The two tasks
You have 60 minutes for both tasks, and the time is yours to divide. Most examiners and teachers suggest about 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 for Task 2, because Task 2 counts for more of your Writing score.
- Academic Task 1 (at least 150 words): describe a graph, table, chart, process diagram or map. You report and compare; you do not give opinions or reasons.
- General Training Task 1 (at least 150 words): write a letter, which may be formal, semi-formal or informal, covering three bullet points.
- Task 2 (at least 250 words, both tracks): an essay responding to an opinion, a discussion, a problem and solution, advantages and disadvantages, or a two-part question.
The four criteria
Every task is marked on four equal criteria:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2): did you answer the whole question, with a clear position and developed ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: is it 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 mix of structures with few errors?
Knowing this changes how you practise. If your Task Response band is low, learning "advanced" words will not help. You need to answer the question more directly.
Common mistakes Indian students make, and how to fix them
These are habits, not failures. Many come from the way essays and letters are written in Indian schools, colleges and offices, and examiners see them often.
- Memorised openings and templates. Lines such as "In this modern era of science and technology" or "This is a highly debatable topic" do not answer anything. Examiners recognise them and they do not earn credit. Start with a paraphrase of the question and your answer.
- Over-long introductions. Two or three sentences are enough. A 90-word introduction leaves less time for the body paragraphs, where the marks are.
- Indian-English usage. "Revert back", "discuss about", "return back", "cope up with", "do the needful", "prepone" and "since three years" are widely used in India but are errors or non-standard in IELTS. Write "reply", "discuss", "return", "cope with", "bring forward" and "for three years".
- Over-formal or flowery vocabulary. "Commence", "henceforth" and "manifold" used in the wrong place lower Lexical Resource. Clear and precise beats impressive.
- Opinions in Academic Task 1. Do not explain why sales fell. Describe what the chart shows, and always include an overview of the main trends.
- Forgetting a bullet in the GT letter. Each of the three bullet points must be covered, or Task Achievement drops.
- Article and preposition slips. Hindi does not use "a" and "the" the way English does, so missing or extra articles are common. Proofread for them specifically in the last three minutes.
Writing practice that fits an Indore schedule
You do not need two hours a day. A steady pattern works better:
- Two Task 2 essays a week, timed at 40 minutes, typed on a laptop if you plan to take the computer-delivered test.
- Two Task 1 responses a week, alternating chart types or letter types.
- One rewrite a week: take your weakest essay and rewrite it using the feedback.
If you are an IT professional on the Super Corridor or a student at one of the colleges on the Khandwa Road, Saturday morning is often the best time for a full 60-minute Writing session before plans take over the day.
How AI feedback and teacher sessions help
IELTS Learning has 104 Task 1 and Task 2 prompts covering Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters and every essay type. When you submit, you get an AI-estimated band for each of the four criteria, with specific comments on what pulled the score down. Because it comes back in moments, you can write, read the feedback and try again the same evening.
AI feedback is excellent for volume and for spotting patterns. When you want a human view, for example on whether your argument is convincing or whether your essays are stuck at 6.5 for the same reason, book a 1-to-1 online session with a teacher, about 20 minutes, from ₹299. Bring two essays and ask the teacher to focus on the criterion with the lowest score.
The Study Notes chapters on Writing and the English Improvement grammar lessons are useful between essays, and your Mistake Notebook keeps track of what you have already worked on.
Get started
Try a Writing task in the free sample mock test, and read the weekly tips on the blog. Create a free account to save your essays and track each criterion.