IELTS - Writing

Academic Writing Task1

The Task

In Academic Writing Task 1 you are asked to describe statistical information, or, occasionally, explain processes.  

• This may be presented in the form of a line graph, pie or bar chart, a table of statistics or a diagram.

• You are not usually asked to interpret the information, or look for any explanation of the figures.

• You have to write a minimum of 150 words and are advised to spend not more than 20 minutes.  You will lose marks if you write less than this.

General Training Task1

The Task

In General Training Writing Task 1 you are asked to write a letter because of a problem you have or a situation you are in. You may need to ask for information, give information, talk about your needs, give an opinion, etc.  

• You need to know how to write a letter using the right kind of language and organisation

• You need to choose the right kind of language, formal or informal

• The question tells you to include specific ideas and information

• You have to write a minimum of 150 words and are advised to spend not more than 20 minutes.  You will lose marks if you write less than this.

Academic Writing and General Training Task 2 

The Task 

In Task 2 you are given a point of view, problem or an opinion to discuss. You may need to: 

• present facts
• describe a problem and solutions
• give an opinion or describe a position on a topic, and justify it with evidence and examples
• give ideas and evaluate them

• The minimum number of words is 250; this is about 35 lines for most people.

• Make sure you don’t write less than this – you will lose marks for short answers.

• This question carries 66% of the marks for writing – if you score a lower score on the Task 2 answer, it will pull down your overall score, so make sure you give 20 minutes to Task 1 and 40 minutes to Task 2.

What is the examiner looking for?

The examiner will be looking for an accurate, well-organised answer which shows a sufficient range of ideas, language and structures. Your point of view should be clearly expressed and your ideas should be developed in a sensible way with supporting evidence.  

Analysing the question and planning your answer is vital