Writing guides
How the score actually works, what each band demands, and the specific fixes that take you up half a band at a time.
Each task is assessed using four equally weighted criteria. Here is how the criteria and task weighting work, plus an illustrative sentence rewrite that is not a complete band-scored response.
A repeated 6.5 result can arise from different task and criterion profiles. Here is how to identify a useful practice priority, what the Band 7 descriptor demands there, and the targeted drill that fixes it.
The Band 7 Lexical Resource descriptor explicitly rewards 'awareness of style and collocation', which makes word pairings one of the few vocabulary skills the examiner is instructed to look for. Here is what collocations actually are, the pairings worth learning for common IELTS themes, and the classic wrong combinations that quietly signal Band 6.
Punctuation is scored inside Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and one recurring habit, the comma splice, quietly converts pairs of error-free sentences into errors. Here is exactly which marks the examiner cares about, how to fix the splice for good, and which marks you can safely ignore.
Writing 'economical growth' instead of 'economic growth' changes the intended meaning. Word-choice and grammatical effects depend on the sentence; there is no automatic double deduction. Here are the word families where candidates slip most, the suffix logic that lets you derive the right form, and a self-check for your final read-through.
Process diagrams require accurate selection and sequencing; some are linear, while others branch or form a cycle. Here is the structure, the overview formula, the passive voice rules, and the sequencing language that carries a Band 7 report.
Use these twelve broad themes to vary your practice. Learn to read each question carefully and build relevant vocabulary, rather than predicting what will appear on test day.
Coherence and Cohesion is the criterion candidates can name least but feel most. It is a quarter of your band, and the descriptor rewards logical flow and paragraph control, not a count of linking words. Here is what it actually means and how to get it right.
A Task 2 introduction that does two things cleanly (paraphrase the question and state a position) sets up your Task Response score before the examiner reaches your body paragraphs. Here is the formula, worked across three question types, and the mistakes that hold introductions back.
Your conclusion is not a third body paragraph and it is not a copy of your introduction. It restates your position in fresh words, sums up your reasons, and stops. Here is how to write one that lifts your Task Response score instead of dragging it down.
Paraphrasing is a core skill in both Task 1 and Task 2, marked under Lexical Resource and Task Response. But most candidates either copy the question or twist it into unnatural synonyms. Here is how to paraphrase cleanly under time pressure.
Lexical Resource rewards precision, range, and naturalness, not the size of your vocabulary. Most candidates chase rare words when they should be tightening their collocations and replacing weak everyday verbs. Here is what moves the band.
An overview summarises the big picture in Academic Task 1. It contributes to Task Achievement; it does not impose a fixed ceiling on the whole task band. These practice examples cover different visual types.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy is one criterion covering sentence variety and control. Here are four complex sentence patterns you can use reliably, and the one habit that makes ambitious sentences collapse.
General Training Task 1 asks for a letter with a clear purpose, relevant coverage and an appropriate tone. Here is how formal, semi-formal, and informal letters differ, the structure that works for all of them, and a worked practice example.
Opinion essays ask you to explain your extent of agreement. Develop a clear position with relevant reasons, whether you fully agree, disagree or qualify your answer. This guide shows a practical structure and how to handle competing arguments.
Grammar is one of four equally weighted criteria for each Writing task. These six practice examples show errors to look for and ways to correct them; they are not independently band-scored sentences.
Academic Task 1 asks for a report of at least 150 words. The skill is selection: a clear overview, then the key features grouped logically, in the right tense. Here is the structure, the trend language, and a worked example.
Linking words help your reader follow your argument, which is what Coherence and Cohesion rewards. But cramming them in backfires. Here is a function-grouped list of connectors that work, and the habit to drop.
A Task 2 essay is not a template to memorise, it is a predictable shape that makes your argument easy to follow and easy to mark. Here is the four-paragraph plan, the engine inside each body paragraph, and how it flexes across the five question types.
The jump from 6.5 to 7 is rarely about harder words. It is about control and consistency. Here is what the descriptors ask for, a practice paragraph revision and how to choose a focus without treating one criterion as a mathematical ceiling.
Apply one guide to one essay, grade it, and see the criterion move. That loop is the whole method.