Writing Task 1

The Best Way to Approach IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

In the IELTS Writing test, you have one hour to complete both Task 1 and Task 2. Since Task 1 accounts for one-third of your total writing score, it is recommended that you spend around 20 minutes on it. However, this is just a general guideline—you may take more or less time depending on your writing speed and expertise.

Many students overlook Task 1, assuming it is less important than Task 2. However, neglecting it can significantly lower your overall writing score.

Word Count

You must write at least 150 words in Task 1. While there is no official upper limit, writing more (without losing clarity) can be beneficial. If you write fewer than 150 words, it will be difficult to score above Band 6 in Task Achievement.

IELTS Writing Task 1 Marking Criteria

Your response is assessed based on the following four criteria:

1. Task Achievement – How well you fulfill the requirements of the task.

2. Coherence and Cohesion – The clarity and logical flow of your ideas.

3. Lexical Resource (Vocabulary) – The range and accuracy of your vocabulary.

4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy – The variety and correctness of your sentence structures.

Types of IELTS Writing Task 1 Questions

You may be asked to describe different types of visual data, including: