IELTS Writing Task Two Band Descriptors: Grammatical Range and Accuracy

My main focus is to help you achieve between bands 7 to 7.5 in writing. It is quite challenging to achieve any higher if you have never studied in an English-speaking country. So, I am trying to keep this as realistic as possible without the promise of getting band 9 after reading a couple of my essays. 

Band descriptors are the measurement that all writing task 2 (and task 1) essays are evaluated upon. There are four main criteria as follows: task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. 

Here, we are examining the fourth one: grammatical range and accuracy. 

The band descriptor for band 7 in the grammatical range and accuracy reads as the following:

1. A variety of complex structures is used with some flexibility and accuracy.

2. Grammar and punctuation are generally well-controlled, and error-free sentences are frequent.

3. A few errors in grammar may persist, but these do not impede communication.

Simply put, you need to write mostly in complex structure and make no mistakes in grammar and punctuation. But, let us dig deeper and see examples of how people may get stuck at band 6. 

Science has changed the lives of millions of people. It starts with inventing home appliances. And, it ends with finding cures for life-threatening diseases. 

While the sentences before were written in advanced vocabulary, they are just a group of simple sentences aligned next to each other. It is better to find correlations and relationships between ideas and write them in a more advanced structure to achieve band 7 in this criterion. 

Punctuation, also, plays a pivotal role here. Read the example below.

In my opinion. science has always been and should always be about the improvement of human existence.

There should be a comma instead of the period at the end of the opening phrase.

Check out the example below in which complex structures are highlighted, and read the examiner’s comments provided on the essay.

The most important aim of science should be to improve people’s lives.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Science has changed the lives of millions of people, starting from inventing home appliances that made house chores much easier to discovering the cure for many life-threatening diseases. In my opinion, science has always been and should always be about the improvement of human existence. In the following lines, I will elaborate on the rationale behind my premise. 

Necessity is the mother of invention. Past inventions that stemmed from the need to meet the consistent growth of society posed a vital step in the advancement of science. For example, the invention of the abacus, which is a hand-operated calculating tool, was due to the expansion of tribal members and their wealth. Those ancient individuals needed to use a tool to shorten the time of calculations and to store numbers in what imitated today’s hard drives. Historical innovations are vast and diverse; some are used as they are in our day-to-day life, such as the wheel, while others have been improved over the years, such as airplanes, to be more modern and more sustainable.  

Thinking forward, there is a full dependence on science to ensure the human race’s survival from the imminent danger of global warming. Scientists are the ones holding the responsibility of finding solutions to the root causes of global warming. The rapid increase in Earth’s temperature that results from the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the advent of the Industrial Revolution could solely be mitigated by scientists finding alternatives to fuel those factories in a more environment-friendly way. 

In conclusion, it can be deduced that the advancement and survival of humankind should be the principal purpose of science. As a result, it is recommended that governments support those who work hard to make this possible.  

The examiner’s comments

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Your essay demonstrates a solid grasp of grammar and punctuation, with mostly error-free sentences. Complex sentence structures are used effectively, contributing to the overall coherence and clarity of the essay. However, there are a few instances of minor grammatical errors and awkward phrasing that could be revised for smoother communication.