IELTS Writing

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is a standardized exam designed to evaluate how proficient a non-native candidate is in the English language. It tests 4 communicative skills, namely: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

The IELTS writing test​ comprises two tasks — Task 1 and Task 2. The tasks must be completed within 60 minutes. In Task 1, you’ll have to summarize or describe visual information that will come in the form of charts or graphs for Academic IELTS, or compose a letter for General Training IELTS. You will have to write at least 150 words within 20 minutes. Your scoring will entirely depend on your clarity, organization, grammar, and vocabulary.

In Task 2, you will have to write a 250-word essay on a social, technological, or educational topic in 40 minutes. Your score will depend on how well-defined your answer is, your language use, and your response structure. Make sure you have enough practice for efficient time management and tackling the different types of questions against which you can clearly and comprehensively support your ideas.

Task 2 contributes twice as much to the overall writing score as Task 1. You will be scored on a band of 1 to 9.

Let’s take a detailed look at what the IELTS writing test​ entails.

Overview of IELTS Writing

Here’s a clear breakdown of the IELTS writing test, helping candidates understand expectations and prepare accordingly for each task.

Different Sections of IELTS Writing

The IELTS writing test evaluates every candidate’s ability to form coherent ideas, present facts, and develop arguments in English. There are two distinct formats for both Academic and General Training exams. Here’s a breakdown of all you can expect from these sections:

IELTS Academic Writing

The Academic IELTS writing test aims to assess the ability to present ideas and facts accurately and coherently.

Overall duration: 60 minutes (1 hour) in total

Marking criteria:

1. Task Achievement/Task Response: This criterion assesses how well you tackle every part of the prompt. Make sure that your answers are clear and have the relevant details and examples to score higher.
2. Coherence and Cohesion: This criterion measures how organized and logical your flow of ideas is. Make sure your paragraphs are clear and use linking words for seamless transitions between them.
3. Lexical Resource: This criterion assesses your vocabulary use along with your range, accuracy, and contextually appropriate word choice. Avoid repetition and errors here.
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy: This criterion evaluates the variety and accuracy of your sentence structures. Keep a balance between using simple and complex sentences and using correct punctuation for a higher score.

Academic IELTS Writing Task 1

In the first writing task of the Academic IELTS writing test, candidates are provided with a visual representation that they will need to summarize and explain in their own words. These visuals in the Academic IELTS writing task 1 ​can come in the following forms and you will need to explain the key trends or stages pertaining to them briefly.

1. Bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, tables
2. Processes (e.g., stages in soil treatment)
3. Maps (compared locations or changes over time)

You will need to focus on these aspects in the Academic IELTS writing task 1:

1. Describing major trends: Highlight the changes or key patterns, and talk assertively about the overall trends articulately rather than detailing every data point. For example, you can summarize the increases, decreases, or standpoints over time.
2. Staying objective: Make sure you stay on topic and stick to a factual, impersonal tone. Avoid adding personal opinions in the form of phrases like like “I think” “It seems to me that,” “This is surprising,” and the like. Just simply interpret the data.
3. Making comparisons: Use comparative language (e.g., “lower than,” “triple,” “significantly higher”) to showcase correlations and differences between data points. This will help you convey the essential insights compactly.

IELTS Writing Task 2

In Task 2 of the Academic IELTS writing test, you will need to write a full-blown 250-word essay on a specific issue. It can be social, environmental, tech-related, or educational topics. The main purpose of the Academic IELTS writing task 2 is to see how well you can present and develop an argument, and how wide your range of vocabulary is in writing. The various essay types and how to approach them with ease:

1. Argumentative (Agree/Disagree): Take a clear stand on a statement and support it with factual proof. Start the essay with an introduction to your stance, followed by paragraphs that present your arguments and real-world examples. Conclude with a brief summary of your argument.
2. Discussion (Both Sides): Make sure that you examine both viewpoints before writing about your opinion. Start with the topical introduction and then, go on to discuss every side separately in different paragraphs. Summarize your opinion based on the discussion at the end.
3. Solution-Oriented (Problems and Solutions): Start by identifying a problem first and then go on to recommend solutions. As usual, begin with an introductory paragraph about the issue, and then explain the causes and practical solutions in the body paragraphs clearly. Summarize the solutions and their potential impact in the end.
4. Advantage/Disadvantage: Write about both the advantages and disadvantages of an issue. Start the topic with an introductory body and then discuss the pros and cons separately in the body paragraphs. Conclude your findings briefly.

