Exam guide
How IELTS Writing is assessed
The IELTS Writing test lasts 60 minutes and has two tasks. Both are marked against four criteria on the 0–9 band scale.
The two tasks
| Task 1 | Task 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Academic | Describe, summarise or explain visual information: a graph, table, chart, diagram, map or process. | Write an essay responding to a point of view, argument or problem. |
| General Training | Write a letter requesting information or explaining a situation. | |
| Minimum length | 150 words | 250 words |
| Suggested time | About 20 minutes | About 40 minutes |
Task 2 carries twice the weight of Task 1 in the final Writing band, so the essay deserves the larger share of your time.
The four assessment criteria
Each criterion counts for a quarter of the score for that task.
- Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2). Does the response cover every part of the task? In Task 1, are key features selected and compared accurately? In Task 2, is there a clear position, developed and supported throughout?
- Coherence and Cohesion. Is the information organised logically? Are paragraphs used well, and are linking words and referencing accurate without being mechanical?
- Lexical Resource. How wide and precise is the vocabulary? Are less common words and collocations used naturally, and how much do spelling or word-formation errors get in the way?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Is there a mix of simple and complex sentence structures? How many sentences are free of errors, and do mistakes affect meaning?
Common reasons scores stall
- Writing below the minimum word count, which limits the Task Achievement or Task Response score. Word counters disagree more than you might expect: see our test of seven counters.
- In Task 1, describing every number instead of picking out the main trends, or leaving out an overview.
- In Task 2, answering a related question instead of the one asked, or an opinion that changes partway through.
- Overusing linking phrases such as "Moreover" and "Furthermore" at the start of every sentence.
- Memorised phrases and rare words that do not fit the context.
etud will assess each task against these four criteria and show an estimated band for each one. See how the estimates will work.
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