What the Writing test asks for
You have 60 minutes for two tasks. Task 2 counts for more, so many students spend about 40 minutes on it.
- Task 1 (at least 150 words). Academic: describe a chart, table, process or map, reporting key features and comparisons without giving opinions. General Training: write a letter, which may be formal, semi-formal or informal.
- Task 2 (at least 250 words). An essay responding to an opinion, a discussion of two views, an advantages-and-disadvantages question, a problem-and-solution question, or a two-part question.
IELTS Learning has 104 Writing prompts across all these types for both Academic and General Training.
The four criteria, in plain terms
Examiners mark every task on four equal criteria:
- Task Achievement / Task Response: did you answer all parts of the question, with a clear position and developed ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: is the essay logically organised, with clear paragraphs and natural linking?
- Lexical Resource: is your vocabulary precise, varied and appropriate, with accurate word forms and collocations?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you use a mix of sentence structures, with few errors?
A band 6 essay is often weak on one criterion only. Finding which one is the key to moving up.
For Academic Task 1, a common gap is the overview: a short paragraph summarising the main trends or stages without detailed figures. Many candidates describe every number carefully but never step back to say what the chart shows overall, and that alone can hold Task Achievement at 6.
Habits Nigerian candidates often need to adjust
Nigerian English is a rich, fully legitimate variety of English, and many Lagos candidates write with real confidence. IELTS, however, rewards standard international usage and a particular essay style. These are the points teachers most often see:
Grand openings and long introductions
Phrases such as "In this contemporary era" or "Since the dawn of civilisation" add words but no marks. A strong introduction is two sentences: paraphrase the question, then state your position. Save the energy for your body paragraphs.
Memorised phrases and heavy vocabulary
Lines learned from templates, or deliberately rare words ("the menace of", "this ugly trend", "a plethora of"), can sound forced or slightly off in tone. Examiners reward vocabulary used precisely, not vocabulary used impressively.
Local usages that read as errors in IELTS
- Uncountable nouns made plural: "informations", "advices", "equipments", "furnitures". Use "information", "advice", "equipment", "furniture".
- "Severally" meaning "several times", or "in the nearest future" for "in the near future".
- Stative verbs in continuous forms: "I am having two brothers", "people are knowing".
- Phrasal usages such as "off the light" or "borrow me your pen", which are natural in Lagos but not standard in formal writing.
Very formal letters for informal tasks
In General Training, writing "I am writing to humbly notify you" to a friend lowers your score for tone. Match the register to the person you are writing to.
How AI feedback and teacher sessions help
When you submit a task on IELTS Learning, you receive an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria, with feedback on what lowered it. That speed matters: you can write an essay on Saturday, read the feedback, rewrite one paragraph and see the difference the same day.
For a deeper review, Book a Teacher gives you a 1-to-1 online session of about 20 minutes, from $5, to go through one essay line by line. Many students find one teacher session after several AI-marked tasks is a good balance.
Fitting Writing practice into a Lagos week
Writing needs quiet, unbroken time, which can be scarce between traffic and work. A routine that works for many:
- Two Task 2 essays a week, timed at 40 minutes, written on a laptop when the power is stable. Typing practice matters if you will sit the computer-delivered test.
- One Task 1 a week, timed at 20 minutes.
- Short daily practice on the move: plan an essay outline on your phone during the commute from Ikeja or Festac, without writing it in full.
- Vocabulary: five new words a day with Daily Vocabulary, and use one in your next essay.
Getting started
IELTS Writing practice in Lagos does not need a classroom; it needs regular essays and honest feedback. Register free, try a Writing task and see your four criterion scores, then decide whether Full Access at $12 for 2 months makes sense for your plan.