What the two tasks ask for
You have 60 minutes for two tasks, and Task 2 carries more weight, so give it about 40 minutes.
- Task 1 (at least 150 words). Academic candidates describe a chart, table, process or map, picking out the main trends and comparisons. General Training candidates write a letter, formal, semi-formal or informal, covering three bullet points.
- Task 2 (at least 250 words). An essay giving your opinion, discussing two views, analysing a problem and solution, or weighing advantages and disadvantages.
Writing under the minimum length is penalised, and copying the question doesn't count towards your words.
The four criteria
Your Writing is marked on four equally weighted criteria:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2): did you answer every part of the question with relevant, developed ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: are your ideas organised logically, with clear paragraphs and natural linking?
- Lexical Resource: do you use a range of accurate vocabulary, including less common words, correctly?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you mix simple and complex sentences, and how many errors are there?
A strong vocabulary cannot rescue an essay that doesn't answer the question, which is why Task Response is the first thing to check.
Common habits among Lahore writers
These patterns appear again and again in essays from Lahore. None of them is a sign of weak English; they are habits, and habits can be changed.
- Memorised templates. Openings such as "In this modern era of science and technology" or "This is a debatable issue and has pros and cons" are recognised immediately. Examiners don't reward them, and they push your real ideas further down the page.
- Introductions that are too long. A Task 2 introduction needs two or three sentences: paraphrase the question and give your position. Many students write six, leaving too little time for body paragraphs.
- Local English usages. Phrases that are normal in Pakistani English can read as errors in IELTS: "discuss about", "return back", "since two years", "kindly do the needful", "cousin brother", or using "would" where "will" is meant ("I would go to the UK next year").
- Articles. Because Urdu and Punjabi have no direct equivalent of "a" and "the", these words are often dropped or overused. Errors here add up across a whole essay.
- Very long sentences joined by "and". Long sentences don't mean complex grammar. Examiners look for variety: relative clauses, conditionals and well-placed short sentences.
- Over-formal letters in General Training. "Respected Sir" and "I am writing to humbly request" sound stiff in a letter to a friend, and even formal letters in IELTS use plainer English.
- Linking word overload. "Moreover", "furthermore" and "on the other hand" in every sentence actually lower your Coherence score.
Practising with AI feedback
IELTS Learning has 104 Task 1 and Task 2 prompts across Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters and every essay type. After you submit, you receive an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria with comments explaining why.
Use the feedback deliberately. If Lexical Resource is your lowest criterion three essays in a row, that is your focus for the next fortnight, not grammar drills you don't need.
When a teacher helps more than software
AI feedback is fast and consistent, but a teacher can see why you keep making the same choice. A 20-minute Book a Teacher session, from $5, works best when you send an essay you have already worked on and ask a specific question, such as "Why is my Task Response stuck at 6?"
Many students book one session early to diagnose their habits and one a few weeks later to check progress.
A writing routine for a busy Lahore week
Most people preparing in Lahore cannot write an essay every day around university, hospital duties or office hours in Gulberg. A realistic week looks like this:
- Two Task 2 essays, timed at 40 minutes, on a laptop if you will sit the computer-delivered test.
- One Task 1, timed at 20 minutes.
- Two short sessions reading model answers and noting useful structures, not whole phrases to memorise.
- One rewrite of your weakest paragraph from the week.
Typing practice matters too. If you have written exams by hand for years at the University of the Punjab, check your typing speed early; slow typing in the real test is an avoidable problem.
Start IELTS Writing practice free, or try the full sample mock test to see your Writing band alongside the other three modules.