IELTS Preparation Course – marking guide – WT 2	

I have used the following marking scheme when grading practice WT 2 assignments.
A – a good chance of getting a grade 6 or above
B – borderline: may get a grade 6 or above
C – unlikely to get a grade 6 or above
Key band descriptors for grades 5 and 6 (Writing Task 2)
This is an extract from the official IELTS table of band descriptors for the ten IELTS bands.
The full table is available from the IELTS web site (www.ielts.org)

	Task achievement	Coherence and cohesion	Lexical resource	Grammatical range and accuracy	
6	addresses all parts of the task although some parts may be more fully covered than others 

presents a relevant position although the conclusions may become unclear or repetitive 

presents relevant main ideas but some may be inadequately developed/unclear 
	arranged coherently 
a clear overall progression 

uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion may be faulty or mechanical 

referencing may not be clear or appropriate

paragraphing not always logical	an adequate range of vocabulary 

attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy

some errors in spelling and/or word formation -
do not impede communication 
	uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms 

makes some errors in grammar and punctuation but they rarely reduce communication 
	
5	addresses the task only partially; the format may be inappropriate in places 

expresses a position but the development is not always clear and there may be no conclusions drawn 

presents some main ideas but these are limited and not sufficiently developed; there may be irrelevant detail 

	some organisation 

may be a lack of overall progression 

inadequate, inaccurate or over-use of cohesive devices 

may be repetitive because of lack of referencing and substitution 

no paragraphs, or paragraphing may be inadequate 
	a limited range of vocabulary, but minimally adequate for the task 

may make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader 
	uses only a limited range of structures 

attempts complex sentences but these tend to be less accurate than simple sentences 

may make frequent grammatical errors and punctuation may be faulty; errors can cause some difficulty for the reader