IELTS PracticeIELTS General Training Writing
Two tasks in sixty minutes: a letter, and an essay.
- Time
- 60 min
- Tasks
- 2
- Task 1 letter
- 150+ words
- Task 2 essay
- 250+ words
The two tasks
Task 1 - about 20 minutes
Write a letter of at least 150 words about an everyday situation - asking for information, complaining, explaining or apologising. The task gives three points to cover and tells you who you're writing to, which sets the tone: formal, semi-formal or informal.
Task 2 - about 40 minutes
Write an essay of at least 250 words on a topic of general interest, responding to a point of view, an argument or a problem. It counts for twice as much as Task 1.
How it's marked
Each task is marked on four criteria, each worth a quarter of that task's band:
- Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2)
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Lexical Resource
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Writing practice that feels like the exam
- Write in the browser with a live word count and a timer
- AI marks each criterion within minutes, quoting your own sentences
- Corrections for real mistakes in your answer, and a model answer to compare
- A teacher can review the mark and replace it
Quick wins
- Task 1: cover all three bullet points - missing one caps your Task Achievement.
- Match the tone to the reader: "Dear Sir or Madam" for a company, a first name for a friend, and close to match.
- State the purpose of the letter in the first two lines.
- Task 2: plan for five minutes, take a clear position and support it with examples.
General Training Writing FAQ
How formal should my letter be?
The task tells you who you are writing to. A manager or a company needs a formal letter; a friend an informal one. Keeping one tone throughout matters as much as the choice.
Is Task 2 the same as Academic?
The task is the same kind of essay, marked the same way; the topics tend to be more general.
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