IELTS Writing tips: what examiners look for and how to deliver it

IELTS Writing is marked against four published criteria, and most lost marks come from a handful of predictable problems: not answering the whole question, weak paragraphing, missing overviews and careless grammar. This guide explains each criterion in plain language, gives a structure for every task type, and lists the mistakes to stop making—then you can practise under real timing in the free writing simulator.

The IELTS Writing test at a glance

The four criteria, in plain language

Each task is marked on four equally weighted criteria. These summaries are written in our own words to explain what the public band descriptors reward.

1. Task achievement (Task 1) / Task response (Task 2)

Did you do exactly what the task asked? In Task 2 that means answering every part of the question, taking a clear position where one is required, and supporting main ideas with explanation and examples. In Academic Task 1 it means a clear overview of the main trends plus accurate, selected details—not every number. In letters, it means covering all three bullet points with an appropriate tone.

2. Coherence and cohesion

Is your writing easy to follow? Logical paragraphs with one central idea each, a clear progression from introduction to conclusion, and linking devices used accurately—not mechanically at the start of every sentence. Referencing (this, these, such, it) helps ideas connect without repetition.

3. Lexical resource

Do you use a range of vocabulary precisely? Higher bands show less common words and natural collocations used correctly, with few spelling or word-formation errors. Repeating the same words from the question, or using impressive words wrongly, both hold scores back.

4. Grammatical range and accuracy

Do you use a variety of sentence structures, and how many sentences are error-free? A mix of complex structures—relative clauses, conditionals, passives, participle phrases—written mostly without errors is what separates the higher bands. Simple sentences with no errors are better than ambitious ones full of mistakes.

Task 2: a structure for every question type

Most strong essays have four or five paragraphs: an introduction that paraphrases the question and states your position, two or three body paragraphs, and a short conclusion. What changes is what goes in the body.

Build body paragraphs with PEEL

Point (topic sentence) → Explain why or how → Example (specific, realistic) → Link back to the question. Two fully developed paragraphs score better than four thin ones.

Plan for five minutes

Underline the topic and the instruction words, decide your position, and jot down one main idea per paragraph. Planning is the single biggest protection against going off-topic.

Academic Task 1: charts, tables, maps and processes

• Paraphrase the task in your first sentence (“The bar chart compares…”), without copying it.
• Write an overview of the two or three most important features—highest and lowest, biggest change, overall trend. Without a clear overview, Task 1 scores are limited.
• Group data logically (by category, by trend, by time period) instead of describing every bar or line in order.
• Use accurate numbers to support comparisons, and never give opinions or reasons the chart does not show.
• Maps: describe changes over time using location language (to the north of, was replaced by, was extended). Processes: describe each stage in order using the passive (“the leaves are dried”) and sequencing words.

Useful trend language: rose steadily, fell sharply, peaked at, levelled off, fluctuated, remained stable, overtook, accounted for, twice as many, a third of. See it in context in the line graph, bar chart and table model answers.

General Training Task 1: getting the letter right

State the purpose in the first sentence, give each bullet point its own paragraph, and end with a clear request or next step. Tone that does not match the reader is one of the most common GT problems. Practise a complaint, an informal letter and a request to a manager.

The mistakes that cost the most marks

• Answering only part of the question—for example, discussing both views but never giving your own opinion.
• No overview in Task 1, or an overview buried in the last line.
• Copying the question word for word in the introduction (copied words are not counted).
• Under-length answers, often caused by spending too long on Task 1.
• Over-using linking words (“Moreover… Furthermore… In addition…”) at the start of every sentence.
• Memorised phrases that do not fit the topic, such as “This is a controversial issue that has sparked heated debate” for every essay.
• Recurring grammar slips: subject–verb agreement, articles (a/an/the), countable nouns (“informations”), and run-on sentences joined with commas.
• Bullet points or headings in an essay—IELTS essays must be written in full paragraphs.

Dos and don'ts

A 60-minute plan for test day

Some candidates prefer to write Task 2 first because it is worth more. Either order works if you keep to the time limits.

Writing and speaking reinforce each other

Task 2 topics—education, technology, environment, work—are the same themes as Speaking Part 3. Explaining your essay argument aloud in two minutes is a quick way to test whether your ideas are clear before you write. Try it in the Part 3 speaking practice.

Practise a timed writing task Practise the ideas aloud