What is IELTS Academic Writing?
The IELTS Academic Writing test is made up of two tasks, Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2. The questions in the Academic Writing test are different from those in the General Training Writing test.
What is the IELTS Academic Writing Format?
Task 1
In Academic Writing Task 1, you are shown a visual representation of information; a graph, table, chart, process or map, and you are asked to summarise, describe, or explain the information you see. Make sure you organise your response into three main parts, the introduction, an overview, and the main features supported by figures from the diagram.
Task 2
In Academic Writing Task 2, you are presented with a point of view, argument, or problem. The topics can range from the environment to immigration, culture, and even technology. You might be asked to agree or disagree with a point of view or argument, discuss two opposing views, write about the advantages or disadvantages of a topic, explain a given problem, or the cause of a problem and offer a solution. Your response for Academic Writing Task 2 will need to be in an essay format.
IELTS Academic Writing Band Score
Examiners assign a band score for each of the four categories using the assessment criteria:
Task Achievement (for Task 1), Task Response (for Task 2)
Lexical Resource
Coherence and Cohesion
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The average score for the task is calculated by measuring the criteria equally and the Writing band score is the average.
How can you prepare for IELTS Academic Writing?
With IELTS Prepare, you have access to a range of preparation materials at your fingertips: from practice tests, sample answers, videos and articles, all the way to expert assessments, online courses, webinars, and more.
The test centre will provide pencils for the IELTS Listening, Reading, and Writing tests. This is because tests are scanned and work best with pencil. It also means that you can easily erase and rewrite words.
Read the assessment criteria used for both Academic and General Training Writing tests carefully before your test day. The examiner will assess your writing based on four criteria for Task 1 and Task 2.
Remember that Writing Task 2 is worth twice as many marks as Task 1. You can improve your Writing band score by practising. Our news and articles page has extensive tips and advice to help you prepare and improve your English-language skills.
If you choose to take IELTS on computer, you will take the Listening, Reading and Writing test parts using a computer.
If you choose to take the  IELTS on paper,  you will complete the Listening, Reading and Writing test parts on paper.
The Speaking test for both paper and computer  are  face to face with an examiner. This is the best way  to measure  your  speaking skills  as it takes a more  realistic  approach: a life-like conversation with an examiner.
Every IELTS test is carefully produced and tested to ensure a consistent level of difficulty across all the test versions. We want every IELTS test  taker to have their true English-language ability reflected in their results, which is why we offer so many free and paid tools to help you  practise and prepare.
Check out our preparation  tools for tips and advice so that you can be as prepared as possible for your test date.
The minimum word limit is important and you must write at least 150 words for Writing Task 1 and at least 250 words for Writing Task 2.
If you write less than this, you will have fewer ideas and may lose marks. However if you write much more, this does not mean you will gain marks. It is more important that you use correct English, appropriate grammar, and a wide range of vocabulary and sentence structures.
In your Writing and Speaking tests, there are no right or wrong opinions. The examiner is assessing how well you can use your English to report information and express ideas.
Yes, you can use all capital letters in the IELTS Reading and Listening sections. If you use capital letters in the Writing section, make sure that your punctuation is correct and the examiner can see where you start and finish sentences.
If you take IELTS on Computer, you will do the tests in the following order on the same day: Listening, Reading and Writing, with the Speaking test before or after this test session.
If you take IELTS on Paper, you will do the tests in the following order: Listening, Reading and Writing. Depending on the test centre, the Speaking test can be done on the same day, or up to 7 days either before or after the test date.
No, not as part of the question. However, topics in the IELTS Speaking and Writing tests could be related to health, so you can use COVID-19 as an example if you want to.
This varies from person to person, because some people write quickly. There is no exact number, but approximately 180 words for Task 1 and 280 words for Task 2 can be a good guide, as long as you have enough time to go back and check your work.
