IELTS Writing: Task 2 carries two-thirds of the score, so plan the hour around it

Many candidates polish the task that matters less, then run out of time on the one that matters more.

The arithmetic of the hour

Writing is 60 minutes and two tasks. Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1, so it carries two-thirds of your Writing score. The suggested split follows the weight.

The two tasks differ by version. In Academic, Task 1 describes a graph, table, chart or diagram and Task 2 responds to a view, argument or problem. In General Training, Task 1 is a letter covering three points and Task 2 is a discursive essay on a general topic.

What the examiners mark

Certificated examiners mark both tasks against four equally weighted criteria: task achievement for Task 1 or task response for Task 2, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Notes and bullet points are penalised, so write in full sentences throughout.

Task 1: describe, do not judge

For an Academic chart, open with a sentence that states the main trends overall, without detailed figures. Then support it with the key numbers. Task 1 does not ask for an opinion, so leave your views for Task 2.

A description that lists figures one after another and never says what they add up to is missing the overview, and that costs marks even when every number is right.

Task 2: answer every instruction

Read the prompt for its instructions. "Discuss both views and give your own opinion" contains three jobs: discuss one view, discuss the other, and state an opinion. An essay that is balanced but never says what you think has missed one of them.

Make your position clear early. A thesis such as "the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, because staff save commuting time, although new employees learn less from colleagues" answers the question and shows the shape of the essay. "This essay will examine both sides" postpones the answer.

Keep the clock honest

Set a hard stop at 20 minutes for Task 1 in every timed practice. If you tend to run out of time, do Task 2 first on the day. Either way, practise the order you will use, because switching on test day costs more than it saves.

On computer you type your answers, unless you sit Writing on Paper in a market that offers it, so rehearse the way you will actually write. A task you wrote beautifully by hand tells you little about how you will cope at a keyboard.

Feedback is the missing ingredient

Have a teacher or a reliable service mark one Task 2 a week against the four criteria, and rewrite one paragraph from the comments each time. Writing improves only with feedback, so an unmarked essay is practice that cannot show you its own mistakes.