IELTS Writing Task 1 marking criteria
Task 1 is marked on Task Achievement (TA), Coherence and Cohesion (CC), Lexical Resource (LR) and Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA). Each describes every whole band from 9 to 1, plus band 0. The four count equally, and the Task 1 score is their average.
Academic and General Training share one descriptor document, and CC, LR and GRA read the same for both. Only parts of TA split. Academic Task 1 summarises a graph, table, chart, map or diagram. General Training Task 1 is a letter, personal, semi-formal or formal, built around a situation and three bullet points.
The response needs at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. Writing more isn’t penalised, but it eats into Task 2 time. As in Task 2, a band is given only when all of its positive features are present, and features printed in bold limit the band; they are listed after the criteria.
The four criteria, band by band
TA Task Achievement
Does the response do what this Task 1 asks: summarise the visual’s key features (Academic) or achieve the letter’s purpose through all three bullet points (General Training)?
Check first
- Academic: a clear overview, with key features backed by figures
- General Training: all three bullets covered, with a clear purpose
- Accurate content, a suitable format and, in letters, a steady tone
| Band | What the marker sees |
|---|---|
| 9 | Every requirement is met fully and appropriately, and content slips are extremely rare. |
| 8 | All requirements are covered relevantly and sufficiently, with occasional omissions. Academic: key features chosen with skill and well illustrated; General Training: every bullet clearly presented and properly extended. |
| 7 | Requirements covered with relevant, accurate content and a few lapses. Academic: a clear overview, sensibly grouped data and the main trends or differences picked out; General Training: all bullets covered, a clear purpose and a consistent, suitable tone. |
| 6 | Focused on the task in a suitable format, though some detail is irrelevant, inaccurate, missing or excessive. Academic: an overview attempted and key features backed by figures; General Training: all bullets adequately covered, purpose generally clear, small tone slips. |
| 5 | The task is generally addressed, but detail crowds out the bigger picture and irrelevant or inaccurate material reaches key areas. Academic: features under-covered and listed mechanically, and no figures at all stops it here; General Training: every bullet present, at least one thin. |
| 4 | An attempt at the task, with content that may be irrelevant, repetitive or inaccurate; an unsuitable format holds it here. Academic: only a few key features; General Training: a missing bullet or an inappropriate tone holds it here, and the purpose may be confused. |
| 3 and below | At 3 the response misses the requirements, possibly through misreading the visual or situation. Band 2 has little to do with the task; band 1 is 20 words or fewer or wholly unrelated. |
What moves TA up a band
- 5 → 6
- Academic: an overview is attempted and key features are backed by figures, not listed mechanically. General Training: every bullet is adequately covered and the purpose is generally clear.
- 6 → 7
- Academic: the overview becomes clear, with grouped data and the main trends or differences picked out. General Training: the purpose is clear and the tone consistent and suitable.
- 7 → 8
- Academic: key features are chosen with skill and well illustrated, not just covered. General Training: each bullet is clearly presented and properly extended.
- 8 → 9
- Every requirement is fully met, with lapses extremely rare rather than occasional.
CC Coherence and Cohesion
Is the information organised so the reader can follow it, with linking and referencing that make the relationships clear?
Check first
- Academic: figures grouped by trend or comparison so the pattern shows
- General Training: the letter moves through its purpose in a sensible order
- Linkers and reference words that are accurate and varied
| Band | What the marker sees |
|---|---|
| 9 | Effortless to follow, with cohesion that very rarely draws attention and skilful paragraphing. |
| 8 | Easy to follow: information in a logical sequence, linking well handled with occasional lapses, and paragraphing adequate and well judged. |
| 7 | Logically organised, with clear progression from start to finish and a few lapses. Linking, reference and substitution are flexible, though sometimes wrong, overused or underused. |
| 6 | Generally coherent with clear overall progression, but links within or between sentences can be mechanical or faulty, and unclear reference causes repetition. |
| 5 | Some visible organisation and the information can be followed, but the order isn’t wholly logical and sentences aren’t smoothly linked. Linkers are limited, overused or inaccurate. |
| 4 | Information is present but not in a coherent order, with no clear progression; relationships between points are poorly marked and basic linkers repeat. |
| 3 and below | At 3 the organisation has no visible logic. Band 2 has little relevant message or is entirely off-topic, which caps CC at 2; band 1 says nothing or is 20 words or fewer. |
What moves CC up a band
- 5 → 6
- The order becomes generally coherent with clear overall progression, and linkers start to do useful work.
- 6 → 7
- Progression is clear throughout, and reference and substitution stop the writer repeating the same nouns.
- 7 → 8
- A logical sequence and well-controlled linking let the reader move through with ease, and paragraphing becomes adequate and appropriate.
- 8 → 9
- Effortless reading, cohesion that rarely draws attention, and skilful paragraphs.
LR Lexical Resource
Is the vocabulary wide and precise enough for this report or letter, and how much do word-choice and spelling errors get in the way?
