IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Descriptors: What Each Band Looks Like

IELTS Writing Task 2 is marked on four criteria: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Each criterion is worth the same, so a weak spot in one can hold your whole essay back, even if the other three are strong.

Below, each criterion is described for bands 5 to 8 in everyday language, with short examples. This is our own reading for practice purposes and the bands are estimates, not official IELTS judgments.

Task Response: do you answer the actual question?

Task Response checks whether you address every part of the prompt, take a clear position, and support your ideas.

• Band 5: you address the task only partly. Your position is not always clear, ideas are limited, and you may repeat yourself or go off topic.
• Band 6: you address all parts, though some more fully than others. You give a position, but conclusions can be unclear. Some ideas are not developed enough.
• Band 7: you address all parts and give a clear position throughout. Main ideas are extended and supported, though you may over-generalise or lose focus on a point.
• Band 8: you cover all parts sufficiently, with well-developed ideas and relevant, specific support.

Suppose the prompt says: "Some people think children should start school at six. Others say earlier. Discuss both views and give your opinion."

Band 5 style: "Some people say six years and some say earlier. School is important for children and they must learn."

Band 7 style: "Supporters of an earlier start argue that young children absorb language quickly, which is true. However, I believe the stronger case is for six, since play-based learning builds social skills that formal lessons cannot replace."

The band 7 sentence names a view, gives a reason, and states a personal position. If you want to understand how to organise this, see our guide to Task 2 essay structure.

Coherence and Cohesion: is it easy to follow?

Coherence is the logical order of ideas and paragraphs. Cohesion is the language that links sentences: connectors, pronouns and reference words.

• Band 5: some organisation, but not always logical. Linking is limited or mechanical, and referencing can be unclear or repetitive.
• Band 6: ideas are arranged coherently with an overall progression. Cohesive devices are used, but not always accurately, and referencing may be faulty.
• Band 7: logical organisation with a clear central topic in each paragraph. A range of cohesive devices is used, with some over- or under-use.
• Band 8: ideas are sequenced logically, paragraphing is used well, and cohesion is managed skilfully with rare lapses.

Mechanical linking looks like this: "Firstly, cars are expensive. Secondly, cars cause pollution. Thirdly, cars cause accidents." Each sentence is a separate item with no development.

Better: "Cars are expensive to run, and this cost falls hardest on low-income families. Pollution is a further concern, since urban exhaust fumes are linked to respiratory illness." Here "this cost" and "a further concern" connect ideas naturally. For good options and mistakes to avoid, browse our page on linking words.

Lexical Resource: precise, natural vocabulary

• Band 5: limited range, repetition, and noticeable spelling or word-formation errors that may make reading difficult.
• Band 6: adequate range. You try less common words but with some inaccuracy. Errors rarely stop the reader understanding.
• Band 7: sufficient range for some flexibility and precision. You use less common words and show awareness of collocation, with occasional errors.
• Band 8: wide range used fluently and precisely. Skilful use of uncommon items, with rare errors.

Band 5 style: "Pollution is a big problem. It makes many bad things for health."

Band 7 style: "Air pollution poses a serious threat to public health, contributing to asthma and heart disease."

The second version is not longer, only more exact. Notice the collocations "poses a threat" and "public health". Learning words in pairs and chunks helps more than memorising rare single words, and the risk of copying advanced vocabulary you cannot control is real: a misused uncommon word is an error, not a bonus.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: variety with control

• Band 5: limited range with frequent errors. Complex sentences are attempted but are less accurate than simple ones.
• Band 6: a mix of simple and complex sentences. Errors occur but rarely reduce clarity.
• Band 7: a variety of complex structures, frequent error-free sentences, and good control of grammar and punctuation with a few errors.
• Band 8: a wide range of structures, the majority of sentences error-free, and only occasional inappropriacies.

Examples of range worth practising: conditional sentences ("If governments taxed sugary drinks, consumption would fall"), passive voice ("Many jobs are expected to be automated"), relative clauses ("Students who work part-time often manage their time better") and participle phrases ("Having reviewed the evidence, I remain convinced that...").

Punctuation counts too. A run of comma splices, such as "Technology is useful, it saves time", signals a band 5 to 6 level of control.

What really separates bands 6, 7 and 8

Criterion	Band 6	Band 7	Band 8
Task Response	All parts addressed, uneven	Clear position, extended ideas	Well-developed, specific support
Coherence	Logical but mechanical links	Clear paragraph topics	Skilful, almost seamless
Vocabulary	Adequate, some errors	Flexible, some collocation	Wide and precise
Grammar	Mix, errors present	Frequent error-free sentences	Majority error-free

How to practise with the descriptors

1. Write a full essay from our Task 2 question bank in 40 minutes.
2. Reread it four times, once per criterion, and underline evidence for each.
3. Rewrite only your weakest paragraph at the next level up.

Scorify can give AI feedback on Writing with estimated criterion bands, which is a quick way to find which of the four holds you back. As with any tool, it is practice feedback and not an official score.

Summary checklist

• Answer every part of the question and state your position clearly.
• Give each paragraph one main idea, with an explanation and an example.
• Use linking that shows relationships, not just a list of sequencers.
• Prefer accurate natural phrases over rare words.
• Attempt complex grammar, and proofread for basic errors.