CAE 2015: Writing: Assessment

The four categories in which CAE writing papers are assessed are content, communicative achivement, organisation and language. Each category is marked on a subscale from 0 to 5.

'Content' is about what information you convey. It focuses on how well the task is fulfilled, by which I mean if the writer has done exactly what the question asked.


'Communicative achievement' is about who you are writing to and why. It focuses on whether the writer uses the format and style appropriate for the type of writing. Besides, it evaluates the candidate's ability to communicate ideas effectively and to hold the target reader's attention.

'Organisation' is about how ideas are ordered and linked. It focuses on how the piece of writing is put together: whether ideas are organised in clear paragraphs and if the writer has made a good use of linking words and other cohesive devices.

'Language' is about how you convey the message. In addition to evaluating accuracy, it focuses on the range and complexity of grammatical structures and vocabulary.

The table below shows what abilities candidates need to be successful in each category.

Content	Communicative achievement	Organisation	Language
- fulfil the task requirements - give all the information required	- use the correct register - use the appropriate format	- order information - use a range of cohesive devices effectively	- use a range of vocabulary effectively - use correct grammatical structures