The two tasks
You have 60 minutes for both tasks. Task 2 counts for more of your Writing band, so give it about 40 minutes.
- Task 1, Academic: describe a chart, table, process diagram or map in at least 150 words. No opinions; select and compare the key features.
- Task 1, General Training: write a letter in at least 150 words, formal, semi-formal or informal depending on who you are writing to.
- Task 2, both tracks: an essay of at least 250 words. Common types are opinion (agree/disagree), discussion of two views, advantages and disadvantages, problem and solution, and two-part questions.
How examiners mark you
Both tasks are marked on four criteria, each worth a quarter of the task band:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2): did you answer the whole question, with a clear position and developed ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: logical paragraphs, clear progression, linking that is natural rather than mechanical.
- Lexical Resource: range and precision of vocabulary, including collocations and correct word forms.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: a mix of sentence structures with few errors.
Knowing these four headings changes how you revise. "My essay is bad" is not actionable. "My Task Response is 6 because my second body paragraph has no example" is.
Habits that hold Kanpur students back
These patterns are common among Indian candidates generally, and teachers who work with students from Uttar Pradesh see them often. None of them is a sign of poor English; they are habits that do not suit IELTS.
Memorised templates
Phrases like "In this contemporary era of globalisation" or "This is a burning issue in today's world" are easy to spot. Examiners do not reward memorised language, and these phrases often do not fit the question. Write a plain, direct opening that paraphrases the actual topic.
Introductions that never end
A Task 2 introduction needs two or three sentences: the topic in your words and your position. Students who were taught to write long "answers" for university exams often spend 80 words introducing, leaving little time for the body.
Indian-English usage
Some expressions are widely used in Indian offices and classrooms but are marked as errors in IELTS:
- "discuss about" → discuss (no "about")
- "revert back" → reply or get back to you
- "do the needful" → say what you want, e.g. please send the invoice
- "one of my friend" → one of my friends
- "since three years" → for three years
- "prepone" → bring forward
GT candidates who write business emails daily, for example at leather export houses in Jajmau or textile firms, should watch these in Task 1 letters especially.
Translating from Hindi
Thinking in Hindi and translating can produce very long sentences joined by "and" or "which", or word order that feels slightly unnatural. Shorter, clearer sentences, with a few well-placed complex ones, score better than one long chain.
Task 1 with opinions
Academic candidates sometimes explain why a trend happened. Task 1 asks you to describe and compare, not to guess causes.
Writing practice that fits your week in Kanpur
You do not need three free hours. A pattern that suits many students and working professionals here:
- Two weekday evenings: one Task 1 and one Task 2, timed, typed if you are taking the computer-delivered test.
- Weekend: read your feedback, rewrite your weakest paragraph, and learn five topic words from Daily Vocabulary.
Research scholars at IIT Kanpur who write academic papers in English often find their Lexical Resource is already strong, but IELTS Task 2 needs a clear personal position, not hedged academic caution. Practise committing to a view.
How AI feedback and teachers help
IELTS Learning has 104 Task 1 and Task 2 prompts covering Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters, and every common essay type. When you submit, you get an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria, with comments showing what pulled each one down. You can write, check, rewrite and resubmit the same evening.
AI feedback is fast and consistent, but it is still an estimate. When you want a human view, Book a Teacher gives you a roughly 20-minute 1-to-1 online session, from ₹299, in which a teacher goes through an essay with you. Many students book one after every few AI-marked essays, to check that they are fixing the right things.
Study Notes include chapters on essay structure, Task 1 overviews and linking language, and the English Improvement section covers grammar points such as articles and prepositions that often cost marks.
Getting started
Try a Task 2 essay and see your four criterion bands. Full Access unlocks every prompt for ₹999 for 2 months. The blog has weekly tips on IELTS Writing Task 2 topics and structures.