How Writing is marked — the four criteria · Comment la note de Writing est attribuée — les quatre critères
Repair the missing job before polishing its adjectives
- Original data: cycling’s share rises from 20% to 35%, while cars fall from 50% to 40%. A draft copies the four numbers but gives no main picture. Add “Cycling gained share while cars declined; cars still had the larger share” before searching for rarer synonyms.
- A second draft says “The figures was rising”. That needs subject–verb agreement repair. The two problems involve different criteria, and neither sentence alone establishes a full Writing band. An adjective cannot volunteer as the missing overview.
What is Task 2’s weighting multiplier relative to Task 1?
Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1. This weight does not create a separate compulsory 40-minute timer.
Task achievement and Task response ask whether you answered
- Academic Task 1 Task achievement concerns selection, an overview and accurate relevant reporting. In the cycling case, report the share change; do not add an unsupported explanation about road construction.
- Task 2 Task response concerns the actual question, a clear developed position and relevant support. A qualified position can be clear: support a campus option while opposing compulsory residence for carers. Develop the qualification rather than switching to another question.
A Task 1 draft lists numbers but never states the main pattern. Which revision best addresses that problem?
Select and summarise the main picture, then support it with accurate details. A single checklist item does not establish the full response’s band.
Coherence and cohesion connect the message
- Arrange ideas so the reader can follow the argument or report. Paragraphs can group a main idea with its development. Linking words, pronouns and repeated noun phrases should make their relationships clear; no required linker quota exists.
- “The timetable offers evening sessions. This option could help carers attend” has a clear reference. “Moreover, it is cheaper” introduces an unsupported cost claim if no cost information was supplied. Changing the linker alone cannot supply the missing evidence.
Beginning every sentence with Firstly, Moreover, Furthermore raises Coherence and cohesion. · Commencer chaque phrase par Firstly, Moreover, Furthermore augmente Coherence and cohesion.
Starting every sentence with a signpost can make links mechanical. Use expressions that fit the relationship, along with clear reference and logical idea order.
“Evening sessions provide another option. This option could help carers.” What does This option refer to?
The noun phrase refers back to the attendance option, making the connection clear without claiming a guaranteed effect.
Vocabulary and grammar preserve precise meaning
- Lexical resource includes range and accurate, appropriate use, including collocation. “Bus fares fell” is precise when that is the intended claim. A more unusual word can also work when its meaning and register fit.
- Grammatical range and accuracy concern suitable structures, accuracy and punctuation. Correct “the figures was rising” to “the figures were rising”. Error patterns and their effects on communication matter in the full response; there is no local points tariff for this one error.
Which wording is clearest for a straightforward claim that bus fares fell?
Bus fares fell states the direction precisely. Rare vocabulary is useful only when it fits the meaning; a word is not forbidden merely because it is uncommon.
Match each criterion to what it measures. · Associez chaque critère à ce qu'il mesure.
All four are equally weighted within a task, then averaged into the task's band. · Les quatre sont pondérés également au sein d'une tâche, puis moyennés pour former le band de la tâche.
The minimum and the full assessment are different
- Academic Task 1 requires at least 150 words; Task 2 at least 250, in connected text. Notes can organise a plan, but are not the submitted response. A short answer may show too little task development or language; do not invent a fixed numerical deduction.
- Four criteria have equal weight within each task; Task 2 contributes twice as much to Writing as Task 1. Our short checks diagnose taught distinctions. They do not evaluate all the evidence an examiner needs or predict a band.
What is the minimum number of words stated for Academic Writing Task 2? Type the number.
Task 2 asks for at least 250 words. Meet the minimum while developing relevant connected prose; do not assume a fixed automatic deduction.
Change the draft and reassess its remaining needs
- Adding an overview repairs the missing main picture, but the draft may still misreport a value or contain agreement errors. Review each claim and its organisation after revision; one successful edit does not certify the whole answer.
- Criteria and format checked on 2 October 2026: official IELTS Writing guide and · et Writing preparation resources. The snippets are original teaching cases.
- Locate the task, organisation, vocabulary or grammar need, then review the whole response after the repair.
Match the distinctions in this worked case.
Use the criteria to locate needs, not to assign a score from one sentence. A full response can show strengths and weaknesses in several areas together.
A revised draft now has an accurate overview but still says “the figures was rising”. Which edit addresses the remaining error?
Figures is plural, so were repairs this agreement error. Adding an overview did not automatically fix other language needs or establish a band.
Repairing the agreement in one sentence establishes the whole response’s IELTS band.
One repair checks one problem. A full response supplies evidence across all four criteria.