IELTS Writing Task 1 & Task 2: Structures That Score

You get 60 minutes for two tasks, and nobody tells you when to move on — you manage the clock. The Academic and General Training versions share the same Task 2 essay format; Task 1 is different.

Task 2 carries twice the weight of Task 1 in your Writing band. That's why the suggested split is 20/40 — and why starting with Task 2 is a legitimate strategy if Task 1 tends to eat your time.

Both tasks are marked against the same four criteria. The official band descriptors are public on the IELTS website — read them once. Here's what the criteria mean in practice:

• Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2) — Did you do what the question asked? In Task 1, that means a clear overview and accurate key details. In Task 2, it means answering every part of the question with a position you develop and support.
• Coherence and Cohesion — Can the reader follow you without effort? One main idea per paragraph, a logical order, and linking that sounds natural (“This means…”, “As a result…”) rather than mechanical (“Firstly… Secondly… Moreover… Furthermore…” in every paragraph).
• Lexical Resource — Vocabulary range and precision. Big words used wrongly cost more than simple words used well. Spelling counts here.
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy — A mix of simple and complex sentences, controlled. Higher bands need a real proportion of error-free sentences, not just ambitious ones.

Notice what's not on the list: your opinion being “right,” fancy idioms, or length beyond the minimum. A clear 270-word essay beats a rambling 400-word one.

You'll see one of these: line graph, bar chart, pie chart, table, a combination, a map (usually a place before and after a change), or a process diagram. The structure barely changes:

1. Introduction (1 sentence). Paraphrase what the visual shows: what, where, when, and the unit. Don't copy the prompt word for word.
2. Overview (2 sentences). The two or three biggest features — the main trend, the highest/lowest, the biggest change. No numbers needed here. Skipping it is one of the most common reasons Task 1 scores stall.
3. Detail paragraph 1. Group related data and support it with selected figures.
4. Detail paragraph 2. The rest of the key data, with comparisons.

Worked example (overview only). For a bar chart showing how workers in a town commuted in 2005, 2015 and 2025, a strong overview might read:

Overall, the car remained the most common way to commute throughout the period, but its share fell steadily, while cycling grew dramatically. Bus use and walking changed relatively little.

That's two sentences, zero numbers, and it tells the reader everything important. The full version of this task — with the chart and a complete sample answer — is in our IELTS practice test.

Maps and processes need different language. Maps: was replaced by, was extended, was demolished to make way for. Processes: passive voice and sequencers — the leaves are harvested, then dried, after which… Your overview for a process states how many stages there are and where it starts and ends.

You're given a situation and a short list of bullet points (usually three). Cover every bullet — missing one pulls down your Task Achievement score. Then get the tone right, because it's decided by the recipient:

Structure: an opening line that states the purpose (“I'm writing to complain about…” / “I'm writing to ask whether…”), one short paragraph per bullet, and a closing line that says what you want next (“I would be grateful if you could reply by Friday.”). Four short paragraphs, 160–190 words, done.

The trap: tone drift. A letter to a friend that suddenly says “I would be most obliged” reads oddly; a complaint to a company that says “Hey, what's up with my order?” reads worse.

Most Task 2 prompts fall into one of a handful of patterns. Identify it in the first minute, because each has a different “job list”:

The default structure (works for all five):

1. Introduction (2–3 sentences): paraphrase the topic, then state your position or outline your answer. Your thesis goes here, not just in the conclusion.
2. Body paragraph 1: topic sentence → explanation → example or consequence.
3. Body paragraph 2: same pattern, for your second main idea (or the opposing view).
4. Optional body paragraph 3 if the question has three parts (e.g., your opinion in a discuss-both-views essay).
5. Conclusion (2 sentences): restate your position. No new arguments.

Spend 5 minutes planning: jot the question type, your position, and one idea + one example per body paragraph. It feels like lost time; it's the opposite.

Prompt: Some people think governments should spend more on public libraries, while others think the money is better spent on internet access. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

[1] Those who favor funding libraries argue that they offer far more than books. [2] A library is one of the few indoor public spaces where anyone can stay for hours without paying, which makes it a place to study, look for work or simply keep warm. [3] For a student sharing a small flat with several family members, for instance, a quiet library desk may be the only realistic place to study for exams. [4] Cutting library budgets would therefore hit hardest the people who have the fewest alternatives.

• [1] Topic sentence — tells the reader exactly what the paragraph argues.
• [2] Explanation — develops the idea (why libraries are more than books) with a relative clause for grammatical range.
• [3] Example — specific and realistic. It's invented, and that's fine: examiners want relevance, not statistics. Never make up “research shows 73%…” figures.
• [4] Link back — connects the example to the argument with “therefore.”

About 90 words. Two paragraphs like this plus a solid introduction and conclusion gets you to roughly 250–280 words.

• No Task 1 overview. Listing numbers without summarizing the big picture is a classic Task 1 ceiling.
• Answering half the question. In “discuss both views,” leaving out your opinion; in two-question prompts, answering only one.
• Memorized templates. Pre-learned sentences that don't fit the topic (“This is a controversial issue that has sparked heated debate…”) are easy for examiners to spot and show nothing about your real range.
• Copying the prompt. Lifting whole phrases from the question doesn't demonstrate your own vocabulary or grammar. Paraphrase the topic in your introduction.
• Position drift. Agreeing in the introduction and disagreeing in the conclusion signals you didn't plan.
• Bullet points or headings in the essay. Write in full paragraphs.
• Running out of time on Task 2 because Task 1 took 30 minutes. Set a hard stop.

1. Week 1 — Diagnose. Write one Task 1 and one Task 2 under timed conditions. Compare them against the public band descriptors, criterion by criterion. Note your two weakest criteria.
2. Week 2 — Task 1 drills. One visual a day. For the first few, write only the introduction and overview in 8 minutes. Then build up to full 20-minute responses.
3. Week 3 — Task 2 drills. Plan five prompts a day in 5 minutes each (question type, position, two ideas, two examples) — planning is the skill. Write two full essays this week.
4. Week 4 — Full sets. Three full 60-minute Writing sessions. After each, fix your recurring grammar errors (articles, subject-verb agreement and tense consistency are the usual suspects).

If you can get feedback from a qualified teacher, even on two or three essays, use it — self-assessment misses the errors you don't know you make. Then take the Writing section of our free IELTS practice test at full timing, and see the IELTS overview for how Writing fits into your overall band.