When preparing for the IELTS Writing test, understanding the assessment criteria is essential for achieving your desired band score. IELTS has outlined four key criteria used to evaluate both Academic and General Training writing tasks: Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. You can view the full assessment criteria on the official IELTS website here. To make these criteria more accessible to beginners, I’ve created a simplified table below, which highlights the main points for both Task 1 and Task 2 in each module. This will help you better understand what examiners are looking for in your writing.
Overview of Criteria in One Table
| Criteria | Task 1 (Academic) | Task 1 (General Training) | Task 2 (Both) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement (TA) | - Summarize key features of a diagram, graph, table, chart, or map | - Explain the purpose of the letter | N/A |
| - Provide sufficient detail and report trends accurately | - Address the three bullet points in the task | ||
| - Compare and contrast trends, highlighting principal changes | - Use an appropriate letter format and tone consistently | ||
| - At least 150 words | - At least 150 words | ||
| Task Response (TR) | N/A | N/A | - Formulate and develop a position in response to a given prompt |
| - Support ideas with evidence and examples | |||
| - Provide a clear discourse, position, and conclusion | |||
| - At least 250 words | |||
| Coherence and Cohesion (CC) | - Organize information logically | ||
| - Use cohesive devices to link ideas | |||
| Lexical Resource (LR) | - Range of vocabulary, avoiding repetition | ||
| - Precision of word choice, accuracy in spelling and word formation | |||
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy (GRA) | - Use a range of sentence types (simple, compound, complex) | ||
| - Correct use of punctuation and grammatical structures | |||
By familiarizing yourself with each criterion and how they contribute to your overall score, you can better prepare for the writing section. In the coming days, we will delve deeper into each criterion, providing tips and strategies to enhance your writing skills and improve your performance in this important assessment..
