IELTS Writing practice test: Task 1, Task 2 and how they are marked
By the Halfband team. Updated .
IELTS Writing gives you 60 minutes for two tasks. Task 1 differs between Academic and General Training. Task 2 is an essay in both, and it counts for twice as much.
This guide explains both tasks, how your band is worked out, and how to practise them the way the exam sets them: together, on one clock.
The Writing test at a glance
| Task | What you write | Length | Suggested time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task 1, Academic | A report on a chart, graph, table, map or diagram of a process. You describe the main features and make comparisons. You do not give an opinion. | At least 150 words | About 20 minutes |
| Task 1, General Training | A letter responding to a situation, such as asking for information or explaining a problem. The tone may be formal, semi-formal or informal. | At least 150 words | About 20 minutes |
| Task 2, both modules | An essay responding to a point of view, an argument or a problem. You take a position and support it with reasons and examples. | At least 250 words | About 40 minutes |
The 60 minutes are yours to divide. Nobody stops you after 20 minutes of Task 1, which is how people end up with half an essay.
How Writing is marked
Each task gets a band from 0 to 9 for four criteria, weighted equally.
| Criterion | What it rewards |
|---|---|
| Task achievement (Task 1) or task response (Task 2) | Doing everything the question asks. In Task 1: the key features, a clear overview, or every bullet point of the letter. In Task 2: answering all parts of the question with a clear position. |
| Coherence and cohesion | Ideas in a logical order, clear paragraphs, and linking words that help the reader without being forced into every sentence. |
| Lexical resource | Range and precision of vocabulary, natural word combinations, and correct spelling. |
| Grammatical range and accuracy | A variety of sentence structures, used accurately, with correct punctuation. |
Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1 towards your Writing band. A strong Task 1 and a weak Task 2 scores lower than the reverse, so when time is short the essay comes first.
Answers below the word minimum lose marks. There is no penalty for writing more, but extra length costs time and adds mistakes.
What makes a practice test useful
- Both tasks in one 60-minute sitting. Timing each task on its own hides the main risk, which is Task 1 eating into Task 2.
- No spelling or grammar help. The computer-delivered test shows a word count and nothing else. Turn off autocorrect, or write somewhere that has none.
- The right Task 1 for your module. Describing a chart and writing a letter are different skills.
- Marks for each criterion on each task. “Band 6” tells you little. “Band 6, held back by task response because the second part of the question was not answered” tells you what to change.
Ways to practise, compared
| Option | What you get | Feedback on your answers | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official sample tasks | Sample Task 1 and Task 2 questions on ielts.org, some with model answers and examiner comments. | None on your own writing. You compare it with the models yourself. | Free |
| IELTS Progress Check | The official online practice test from the IELTS partners. | Marked by IELTS-trained markers. A report with indicative bands arrives within five days. | Paid, per test |
| A teacher | Your essay marked by a person who knows the band descriptors. | The most detailed feedback available, if the teacher is experienced. Usually takes a day or more. | Usually per essay or per lesson |
| Halfband | Both tasks on one 60-minute clock, with a word count and no spelling help. 14 Academic tests and 10 General Training tests. | An estimated band for each criterion on each task, comments that quote your writing, and sentences from your answer rewritten. Ready in a few minutes. | Free to sit. Results from about ₹40 a test. |
Start with the official samples, because they show what real questions and strong answers look like. Use a teacher when you can. Halfband fills the gap between the two: you can write a full test tonight and see what held each task back before you forget what you were thinking when you wrote it.
Halfband marks your writing with an AI model against the public IELTS band descriptors. The band is an estimate. It is not an official IELTS score, and Halfband is not connected with IELTS, the British Council, IDP or Cambridge.
How a Halfband Writing test works
- Choose Academic or General Training, then Writing. You do not need an account to sit the test.
- Task 1 and Task 2 are both open from the start, and one clock counts down from 60 minutes. Academic Task 1 shows the chart, table or process diagram next to where you type.
- A word count updates as you type. There is no spelling or grammar checking.
- Your work is saved in your browser, so closing the tab by accident does not lose it.
- Your results show a band for each task, a band and comment for each criterion, sentences from your answer rewritten with the reason, and three things to practise next.
Mistakes that cost bands in practice
No overview in Academic Task 1. A report that lists numbers without saying what the main trend or biggest difference is cannot score well for task achievement. Write the overview before the details.
Opinions in Task 1. The Academic task asks what the data shows. Why it happened, or whether it is good, is not asked for and does not gain marks.
Half the question answered in Task 2. Many questions have two parts, for example “discuss both views and give your own opinion”. Leaving one out limits the task response band, however good the English is.
Memorised phrases. Openings learned by heart do not answer the question in front of you, and examiners recognise them.
Thirty minutes on Task 1. It is worth a third of the marks. Give it a third of the time.
How often to practise
A full test once or twice a week is enough for most people, as long as you rewrite the weakest paragraph afterwards using the feedback. The rewrite is where the improvement happens.
Preparing for the interview too? Read the IELTS Speaking practice test guide.