How the Writing test works
You have 60 minutes for two tasks.
- Task 1 needs at least 150 words. In Academic, you describe a graph, chart, table, process or map. In General Training, you write a letter, which may be formal, semi-formal or informal.
- Task 2 needs at least 250 words. It is an essay responding to an opinion, a problem, an argument or a two-part question. Task 2 counts for more than Task 1, so spend about 40 minutes on it.
Both tasks are marked on four criteria, each worth a quarter of your score:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2): did you answer the question fully?
- Coherence and Cohesion: is your writing organised and easy to follow?
- Lexical Resource: is your vocabulary accurate, varied and natural?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you use a mix of sentence structures with few errors?
Common mistakes, and how to fix them
These come up again and again in essays written by Indian students. None of them is about intelligence. They are habits, and habits can change.
Memorised phrases
Opening lines like "In this modern era of globalisation" or "This is a burning issue in today's world" are easy to spot. Examiners see them constantly, and they do not add to your Lexical Resource score. Write a plain, direct opening that paraphrases the question.
Over-long introductions
Some students write 80 words of introduction and then run out of time for the body paragraphs. Two sentences are enough: paraphrase the question and give your position.
Indian-English usage
Some expressions are common in Indian offices and classrooms but are marked as errors in IELTS:
- "revert back" (write "reply" instead)
- "discuss about" (just "discuss")
- "do the needful" (say what you want done)
- "prepone" (use "bring forward")
- "cope up with" (just "cope with")
- "one of the reason" (should be "one of the reasons")
Not answering every part of the question
If the question asks "Why is this happening, and what can be done?", you need both. Many Task 2 essays explain causes very well and give solutions in one weak sentence.
Task 1 without an overview
In Academic Task 1, the overview (the main trends or features) is essential. Without it, Task Achievement is often capped.
IELTS Writing practice for Bhopal's students and professionals
The people preparing for Writing in Bhopal are varied. Engineering students from MANIT and RGPV colleges are often strong at describing data in Task 1 but find opinion essays harder. Law students at NLIU are used to argument but sometimes write long, formal sentences that become hard to follow. Nurses and doctors need consistent scores across every module, so a weak Writing band can hold up a whole application. Government and PSU employees aiming for General Training are often comfortable with formal letters but need to practise the more relaxed tone of informal ones.
Whatever your background, good IELTS Writing practice follows the same method: write, get feedback, rewrite, repeat. An essay a day is not necessary. Three essays a week with careful review beats seven written in a hurry.
How AI feedback helps
IELTS Learning has 104 Writing prompts covering Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters and every essay type. When you submit an answer, you get an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria, with feedback explaining what to improve.
This is useful because it shows you which criterion is pulling you down. If your Coherence and Cohesion is lower than the rest, you need to work on paragraphing and linking, not more vocabulary. The Study Notes have strategy chapters for Task 1 and Task 2, and English Improvement covers the grammar points that come up most often.
When to book a teacher
AI feedback is a guide, not an official score. If you have written several essays and your band will not move, a human eye helps. Book a Teacher gives you about 20 minutes 1-to-1 online with an IELTS teacher, from ₹299. Send your essay, then go through it together: what the examiner would notice first, and what one change would make the biggest difference.
Start writing
Create a free account to see how the platform works, and use the free sample mock test to get a first Writing estimate. Full Access, ₹999 for 2 months, unlocks every Writing prompt. For weekly tips on Task 2, read the IELTS Learning blog.