7.1. Task Response / Task Achievement
The criterion that asks whether you actually answered the question.
The short version
Did you answer the exact question asked?
A tangential answer is described at Band 4 here, and one that misses the prompt lower.
Every part of the task must be covered.
Position and development both count.
One criterion, two names
The first criterion has two names:
- Task Achievement on Task 1
- Task Response on Task 2
Both ask: did you do the job the task set?
Give an overview (Academic) or cover every letter bullet (General). Do not invent reasons.
Answer every part of the question. State a position and keep it.
Some people think city centres should ban private cars on weekdays. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
I agree only when the city can offer a reliable bus or tram in the same hour. A weekday ban on private cars can cut peak delays, because commuters then have one clear rule. If the same streets have no frequent bus, the ban just pushes the jam to the ring road.
- TaskA clear position. The writer does not sit on the fence.
- TaskThe second idea still answers this question. It does not start a new topic.
Coloured text shows what the examiner is looking for.
The same idea at Band 6 and Band 7
I think banning cars is good. It is better for people. Also it is useful for cities. In my country some cities do this. Therefore it should happen.
I agree only when the city can offer a reliable bus or tram in the same hour. A weekday ban on private cars can cut peak delays, because commuters then have one clear rule. If the same streets have no frequent bus, the ban just pushes the jam to the ring road.
What a 6.5 looks like
A task that comes out at 6.5 overall is usually relevant. But the ideas are not fully explained, or the position is a little unclear. That is what a 7, 7, 6, 6 spread across the four criteria looks like. A 7.5 is the same picture with fuller development.
The graph the model below describes.
Describe the ferry-passenger graph (weekday vs weekend, 2016 to 2022).
Overall, weekday travel was higher than weekend travel throughout, both lines fell sharply in 2020, and weekend numbers had almost caught weekday traffic by 2022. Weekday travel rose from 40,000 to 44,000 passengers between 2016 and 2018, then dropped to 18,000 in 2020.
- TaskThe overview is here. Without it, Task Achievement is usually held around Band 5.
- TaskSelected figures. No invented reason such as “because of lockdown”.
Coloured text shows what the examiner is looking for.
Letter to a leisure-centre manager: effect, need, request.
I swim at 6.30 a.m. on weekdays before work. Since 3 April I have had to travel to the pool in Fen, which adds forty minutes to my morning. I would be grateful if you could tell me when Quay Lane will reopen and refund the unused days on my April membership.
- TaskThe effect bullet is covered with a detail, not only “it affected me”.
- TaskThe ask is real. Leaving a bullet out holds Task Achievement down however good the English is.
Coloured text shows what the examiner is looking for.
Quiz time1 question
Check
Match the problem to the task.
Recap
Answer the exact question, including its limiters.
Cover every part of the task.
Hold a clear position and develop it.
Next: whether a reader can follow your writing.