The two tasks in brief
You get 60 minutes for two tasks.
- Task 1 (at least 150 words, about 20 minutes). Academic: describe a chart, table, process or map. General Training: write a letter, 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 weighing advantages and disadvantages.
Task 2 counts for more of your Writing band, so give it your best time and energy.
How your examiner marks you
Both tasks are marked on four criteria:
- Task Achievement / Task Response: did you answer every part of the question, with a clear position and relevant ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: are your ideas organised in logical paragraphs, linked naturally?
- Lexical Resource: do you use a range of accurate, natural vocabulary?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you use varied sentence structures with few errors?
Knowing these criteria changes how you practise. A long essay full of advanced words can still score low if it does not answer the question.
A strength Kota students already have for Task 1
If you studied Physics, Chemistry or Biology for entrance exams, you are probably very comfortable with graphs, trends and processes. That helps in Academic Task 1. The adjustment is in what you write:
- Describe, do not explain. Report what the data shows; do not guess the causes.
- Always include an overview. Two sentences summarising the main trends often decide whether you reach band 6 or 7.
- Select key figures. You do not need every number, just the important ones and comparisons.
Process diagrams can feel like describing a lab procedure. Use the passive voice ("the mixture is heated") and sequencing words ("after this", "once the liquid has cooled").
Common mistakes in IELTS Writing Task 2
These patterns come up often in essays written by Indian students. None of them is a sign of weak English; they are habits that are easy to fix once you notice them.
- Memorised templates. Lines such as "In this contemporary era, it is a matter of great debate" are recognised quickly by examiners and add nothing. Write a simple, direct introduction instead.
- Over-long introductions. Two or three sentences are enough: paraphrase the question and state your position.
- Indian-English usage. "Revert back" (just "reply"), "discuss about" (just "discuss"), "return back", "cope up with" ("cope with"), "pass out of college" ("graduate"), "prepone" and "do the needful" are common in India but not in standard international English.
- No clear opinion. If the question asks "To what extent do you agree?", say so early and keep the same view throughout.
- One-line examples. Develop each main idea with explanation and a specific example.
- Translating sentence by sentence. If you think in Hindi or your home language and translate, sentences can become very long. Shorter, clear sentences score better.
Writing practice in Kota when your day is full
You do not need a free afternoon to improve.
- Weekdays: write one Task 1 in 20 minutes, or plan three Task 2 questions without writing them in full.
- Weekends: write a complete Task 2 under time, then review the feedback carefully.
- Type, if you can. If you are taking the computer-delivered test, practise on a laptop so typing 250 words in 40 minutes feels normal.
After each essay, spend five minutes rereading it slowly. Look for missing articles ("a", "the"), subject-verb agreement and plural endings. These small errors add up quickly in Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
Your ideas can come from your own life. Questions about education, pressure on young people, cities and migration, or technology in learning are common, and living in Kota gives you real experience to draw on. Use it calmly and thoughtfully in your examples.
How AI feedback and teachers help you improve
IELTS Learning has 104 Writing prompts covering Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters and all essay types. After you submit, you get an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria with comments, so you can see whether your weakness is structure, vocabulary or grammar.
AI feedback is fast and useful for regular practice. For a detailed human view, Book a Teacher: 1-to-1 online sessions of about 20 minutes, from ₹299. A teacher can show you exactly why a paragraph does not work and how to rewrite it.
Full Access is ₹999 for 2 months. Register free to see sample prompts, and check the blog for weekly Writing tips.