Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy
IELTS Writing band descriptors
This page is our original explainer of the four criteria used to assess IELTS Writing Task 2. The official tables are PDFs on ielts.org; we link to them and do not host copies here.
Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by IELTS, IDP, the British Council, or Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
The IELTS Partners publish the public Writing Band Descriptors PDF and the key assessment criteria PDF on ielts.org. Read the exact wording there; the explanations below are ours.
The four criteria
IELTS Writing Task 2 is assessed on four public categories. The names below are those public exam categories. The sentences are ours.
- TR
Task Response
Whether the Task 2 essay actually answers the question on the page. A reader should find a view that belongs to that question, and ideas that support it, instead of ignoring half the prompt or sliding into a neighbouring topic.
- CC
Coherence and Cohesion
Whether the writing is arranged so a reader can follow the argument. Each paragraph should do a job, and the sentences should connect, without becoming a pile of remarks that do not lead anywhere. Coherence and Cohesion in IELTS Task 2 is the overview of that criterion. Linking words for IELTS Writing Task 2 is a closer look at how those connections should work.
- LR
Lexical Resource
These are the words on the page: how precise they are, how much range they show, and whether topic vocabulary sounds like it belongs in the sentence rather than a memorised list dropped in. Lexical Resource in IELTS Task 2 is the overview of that criterion.
- GRA
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Whether the writer can vary how sentences are built, and how often grammar mistakes get in the way of meaning. Grammatical Range and Accuracy in IELTS Task 2 is the overview of that criterion.
Our grader uses the same four categories when it returns an Estimated Band after submit. How that practice figure is produced is on How Estimated Band works. To check your own essay against these four criteria, paste it into the IELTS Writing Task 2 checker.
Academic Task 1 charts and General Training letters are not supported yet.
The official scoring materials belong to the IELTS Partners: the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
See how your essay scores on each of these four criteria
Write one Task 2 essay and get a band for Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy, with the sentences behind each score. 2 free Grade Reports a month.