Writing is marked against four published criteria. Each produces its own band, and the task band is their average. The short answer to a common question: the four criteria are equally weighted within a task, but Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1 in the Writing band.
The four criteria
From IELTS scoring in detail:
- Task achievement (Task 1) and Task response (Task 2): did you do what the prompt asked, with enough content and enough words.
- Coherence and cohesion: does the response hold together, do paragraphs carry one idea, do sentences connect naturally.
- Lexical resource: range of vocabulary and whether it is used precisely.
- Grammatical range and accuracy: variety of structures, error frequency, and whether errors impede understanding.
IELTS publishes both the band descriptors and the supporting key assessment criteria, so this is not a matter of guessing what an examiner wants.
Why word count matters more than it looks
Task 1 asks for at least 150 words in about 20 minutes; Task 2 asks for at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. Falling short is penalised under the first criterion, and no amount of quality elsewhere repairs it.
It is also the cheapest error to fix. A 210-word Task 2 and a 260-word Task 2 can show identical language quality, but the first has a ceiling imposed before the examiner considers anything else.
Typical failures by criterion
- Task response: answering a nearby question rather than the one asked — listing advantages and disadvantages when the prompt asked to what extent you agree.
- Coherence and cohesion: stacking connectives. Three consecutive sentences opening with "Moreover", "In addition" and "Furthermore" advertise the absence of a real through-line.
- Lexical resource: reaching for a rare word in the wrong context. One misused sophisticated word costs more than one accurate ordinary word gains.
- Grammatical range: writing only simple sentences to stay safe. Safe, and capped.
Marking your own work
Write, then score each criterion separately on the nine-band scale with a one-line reason each. Do not produce a single overall figure first. Those four numbers tell you what to fix, and the lowest one is your next task.
The limits of self-marking, and where automated feedback genuinely helps, are covered in Self-assessing your IELTS Writing.
Frequently asked questions
Does writing more earn a higher band?
No. Exceeding the minimum earns nothing, and padding damages coherence.
Does copying the prompt into my answer count towards the word count?
Words copied directly from the prompt are not counted, so a response can fall below the minimum without the writer noticing.
How many grammar mistakes cap my band?
There is no fixed number. What matters is whether errors impede communication and how often they occur.