Dominic Cole’s IELTS Blog

http://ilsielts.blogspot.com/

Format of Academic IELTS writing

The writing paper lasts for 60 minutes and 2 questions.

Task Suggested time Minimum words

a report 20 minutes 150

an essay 40 minutes 250

Task 1 - a report

In task 1 you are given a graph, chart, table or diagram of a process to describe.

Question type describe a chart, table, graph or diagram or a

combination of these

Task summarise the main features and illustrate them with

examples

Opinions the task is to describe only and not give your opinions

Paragraphs you need paragraphs, but you need not have a

separate paragraph for your introduction and conclusion

Task 2 - an essay

In task 2 you are asked to write an essay.

Question type write either an opinion based or argument based essay on a

non-academic topic

Task present a coherent argument

Key language you need the language of general English, not the
language of specific academic topics

Grading

There are 4 areas in which your writing will be graded. You should note that each of these
is worth 25% of your total mark.

Task 2, the essay, is worth twice as marks as task 1.

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http://ilsielts.blogspot.com/

Task response

How well do you answer the question: this includes whether you answer all parts of
the question, write enough words and write in the correct format

Lexical resource

The range and accuracy of your vocabulary: this includes whether your vocabulary is
suitable to the task and whether you only use common words

Grammatical range and accuracy

The range and accuracy of your grammar: this includes not just how many mistakes
you make, but also whether you also use more complex structures

Coherence and cohesion

How well your writing is organised: this includes organising how your sentences link
together and how your paragraphs are organised

You should also note that the examiner is also likely to start by giving your writing an
overall score: “What do I generally think about this piece of writing?”. Therefore you
should take care of the appearance of your writing.

Some common penalties

Not writing enough words

You need to write at least 150 and 250 words. If you write too many words (325 +) there is
no penalty, but you are unlikely to be using your best English.
If you repeat whole phrases or sentences from the question, they will not count towards
the total words.
In task 1 any language which gives your personal opinion will not count towards the total
words.

Bad use paragraphs

If you do not use paragraphs, you will be penalised.
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http://ilsielts.blogspot.com/

Each paragraph should be about one main idea. If your paragraphs are disorganised, you
will be penalised

Not answering the question

Each question gives you a specific task. In task 2, you will be penalised if you do not
clearly state your answer to that task.
In task 2, some questions contain 2 separate questions. You will be penalised if you do not
answer both of them.
In task 1, you will be penalised if you do not identify the main points or if you do not
illustrate those points with details.

Being irrelevant
In task 2, if the question asks you about the effect of television on society, you should not
write about computers.
In task 1, you should not