Cambridge writing guide
How Cambridge writing is marked
Coach Pen marks your writing against the four Cambridge assessment scales, out of 20 — across B2 First, C1 Advanced, and C2 Proficiency.
- Marked
- Out of 20
- Scales
- Four assessment scales
- Levels
- B2 · C1 · C2
What the markers look for
Cambridge writing is judged on 4 things. Here's what each one is really asking for — and how Coach Pen trains it.
Content
Completing the task with relevant, developed ideas.
In Coach Pen: when this criterion is holding your score back, it links straight to short, stepped lessons that drill exactly this — on your own writing.
Communicative achievement
Hitting the right register and tone for the genre.
In Coach Pen: when this criterion is holding your score back, it links straight to short, stepped lessons that drill exactly this — on your own writing.
Organisation
A logical, well-linked structure.
In Coach Pen: when this criterion is holding your score back, it links straight to short, stepped lessons that drill exactly this — on your own writing.
Language
Range and control of vocabulary and grammar.
In Coach Pen: when this criterion is holding your score back, it links straight to short, stepped lessons that drill exactly this — on your own writing.
The fastest way to use this guide
Reading the rubric tells you what counts. Seeing it applied to your writing tells you what to fix. Paste a Cambridge response into Coach Pen and get it marked against every criterion above — then drill the weakest one.
Other exam guides