per paragraph; insertion of linking words where no linking is necessary; overusing the same linking words in an essay.

Lexical Resource: Trying to use an advanced or low frequency word that doesn’t quite fit into the sentence; re-using vocabulary rather than paraphrasing; using the exact wording from the question.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Using only simple sentences because they are "safe"; trying to use complex sentences and failing because of lack of control.

How Your Writing Score Fits Into Your Overall IELTS Band

The Writing section is one of the four sections, along with Listening, Reading, and Speaking, that form your overall IELTS band score, with all four sections having equal weight in the final score calculation. For a complete explanation on how the four sections are marked and combined, read Study From UAE's explanation of the marking procedure for the IELTS test.

About Study From UAE

Study from UAE is a discovery engine for universities that is designed specifically for the students of India and beyond in the sub-continent, and offers data on more than 100 UAE universities and 1,000+ courses. The IELTS requirement may vary from university to university or from course to course; while some of the UAE universities may accept Band 5.0, others may need 6.5 and above per band. If you are not sure which university in the UAE should you look out for you can use the: Find Your University Quiz which will make it easier for you to drill down on a university rather than searching for it one-by-one in the admission pages.

Conclusion

IELTS Writing will no longer seem unpredictable to you when you realize that it really comprises four separate and equally important assessments carried out on your tasks by an experienced assessor based on the publicly available criteria. Task Achievement or Response evaluates how well you responded to the actual task. Coherence and Cohesion assesses whether your ideas are easy to understand. Lexical Resource checks whether your lexical resources are adequate and diversified. Grammatical Range and Accuracy measures your ability to construct a variety of grammatically correct sentences. You cannot choose any of the four and you cannot compensate for poor performance in any of them with better performance in another, and that is precisely why a balanced approach to your test yields better band scores.

If you need to correlate your IELTS Writing band with actual UAE admission requirements, look through your possibilities with Study From UAE.

FAQs

Task 2 carries double the weight of Task 1, so a strong Task 2 script raises your overall Writing band more than a strong Task 1 script does. See the worked example above for how the formula plays out in practice.

Yes. Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy are identical across both versions. The first criterion is called Task Achievement in Task 1 for both versions, and Task Response in Task 2 for both versions.

It is possible to reach the mid-bands this way, but Lexical Resource is scored independently, so basic vocabulary will cap that specific criterion regardless of how accurate your grammar is elsewhere.

Not directly. There is no official upper word limit and no reward for length itself. What matters is whether your ideas are fully developed and relevant. Padding a response with unnecessary content can weaken Coherence and Cohesion instead.

Your Writing test is marked by between two and four examiners as standard practice, to help ensure accuracy and fairness. This is not a single examiner with occasional spot-checks; multiple marking is built into the standard process.

Paper-based IELTS in India is being phased out, with final sittings on 25 July, 6 August, and 22 August 2026. From September 2026, testing in India moves to a fully computer-delivered format, with a handwriting-friendly "Writing on Paper" option available on select computer-delivered tests.

Ravi Jaiswal

Admissions Strategist | Higher Education Consultant | Co-Founder

Ravi Jaiswal is a higher education and admissions specialist with extensive experience guiding students through university applications, admission requirements, eligibility assessments, and international study pathways.

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