Page 10 - TEST BOOK

TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Rubrics

Score Task Description
5 An essay at this level:
Addresses topic and task effectively and shows good development and organization, with
adequate use of examples, details, and explanations. The essay is coherent and progresses
well, while showing variety in syntax, appropriate vocabulary, and good use of idioms.
Errors may occur but are not significant.

4 An essay at this level:
Addresses topic and task successfully, but some points may need added elaboration.
Development and organization are good. Examples, details, and explanations are adequate
and appropriate. The essay shows variety of syntax and adequate range of vocabulary.
Errors in structure, spelling, and use of idioms may occur but do not affect the overall
result greatly.
3 An essay at this level:
Addresses the task and topic with some success, but examples, details, and explanations
may require improvement. Connections between ideas may not always be clear, although
the essay as a whole is reasonably unified and coherent. There may be significant
weaknesses in sentence structure and vocabulary. Syntactic structures may be limited.
2 An essay at this level:
Does not address topic and task with complete success, and may show problems with
organization and connections between ideas. Vocabulary and word forms are often
inappropriate. Use of examples, details, and explanations may be inadequate. Sentence
structure and overall usage are weak in places.

1 An essay at this level:
Is badly disorganized and underdeveloped, with inadequate detail and specifics, and may
not address the task successfully. Major errors in usage and sentence structure are
common.
0 An essay at this level merely repeats the topic verbatim, addresses a different topic
instead, or is otherwise unrelated to the topic. The essay may be written in the wrong
language or consist only of keystroke characters. There may be no response at all.

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