Two tasks, 60 minutes
The Writing test lasts 60 minutes and has two tasks.
- Task 1 (at least 150 words, about 20 minutes). Academic candidates describe a chart, table, process or map. General Training candidates write a letter, which may be formal, semi-formal or informal.
- Task 2 (at least 250 words, about 40 minutes). Both versions write an essay: opinion, discussion, advantages and disadvantages, problem and solution, or a two-part question.
Task 2 counts for more of your Writing band than Task 1, so do not spend 30 minutes on Task 1 and rush your essay.
The four marking criteria
Every answer is marked on four equal criteria:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2): did you answer every part of the question, with a clear position and developed ideas?
- Coherence and Cohesion: are your ideas organised logically, in paragraphs, with linking that sounds natural?
- Lexical Resource: do you use a good range of vocabulary accurately, including less common words?
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: do you use a mix of sentence structures, and how many errors are there?
Knowing these criteria changes how you practise. An essay full of advanced words can still score 6 if it only half answers the question.
Common mistakes we see from students in Muscat
These are patterns, not rules, and many students avoid them. But they come up often enough to be worth checking in your own writing.
Omani and other Arabic-speaking students
- Very long sentences joined with "and". Arabic writing often links ideas in long chains. In English this can make an essay hard to follow and hurts Grammatical Range and Coherence. Aim for a mix of short and complex sentences.
- Missing or extra articles. "The education is important" or "I am student" are common. Check every noun for a, an or the.
- Missing "is" or "are". "The government responsible for..." needs a verb.
- Memorised openings. Phrases such as "In this modern era" or "It is a debatable issue that has been argued by many people" use words without answering the question. Examiners recognise them.
Expatriate professionals (South Asian, Filipino and others)
- Workplace or local English usages that are normal in the office but not standard written English, for example "do the needful", "revert back", "kindly" in an essay, or "prepone".
- Over-formal or over-long introductions that restate the question three times before giving an opinion.
- Letter tone in GT Task 1. A letter to a friend that sounds like an email to a manager, or a complaint letter that sounds too casual.
Everyone
- No clear position in opinion essays, or a position that changes halfway.
- Task 1 without an overview. In Academic Task 1, the overview (the main trends) is essential for band 7.
- Under length. Writing 230 words for Task 2 will lower your Task Response score.
How to practise IELTS Writing Task 2 effectively
Writing more essays helps only if you get feedback and act on it.
- Write under time. 40 minutes for Task 2, 20 for Task 1, on a laptop if you are taking the computer test.
- Get feedback against the criteria. On IELTS Learning, each answer receives an AI-estimated band for all four criteria with comments.
- Rewrite one paragraph. Take the weakest criterion and rewrite a paragraph to fix it. This is where the improvement happens.
- Keep an error list. If your feedback keeps mentioning articles or run-on sentences, write those down and check for them in every essay.
We have 104 Task 1 and Task 2 prompts, covering Academic charts, tables, processes and maps, General Training letters, and every essay type. Topics range from education and technology to the environment, transport and health, which are popular in the real test.
When to add a teacher
AI feedback is fast and available whenever you write, which suits evening practice after work. A human teacher adds something different: they can see why your argument is weak, not just that it is. Book a Teacher gives you a 1-to-1 online session of about 20 minutes, from $5. Many students book one after every three or four essays to check their progress.
Writing practice for Muscat's study and work goals
If you are applying to a UK or Australian university, your Writing band is often the one that decides the offer, since many courses set a minimum in each section. Nurses and health professionals preparing for registration abroad often need a high Writing score too. Check the exact requirement with your university or registration body.
Start with the free sample mock test to get a Writing band estimate, then unlock all prompts with Full Access for $12 for 2 months. Register for free and submit your first essay today.