How IELTS Is Marked: Writing, Speaking and Band Descriptors

IELTS does not give one general impression-based score for your English.

Listening and Reading are scored from the number of correct answers, while Writing and Speaking are assessed by certificated IELTS examiners using published assessment criteria and band descriptors.

Understanding those criteria can make your preparation much more focused.

Instead of asking:

Does this essay sound advanced?

or:

Did I use enough difficult vocabulary?

you can ask more useful questions:

Did I fully answer the task?

Are my ideas logically organised?

Is my vocabulary accurate and appropriate?

Can I use a range of grammar with enough control?

This guide explains how IELTS marking works, what the Writing and Speaking criteria actually assess, and how to use the public band descriptors to evaluate your own practice more realistically.

Jump to: IELTS scoring · Writing criteria · Speaking criteria · Band descriptors · Examiner standardisation · What Band 7 means · Common misconceptions · Self-assessment

Start understanding IELTS marking

• What Band 7 Really Means in IELTS Writing — understand the difference between a band label and the performance described by the criteria.
• How to Check IELTS Writing Like an Examiner — review your writing criterion by criterion rather than relying on a general impression.
• How to Self-Assess IELTS Writing — build a more systematic review process.
• Why IELTS Band Scores Don’t Always Improve — understand why doing more practice does not necessarily improve the weaknesses assessed by IELTS.

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How IELTS scoring works

IELTS gives separate band scores for:

• Listening
• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking

These four section scores are then used to calculate your overall IELTS band score.

However, the way those section scores are produced is different.

Listening and Reading

Listening and Reading contain objectively marked questions.

You receive one mark for each correct answer, and the raw score is converted to the IELTS nine-band scale. The approximate number of correct answers needed for a particular band can vary slightly between test versions.

There is no examiner making a qualitative judgement about your vocabulary, grammar or organisation in these two sections.

Writing and Speaking

Writing and Speaking are productive skills, so your performance is rated by trained examiners.

IELTS uses specific criteria for each skill, and the criteria are scored separately.

That distinction matters.

A Writing score is not simply:

“This feels like Band 7.”

It is based on your performance across four defined areas.

The same principle applies to Speaking.

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How IELTS Writing is marked

IELTS Writing uses four assessment criteria:

1. Task Achievement for Task 1 / Task Response for Task 2
2. Coherence and Cohesion
3. Lexical Resource
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Within each task, the four criteria are equally weighted. Task 2 contributes more to the final Writing score than Task 1.

Task Achievement and Task Response

These criteria assess whether you have actually completed the task appropriately.

For Academic Task 1, this includes selecting and presenting the key features of the visual information.

For Task 2, it includes responding to the question, presenting a relevant position where required and developing the argument with supporting ideas.

This is why strong grammar cannot rescue an essay that does not properly answer the question.

Similarly, a Task 1 report containing many accurate numbers can still be weak if the main features have not been identified clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion

This looks at how your information and ideas are organised and connected.

It includes:

• logical progression
• paragraphing
• relationships between ideas
• referencing
• appropriate cohesive devices

More linking words do not automatically mean better cohesion.

For example:

Firstly, public transport reduces traffic. Moreover, it reduces pollution. Furthermore, it is cheap.

contains several connectors, but the argument is still underdeveloped.

Compare:

Reliable public transport can reduce congestion by giving commuters a practical alternative to driving. This may also improve urban air quality because fewer private vehicles are needed on busy roads.

The second version connects the ideas through meaning rather than simply adding more linking expressions.

Lexical Resource

Lexical Resource assesses the range and control of your vocabulary.

The descriptors consider features such as:

• range
• flexibility
• precision
• appropriacy
• word choice
• collocation
• spelling
• word formation

Higher scores require increasingly flexible and accurate control, not simply rarer vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

This assesses:

• the structures you use
• grammatical control
• sentence variety
• error frequency
• punctuation

The public descriptors show that both range and accuracy matter.

A long sentence is therefore not automatically better than a short one.

The structure needs to work.