Check first
- Academic: exact words for change, comparison and proportion
- General Training: words and register that suit the reader
- Spelling and word-form errors, and whether they slow you down
| Band | What the marker sees |
|---|---|
| 9 | Full, natural flexibility and precision for what the task needs, with spelling and word-form slips extremely rare. |
| 8 | A wide resource used fluently and precisely for the task, including less common items where they fit, with occasional slips of little effect. |
| 7 | Enough range for some precision, with some less common items and a feel for style and collocation, though some choices are off. A few spelling errors don’t affect clarity. |
| 6 | Adequate vocabulary with generally clear meaning, despite a narrow range or imprecise choices. A risk-taker with wider vocabulary and more errors can still be 6. |
| 5 | Limited but just adequate: simple words used accurately with little variation, often repetitive or poorly chosen. Spelling or word-form errors are noticeable and can slow the reader. |
| 4 | Basic, repetitive vocabulary that isn’t adequate for the task, perhaps with misused memorised phrases or lifted task wording. Vocabulary unrelated to the task holds LR here. |
| 3 and below | At 3 the vocabulary is inadequate, sometimes because the response is far too short, and errors dominate. Bands 2 and 1 show only memorised strings or isolated words. |
What moves LR up a band
- 5 → 6
- Meaning becomes generally clear and errors stop impeding communication, though the range is still narrow.
- 6 → 7
- Some precision appears, such as exact verbs of change for data or the right register for a letter, with only a few spelling errors.
- 7 → 8
- A wide resource used fluently and precisely, with less common items handled skilfully.
- 8 → 9
- Full, natural flexibility and precision, with errors extremely rare.
GRA Grammatical Range and Accuracy
How varied and accurate are the sentence structures, including punctuation?
Check first
- Academic: comparatives, passives and clauses that link figures
- General Training: structures for requests, explanations and polite suggestions
- The share of sentences with no errors
| Band | What the marker sees |
|---|---|
| 9 | Every structure the task calls for is used flexibly and with full control; errors are extremely rare. |
| 8 | A wide range used flexibly and accurately, with most sentences free of errors and punctuation well managed. |
| 7 | A variety of complex structures with some flexibility, many sentences without errors and good general control. The few remaining errors don’t get in the way. |
| 6 | Simple and complex sentences both appear, with limited flexibility, and the complex ones contain more errors, which rarely impede communication. |
| 5 | A limited, repetitive range: complex sentences tend to go wrong and accuracy is best in simple ones. Frequent errors can make the reader work. |
| 4 | A very limited range, with simple sentences dominating and few subordinate clauses, which holds GRA here. Frequent errors may block meaning. |
| 3 and below | At 3 errors dominate outside memorised or copied phrases, and a response too short to show sentence control is capped at 3. Below that, sentence forms barely appear. |
What moves GRA up a band
- 5 → 6
- A genuine mix of simple and complex sentences, with errors that rarely block meaning.
- 6 → 7
- Complex structures become varied and flexible, and error-free sentences become frequent.
- 7 → 8
- Most sentences are error-free, and the range is used flexibly and accurately.
- 8 → 9
- Full flexibility and control, with errors extremely rare.
Features that cap a band
The official Writing descriptors print some features in bold, and IELTS’s note says bold marks negative features that “limit a rating”. It doesn’t say by how much. We read each one as a ceiling: a response showing a bold feature listed at band N can’t go above N on that criterion. That reading is ours, not an IELTS rule. Task 1 has no bold paragraphing feature; that one belongs to Task 2.
| Band | Criterion | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | TA | Academic: no figures given to support the description |
| 4 | TA | General Training: not every bullet point is presented |
| 4 | TA | General Training: the tone may be inappropriate |
| 4 | TA | The format doesn’t suit the task |
| 4 | LR | Vocabulary is unrelated to the task |
| 4 | GRA | Few subordinate clauses; mostly simple sentences |
| 3 | GRA | Too little text to show control of sentence forms |
| 2 | CC | The whole response may be off-topic |
| 1 | All | A response of 20 words or fewer is band 1 on every criterion |
| 1 | TA | Content wholly unrelated to the task |
| 0 | All | Proof that the whole answer was memorised |
Academic vs General Training: where Task Achievement differs
IELTS’s key assessment criteria describe Academic Task 1 as reporting what the visual shows, without explanations beyond the data. General Training Task 1 is judged on whether the letter does its job: a clear purpose, all three bullets covered and extended, a suitable format and a tone that fits the reader.
| Band | Academic: overview and data | General Training: bullets, purpose and tone |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Key features chosen with skill, clearly presented and well illustrated | Every bullet clearly presented and properly extended |
| 7 | Clear overview; data grouped sensibly; main trends or differences picked out | All bullets covered and highlighted; clear purpose; consistent, suitable tone |
| 6 | A relevant overview attempted; key features adequately highlighted with figures | All bullets adequately covered; purpose generally clear; small tone slips |
| 5 | Key features under-covered; detail listed mechanically; no figures at all is a bold limit | All bullets present but one or more thin; purpose sometimes unclear; tone variable |
| 4 | Only a few key features chosen | A missing bullet (bold); purpose unclear or confused; inappropriate tone (bold) |
Two rows deserve a closer look. First, the overview: band 7 needs a clear one, band 6 needs one at least attempted, and band 5 doesn’t mention it. Under the fully-fit rule, an Academic response with no overview attempted can’t reach 6 for TA. IELTS doesn’t call this a cap; it is how the rule works out. Second, the bullets: leaving one out is a bold band 4 feature, so on our reading a fluent letter that skips a bullet still can’t score above 4 for TA.
