Overview of IELTS Writing Test (Task 1 & 2)

"Master yourself, master the enemy". One of the most important but basic tips for any test in the world is to understand the structure of that exam. IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test is divided into 4 sub-tests. Each test section assesses a separate skill of Listening (Listening), Speaking (Speaking), Reading (Reading), Writing (Writing).

Each test is scored individually and averaged to give you your official test score. Therefore, each part of the test is very important. This article will introduce you to an overview of the IELTS Writing Test.

A. Structure of the IELTS Writing Test

IELTS Writing Task is one of the 4 sections of the IELTS test. For 2 types of IELTS test, IELTS Academic (Academic) and IELTS General Training (General Training), IELTS Writing test also has 2 types.

The difference lies in the topic of writing in the article. The essay topic of the Academic exam revolves around the academic environment such as schools, students, etc. The topic of the General exam is about issues in daily life as well as in the working environment.

Exam time: 60 minutes

Structure

The IELTS Writing test has two parts:

• Task 1: You will be given a chart and asked to describe, summarize and explain the information in your own words. You may also be asked to describe or explain the data or steps of a process, the action steps of an object or event, etc. Paragraphs must be at least 150 words long
• Task 2: You will have to write a paragraph of at least 250 words to express your opinion on a point or issue raised in the task.

How to score

Unlike the IELTS Reading and Listening tests with a score conversion table, the IELTS Writing test will be scored directly on a scale of 1 to 9 by the examiner. Each test section will be scored individually, and the examiners are all qualified and trained in IELTS, recruited by test centers and approved by the British Council or Australia's IDP centre.

• The score of Task 1 will be equal to1/3 total score
• The score of Task 2 will be equal to2/3 total score

The time for each part is not limited, as long as you do it in 60 minutes. Since Task 2 has a higher score rate and requires more writing, it is reasonable to allocate 40 minutes for Task 2 and 20 minutes for Task 1.

Scoring Scale and Scoring Criteria

An important note that you need to be aware of is that the examiner will not grade your opinion, don't worry about whether the examiner agrees with your opinion. This is an English proficiency test, not a Civic Education test.

Each section will have 4 different scoring criteria. Each criterion accounts for 25% of the total score of that section.

Task 1

• Task achievement 

Assess the ability to answer accurately, to the point with the requirements set out in the article. The answer must be at least 150 words long.

• Coherence and cohesion

Assess your ability to connect ideas in your sentences in a logical and coherent way. This criterion focuses on your ability to organize and connect information, ideas and language.

• Lexical resource

Assess your vocabulary for variety and contextual usage.

• Grammatical range and accuracy

This criterion is about the ability to use multiple and reasonable grammar points for their answers

Task 2

• Task response

In both the IELTS Academic and the General IELTS test types, part 2 requires candidates to give an answer expressing their opinion on an issue, a question given in the test. The candidate's argument must be supported by logical arguments and examples from the candidate's real life. The article must be at least 250 words.

• Coherence and cohesion

The article is coherent, the ideas linked together closely and logically.

• Lexical resource

The ability to use words in a rich, varied but still correct way.

• Grammatical range and accuracy

Use plenty and correct grammatical structures.

Based on 4 criteria for each section, the examiner will directly score based on a scale of 1 to 9 as follows:

Task 1:

