Page 1 of 2 IELTS Task 2 Writing band descriptors (public version) Band Task Response Coherence and Cohesion Lexical Resource Grammatical Range and Accuracy 9 ? 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 ? uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention ? skilfully manages paragraphing ? uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as slips ? uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as slips 8 ? sufficiently addresses all parts of the task ? presents a well-developed response to the question with relevant, extended and supported ideas ? sequences information and ideas logically ? manages all aspects of cohesion well ? uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately ? 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 ? uses a wide range of structures ? the majority of sentences are error-free ? makes only very occasional errors or inappropriacies 7 ? 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 over- generalise and/or supporting ideas may lack focus ? 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 ? 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 ? uses a variety of complex structures ? produces frequent error-free sentences ? has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors 6 ? 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 ? 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 ? uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task ? attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy ? makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication ? uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms ? makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication 5 ? addresses the task only partially; the format may be inappropriate in places ? expresses a position but the development is not always clear and there may be no ?presents information with some organisation but there may be a lack of overall progression ?makes inadequate, inaccurate or over- ? uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is minimally adequate for the task ? may make noticeable errors in ? uses only a limited range of structures ? attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences Page 2 of 2 conclusions drawn ? presents some main ideas but these are limited and not sufficiently developed; there may be irrelevant detail use of cohesive devices ? may be repetitive because of lack of referencing and substitution ? may not write in paragraphs, or paragraphing may be inadequate spelling and/or word formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader ? may make frequent grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader 4 ? 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 ? presents some main ideas but these are difficult to identify and may be repetitive, irrelevant or not well supported ? presents information and ideas 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 ? 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 ? uses only a very limited range of structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses ? some structures are accurate but errors predominate, and punctuation is