Task 1 and Task 2: what you are asked to do
You have 60 minutes for two tasks.
Task 1 needs at least 150 words. Academic candidates describe a graph, table, chart, process diagram or map, selecting the main features and making comparisons. General Training candidates write a letter, which may be formal, semi-formal or informal depending on the situation.
Task 2 needs at least 250 words and counts for more of your Writing band. You write an essay responding to an opinion, a discussion, a problem and solution, or a two-part question.
Most examiners' advice comes down to one point: spend about 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 on Task 2.
The four criteria
Both tasks are marked on four equally weighted criteria:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2): did you answer every part of the question with relevant, developed ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: is the writing logically organised, with clear paragraphs and natural linking?
- Lexical Resource: do you use a range of vocabulary accurately and appropriately?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you use varied structures with few errors?
Habits that often hold Karachi writers back
These are patterns teachers frequently see in scripts from Pakistan. They come from good schooling and professional life, but they do not suit IELTS.
Memorised openings and closings
Lines such as "In this modern era of science and technology" or "This is a burning issue of today's world" are recognised immediately. Examiners do not reward memorised language and it adds words without adding meaning. Paraphrase the question in one sentence, give your position and move on.
Introductions that take up a third of the essay
Many students were taught to write long, formal introductions. In a 250 to 290-word essay, a five-sentence introduction leaves too little space for developed body paragraphs. Aim for two or three sentences.
Office English in letters
Professionals from Karachi's banks, shipping companies and corporate offices often bring workplace phrases into General Training letters: "Respected Sir", "kindly revert at the earliest", "please find the same attached", "do the needful". These are common in local business email but sound unnatural to an IELTS examiner. Use "Dear Sir or Madam" or the person's title and surname, and "I look forward to hearing from you".
Local usages and grammar slips
Watch for:
- "revert" meaning "reply", and "pass out" meaning "graduate";
- continuous tenses with stative verbs ("I am having two brothers");
- dropped or extra articles ("Government should..." vs "the government should...");
- "itself" and "only" used for emphasis as in Urdu ("today itself", "he only did it");
- very long sentences joined with commas, which reduce your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score.
Describing every number in Task 1
Academic candidates from commerce and engineering backgrounds sometimes list every figure. Task 1 rewards an overview and selected comparisons, not a full data dump.
How AI feedback speeds up your IELTS Writing practice
Our 104 prompts cover every Academic Task 1 type, General Training letters and all Task 2 essay types. When you submit, you get an AI-estimated band for each criterion and written comments, usually within moments.
The value is in the pattern. If Task Response is consistently half a band lower than Lexical Resource, you do not need more vocabulary lists; you need to plan your ideas better. Rewrite the same essay after reading the feedback and resubmit. Rewriting is where most of the improvement happens.
When to book a teacher
AI feedback is fast and consistent, but sometimes you need a person to explain why a paragraph does not work. A 1-to-1 online session with an IELTS teacher (about 20 minutes, from $5) is a good use of money when:
- your AI bands have stopped rising for several weeks;
- you need a target of 7 or above in Writing, as many nursing and medical regulators often ask;
- you want someone to walk through one essay sentence by sentence.
A weekly IELTS Writing routine for busy Karachi schedules
- Two Task 1 responses a week, 20 minutes each.
- Two Task 2 essays a week, 40 minutes each, written by hand or typed to match the test you will sit.
- One rewrite of your weakest essay after feedback.
- Ten minutes a day with flashcards or Daily Vocabulary, especially topic words for education, environment, technology and work.
Do your timed writing at home in a quiet power window. Planning practice, where you outline ideas for three Task 2 questions in ten minutes, can happen anywhere, including in a rickshaw stuck at a signal.