Two tasks in an hour, marked on four criteria each, with the second worth twice the first. Most of what separates a 6.5 from a 7.5 here is not vocabulary — it is answering the exact question asked and spending the hour in the right proportion.
A chart, table or process diagram, reported in your own words. No opinion, no explanation of causes — selection and accuracy.
An argumentative essay in one of five recognisable question types, each asking for something specific that candidates routinely leave out.
Task 2 is worth twice as much, so an unfinished essay costs far more than a thin Task 1. The tasks can be done in either order, and candidates who reliably lose track of time on the visual are usually better off protecting the essay by writing it first.
Equally weighted within each task. Your task band is their average, which means one criterion left unaddressed caps the whole task no matter how strong the other three are.
Whether you did the thing asked. On Task 1, whether you selected and reported the key features accurately and covered them all. On Task 2, whether you answered the actual question, held a position, and developed it.
Where it goes wrongAnswering a nearby question rather than the one asked. A prompt saying 'discuss both views and give your opinion' has three requirements, and an essay that discusses both views brilliantly without giving an opinion is capped here regardless of how well it is written.
Whether the reader can follow it — paragraphing, logical progression, and the linking between and within sentences.
Where it goes wrongConnective overload. Candidates taught to signpost open every sentence with Furthermore, Moreover, In addition, and the descriptors explicitly penalise mechanical overuse. One idea per paragraph, in an order that makes sense, does more than any phrase list.
Range and precision of vocabulary, including collocation and how naturally the words sit together.
Where it goes wrongThesaurus damage. Replacing a correct common word with a rare wrong one loses marks that the common word would have kept — precision is scored, not rarity, and a misused advanced word is more visible than a plain accurate one.
Variety of sentence structures and how often they are correct, including punctuation.
Where it goes wrongRange without accuracy. Reaching for constructions you cannot land costs more than it gains; the descriptors reward error-free sentences, so a mix of accurate simple and complex sentences beats uniformly ambitious broken ones.
Nearly every Task 2 prompt is one of these. Identifying which one you have been given is the highest-value thirty seconds in the exam, because each asks for something specific and each has a characteristic way of being under-answered.
Three requirements hiding in one sentence, and the third is the one candidates leave out.
The words 'to what extent' are asking for a degree, not a side — and answering with a side is what caps most of these essays.
The word 'outweigh' is a verdict. Listing both sides and stopping answers a question that was not asked.
Two halves, and the marks are lost when the second half does not answer the first.
Two separate questions, equally weighted, and answering one of them well is worth less than answering both adequately.
One hour for both tasks. The recommended split is 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 on Task 2, and it is worth following — Task 2 counts for twice as much, so time overspent on Task 1 is taken from the more valuable half.
Yes — Task 2 carries roughly 2 times the weight of Task 1 in the section band. If you are short of time, an unfinished Task 2 costs considerably more than a thin Task 1.
Task 1 has a 150-word minimum and Task 2 a 250-word one. Going under is penalised directly. They are floors rather than targets — writing far over does not earn marks and usually costs accuracy, which is scored.
Four, equally weighted within each task: Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Your task band is the average of the four, and the section band weights Task 2 twice.
No. Memorised material is more detectable in writing than in speaking, because the marker has the prompt in front of them and off-topic content is penalised directly under Task Response. Learn the structures, which transfer, rather than essays, which do not.
Our IELTS mock marks both tasks against the four criteria and returns a band for each, with the sentences that moved it. The first session is free.
This guide is written from the IELTS test format published by British Council, IDP and Cambridge, in our own words. For the official wording, see the official IELTS sample questions. MockLive AI is an independent practice tool and is not affiliated with the British Council, IDP or Cambridge Assessment English.