How is the Writing test marked and scored?

For each task of the Writing test, the examiner gives you a score of 0-9 for each of the four marking criteria. You are given an overall score for each task, which is an average of these four scores. Then, your overall Writing score is a combination of Task 1 and Task 2 (Task 1 is 33% of your score, Task 2 is 67%).

The four marking criteria are:

• Task Achievement (TA): Did you answer the question? Did you include enough information? Was your answer relevant?
• Coherence & Cohesion (CC): Do your sentences make sense? Are your ideas easy to follow? Do your sentences connect? Is your whole answer well-organised? Does it use paragraphs?
• Lexical Resource (LR): Do you use a wide range of vocabulary? Do you use the correct words for what you are trying to say? Do you use those words in correct collocation?
• Grammatical Range & Accuracy (GRA): Do you use a range of grammatical structures, including verb forms? Is your grammar generally accurate?

For example, ...

... for Task 1 you might score:   TA: 5    CC: 5    LR: 6    GRA: 6                       Task 1: 5.5 

For Task 2, you might score:   TA: 6    CC: 7    LR: 7    GRA: 7                         Task 2: 6.5     

So, your overall score would be - Overall: 6.0

You can learn more about this in our classes on the Marking Criteria of the Writing test. You can find these by choosing Study, Topics and then Writing. The classes are both called 'Marking Criteria' for Writing Task 1 and 2. You can also follow these classes with training and practice exercises.