For dedicated preparation, continue with our IELTS Writing Task 1 guide or IELTS Writing Task 2 guide.

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How IELTS Speaking is marked

IELTS Speaking uses four different criteria:

1. Fluency and Coherence
2. Lexical Resource
3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
4. Pronunciation

Each criterion is equally weighted.

Fluency and Coherence

This considers how effectively you can keep your speech moving and organise what you say.

It includes features such as:

• hesitation
• repetition
• self-correction
• developing a topic
• linking ideas coherently

Fluency does not simply mean speaking quickly.

A fast answer with unclear organisation is not necessarily more fluent than a slightly slower but well-developed response.

Lexical Resource

This looks at how flexibly and precisely you can use vocabulary while speaking.

The descriptors also recognise:

• paraphrasing
• collocation
• less common vocabulary
• idiomatic language where appropriate

You do not need to force idioms into every answer.

For example:

I’m really into hiking because it helps me switch off after work.

sounds natural.

A memorised idiom that does not fit the topic may make your language less precise rather than more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Speaking grammar is assessed in real time.

The descriptors consider:

• sentence structures
• grammatical range
• flexibility
• error-free sentences
• whether errors interfere with communication

You are not expected to speak without ever making a mistake.

Even the higher-band descriptors allow for some errors.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is about being understood and using phonological features effectively.

You do not need a British or American accent.

Your own accent is not a problem simply because it is identifiable; intelligibility and control are what matter in the descriptors.

For complete preparation, use the IELTS Speaking guide.

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How IELTS band descriptors work

A band descriptor is a description of the performance associated with a particular score.

It is not a checklist where:

one grammar mistake = minus one band

or:

one impressive word = plus one band.

Instead, each criterion describes the overall characteristics expected at different levels.

For example, the public Writing descriptors show a progression from more limited control towards increasingly:

• complete task fulfilment
• logical organisation
• lexical flexibility and precision
• grammatical variety and control

The Speaking descriptors similarly show progression in:

• fluency and topic development
• vocabulary flexibility
• grammatical range
• pronunciation and intelligibility.

This is why one isolated sentence cannot reliably be labelled:

Band 6

or:

Band 8

A band descriptor applies to a performance across a criterion, not to one vocabulary item or one sentence.

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How IELTS examiners are standardised

IELTS examiners are not simply experienced English teachers who give whatever score feels appropriate.

Official IELTS information states that examiners are recruited, trained, standardised and certificated before assessing candidates. Their marking performance is also monitored, and examiners are required to undergo retraining and recertification.

IELTS reports that examiner reliability is maintained through its Professional Support Network, which manages standardisation and monitoring.

This is important because IELTS aims for a score to represent the same standard regardless of where a candidate takes the test.

The practical lesson for learners is simple:

Prepare for the published criteria, not for one examiner’s supposed preferences.

You do not need to guess:

• what vocabulary an examiner personally likes
• what opinion they agree with
• whether they prefer short or long paragraphs
• what accent they prefer

Your response is assessed against the IELTS criteria.

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What does Band 7 actually mean?

A Band 7 does not mean:

almost perfect English

and it does not mean:

use seven advanced words in every paragraph.

The official descriptors show that Band 7 performance can still contain errors.

Band 7 Writing

At Band 7, the Writing descriptors broadly expect a response that:

• covers the task requirements
• is logically organised with clear progression
• demonstrates sufficient lexical flexibility and precision
• uses a variety of complex grammatical structures
• frequently produces error-free sentences

Some errors can remain, provided they do not significantly interfere with communication.

Band 7 Speaking

A Band 7 Speaking performance can:

• sustain longer responses
• discuss different topics with reasonably flexible vocabulary
• paraphrase effectively where necessary
• use a range of grammatical structures
• produce frequent error-free sentences

Some hesitation and errors may still occur.

The important word is overall performance.

One strong paragraph or one fluent Speaking answer does not establish an overall Band 7.

Likewise, one mistake does not automatically prevent it.

For a fuller explanation, see What Band 7 Really Means in IELTS Writing.