Free IELTS Writing practice with model answers
Write under real exam conditions: a countdown timer, a live word counter and automatic saving in your browser. When you finish, compare your response with an original model answer and check it against a short list. No account, nothing uploaded.
How the IELTS Writing test works
| Task 1 | Task 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Academic | Describe a chart, graph, table, map or process | Essay giving an opinion, discussing views or solving a problem |
| General Training | Write a letter (formal, semi-formal or informal) | |
| Minimum words | 150 | 250 |
| Suggested time | 20 minutes | 40 minutes |
Task 2 essays (Academic and General Training)
- Working from home (Opinion (agree or disagree))
- Should university education be free? (Discussion (both views and opinion))
- International tourism (Advantages and disadvantages)
- Rising childhood obesity (Problem and solution)
- Children and smartphones (Two-part question)
- Who should protect the environment? (Opinion (agree or disagree))
- An ageing population (Positive or negative development)
- Learning foreign languages at primary school (Discussion (both views and opinion))
Academic Task 1: charts, graphs and tables
- How people commute in three cities (Bar chart)
- Electricity from renewable sources (Line graph)
- Household spending in two years (Table)
General Training Task 1: letters
- Complaint about a late delivery (Formal letter (complaint))
- Inviting a friend to visit (Informal letter)
- Asking your manager for time off (Semi-formal letter (request))
Five habits that improve IELTS Writing
- Plan for three to five minutes. Decide your position and paragraph topics before you write.
- Answer every part of the question. Most low Task 2 scores come from not fully addressing the task.
- One idea per paragraph, introduced by a clear topic sentence.
- Write overviews in Task 1. Summarise the main trends before giving numbers.
- Leave two minutes to check for agreement, articles and spelling.
Writing and speaking reinforce each other: ideas you develop for Task 2 are exactly what Part 3 of the Speaking test asks for. Try them aloud in the Part 3 practice.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the IELTS Writing test?
The Writing test lasts 60 minutes and has two tasks. Task 1 needs at least 150 words and Task 2 at least 250 words. Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1, so spend about 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2.
What is the difference between Academic and General Training Writing?
Task 2 is a similar essay in both. In Task 1, Academic candidates describe a chart, graph, table, map or process, while General Training candidates write a letter.
How is IELTS Writing marked?
Each task is assessed on four criteria: task achievement (Task 1) or task response (Task 2), coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy.
Does SpeakingIELTS score my essay?
No. The writing tool gives you exam timing, a live word count and an original model answer to compare with. It does not grade your writing or predict a band score.