Band

Task Achievement

Coherence & Cohesion

Lexical Resource (vocabulary)

Grammatical Range

& Accuracy

9

-  fully satisfies all the requirements of the task

-  clearly presents a fully developed response

- uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention 

- skillfully manages paragraphing

- uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’

- uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’

8

- covers all requirements of the task sufficiently 

- presents, highlights and illustrates key features / bullet points clearly and appropriately

- sequences information and ideas logically 

- manages all aspects of cohesion well

- uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately

- uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings

- skillfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation

- produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation

- uses a wide range of structures 

- the majority of sentences are error-free 

- makes only very occasional errors or inappropriate uses of grammar

7

- covers the requirements of the task

 - (Academic) presents a clear overview of main trends, differences or stages

-  (General Training) presents a clear purpose, with the tone consistent and appropriate

- clearly presents and highlights key features/bullet points but could be more fully extended

- logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout

- uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use

- uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision 

 - uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation 

 - may produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation

- uses a variety of complex structures 

- produces frequent error-free sentences 

- has good control of grammar and punctuation but may make a few errors

6

- addresses the requirements of the task

-  (Academic) presents an overview with information appropriately selected 

- (General Training) presents a purpose that is generally clear; there may be inconsistencies in tone. 

- presents and adequately highlights key features / bullet points but details may be irrelevant, inappropriate or inaccurate

-  arranges information and ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression

- uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical 

- may not always use referencing clearly or appropriately

- uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task 

- attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy 

- makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they 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

- generally addresses the task; the format may be inappropriate in places 

  - (Academic) recounts detail mechanically with no clear overview; there may be no data to support the description

- (General Training) may present a purpose for the letter that is unclear at times; the tone may be variable and sometimes inappropriate 

- presents, but inadequately covers, key features/bullet points; there may be a tendency to focus on detail

- presents information with some organisation but there may be a lack of overall progression 

- makes inadequate, inaccurate or overuse of cohesive devices  may be repetitive because of lack of referencing and substitution

 - uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is 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

4

- attempts to address the task but does not cover all key features/bullet points; the format may be inappropriate

- (General Training) fails to clearly explain the purpose of the letter; the tone may be inappropriate 

 - may confuse key features/bullet points with detail; parts may be unclear, irrelevant, repetitive or inaccurate

- presents information and ideas but these are not arranged coherently and there is no clear progression in the response 

 - uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive

- uses only basic vocabulary which may be used repetitively or which may be inappropriate for the task 

 - has limited control of word formation and/or spelling; 

 - errors may cause strain for the reader

 - uses only a very limited range of structures with only rare use of subordinate clauses 

 - some structures are accurate but errors predominate, and punctuation is often faulty

3

- fails to address the task, which may have been completely misunderstood 

- presents limited ideas which may be largely irrelevant/repetitive

- does not organise ideas logically 

 - may use a very limited range of cohesive devices, and those used may not indicate a logical relationship between ideas

- uses only a very limited range of words and expressions with very limited control of word formation and/or spelling

-  errors may severely distort the message

 - attempts sentence forms but errors in grammar and punctuation predominate and distort the meaning

2

 - answer is barely related to the task

 - has very little control of organisational features

 - uses an extremely limited range of vocabulary; essentially no control of word formation and/or spelling

 - cannot use sentence forms except in memorised phrases

1

 - answer is completely unrelated to the task

 - fails to communicate any message

 - can only use a few isolated words

 - cannot use sentence forms at all

0

- does not attend

- does not attempt the task in any way

- writes a totally memorised response