The Writing module in brief
You have 60 minutes for two tasks:
- Task 1 (at least 150 words). Academic candidates describe a chart, table, process diagram or map. General Training candidates write a letter, formal, semi-formal or informal.
- Task 2 (at least 250 words). An essay giving your opinion, discussing two views, explaining problems and solutions, or weighing advantages and disadvantages.
Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1, so plan about 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 for Task 2.
The four criteria examiners use
Both tasks are marked on four equal criteria:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2): did you answer the actual question fully?
- Coherence and Cohesion: are your ideas organised in clear paragraphs, with natural linking?
- Lexical Resource: is your vocabulary accurate, varied and appropriate?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you use a mix of sentence structures with few errors?
Knowing this changes how you practise. A long list of "advanced words" helps only one criterion.
Common mistakes from Chittagong and Bangladeshi writers
These patterns appear again and again in scripts from students across Bangladesh. None is a sign of weak ability; they are habits worth unlearning.
Memorised openings and closings. Phrases such as "In this modern era of science and technology", "Every coin has two sides" or "The government should take necessary steps" come from school composition guides. Examiners recognise them, and they add nothing to your answer. Start with a clear paraphrase of the question and your position.
Over-long introductions. Some students write 80–100 words before stating an opinion. Two or three sentences are enough.
Local English usages. Expressions that sound normal in Bangladesh but are not standard: "cope up with" (use "cope with"), "discuss about" ("discuss"), "return back" ("return"), "revert back", and "co-operate with me" for "help me". In letters, "kindly do the needful" is best avoided.
he/she confusion. Bengali uses one pronoun for "he" and "she", so mixing them up in English is a common slip, especially when writing quickly. Proofread for it.
Very long sentences. Some writers join four or five ideas with "and" and commas, a habit carried over from Bangla prose style. Shorter, controlled sentences with clear linking usually score higher than one sentence that fills a whole paragraph.
Articles. Missing or extra "a" and "the" is one of the most frequent grammar errors for Bengali speakers. It affects Grammatical Range and Accuracy across the whole essay.
Task 1 opinions. In Academic Task 1, you describe and compare data. Do not explain why figures changed or give your view.
Writing practice that fits a Chittagong week
Writing needs uninterrupted time, so it is the hardest module to fit around classes, jobs and the commute. A practical rhythm:
- One Task 2 essay on Friday, timed at 40 minutes, followed by feedback.
- Two Task 1 responses midweek, at 20 minutes each, perhaps after evening traffic has eased.
- Ten minutes daily fixing errors from your last piece, using the English Improvement grammar exercises.
CUET and engineering students are often strong on process diagrams and maps, which reward precise sequencing. Business and garment-sector professionals who write emails at work may find General Training letters natural, but should watch tone: a complaint letter to a landlord is not the same as an office email.
How AI feedback helps
On IELTS Learning you can choose from 104 Task 1 and Task 2 prompts, covering Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters and all essay types. When you submit a response, you receive within minutes an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria, along with feedback on what is pulling each one down.
Use it to track patterns. If Coherence and Cohesion stays at 5.5 across four essays, the problem is structure, and you can fix structure.
When to book a teacher
AI feedback is quick and consistent, but a human teacher can explain why an argument is weak or a sentence sounds unnatural. With Book a Teacher you can have a 1-to-1 online session of about 20 minutes, from $5, to go through one essay in detail. Many students book one session early to identify their main problems and another a fortnight before the test.
Get started
Try a free Writing task in the sample mock test after you register, and read our weekly blog for model answer structures. With steady IELTS Writing practice in Chittagong, a score that has sat at 6.0 for months can move.