IELTS Writing Task 2 is marked on four criteria, each scored from 0 to 9, each carrying the same weight. Your Task 2 band is their average — so a candidate with 7, 7, 7, 5 and a candidate with 6, 6, 7, 7 both land on 6.5. That arithmetic matters more than most advice admits: the fastest route up is almost never "write better English" in general, it is finding the one criterion that is a band below the others and fixing that.
Below is what each criterion is actually measuring, in plain English, with the concrete difference between a band 6 and a band 7 performance.
How the four criteria combine
The published band descriptors are written for examiners, not candidates, which is why they read as abstractions. Reduced to what they reward:
| Criterion | The question the examiner is answering |
|---|---|
| Task Response | Did you answer this exact question, take a clear position, and support it? |
| Coherence and Cohesion | Can I follow the argument without re-reading, and is it organised into real paragraphs? |
| Lexical Resource | Is the vocabulary precise and varied enough to express these ideas naturally? |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | Is there a range of structures, and how often do errors interrupt me? |
Task 2 contributes roughly twice as much as Task 1 to your Writing band, so the standard 20/40 minute split is not arbitrary — it matches the weighting.
Task Response
This is the criterion candidates lose most often, and almost never for lack of English. It is lost by answering a near-miss version of the question. If the prompt says "to what extent do you agree" and you write a balanced essay listing both sides without committing, you have answered a different question — the response is incomplete no matter how good the sentences are.
What raises it:
- A position stated in the introduction and repeated in the conclusion. Not hinted at. Stated.
- Every part of the prompt addressed. Two-part questions ("what are the causes and what can be done") need both halves developed, not one half plus a sentence.
- Ideas that are extended, not just listed. One developed reason with a consequence and an example beats three asserted reasons.
- Enough words. Under 250 is penalised here; 260–290 is the practical target.
| Band 6 looks like | Band 7 looks like |
|---|---|
| Addresses the question but the position is unclear in places, or one part of a two-part prompt gets much less attention. Ideas are relevant but some are asserted rather than developed. | Addresses all parts, with a clear position maintained throughout. Main ideas are extended and supported, though some may be over-generalised. |
Coherence and Cohesion
A common misreading: this criterion is not "use linking words". It is whether a reader can follow your argument in one pass. Overusing connectives actively lowers it — an essay where every sentence opens with Moreover, Furthermore, In addition is described in the descriptors as mechanical, and mechanical cohesion caps this criterion.
What raises it:
- One central idea per paragraph, signalled early in the paragraph rather than buried in the middle.
- Referencing and substitution — this shift, such policies, those who — which carry the thread forward without repeating nouns.
- Logical order: the second paragraph should follow from the first, not merely come after it.
- Paragraphs at all. A wall of text is a hard ceiling on this criterion regardless of the quality of the writing inside it.
| Band 6 looks like | Band 7 looks like |
|---|---|
| Information is arranged coherently and there is clear progression, but cohesive devices are used mechanically, and paragraphing may be present but not always logical. | Ideas are logically organised with clear progression; a range of cohesive devices is used appropriately, with occasional over- or under-use. Each paragraph has a clear central topic. |
Lexical Resource
Precision is worth more than rarity. A well-placed common word scores better than a thesaurus word used slightly wrongly, because an inaccurate "impressive" word is recorded as an error in word choice — the exact thing that keeps this criterion at 6.
What raises it:
- Topic-specific vocabulary used naturally: for an education prompt, curriculum, tuition fees, vocational training — words the topic genuinely calls for.
- Collocation. Impose a ban, raise awareness, a pressing concern. Wrong collocations are the most common band-6 marker.
- Paraphrasing the prompt rather than copying it. Copied wording is not counted as your vocabulary.
- Correct spelling. Occasional slips are tolerated at 7; frequent ones are not.
| Band 6 looks like | Band 7 looks like |
|---|---|
| An adequate range for the task. Attempts less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy. Spelling and word-formation errors occur but do not impede communication. | A sufficient range to allow some flexibility and precision. Uses less common items with some awareness of style and collocation; occasional errors in word choice or spelling. |
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Two things are measured at once, and candidates usually optimise only one. Writing exclusively in simple sentences produces high accuracy and a low band, because the range is missing. Attempting complex structures you cannot control produces range with errors in most sentences — also a low band. Band 7 asks for both: a variety of structures, with the majority of sentences error-free.
What raises it:
- Complex sentences you actually control — relative clauses, conditionals, concession clauses (although, while), and passives where they fit.
- Article and preposition accuracy, which is where most band-6 essays leak marks steadily rather than dramatically.
- Punctuation. Comma splices are frequent enough in band-6 writing to be diagnostic.
- Consistent tense across a paragraph.
| Band 6 looks like | Band 7 looks like |
|---|---|
| A mix of simple and complex forms. Errors occur in complex sentences and some faulty punctuation, but meaning is rarely obscured. | A variety of complex structures, with the majority of sentences error-free. Errors are present but few, and control of grammar and punctuation is good. |
The band 6 to band 7 jump
Across all four criteria, band 7 is characterised less by impressive language than by consistency. A band 6 essay does the right thing sometimes; a band 7 essay does it throughout. That reframes the work:
- Task Response: not "have an opinion" but hold the same opinion for 280 words.
- Coherence: not "use connectives" but give every paragraph one job.
- Lexical Resource: not "use rare words" but use the right word every time you reach for one.
- Grammar: not "write complex sentences" but write complex sentences that come out clean.
The practical implication is that untargeted practice — writing more essays without finding out which criterion is lagging — tends to reinforce the current band rather than move it. Comparing your own writing against a marked example is usually more informative than another attempt: see a band 6.5 essay marked line by line next to a band 8.0 answer to see where the gap actually is.
Four things that do not raise your band
- A memorised introduction. Wording that would fit any prompt is discounted, and it signals to the examiner that the rest may be memorised too.
- Writing 400 words. There is no upper limit, but long essays under time pressure lose accuracy and drift off the question. Nothing in the descriptors rewards length beyond the minimum.
- Rare vocabulary used approximately. A near-miss word counts against Lexical Resource, not for it.
- Idioms. Idiomatic language is a Speaking asset. In academic writing it usually reads as register error.
Frequently asked
What are the four IELTS Writing Task 2 marking criteria?
Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Each is scored from 0 to 9 and each carries equal weight — your Writing Task 2 band is the average of the four, so no single criterion can be ignored.
Does Task 2 count more than Task 1 in IELTS Writing?
Yes. Task 2 is worth roughly twice as much as Task 1 in your overall Writing band, which is why it is normally worth spending 40 of the 60 minutes on it.
What happens if my IELTS Task 2 essay is under 250 words?
An under-length essay is penalised under Task Response, because you cannot fully develop a position in too few words. Aim for 260 to 290 words: comfortably over the minimum, without adding padding that weakens the argument.
Do I have to give my own opinion in IELTS Task 2?
Only if the question asks for it, but when it does, your position must be clear and consistent from the introduction to the conclusion. A "discuss both views and give your opinion" question that never states an opinion cannot reach band 7 for Task Response.
Are memorised phrases penalised in IELTS Writing?
Yes. Memorised sentences that do not answer the specific question are discounted, and heavy use of them lowers both Task Response and Lexical Resource. Examiners are trained to spot template openings that could be attached to any prompt.