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Writing exam

The Writing test has two tasks and 60 minutes (Exam mode). You type your answers; an AI examiner then marks them against the official IELTS band-score criteria.

Setting up​

Writing setup — track selector, Task 1 type picker The Writing setup screen.

Choose:

  • Track — Academic or General Training.
  • Exam mode or Practice mode.
    • Exam mode → both tasks, the 60-minute timer.
    • Practice mode → a single task. For Task 1 you can pick the type (e.g. a particular chart type, or a letter style) from the types available.

Press START.

What the two tasks are​

AcademicGeneral Training
Task 1 (~20 min, 150+ words)Describe a chart, graph, table, process, or mapWrite a letter (formal, semi-formal, or informal)
Task 2 (~40 min, 250+ words)Write an essay responding to a promptWrite an essay responding to a prompt

Task 2 is worth more than Task 1, so the suggested split is ~20 minutes on Task 1 and ~40 on Task 2.

During the exam​

The Writing exam — prompt/visual and the text editor with a live word count Taking the Writing exam.

  • Task tabs switch between Task 1 and Task 2.
  • The prompt (and for Academic Task 1, the chart/visual) sits alongside a plain text editor.
  • A live word count shows how close you are to the minimum. You can submit under the minimum, but you'll lose marks — the count warns you.
  • Plain text only — there's no bold/italic formatting, which matches IELTS (formatting isn't assessed).
  • Auto-save keeps your work; the timer auto-submits at zero.

Marking​

After you submit, Writing is marked by AI. This usually takes a few minutes (sometimes longer when the system is busy). The results page updates itself — you don't have to keep refreshing, and you can leave and come back.

You'll get an overall band plus a score on each of the four official criteria:

  • Task Achievement / Response — did you fully answer the task?
  • Coherence & Cohesion — is it well organised and easy to follow?
  • Lexical Resource — range and accuracy of vocabulary.
  • Grammatical Range & Accuracy — variety and correctness of grammar.

…along with written strengths and areas to improve. See Results & review.

About spelling and English variety

The marker accepts both British and American spelling (e.g. organise/organize, colour/color) — it won't penalise you for consistently using either. Just be consistent.

Tips​

  • Plan before you type. Two minutes outlining your essay structure saves time and lifts your Coherence score.
  • Hit the word minimums (150 / 250). Under-length answers are capped on Task Achievement.
  • Use Practice mode to drill one Task 1 chart type, or to write Task 2 essays repeatedly until structure becomes automatic.
  • Want a human opinion too? You can request an expert review from a teacher on a submitted exam.