Sample Candidate Writing Scripts and Examiner Comments
The General Training Writing Module consists of
two tasks, Task 1 and Task 2. Each task isassessed independently. The assessment of
Task 2 carries more weight in marking than Task
1.
Detailed performance descriptors have beendeveloped which describe written performanceat the 9 IELTS bands. These descriptors apply
to both the Academic and General Training
Modules.

Task 1 scripts are assessed on the following
criteria:• Task Achievement• Coherence and Cohesion

refers to the varied and appropriate use ofcohesive devices (for example, logicalconnectors, pronouns and conjunctions) toassist in making the conceptual and referential
relationships between and within sentences
clear.
Lexical ResourceThis criterion refers to the range of vocabulary
the candidate has used and the accuracy andappropriacy of that use in terms of the specifictask.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
This criterion refers to the range and accurate
use of the candidate’s grammatical resource as
manifested in the candidate’s writing at sentencelevel.

• Lexical Resource• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Task 2
Task Response

Task 2 scripts are assessed on the following
criteria:• Task Response• Coherence and Cohesion• Lexical Resource• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Candidates should note that scripts will be
penalised if they are a) under the minimum wordlength, b) partly or wholly plagiarised, c) not
written as full, connected text (e.g. using bullet
points in any part of the response, or note form,
is not appropriate, etc.).

Task 2 requires the candidates to formulate anddevelop a position in relation to a given prompt
in the form of a question or statement. Ideas
should be supported by evidence, and examples
may be drawn from the candidates’ own
experience. Responses must be at least 250
words in length.
Writing scripts are marked by trained andcertificated IELTS examiners. Scores may bereported as whole bands or half­bands.
On the next 6 pages you will find candidates’
answers to two sample Writing tests. There are
two answers for each Writing task. Each answer
has been awarded a band score and isaccompanied by an examiner comment on thecandidate’s performance for that task.

Task 1
Task Achievement
This criterion assesses how appropriately,accurately and relevantly the response fulfils therequirements set out in the task, using theminimum of 150 words.
Task 1 is also a writing task with a largely
predictable output in that each task sets out thecontext and purpose of the letter and thefunctions the candidate should cover in order toachieve this purpose.
Coherence and Cohesion
This criterion is concerned with the overall clarityand fluency of the message: how the responseorganises and links information, ideas andlanguage. Coherence refers to the linking ofideas through logical sequencing. Cohesion

The examiners’ guidelines for marking theWriting scripts are very detailed. There aremany different ways a candidate mayachieve a particular band score. The
candidates’ answers that follow should not
be regarded as definitive examples of any
particular band score.
Please refer to the public band descriptorsfor Writing.

General Training Writing Sample Task 1
Sample Script A

Examiner commentBand 5
The answer is below the word limit and there is some repetition of the task rubric. (Length is a common problem inGeneral Training scripts.) Answers that are short lose marks because of inadequate content and may also lose marks
because there is insufficient material in the answer for the examiner to give credit for accuracy and coherence. Despite
these problems, the introduction to the letter is appropriate and the purpose of the writer is clear. The points are notalways linked together well and punctuation is sometimes faulty. The sentences are kept quite simple and mistakes occur
as soon as more complex structures are attempted.

General Training Writing Sample Task 1Sample Script B

Examiner comment
Band 7This answer is also short. Although ideas are often provided in the task rubric, candidates are at liberty to include some of
their own ideas in their answers. In this case, the candidate has attempted to incorporate some original material. The
answer reads quite fluently, is well organised and there is good use of conjunctions to link points. There are somegrammatical errors but these do not affect the reader greatly and there is evidence of some more complex sentence
structures.

General Training Writing Sample Task 2Sample Script A

Examiner comment
Band 5
There are quite a lot of relevant ideas in the answer but they are not always well supported and sometimes they areunclear. There are some areas in the answer where the organisation becomes weak and the reader finds the message
difficult to follow. Nevertheless, the writer’s view is apparent and there is a logical flow to the points given. There are a lotof mistakes in the answer and some parts, such as the conclusion, are very hard to follow because of these errors.
Although there is some appropriate vocabulary, sentence control is very weak. These problems are made worse by thepoor correcting which sometimes makes words unreadable.

General Training Writing Sample Task 2
Sample Script B

Examiner commentBand 8
This is a very well­organised script which contains a lot of well­supported arguments and analyses the topic from different
angles. The ideas follow each other well and there is a very honest conclusion. The answer is easy to read. There aresome areas where the expression is clumsy but this makes little difference to the overall flow of the answer. There areminor errors in spelling and structure.