IELTS Writing practice guides
Q1. How should I practice IELTS Writing Task 2 at home?
Task 2 is about 40 minutes and is worth twice Task 1, so it should take most of a Writing session. First name the question type: opinion, discussion, advantage/disadvantage, problem-solution, or two-part. Plan for five minutes and write two topic sentences that actually answer the instruction word. Write for 30 minutes: a two-sentence introduction, two body paragraphs, a two-sentence conclusion. Use the last five minutes on articles, subject-verb agreement, and this/these. Aim for at least 250 words; 260–290 is a practical range. After you finish, mark the four writing criteria — Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy — and fix only the weakest one the next day. That loop beats another unmarked PDF.
Take 1 free scored test (Writing or Reading) at https://practice-ielts.com. Then $14.99 for 3 months of Writing + Reading. Not official IELTS.
Q2. Can an online tool give me my real IELTS writing band?
No website can issue an official IELTS band. Official scores come only from a test you sit with an authorised centre. A checker can estimate how one essay looks against the four public writing criteria: Task Response (Task Achievement on Task 1), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Treat that number as a practice signal, not a prediction of test day. Use it to see which criterion is lowest, rewrite that one thing, and write again under time. Practice IELTS is an independent Writing and Reading practice tool. It is not affiliated with IELTS, IDP, or the British Council, and it does not cover Listening or Speaking.
Take 1 free scored test (Writing or Reading) at https://practice-ielts.com. Then $14.99 for 3 months of Writing + Reading. Not official IELTS.
Q3. Why am I stuck at band 6 or 6.5 in IELTS Writing?
A frequent Band 6 Task Response pattern is this: you wrote about the topic, but you did not do the job the question asked. The instruction word matters — agree, discuss both views, advantages, problems, or two questions. If the introduction does not do that job, later paragraphs cannot rescue it. Other common caps are undeveloped lists instead of one idea per paragraph, a memorised template that misses the question type, and grammar slips in the last paragraph when the clock runs out. You will not know which of those is yours until one essay is marked on all four criteria. Then fix the lowest criterion the next day, rather than writing five untimed essays.
Take 1 free scored test (Writing or Reading) at https://practice-ielts.com. Then $14.99 for 3 months of Writing + Reading. Not official IELTS.
Q4. How do I work from band 6 toward band 7 on Task 2?
There is no guaranteed band jump, and a practice site cannot award an official score. The usual work is control, not rarer words. Answer every part of the question and put your view in the introduction. Give each body paragraph one idea and explain it; do not list four thin points. Prefer a precise everyday noun — congestion, tuition, shift work — over a rare adjective you cannot spell under time. Keep a few sentence types you already write accurately, then spend five minutes checking articles and agreement. One timed Task 2 a day for the weeks you have, with the four criteria marked each time, is a realistic practice plan. We do not promise you will reach band 7.
Take 1 free scored test (Writing or Reading) at https://practice-ielts.com. Then $14.99 for 3 months of Writing + Reading. Not official IELTS.
Q5. What are the four IELTS writing criteria?
IELTS Writing is marked on four equally weighted criteria. Task Response (Task 2) or Task Achievement (Task 1) asks whether you answered the task and developed the ideas. Coherence and Cohesion asks whether each paragraph has one job and whether ideas connect without a stack of “firstly” and “on the one hand.” Lexical Resource is range and precision of vocabulary, not a memorised “band 9” list. Grammatical Range and Accuracy is a mix of sentence types with few slips. A single overall practice number is less useful than four separate marks. Use the four marks to choose tomorrow’s drill. Practice IELTS shows those four on a scored Writing test. The marks are practice estimates, not official bands.
Take 1 free scored test (Writing or Reading) at https://practice-ielts.com. Then $14.99 for 3 months of Writing + Reading. Not official IELTS.