IELTS General Writing

The General IELTS writing test comprises two tasks designed to assess how good your writing skills are in practical contexts. You’ll be given two tasks in that will involve writing a letter and an essay. Here are the details presented in tabular format for ease of understanding:

General IELTS Writing Task 1

In the first General IELTS writing test, you will need to write a letter about a given situation. The purpose of the General IELTS writing task 2 is to test your ability to clearly and cohesively communicate in written English. You may have to work on the following expected formats. Make sure you’re prepared to respond to any of the types below:

• Formal letter: You’ll have to write to a company, organization, or an authority figure. For instance, you can write a formally addressed letter to lodge a complaint or request information about a job role.

Sample: “I am reaching out to inquire about the job opening of the software engineer position listed on the company’s LinkedIn profile.”

• Semi-formal letter: You’ll be tasked with writing to a professional acquaintance, such as requesting a favor from a colleague.

Sample: “I writing to ask if you might be able to cover my night shift on Tuesday as I have a very important doctor’s appointment at 7:00 PM that conflicts with my work hours on that day.”

• Informal letter: You’ll be tasked with writing to family or close friends. You may be asked to invite a friend to drop in for Christmas or congratulate them on their recent addition to the family.

Sample: “I’m so happy to hear about your new baby! This is amazing news and we should celebrate soon.”

General IELTS Writing Task 2

The second task of the General IELTS writing test requires you to write a 250-word essay on any general topic. It could be related to a social, educational, or environmental issue. The main aim of the General section of the IELTS writing task 2 is to evaluate how good your language skills are when it comes to presenting logical ideas and argumentative points of view clearly.

IELTS Writing Test Tips 2024

Here are some essential IELTS writing test tips for 2024:

1. Use an easy-to-read structure: Maintain a logical flow. You can do so by adding clear and seamless paragraph breaks. Make sure that each paragraph focuses on one main idea. This is important to remember in IELTS writing task 2.
2. Answer directly and maintain relevance: Avoid unnecessary details and going off-topic. Strictly stick to your ideas and focus on answering the prompt.
3. Use linking words for seamlessness: Using linking words like “however,” “in addition,” “therefore” etc. enables a smooth transition of ideas. This improves readability and can garner a higher score on your IELTS writing test.
4. Use examples to support your ideas: Back up your arguments and ideas with examples wherever possible. Adding valid points of reason can make arguments more convincing, especially in  IELTS writing task 2.
5. Manage time effectively: DO not spend more than 20 minutes on IELTS writing task 1. Allocate more time to IELTS writing task 2 as it carries more weight.
6. Avoid informal tone: In  IELTS writing task 1, make sure you the formality of your tone in the letter adheres to the prompt. In IELTS writing task 2, use formal language no matter what the topic is.
7. Always proofread: Make sure you have enough time towards the end of the IELTS writing test for spelling checks and grammar, and punctuation reviews.
8. Practice with previous prompts: Practising with common IELTS prompts is a good way to familiarise yourself with the style of the IELTS writing test. This will boost your confidence during the real exam.

How to Calculate IELTS Writing Test Band Score?

Your IELTS writing test will be scored based on the following criteria:

IELTS Writing Test Band Score

In IELTS Writing Task 1, examiners assess responses using four key marking criteria. These criteria determine the band score, which ranges from 0 to 9. Each criterion holds equal weight in the final score, and understanding these elements can help candidates better prepare.

Here’s an overview of the criteria and how performance varies across scores of 5, 6, 7, and 8:

• Task Achievement

• Coherence and Cohesion

• Lexical Resource

• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Examiners award scores on the IELTS writing test by analyzing performance in these four areas. To improve a score, candidates should focus on each criterion individually, strengthening areas where they may be weaker.

Calculating the band score