1.1. The IELTS Writing Test

What Is the IELTS Writing Test?

IELTS Writing is one of four sections on the IELTS exam, alongside Listening, Reading, and Speaking. Its job is simple: to measure how well you can communicate ideas in written English.

You'll have 60 minutes to complete two tasks. Depending on the test format, you'll either handwrite your responses on paper or type them on a computer. There is no choice of questions — you answer the two tasks you are given.

The test comes in two variants: Academic and General Training. Task 2 is essentially the same across both. Task 1 is where they differ significantly.

The Two Tasks at a Glance

The critical detail here is the weighting: Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1. This should shape both your time on test day — roughly 40 minutes on Task 2 versus 20 on Task 1 — and your preparation. If study time is limited, prioritise Task 2.

Test Day Tip: Many high-scoring candidates choose to do Task 2 first. The logic is straightforward — you give your freshest thinking to the task that carries 66% of your score. If you run slightly over time, it's far better to have a strong essay and a slightly rushed Task 1 than the other way around.

Academic vs General — Where They Overlap and Where They Don't

Task 2 is the same for both variants. Both ask you to write a discursive essay. The General Training prompt may be worded a little more simply, but the essay type, structure, scoring criteria, and expectations are identical. Everything you learn about Task 2 applies to both versions of the test.

Task 1 is completely different depending on which test you are sitting:

If you're taking the Academic test, Task 1 is about objectivity — selecting, comparing, and summarising data without inserting your own opinion. If you're taking General Training, Task 1 is about adjusting your register and tone to fit a social situation, whether that's writing to a landlord, a friend, or a manager.

Word Counts — What They Actually Mean

The minimums are non-negotiable: 150 words for Task 1 and 250 words for Task 2. Fall short and your score takes a hit.

However, writing significantly more is not necessarily better:

The goal is to write enough to fully address the question, then use whatever time remains to edit and proofread. A shorter, well-polished response will almost always outscore a longer one riddled with errors. Examiners are not counting words to reward length — they're reading for clarity, accuracy, and relevance.

What the Examiner Is Looking For

Your writing is assessed against four criteria, each worth 25% of your score on that task:

1. Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2) — Did you actually answer the question? Did you address all parts of the prompt, or did you drift off-topic or leave something out?

2. Coherence & Cohesion — Is your writing logically organised? Can the reader follow your ideas from one sentence to the next without getting lost? Are your paragraphs structured with purpose?

3. Lexical Resource — Are you using vocabulary accurately and with enough range? This doesn't mean stuffing in obscure words — it means choosing the right word for the right moment and avoiding repetition.

4. Grammatical Range & Accuracy — Can you use a variety of sentence structures, and can you use them correctly? A mix of simple and complex sentences with few errors will score higher than ambitious grammar that falls apart.

We'll break each of these down in detail in Lesson 1.2. For now, the key insight is this: these four criteria are testing communication, not memorisation. The examiner is essentially asking one question — can this person express ideas clearly and effectively in written English?

How Scoring Works

Each of the four criteria is scored from 0 to 9 in whole bands. Your score on a given task is the average of those four marks, which can produce half-band scores like 6.5.

Your overall Writing score is then calculated as a weighted average: Task 2 contributes two-thirds and Task 1 contributes one-third. That score is combined with your Listening, Reading, and Speaking results to produce your final IELTS band score.

Worth knowing: Writing is consistently the lowest-scoring module worldwide. The global average for Writing sits below Listening, Reading, and Speaking. This is not because writing is inherently harder — it is largely because a great deal of widely circulated advice about the test is misleading. Templates, memorised phrases, and artificially complex vocabulary are commonly taught and commonly penalised. This course takes a different approach.

What This Course Will Cover

The course is built in four chapters:

1. Understanding IELTS Writing — How the test works, how scoring functions, and the core principles behind effective IELTS writing.
2. Task 2: The Essay — How to plan, structure, and write a clear discursive essay, applicable to both Academic and General Training.
3. Task 1 Academic — How to describe graphs, charts, tables, diagrams, maps, and processes with precision and clarity.
4. Task 1 General — How to write effective formal, semi-formal, and informal letters with the appropriate tone and register.

Each lesson is designed to stand on its own. You can work through them in sequence, or jump straight to the areas where you need the most help.

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Key Takeaways

• The Writing test has two tasks. Task 2 is worth double what Task 1 is worth.
• Budget roughly 40 minutes for Task 2 and 20 minutes for Task 1.
• Academic and General Training share the same Task 2. Only Task 1 differs between variants.
• Aim for 250–300 words on Task 2 and 150–180 on Task 1 — then use remaining time to edit.
• You're scored on four equally weighted criteria: Task Achievement, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
• Above all, this is a communication test. The examiner wants to see that you can express ideas clearly — not that you've memorised a template.