Point	Task achievement	Coherence and cohesion:	Lexical resource	Grammatical range and accuracy
9	Fully meet the requirements of the assignment. Reviews are clear, important information is discussed in detail	Perfect information and thesis layout The paragraphs are arranged in a coherent sequence, without any errors.	Vocabulary is rich and relevant to the context. Errors are rare and insignificant	Use a variety of grammatical structures and mastery. Errors are very dangerous and insignificant
8	Clear overview. Important details are clarified and well presented. Meet all the requirements set forth	Information layout and logical argument. Efficient segmentation. Make good use of the means of linking and leading. Totally correct substitute pronouns	Vocabulary is diverse and accurate. Use academic vocabulary proficiently. Very few misspellings and morphological errors	Use a variety of complex sentence structures. Most sentences have no errors
7	Clear overview. Clarify important details. All information is correct. Some parts could be developed better	Logical information layout. Good segmentation. Use a variety of linking media. Some linking means are misused or used incorrectly. Good use of substitute pronouns	The vocabulary is diverse and relatively accurate. Using academic jargon. Has style and ability to combine in word use. Sometimes there is a typo or incorrect word choice	Use a variety of complex sentence structures. Most sentences have no errors. Good grammar control. Sometimes there are grammatical errors or sentence breaks
6	There are general comments. Mention important details fully. Selective information. Some information may not be accurate	Clear layout of information. Divide paragraphs appropriately. Use effective linking media. Some errors in the connection between sentences and in sentences. Alternative pronouns may not be correct	The vocabulary is quite diverse. Incorrect use of some academic words. Some typos and word morphology. Expression clearly	Use both simple and complex sentence structures. Sometimes there are grammatical errors. Sometimes there are errors in sentence breaks. Expression clearly
5	General comments are not clear. Not fully covered the important details. Excessive detail. There are no supporting data. Incorrect information	Limited Paragraph Information Layout available. The linking words/phrases have many errors. Frequently missing alternative pronouns	Limited vocabulary. Frequent misspellings or word morphology. Difficulty in reading comprehension	Limited sentence structure capital. Has unsuccessfully used some complex sentence structures. Many grammatical errors. Sentence break error. Difficulty in reading comprehension
4	There have been attempts to fulfill the requirements of the article, but the main ideas have not been covered. Getting confused between important information to have.	Only know how to list information but do not know how to arrange it coherently. Using the wrong paragraph topology or too much duplication	Basic vocabulary and many duplicates or not suitable for the topic. Poor ability to use context-appropriate vocabulary. Make many mistakes that annoy the reader.	Use basic grammar points that are not varied. Got a lot of grammar mistakes
3	Do not answer correctly according to the requirements of the question due to misunderstanding the question. The ideas offered are limited and mostly irrelevant	Ideas are just listed, not arranged in a logical order. Sentences that are used in paragraphs and sentences are used incorrectly	Limited vocabulary.. Lots of spelling mistakes. There are many errors that make the information no longer correct	Tried to structure the sentence but encountered too many grammatical errors that prevented the sentence from conveying the intended meaning.
2	The answer is not related to the topic request	Inability to connect ideas together	Extremely limited vocabulary	Don't know how to structure sentences correctly
1	Totally wrong answer	Don't know how to implement ideas or communicate information	Know how to use a few simple words	Don't know how to structure sentences
0	Do not take the exam
	Do nothing

Task 2

Point	Task response	Coherence and cohesion:	Lexical resource	Grammatical range and accuracy
9	Complete all parts of the lesson. Set up a full thesis to help answer the question. The ideas presented are supported and convincingly proven	The writing style is coherent, the paragraphs are logically divided	The vocabulary is rich and varied. Know how to use academic as well as basic words in a natural, grammatically correct manner. Rarely make mistakes, and are also insignificant	Use a variety of grammatical structures and mastery. Errors are very dangerous and insignificant
8	Effectively approach all problems and questions in the topic. Express your point of view clearly throughout the article. Ideas are reinforced in each paragraph. Matching main ideas. Ideas are fully developed, extended and reinforced	Information layout and logical argument. Efficient segmentation. Make good use of the means of linking and leading. Totally correct substitute pronouns	Vocabulary is diverse and accurate. Use academic vocabulary proficiently. Very few misspellings and morphological errors	Use a variety of complex sentence structures. Most sentences have no errors
7	Approach all problems and questions in the essay. Express your point of view clearly throughout the article. Ideas are reinforced in each paragraph. Main ideas are consistent. m Ideas are developed but lack focus on supporting or somewhat general arguments.	The vocabulary is quite diverse. Some academic words are used incorrectly. Some typos and word morphology. Expression clearly	The vocabulary is diverse and relatively accurate. Academic vocabulary is used. There is style and ability to combine words. Sometimes there are typos or incorrect word choice.	Uses many complex sentence structures. Most sentences are free of errors. Good grammar control. Sometimes there are grammatical errors or sentence breaks
6	Have access to the topic and problems posed in the topic. Can express opinions clearly. There is a conclusion, which may be duplicated or unclear. Matching main ideas. Ideas are not fully developed	Clear layout of information. Logical paragraph division. Uses linking media effectively but has a few errors in the connection between sentences and within sentences. There are alternative pronouns but some places are not clear	The vocabulary is quite diverse. Incorrect use of some academic words. Some typos and word morphology. Expression clearly	Use both simple and complex sentence structures. Sometimes there are grammatical errors. Sometimes there are errors in sentence breaks. Expression clearly
5	Request not completed. May be in the right direction in general, but may not address specific issues in the topic.. Have a point of view but are not clear. May not have a conclusion. Do not develop the main idea. Some irrelevant details	There is an information layout. Limited paragraph division. The linking words/phrases have many errors or are not suitable. Words are repeated due to frequent lack of substitute pronouns.	Limited vocabulary. Frequent misspellings or word morphology. Difficulty in reading comprehension	Limited sentence structure capital. Has unsuccessfully used some complex sentence structures. Many grammatical errors. Sentence break error. Difficulty in reading comprehension
4	Answer the question in a simple, off-topic way. Improper writing structure. Show your own opinion but supporting ideas are unclear or repetitive and irrelevant	Information is presented, but the arrangement is not coherent and does not show an expansion of ideas throughout the article. Uses basic but not precise or repetitive sentence structure. Improper paragraph distribution	Using basic vocabulary leads to repeating words a lot or not knowing how to choose words in the right context. There are many mistakes that annoy readers	Use basic grammatical structures. There are many mistakes that annoy readers
3	The answer does not meet the requirements of the topic. Can't make my point clear. Have an idea but don't know how to expand it?	Ideas are just listed, not arranged in a logical order. Sentences that are used in paragraphs and sentences are used incorrectly	Limited vocabulary. Lots of spelling mistakes. There are many errors that make the information no longer correct	Tried to structure the sentence but encountered too many grammatical errors that prevented the sentence from conveying the intended meaning.
2	The answer is not related to the topic request	Inability to connect ideas together	Extremely limited vocabulary	Don't know how to structure sentences correctly
1	Totally wrong answer	Don't know how to implement ideas or communicate information	Know how to use a few simple words	Don't know how to structure sentences
0	Do not take the exam
	Do nothing

