The two tasks
You have 60 minutes for two tasks. Task 2 counts for more of your Writing band than Task 1, so give it about 40 minutes.
Task 1 (at least 150 words, about 20 minutes)
- Academic: describe a graph, table, chart, process diagram or map. You report the main trends and comparisons; you do not explain causes or give opinions.
- General Training: write a letter, which may be formal (to a manager or a company), semi-formal or informal (to a friend). You must cover all three bullet points.
Task 2 (at least 250 words, about 40 minutes)
An essay responding to a point of view, argument or problem. Common types include opinion (agree/disagree), discussion (both views), advantages and disadvantages, problem and solution, and two-part questions. The task is the same type for Academic and General Training, though GT topics are often more everyday.
The four criteria
Each task is marked on four criteria, equally weighted:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2): did you answer the actual question fully, with a clear position and developed ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: logical paragraphs, a clear progression, linking that feels natural rather than mechanical.
- Lexical Resource: range and precision of vocabulary, including collocations and correct word forms.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: a mix of sentence structures with few errors.
Common mistakes Indian candidates make
These are patterns teachers see very often, across all backgrounds. None of them means your English is poor; they are habits that the IELTS band descriptors happen to penalise.
- Memorised phrases. Openers such as "In this modern era of globalisation" or closers like "To conclude, it can be said that there are both pros and cons" are easy for examiners to recognise, and they do not count as evidence of language ability.
- Over-long introductions. Three or four sentences of background before you state your position wastes time and words. Two sentences, paraphrasing the question and giving your view, is enough.
- Indian-English usage. Expressions like "revert back", "discuss about", "return back", "do the needful", "prepone" and "cope up with" are widely used in Indian offices but count as errors in IELTS. Write "reply", "discuss", "return", "bring forward" and "cope with".
- Corporate filler. Gurugram office writing is full of "leverage", "going forward" and "as per". In an essay these often sound vague. Prefer precise, plain words.
- Overusing linkers. Starting every sentence with "Moreover", "Furthermore" or "Hence" can lower Coherence and Cohesion.
- Describing every number in Task 1. Select the key trends and compare; do not list.
- Spelling and article errors ("the" and "a"), especially when typing quickly on the computer-delivered test.
Making time to write in Gurugram
Writing is the module that working professionals most often skip, because it needs a full hour with no distractions. It is also the module where practice makes the biggest difference.
- Write one Task 2 essay every weekend under the 40-minute timer, on a laptop if you are taking the computer test, so you get used to typing at speed.
- On weekdays, do one Task 1 in 20 minutes, or simply plan two Task 2 essays in 5 minutes each: position, two main ideas, examples. Planning is quick and fits a lunch break at a Cyber City food court.
- On the commute, review your feedback and rewrite one weak paragraph in your notes app.
If you work a late shift, write in the hours right after you wake, not at the end of a draining night.
How AI feedback and teacher sessions help
IELTS Learning has 104 Writing prompts covering Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters and every Task 2 essay type. After you submit, you get an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria with specific feedback: where your argument was underdeveloped, which linking felt mechanical, which words were misused.
That is useful for frequent practice, because you can write, get feedback, fix and rewrite within one evening. An estimate is not an examiner's score, though, so many candidates also book a 1-to-1 online session with an IELTS teacher (about 20 minutes, from ₹299) to go through two or three essays in detail. A sensible pattern is to write several essays with AI feedback first, then bring your strongest and weakest to a teacher.
Next steps
Read the Writing chapters in Study Notes, try the free sample mock's Writing section on the practice tests page, and pick up a few precise new words a day from Daily Vocabulary. When you are ready for regular marked practice, sign up. For a Gurgaon professional, two essays a week for six weeks is a realistic, effective target.