Task 1 and Task 2 at a glance
You have 60 minutes for two tasks.
- Task 1 (at least 150 words, about 20 minutes). Academic candidates describe a graph, table, chart, process or map. General Training candidates write a letter: formal, semi-formal or informal.
- Task 2 (at least 250 words, about 40 minutes). An essay giving your opinion, discussing two views, explaining problems and solutions, or answering a two-part question. Task 2 counts for more than Task 1, so never let Task 1 eat into its time.
The four criteria examiners use
Both tasks are marked on four equally weighted criteria:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2): did you answer every part of the question, with a clear position and developed ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: are your ideas logically ordered, with clear paragraphs and linking that is natural, not mechanical?
- Lexical Resource: do you use a good range of accurate vocabulary, including less common words, without forcing them?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you use a variety of sentence structures, with most sentences error-free?
Habits Sri Lankan writers often bring to IELTS
These points come up again and again with students from Kandy and across Sri Lanka. None of them is a sign of weak ability; they are habits worth adjusting for this particular exam.
- Memorised openings. Lines learned in tuition classes, such as long sentences about the modern world or the era of globalisation, are easy for examiners to recognise and add nothing. Paraphrase the question in one sentence and state your position.
- Very long introductions. School essays reward a grand build-up. In IELTS, an introduction of two or three sentences is enough; the marks are in your body paragraphs.
- Sri Lankan English usages. Expressions that are perfectly natural at home can read as errors to an international examiner: using "doubt" to mean "question", "passed out" to mean "graduated", "even I" to mean "me too", or question tags like "isn't it?" in formal writing. Keep a list of the ones you use.
- Articles. Neither Sinhala nor Tamil uses "a" and "the" the way English does, so missing or extra articles are among the most common grammar errors. Proofread for them specifically.
- Overview missing in Task 1. Many Academic candidates list every number and forget the overview, which limits the Task Achievement score. Always include one or two sentences on the main trends.
- Over-formal letters. General Training candidates sometimes write a letter to a friend as if it were to a bank manager. Match the tone to the reader.
Practising writing as a Kandy student or professional
If you studied for A/Ls in Kandy, you probably wrote long-form answers by hand under time pressure. That stamina helps. What usually needs work is structure and precision. For the computer-delivered test, practise typing your essays too; many Peradeniya students write lab reports on a laptop but have rarely typed a timed essay.
Doctors, engineers and nurses often write clear technical English at work. The adjustment is to write for a general reader: give reasons and examples, not jargon.
Short, regular practice beats one marathon session. Two Task 2 essays a week, written to time, with careful review of the feedback, will move most students further than seven rushed ones.
How AI feedback and teacher sessions help
IELTS Learning has 104 Writing prompts: Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters, and every Task 2 essay type. When you submit, you get:
- an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria, so you can see which one is holding you back
- comments on structure, vocabulary and grammar
- a record of your essays so you can see your progress over weeks
AI feedback is fast and consistent, which makes it ideal for regular practice. For a deeper look, you can Book a Teacher: a 1-to-1 online session of about 20 minutes, from $5, where a teacher goes through your writing with you. Many students book one session early to understand their main weaknesses, then another a week or two before the test.
Writing practice that builds on itself
- Rewrite one paragraph from each essay after reading the feedback. Rewriting teaches more than starting fresh.
- Keep your personal list of Sri Lankan English usages and article errors in the Mistake Notebook or Study Notes.
- Use English Improvement lessons for grammar points that keep appearing in your feedback.
- Read model approaches in Study Notes and the IELTS tips blog, but never memorise whole essays.
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