IELTS Writing
IELTS Writing: tasks, marking criteria and practice
Writing lasts 60 minutes and has two tasks. Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1, so plan about 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 for Task 2.
Practise Writing with AI feedback- Time
- 60 minutes
- Task 1
- 150+ words
- Task 2
- 250+ words
- Weighting
- Task 2 counts double
The two tasks
In Academic Task 1 you describe a chart, table, map or process. In General Training Task 1 you write a letter. Task 2 is an essay for both versions.
The four marking criteria
Each task is marked on four equally weighted criteria:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2)
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I write under the word count?
Writing fewer than 150 or 250 words usually lowers your Task Achievement or Task Response score.