B. Common question types

IELTS Writing Task 1

There are a total of 7 types of charts in Task 1:

• Table (Table)
• Line Graph
• Pie Chart
• Schema - Process (Process)
• Column graph or Bar chart
• Map (Map)
• Mixed Chart or Mixed graph

IELTS Writing Task 2

There are a total of 6 types of questions in Task 2

• Agree or disagree (Agree or Disagree)

Some people think that scientists experimenting with animals in a laboratory is the only way we can guarantee new products will be safe for human use. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

• Advantages and disadvantages (Advantages and disadvantages)

In some countries, governments are encouraging industries and businesses to move to regional areas outside the big cities. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?

• Discuss 2 points of view and then express your own opinion (Opnions discussion plus own opinion)

Some people say children no longer need to develop handwriting skills. Others believe that handwriting is still important. Discuss both these views and give your opinion.

See more: Summary of common topics in IELTS Writing Task 2

• Causes/Problems and Solutions (Problems and Solutions)

Crime rates tend to be higher in cities than in smaller towns. Explain some possible reasons for this problem and suggest some solutions.

• Two-part questions/two questions

To some people studying the past has little value in the modern world. Why do you think it is important to do so? What will be the effect if children are not taught history?

• Opinions

Research indicates that the characteristics we are born with have much more influence on our personality and development than other experiences we may have in life. Which do youconsider to be the major influence?

C. Frequently Asked Questions in IELTS Writing

Can I ask for a review?

You can apply for a re-examination if you are not satisfied with your test score. You must submit an application for review 6 weeks from the date of the test. The cost of the review is 2,200,000 VND. Judging will usually be done in London, England. So it will take about 6-8 weeks to get the results.

• If the results change, you will be issued a new transcript and refunded for the review fee;
• If the results do not change, you will get your transcript back.

The review result is final, you cannot apply for a second review

Is it possible to take the written test by computer?

Currently you can choose between taking the IELTS by computer or by paper. The exam structure is the same, the only difference is the exam fee (computer-based exam costs more than 200,000 VND). The test tells how you will still speak directly to the examiner.

Bad handwriting will be deducted points?

The IELTS writing criteria does not refer to the way you write. This means that the examiner has no right to deduct points from you if you write badly. However, if your handwriting is too bad to be read, the examiner will conclude that you have misspelled and deduct points for Lexical Resources.

Add as many personal opinions to Task 2 as possible, right?

Adding more personal opinions depends on the requirements of the topic. In addition, the essay's grading criteria states that your input must be supported by logical arguments and real-life examples. If you include too many ideas without developing your ideas, you will lose points.

Usually, to be able to write articles in the most complete and effective way, you should outline your ideas before you start writing. List the main points you want to include, with corresponding arguments and examples. Like that, you have established a clear and coherent writing system.

Is it necessary to analyze all the data in Task 1?

Task 1 has topics in the form of tables, charts and many of you think you can write long and analyze all the data to get points. This is a wrong thought. Giving a lot of key figures and details in Task 1 is to mess up and some of you will have the mentality of just analyzing all the data to make sure. But this is completely wrong because with Task 1, you describe what trends are most general to the entire table or chart, then the salient figures (eg highest, lowest, continuously high, continuously low).

Does the Writing article have to be written the longer the better the score?

Writing is prescribed a minimum number of words to not be deducted points for Task 1 is 150 words and Task 2 is 250 words. You can write more but it won't get you a high score. If you pay close attention to the 4 main criteria of grading, you will see that there is no way that more writing will earn points.

Does each part of IELTS Writing have a time limit?

The IELTS test only has a minimum length of each task, there is no time limit for each part. However, since task 2 takes up 2/3 of your score and the minimum number of words is higher, you should spend more time on task 2 (about 40 minutes).

When writing, do you write with a pencil or a pen?

When taking the paper-based IELTS test, you can use 1 of 2, a stylus and a pen.

How to write articles without running out of time?

Many of you have difficulty completing the written test in 60 minutes. To make sure you don't waste time, you can take a look at the following tips:

• From allocating time for each part: task 2 takes up 2/3 of your score and the minimum number of words is higher, you should spend more time on task 2 (about 40 minutes);
• Make an outline for each section before writing. Outlining ideas before writing helps you determine the direction for your article, thereby preventing you from wandering when writing.