IELTS Writing Academic
In the IELTS Writing test, you complete two different tasks.
This page shows you what each task is and what you need to do to get a good score.
What's the Academic Writing Test About?
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Describe visual information
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Focus on key trends
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Write clearly
What is Writing Task 1 About?
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Identify key trends
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Compare data
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Organise ideas
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Use formal language
What is Writing Task 2 About?
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Task Achievement
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Coherence & Cohesion
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Vocabulary
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Grammar
What’s the Academic Writing Test About?
In the IELTS Academic Writing test, you complete two tasks with different purposes.
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Task 1: Describe and summarise information from a graph, chart, table, or diagram..
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Task 2: Write an essay to answer a question or give your opinion.
Task 1
Task 2
Description
Minimum Words
Recommended Time
Write a summary on a graph, chart, table, or diagram.
Write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem.
150
250
20 minutes
40 minutes
Important
Many students think IELTS Writing is the hardest part of the test.
The good news is you don’t need perfect English to get a high band score.
What really matters is:
clear organisation
accurate grammar
explaining your ideas clearly
What is Writing Task 1 about?
In Task 1, you will see a graph, chart, table, process, or map.
There are six main types of Task 1 questions, and it’s important to understand each one.
Your job is to describe the most important information clearly and in a logical way.You should focus on:
the main trends or changes
the most important comparisons
the key features of the data
Important
You do not give your opinion in Task 1 — you simply report the information you see.
In IELTS Writing Task 2, there are five main types of essay you might be asked to write.
You may be asked to:
• give your opinion
• discuss different views
• explain advantages and disadvantages
• suggest solutions to problems
Opinion Essay
Give your opinion about a topic.
Do you agree or disagree?
To succeed in Task 2, you need to:
What is Writing Task 2 about?
use a clear essay structure
develop your ideas with explanations and examples
use a good range of vocabulary and grammar
You will also need vocabulary for many common IELTS topics, such as education, technology, health, work, and the environment.
Problem & Solution Essay
Explain the problems and suggest solutions.
What problems does this cause? How can they be solved?
Discussion Essay
Discuss two different views about a topic.
Give your opinion.
Direct Question Essay
Answer two questions about a topic.
Give clear and complete answers.
Advantages & Disadvantages Essay
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of a topic.
What are the positives and negatives?