The two tasks
You have 60 minutes for both tasks, and nobody tells you when to move on.
- Task 1 (at least 150 words, about 20 minutes). In Academic, you describe a chart, table, process or map, selecting and comparing the main features. In General Training, you write a letter, formal, semi-formal or informal, covering three bullet points.
- Task 2 (at least 250 words, about 40 minutes). An essay responding to a question: opinion, discussion of two views, advantages and disadvantages, problem and solution, or a two-part question. Task 2 counts for more of your Writing band than Task 1, so never let Task 1 eat into its time.
The four criteria, in plain words
- 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: is it logically organised, with clear paragraphs and natural linking, not a linking word in every sentence?
- Lexical Resource: do you use a range of accurate, precise vocabulary, with correct collocations and spelling?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you use a mix of sentence structures, and how many errors are there?
Each criterion carries equal weight. A brilliant vocabulary cannot rescue an essay that only half-answers the question.
Mistakes we often see from Indian candidates
These are habits, not failings, and almost everyone can fix them with practice.
- Memorised openings. Lines such as "In this modern era of globalisation..." or "This is a burning issue in today's world" are recognised instantly and add nothing. Paraphrase the question and state your position.
- Over-long introductions. Three or four sentences of background leave too little time for the body. Two sentences are usually enough.
- Indian-English usages. "Revert back", "discuss about", "return back", "cope up with", "do the needful", "pass out" (for graduating) and "prepone" are normal in Indian offices, but in IELTS they count as errors or unusual usage. Write "reply", "discuss", "return", "cope with", "graduate".
- Article errors. Missing or extra "a", "an" and "the" are among the most frequent grammar mistakes, and they add up across 250 words.
- Listing every number in Task 1. Examiners want an overview and key comparisons, not every figure in the table read aloud.
- Sitting on the fence in Task 2. If the question asks for your opinion, give one clearly and keep it consistent to the end.
Writing practice when your day belongs to a campus or an office
Navi Mumbai's engineering, management and medical students write plenty of reports and assignments, and professionals in the Airoli and Mahape IT parks write emails all day. That fluency is a real advantage. The catch is that workplace and college writing carries habits that IELTS does not reward: bullet points, abbreviations, borrowed phrases from templates.
A realistic routine is:
- Two Task 2 essays a week, written by hand or typed to match your test format, timed at 40 minutes.
- One Task 1 a week: a chart or process for Academic, a letter for General Training.
- Ten minutes on the train reading a model answer or a Study Notes chapter, then noting two useful structures.
If you will sit the computer-delivered test, practise typing; if paper, practise handwriting at speed and count words by lines.
How AI feedback and teacher sessions help
IELTS Learning has 104 Writing prompts across Academic Task 1 (charts, tables, processes, 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 and specific feedback on what pulled each one down. That lets you write, get feedback and rewrite on the same evening, rather than waiting a week for a class.
AI feedback is an estimate. For a human view, Book a Teacher for a roughly 20-minute online session from ₹299. Students often bring two essays: one where the AI and their own judgement disagree, and one written on a type they find hardest, such as discussion essays.
Getting started
Try a Task 2 prompt from the free sample mock on the practice tests page, then read our weekly Writing tips on the blog. For the full set of prompts and AI marking, sign up for Full Access at ₹999 for 2 months. Consistent IELTS Writing practice, with feedback on each attempt, is the surest way to move the band that moves least.