What an IELTS Writing Examiner Report Looks Like

Before you submit an essay, see exactly what you get back. Below is a complete sample report for a Task 2 essay from a learner targeting Band 6.5 – the same structure, depth and honesty as the report you would receive.

Band per criterion · errors quoted & fixed · rewrite at your target band · study plan

Submit your own essay

The submitted essay

Task 2 · Some people believe children should begin learning a foreign language at primary school. To what extent do you agree or disagree? · Learner’s target: Band 6.5 · 214 words

Nowadays, learning foreign language is very important for children future. Some people think children should study a foreign language when they are in primary school. I am totally agree with this opinion for several reasons.

Firstly, children brain can absorb new language faster than adult. Many researchs show that if children start early, they can speak more natural and have good pronunciation. For example, my cousin learned English since she was six years old, now her accent is almost like native speaker.

Secondly, learning language help children to know about other culture. It make them more open-mind and they can have more chances for their job in the future. In the modern world, companies want employees who can speak two or three languages.

However, some people say that children will be confused if they learn two languages in same time, but I think this problem is not serious. Children in many countries like Singapore learn several languages and they are still successful in school.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that primary school is the best time for children to start learning a foreign language, because they learn faster, get better pronunciation and have more opportunities later.

1 · Score summary

Criterion	Band	In one line
Task Response (TR)	6	Clear position, relevant ideas – but examples are thin and the counter-argument is dismissed too quickly.
Coherence & Cohesion (CC)	6	Logical paragraphing and linkers; some mechanical “Firstly/Secondly” and one overloaded sentence.
Lexical Resource (LR)	5	Vocabulary is adequate but repetitive (“learn/learning” 9×); word-form errors: open-mind, researchs.
Grammar (GRA)	5	Meaning always clear, but agreement and article errors appear in most sentences; few error-free sentences.
Task band	5.5	Average 5.5, rounded down to the nearest half band per IELTS rules.

Estimated exam band if this is typical of your writing: 5.5. Gap to target 6.5: mainly LR and GRA – and that is good news, because both respond quickly to focused work.

2 · What you did well

The examiner can always follow you

Position stated in the introduction, one idea per paragraph, a conclusion that matches the argument. This structure is exactly right – keep it.

You addressed the other side

Paragraph 4 raises the confusion argument before rejecting it – most Band 5 essays ignore the opposing view completely.

Relevant, concrete support

The cousin example and the Singapore reference are on-topic and specific. They need one more sentence of development each, but the instinct is right.

3 · Priority corrections

Your five highest-value fixes, quoted from the essay. Each explanation is given in English in the report, exactly as below.

I am totally agree with this opinion → I completely agree with this opinion“Agree” is a verb — do not use “am” before it. This error appears right in the opening sentence, the exact spot an examiner reads most closely.

children brain can absorb new language faster than adult → children’s brains can absorb a new language faster than adults’Possessive form (children’s) + countable noun needs an article (a new language) + comparison must be parallel (adults’).

Many researchs show that → A great deal of research shows that“Research” is an uncountable noun — there is no “researchs”. This is a heavily penalized Lexical Resource error because it is a fundamental academic word.

It make them more open-mind → It makes them more open-mindedThird-person singular verb agreement (makes) and correct adjective form (open-minded). Subject-verb agreement errors recur across multiple sentences — fixing them systematically is the fastest way to raise your GRA score.

learn two languages in same time → learn two languages at the same timeFixed prepositional phrase: at the same time. Learn collocations and prepositional phrases as whole chunks rather than translating word-by-word.

4 · Your paragraph, rewritten at Band 6.5

The real report rewrites your weakest paragraph at your target band – not Band 9 – so the next step is visible and copyable. Here is paragraph 2:

Firstly, young children acquire languages more easily than adults. A great deal of research shows that learners who start early tend to develop more natural pronunciation and greater fluency. My cousin, for instance, began studying English at six, and by her teens she could speak with an accent close to a native speaker’s – something her older classmates struggled to achieve.

Notice what changed: the grammar was corrected, “learn” was varied (acquire, studying), and the example gained one sentence of development. Same ideas – one band higher.

5 · Your plan to Band 6.5

Weeks 1–2 · Sentence accuracyYour GRA 5 comes from agreement and article slips, not missing grammar. This lesson drills exactly those errors.GRA 5 → 6
Weeks 2–4 · Vary your academic verbsNine uses of “learn” cap LR at 5. The vocabulary course gives you the function words Task 2 rewards.LR 5 → 6
Ongoing · Self-check before submittingRun the band descriptor checklist over your own essay first – then resubmit to the examiner and compare reports.TR/CC 6 → 7

Ready for yours?

Submit a Task 1 or Task 2 answer and get this report for your own writing – marked against the official band descriptors, reviewed by the teacher, from $1.

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This sample is illustrative and slightly shortened; real reports include more corrections and a longer rewrite. Scores here follow the same rules as real reports: when in doubt, the lower band.

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