IELTS WRITING TEST – THE ACADEMIC AND THE GENERAL TRAINING MODULE

The Academic and the General Training modules of IELTS writing test both consist of two tasks which do not require you to have a specialized or technical prowess. In fact, the typical objective of this writing test is actually designed to assess whether you possess these following skills:

a. Ability to describe diagrams, tables, and lists

b. Ability to develop an argument supported by evidence (fact-based opinion)

c. Ability to communicate ideas vividly

d. Ability to utilize a range of English accuracy, vocabularies, and sentence structures

When it comes to the technicality structures of the writing task types, you will be given two answer sheets – one for the Task 1 and one for the Task 2. Both your answers in the Task 1 and Task 2 must be written in a full essay (not in the note form). As of today, you can choose whether to write your answers in pen or pencil (I personally suggest that you should use pencil instead because if you use pen, your answer sheet will end up untidy, especially after you write your wrong sentences and you try to re-write them correctly by crossing the wrong sentences with lines). Therefore, you should bring over your pencil along with an eraser into the exam room instead of solely carrying a pen.

Furthermore, the type of task 1 weighs one-third of the entire marks. In this case, you have to write at least 150 words for this task and it is advised that you should do your best to spend 20 minutes of your time on it. As for the typical writing test for Task 2 which carries two-thirds of the entire marks, you have to write at least 250 words and you are highly advised to spend 40 minutes dealing with your essay on it. Bottom line, keep in mind that you will lose mark if you write fewer than the required number of words. Thus, you must perform your best to accomplish the task achievement for both Task 1 and Task 2 because at the end, the overall result of your writing test will be translated into a score on the IELTS nine-band scale and therefore it is important for you to follow these guidelines in both tests respectively.