IELTS WRITING TASK 2 MARKING CRITERIA – EXPLAINED

The mistake most test takers make while attempting the 2nd question of the Writing Task is they think it is a ‘general essay’ and proceed to give a generic answer. Candidates do not read the questions carefully and start to write whatever comes to their mind. For example, in a question about the need for Solar Energy in the present times, some candidates will go on to write about the definition of Solar Energy and the whole process of converting it into Electrical Energy. THAT’S ABSURD.

Moreover, for someone who aspires for a 6 Band and above, you should be smart enough to know what the examiners expect from you; but you don’t have to worry. The best institute for IELTS , Trichyplus, got you covered.

To brush up on the known information, the Writing module of your IELTS Test contains two tasks: The first question asks you to interpret the infographic chart , whereas question 2 demands writing an essay-type answer. In Task – 1, you need to write a minimum of 150 words, and in Task 2, the minimum word count is 250.

The official band descriptors for IELTS Writing Task-2

In-depth understanding of each of the criteria

Clear-cut examples for accurate understanding

The chart below shows the official band descriptors for Band 9 IELTS Writing Task 2

You must fully address all parts of the question

Fully developed answers are expected in response to the question by the examiner.

The ideas you write must be relevant, fully extended, and well supported

Let’s see an example to understand it better

The first statement talks about the Law protecting old buildings from getting demolished, but the second line brings a new perspective, suggesting the construction of new buildings by ‘knocking down the old ones. In this case, you have to note that there are two questions.

The first question asks you to write about the importance of maintaining ancient buildings, and the last question asks your opinion on whether historical significance should stop modernization. So, including all the points of the question is sufficient to get a good score in the Task Response criteria.

Note – Never jot down general/vague ideas, and never write irrelevant ones.

The important advice is to be clear on the types of questions you can expect in Task – 2.

Some of the main question types you can expect in your IELTS exam are:

Opinion types – Asks whether you agree or disagree with the statement; Sometimes, you may need to discuss the sides of the argument and present your opinion.

Reason Solution – You need to analyze why a particular problem is happening and present relevant solutions.

Advantage Disadvantage – You need to point out the positives and negatives of the given trend; sometimes, you need to state whether there are more advantages than disadvantages.

Double questions – Like the example question discussed earlier in the blog, expect two different questions.

Use paragraphing efficiently and appropriately

Each paragraph should have a central topic