IELTS Writing

• Task 1 (Academic): describe a graph, chart, table, map or process.
• Task 1 (General Training): write a letter.
• Task 2: an essay in response to a point of view or problem. It carries twice the weight of Task 1.
• Criteria: Task Achievement or Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

Check current details on ielts.org before relying on them.

The safest approach is to build your writing from the marking criteria: Task Achievement or Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1.

1. Write for the marking criteria, not to sound “academic”

   A Band 7 Task 2 response needs a clear, developed position, well-supported main ideas, logical organisation, suitable linking, flexible vocabulary and a variety of reasonably accurate complex structures. So:

   ExampleA fancy word with the wrong collocation is worth less than an ordinary word used precisely.
   Five undeveloped ideas are worth less than two well-developed ideas.

2. Develop each idea

   Explain and support each idea instead of just stating it. A body paragraph model you can use:

   Paragraph modelPoint → Why → Mechanism → Example → Consequence

   Not every paragraph needs all five sentences, but the model forces you to develop ideas instead of only asserting them.

3. Academic Task 1: overview before details

   A clear overview of the main trends or features is essential, especially for Band 7 and above. Select the key features instead of reporting every number.

   • Introduction: paraphrase what the visual shows.
   • Overview: state about 2 to 3 dominant patterns.
   • Body: group the data by those patterns.

   Do not describe the data in the order it appears on the graph (France, then Germany, then Italy, then Spain). Group it instead, for example countries with strong growth versus countries with little change. That is real data analysis.

   Task 1 is description, not interpretation: do not add your opinion. A separate conclusion is unnecessary if your overview is clear.

4. Task 2: lock your position

   Before writing the introduction, decide exactly what your answer to the question is. Then check every body paragraph:

   ExampleDoes this paragraph support my position?

   Answer every part of a multi-part question. Avoid an introduction that says “I completely agree” followed by body paragraphs that slowly turn into “I partly agree”.

5. Do not fake sophistication

   Do not use memorised essays, and do not invent statistics or research. Avoid sentences like:

   Avoid“According to Harvard University, 87.3% of individuals…”

   unless you genuinely know the evidence. A plausible example is enough:

   Example“For example, employees who can work remotely may avoid several hours of commuting each week.”

   The purpose is to show your reasoning and your language, not to prove you are a researcher.

6. Proofread for your own mistakes

   Do not just read your essay again. Check for your personal recurring errors, one at a time. Common ones are:

   • articles (a, an, the)
   • subject–verb agreement
   • singular and plural
   • commas
   • verb tense
   • sentence fragments
   • repeated vocabulary

   Targeted checking is much more efficient than passive rereading.

7. General Training Task 1: match the tone

   The task may need personal, semi-formal or formal language, and the prompt gives three content points that you must cover. Before writing, decide:

   ExampleWho am I? → Who is receiving this? → Why am I writing? → What level of formality fits?

Do not write a complete 60-minute Writing test every time you practise. Train planning, developing ideas, analysing data and proofreading separately.

1. Five-minute Task 2 plan 5 min

   Choose a Task 2 question. Do not write the essay. In five minutes, fill in:

   PlanQuestion type: ______
   My position: ______
   Body 1 main idea: ______
   Explanation: ______
   Example: ______
   Body 2 main idea: ______
   Explanation: ______
   Example: ______

   Then ask: “Does every body paragraph directly help me answer the question?” Do this with several questions in one session.

   GoalMake planning fast enough that you enter the real test with a clear position.

2. Turn one idea into a developed paragraph

   Start with a weak idea:

   Weak idea“Working from home is convenient.”

   Develop it through this chain:

   ChainPoint → Why → Mechanism → Example → Consequence
   Developed paragraphWorking from home can give employees greater control over their time. This is mainly because they do not need to commute to an office every day. Someone who normally spends an hour travelling in each direction may therefore save ten hours during a five-day working week. That time can instead be used for family responsibilities, exercise or additional rest. As a result, remote work may improve an employee's work-life balance.

   Now repeat the process with a different IELTS topic.

   GoalDevelop ideas instead of producing long lists of unsupported opinions.

3. Academic Task 1: overview only 3 min

   Take a graph, chart, table, map or process. Give yourself three minutes and do not write the full response. Write only the introduction (what does the visual show?) and the overview (what are the two or three most important features?).

   • Graph: highest and lowest, overall increase or decrease, major difference, similarity, crossover, unusual change.
   • Process: starting point, final stage, number of major stages, whether it is linear or cyclical.
   • Map: major additions, removals, changes in land use, changes in access or infrastructure.
   GoalIdentify what matters instead of describing every detail.

4. Ten-minute proofreading drill 10 min

   Take one of your old essays and check it four times, looking for only one type of error each time:

   Four roundsRound 1 — articles and plurals
   Round 2 — verbs and agreement
   Round 3 — sentence boundaries and punctuation
   Round 4 — repeated or inaccurate vocabulary

   Then make a personal list called My five recurring errors, for example:

   Example1. missing “the”
   2. people is → people are
   3. although + but
   4. informations → information
   5. overly long sentences

   Use that list during the final minutes of future Writing practice.

5. Compare with examiner-commented answers

   After a Writing task, read an official IELTS sample response with its band score and examiner comments. Do not copy its vocabulary. Instead, compare:

   • Position: was mine equally clear?
   • Ideas: did I develop mine enough?
   • Organisation: were my paragraphs logical?
   • Vocabulary: was my wording precise?
   • Grammar: did I use different structures accurately?

   A model answer shows what successful writing does. It is not a source of sentences to memorise.

6. Full Writing simulation 60 min

   When you practise both tasks together, use the real 60-minute limit. A practical split:

   TimingTask 1 — about 20 minutes
   Task 2 — about 40 minutes

   Task 2 deserves more time because it carries more weight. Leave a few minutes inside those limits for checking, instead of planning to finish at exactly 60:00.