The two tasks in sixty minutes
You have 60 minutes for two tasks, and you plan your own time.
- Task 1 needs at least 150 words. In Academic, you describe a chart, table, process diagram or map. In General Training, you write a letter, which may be formal, semi-formal or informal.
- Task 2 needs at least 250 words. It is an essay responding to an opinion, a problem, an advantages-and-disadvantages question, or a two-part question.
Task 2 counts for more of your Writing band, so give it about 40 minutes. A weak Task 1 hurts; an unfinished Task 2 hurts much more.
The four criteria examiners use
Both tasks are marked on four criteria of equal weight:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2): did you answer the actual question fully, with a clear position and developed ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: is your writing logically organised, with clear paragraphs and natural linking?
- Lexical Resource: is your vocabulary accurate, varied and appropriate?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you use a range of structures, and are most of your sentences error-free?
Habits that hold Sylhet students back
These patterns come up again and again with students from Bangladesh. None of them mean your English is poor; they are habits, and habits can be changed.
- Memorised openings. Lines such as "In this modern era of science and technology" or "This is a burning question of the present time" are learned in school and coaching notes. Examiners see them constantly, and they say nothing about the question. Start with a paraphrase of the topic instead.
- Very long introductions. Some essays spend 80 words before giving an opinion. Two or three sentences are enough: introduce the topic, then state your position.
- Translated structures. Phrases that are natural in Bengali or Sylheti can sound unusual in English: "discuss about", "cope up with", "my cousin brother", "he is not agree". A quick check for these in your final two minutes can lift your grammar score.
- Articles and plurals. Because Bengali does not use "a" and "the" in the same way, missing or extra articles are common, as are missing plural endings: "many student", "the people are very busy in the city".
- Flowery vocabulary. Using a rare word wrongly costs more than using a simple word correctly. Lexical Resource rewards precision.
- Task 1 opinions. In Academic Task 1, students sometimes explain why figures changed or give their view. Describe and compare only.
How to practise Writing well
IELTS Writing practice in Sylhet is most effective when every essay gets feedback and the feedback changes the next essay.
- Plan for five minutes. Write your position and two main ideas before you begin.
- Write under the timer. Practising without time pressure gives you a false sense of security.
- Get scored on all four criteria. One overall number hides which area needs work.
- Rewrite one paragraph. Fix the problems flagged in feedback, then compare the two versions.
- Keep a personal error list. If you write "informations" three weeks running, it belongs on that list.
Where AI feedback and teachers help
IELTS Learning has 104 Writing prompts across Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters, and every type of Task 2 essay. After you submit, you receive an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria, with feedback explaining what pulled each score down. You can write as many essays as you like and see your scores change over time.
AI feedback is fast and available whenever you are, which suits students writing late at night after classes at SUST or a long day at work. Some problems, though, benefit from a human eye: the logic of your argument, whether an example really supports your point, or why your score is stuck. Book a Teacher gives you a 1-to-1 online session of about 20 minutes, from $5, where an IELTS teacher can go through one of your essays with you.
Topics that suit a Sylhet writer
Task 2 topics are international, but your own experience is a rich source of examples. The effect of family members living abroad, remittances and the local economy, rural-to-urban movement, flood preparation, tourism in the tea gardens and hills, or the role of young doctors in district hospitals are all fair examples to use in a general way. Using what you know makes your ideas specific and believable.
Start with free tools: the blog has weekly IELTS tips, and the Band Score Calculator shows how Writing affects your overall band. Full Access to every prompt and feedback tool is $12 for 2 months: register here.