IELTS Academic Writing Test Format

Sixty minutes, two tasks, and a scoring split that catches people out: Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1. Both tasks are compulsory, and both are marked on the same four criteria.

Format at a Glance

Feature	Task 1	Task 2
Suggested time	20 minutes	40 minutes
Minimum words	150	250
Weighting	One third of the score	Two thirds of the score
What you do	Describe visual information	Respond to an argument or problem
Register	Academic or semi-formal	Formal
Personal opinion	Not appropriate	Usually required

Writing fewer than the minimum words is penalised automatically. Aim for roughly 170–190 words in Task 1 and 270–290 in Task 2 — enough margin to be safe, not so much that accuracy slips.

The Two Tasks

Task 1 – Describe Visual Information

Report what a graph, table, chart or process diagram shows in at least 150 words. No opinions, no reasons — only what the data says.

Task 2 – Essay

Respond to an argument, problem or point of view in at least 250 words. Worth twice as much as Task 1.

Do Task 2 first if you find timing difficult. It carries more marks, and an unfinished Task 2 costs far more than a rushed Task 1.

The Four Marking Criteria

Both tasks are assessed on four equally weighted criteria:

Criterion	What the examiner is looking for
Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2)	Whether you covered everything asked, with an overview in Task 1 and a clear position in Task 2.
Coherence and Cohesion	Logical organisation, sensible paragraphing and linking that helps rather than decorates.
Lexical Resource	Range, precision and appropriacy of vocabulary, including collocation and spelling.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy	Variety of sentence structures and how often errors interfere with meaning.

Band-by-band detail is on the IELTS Writing scoring page.

How to Prepare

Spend the first two minutes of Task 2 deciding exactly what the question asks. Partially answering a question caps Task Response at band 5 or 6.
Write a one-sentence overview in every Task 1 answer. Its absence is the most common reason for a low Task Achievement score.
Practise to the clock from the beginning. Untimed practice builds habits you cannot use on test day.
Learn to paraphrase the prompt rather than copy it — copied wording is not counted in your word total.
Leave three minutes to check articles, plurals and subject–verb agreement. These are the errors that cost the most for the least effort.

Real prompts with band 8 model answers are on the IELTS Writing samples page.

Written by Kirill O'Nayd

IELTS expert and educator at TestSucceed, with over a decade of experience preparing candidates for the Academic and General Training modules. Author of the Complete IELTS Preparation Course on Udemy ★★★★★★4.7