About the IELTS Writing Test
The IELTS writing test is a 1-hour test in which the candidate must complete 2 tasks. Task 1 is very different for Academic and General candidates but Task 2 is more similar.
Academic TrainingTask 1 is concerned with reporting information from a graph, chart, map or process diagram. Candidates must write 150 words and should take about 20 minutes doing this task.
Task 2 is a longer essay. The candidate is given details of an opinion or idea, an argument or a problem, and has to respond. It is important for the ideas to be logical and the essay has to be well structured. The candidate must write 250 words and this should around 40 minutes.
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General TrainingTask 1 gives candidates a situation and they must write a letter in a personal, semi-formal or formal style. Candidates must write 150 words and should take about 20 minutes doing this task.
Task 2 is very similar the Academic Writing Task 2 as the candidate is given an opinion or idea, an argument or a problem, and has to respond. As with the academic module, the candidate must write 250 words in 40 minutes.
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Candidates are given a band score for 4 different areas of the 2 tasks and the average of these scores is the final writing band score. Click the link below to see the public IELTS writing band descriptors for task 1 and task 2.
Task Achievement (TA)is how well the question is answered. If all parts of the question are dealt with and the ideas are logical or the data is accurate and well summarized, then TA will be high.
Coherence and Cohesion (CC) is how well structured the answer is, and if ideas are signaled and logically follow on from one another in paragraphs. Referencing and substitution are also important for good CC so the candidate doesn’t repeat the same things too many times.
Lexical Resource (LR) is the range of vocabulary a candidate uses. The wider the range of vocabulary a candidate uses to accurately express themselves, then the higher their band score will be. Spelling and word formation are also important for good LR.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) will receive a high band score if the candidate uses lots of complex sentences with few errors. Complex sentences are sentences that have subordinate clauses such as relative clauses. Punctuation, using full stops and commas accurately, is also important for GRA.
Coherence and Cohesion (CC) is how well structured the answer is, and if ideas are signaled and logically follow on from one another in paragraphs. Referencing and substitution are also important for good CC so the candidate doesn’t repeat the same things too many times.
Lexical Resource (LR) is the range of vocabulary a candidate uses. The wider the range of vocabulary a candidate uses to accurately express themselves, then the higher their band score will be. Spelling and word formation are also important for good LR.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) will receive a high band score if the candidate uses lots of complex sentences with few errors. Complex sentences are sentences that have subordinate clauses such as relative clauses. Punctuation, using full stops and commas accurately, is also important for GRA.
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