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IELTS Academic Writing in plain language
Last updated: July 20, 2026
Two tasks, 60 minutes, four criteria. The section where most candidates plateau — because band 7 rewards a specific kind of clarity that intuitive writers rarely have by default.
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- Duration
- 60 minutes total (candidates typically spend 20 on Task 1, 40 on Task 2)
- Task 1
- Describe a chart, graph, table, diagram, map or process — at least 150 words
- Task 2
- Argue an essay on a general topic — at least 250 words
- Weighting
- Task 2 counts roughly twice as much as Task 1 toward the Writing band
- Criteria
- Task Achievement/Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Task 1 — reporting, not opinion
Task 1 is not an essay. You are asked to describe visual information — a line graph, a bar chart, a pie chart, a table, a diagram, a map, or a process — in your own words. Your opinion is irrelevant. Your job is to identify the main trends, contrasts, or stages and report them accurately with supporting figures.
The single most common failure at Task 1 is copying the label wording verbatim, either from the prompt or from axis labels. Paraphrasing the topic sentence at the start is a small habit that lifts Lexical Resource and Coherence marks together.
The second common failure is treating every data point equally. High band answers select the most informative comparisons — the biggest change, the outlier, the trend reversal — and organise them in a way a busy reader could scan.
Task 2 — argument, not brainstorm
Task 2 asks you to develop a clear position on a general topic — education policy, urban planning, technology in society. High-scoring answers commit early: paragraph 1 states the position, paragraphs 2 and 3 develop it with concrete reasoning, paragraph 4 concludes. Fence-sitting essays with no clear stance score poorly on Task Achievement even when the English is excellent.
Because the criteria weight lexical range and grammatical range, memorised 'template' phrases inserted at every joint hurt more than they help. Examiners are trained to identify formulaic language and cap Lexical Resource at Band 6 when it dominates. Better: build a small stock of flexible connectors and let the argument decide the wording.
The four criteria and what they actually reward
The public band descriptors are worth reading closely, once. They reward slightly different things than most candidates expect.
- Task Achievement / Response — did you answer the question the prompt asked, in full, with a clear position? Off-topic paragraphs cost more here than grammar errors do.
- Coherence & Cohesion — does the essay hang together? This includes paragraph structure, logical progression, and appropriate (not overused) linkers.
- Lexical Resource — vocabulary range, appropriacy, and collocation. Wrong-word choices count against you even when the topic word is correct.
- Grammatical Range & Accuracy — do you control a variety of structures with acceptable error density? Not every sentence must be perfect at Band 7; error-free simple sentences score lower than error-tolerant complex ones.
How to train Writing when you have limited time
Written under exam pressure, Writing collapses first for candidates who trained by reading model essays rather than by writing them. The single most productive session type is a full 60-minute timed pair of tasks, on paper or in a clean text field with no autocorrect, followed by careful marked-up review of what you wrote against the descriptors.
If you can afford one thing beyond timed practice, it is honest feedback on your Task 2 essays. Self-assessment tends to overrate Lexical Resource and underrate Task Response. Even five or six essays with rubric-aligned feedback usually move a plateaued candidate meaningfully.