IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. It measures ability to communicate in English across all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking – for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication.

Since 1989, IELTS has been proven and trusted worldwide to provide a secure, global, authentic and customer-focused test which measures true to life ability to communicate in English. Over 3800 educational institutions, government agencies and professional organisations across 120 countries around the world recognise IELTS scores as a trusted and valid indicator of ability to communicate in English.

With over 500,000 tests taken every year, IELTS is one of the fastest growing English language tests in the world, and sets the standard in integrity, research and innovation.
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An Overview of IELTS General Training Writing

Module format
IELTS General Training Writing lasts a total of 60 minutes. The paper consists of 2 tasks (Writing Task 1 and Writing Task 2) and candidates must answer BOTH tasks.

Answer format
Candidates write their answers in pen or pencil on Answer Sheets provided.

Timing
Students are advised to spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2. They must complete both tasks in one hour.

Task 1
Candidates are asked to write a personal informal, semi-formal or formal letter, responding to a given problem or situation. Input to Task 1 includes a brief description of the problem or situation followed by 3 bullet points which tell the candidate what information is required in the letter. Candidates must write at least 150 words for this task.

Writing Task 1 is assessed based on the following criteria:
1) Task Achievement
2) Coherence and Cohesion
3) Lexical Resource
4) Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Task 2

The input to Task 2 consists of a statement of a point of view, argument or problem about a specific topic. This is followed by instructions asking candidates to discuss the topic by providing general factual information, outlining and/or presenting a solution, justifying an opinion, or evaluating ideas and evidence. Candidates are expected to produce a discursive piece of writing. Candidates must write at least 250 words for this task.

Writing Task 2 is assessed based on the following criteria:

1) Task Response
2) Coherence and Cohesion
3) Lexical Resource
4) Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Each of the tasks is assessed separately by a trained and qualified examiner and given a score. Writing Task 2 is worth more marks than Writing Task 1 so candidates should be sure to leave plenty of time to complete Writing Task 2. There are no half bands in IELTS Writing so all writing scores are reported in whole bands.