IELTS Band Scores and Marking Criteria: How Examiners Grade You

Writing marking criteria (25% each)

• Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2) — did you answer the actual question, with a clear position and supported ideas?
• Coherence and Cohesion — logical paragraphing, clear progression, accurate linking words.
• Lexical Resource — range and precision of vocabulary, natural collocations, few word-choice errors.
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy — mix of simple and complex sentences, controlled articles, plurals and tenses.

Speaking marking criteria (25% each)

• Fluency and Coherence — speaking at length without long pauses or self-correction loops.
• Lexical Resource — precise, topic-appropriate vocabulary and paraphrasing.
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy — accurate complex structures spoken naturally.
• Pronunciation — clear word stress, sentence rhythm and intonation; accent does not matter.

What separates Band 6 from Band 7

• Band 6 writers answer the question generally; Band 7 writers address every part of the prompt with a clear, consistent position.
• Band 6 uses common vocabulary correctly; Band 7 uses less common, topic-specific collocations with only occasional errors.
• Band 6 grammar is mostly accurate in simple sentences; Band 7 produces frequent error-free complex sentences.
• Band 6 speakers hesitate and repeat; Band 7 speakers keep going, paraphrase when stuck, and develop answers without prompting.

The Band 7 checklist for Writing Task 2

• A clear position in the introduction that never changes.
• Every body paragraph starts with a topic sentence that answers the question.
• Each idea is explained and supported with a specific example.
• Linking is accurate but not mechanical — 'however' and 'for instance' beat 'moreover' in every sentence.
• At least half of your complex sentences are completely error-free.

How the overall band is calculated

Your four section scores are averaged and rounded to the nearest half band: 6.25 becomes 6.5, 6.75 becomes 7.0. This means one weak section can pull the average down — a 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 6.0 profile gives 7.0 overall, but 6.5, 6.5, 6.5, 6.0 gives only 6.5.

How to use this

Grade your own practice answers against these criteria before you submit them. Our AI tutor feedback scores each criterion separately, so you can see exactly which one is holding your band down.