How to mark an IELTS Writing Task 1 response, step by step
- Read the task, not the answer. Academic: note the two or three points you would put in an overview and the figures that prove them. General Training: note the purpose, the three bullets and who the reader is, because the reader decides the tone.
- Check length and copying. 20 words or fewer is band 1 on every criterion. Don’t count wording lifted from the task, and don’t deduct per missing word under 150; none is published.
- Find the overview or the purpose. Academic: highlight the sentence that sums up the main trends or differences. If there isn’t one, TA stays at 5 or below. General Training: highlight where the purpose becomes clear, then tick each bullet as you find it.
- Check the data or the bullets. Academic: are the figures right, and does anything explain causes or predict the future that the visual doesn’t show? That content is irrelevant. General Training: is each bullet extended, or only mentioned?
- Run the limiting checks in the limits table. Each one you find caps one criterion.
- Place TA, then CC. Start at the highest band your caps allow and drop a band whenever a positive feature is missing. For CC, ask whether the grouping shows the pattern (Academic) or the letter moves through its purpose in order (General Training).
- Sample LR and GRA. Count the clean sentences in the body; if fewer than half are error-free, GRA can’t be 8. For Academic, check the language of change and comparison. For letters, check register: “I am writing to complain” and “Hope you’re well!” belong to different letters.
- Record evidence and the next step. One short quotation per criterion and one sentence on what the next band needs.
Common Task 1 marking mistakes, and how to avoid them
- Accepting the introduction as the overview. Rewording the task’s title says what the chart is about, not what it shows. An overview names the main trends, differences or stages.
- Rewarding every number. Band 5 describes detail recounted mechanically; band 7 needs data grouped and the main features picked out. Listing every figure can still mean a low TA.
- Letting explanations through. Reasons for a trend, or predictions the data don’t show, are irrelevant content in Academic Task 1, however well written.
- Asking for a conclusion. The Task 1 descriptors don’t require one or say where the overview goes.
- Missing a General Training bullet because the letter reads well. Tick the bullets before you judge the language. A missing bullet holds TA at 4 whatever the fluency.
- Penalising paragraphing as if it were Task 2. The Task 1 CC descriptors mention paragraphing only at bands 8 and 9. Weak paragraphs can keep a response out of 8, but there is no bold paragraphing limit in Task 1.
- Using the old overview wording. Older summaries say band 6 must present an overview. The current scale asks band 6 only to attempt a relevant one and doesn’t mention it at band 5.
MARK IT YOURSELF
Mark a script, then compare
The scripts in this tool answer an original Academic Task 1 data prompt. Mark each one on the four criteria, then compare with our marks and reasons. Our marks are PrepEx reference marks for practice, not official IELTS scores, so use the reasons to see which descriptor feature decided each band.
The task
The table below shows the percentage of commuters in one city who travelled to work by car, bus, train and bicycle in 2004, 2014 and 2024.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| Mode | 2004 | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car | 58 | 47 | 36 |
| Bus | 20 | 24 | 17 |
| Train | 15 | 19 | 27 |
| Bicycle | 7 | 10 | 20 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 |
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write at least 150 words.
Report A
181 wordsThe table show the percentage of commuters in one city who used car, bus, train and bicycle for going to work in 2004, 2014 and 2024.
Firstly, the car was used by 58% of commuters in 2004, which was the highest number in the table. In 2014 the percentage of car decreased to 47%, and by 2024 the percentage of car had decreased again to 36%. So the car had a big decrease in this years.
Secondly, the bus was 20% in 2004. Ten years later its percentege went down to 19%, and in 2024 it went down to 17%, so the bus also decreased but only a little.
The train was different from the car and the bus because it increased. Although only 15% of commuters used the train in 2004, this increased to 19% in 2014 and then to 27% in 2024, it is a big increasement.
Finally, the bycicle was the lowest in 2004, when only 7% of commuters used it. However, it grew to 10% in 2014 and to 20% in 2024, which is double of 2014.
| Criterion | You | PrepEx | Gap |
|---|
PrepEx reference marks · average 5.5
| Criterion | Band | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement | 5 | All four modes are covered with figures, but there is no overview: the report never sums up that car use fell while train and bicycle use grew, so the reader has to find the main trends alone. Each mode is recounted year by year ('In 2014 the percentage of car decreased to 47%, and by 2024 ... had decreased again to 36%'), with only one brief comparison between modes ('The train was different from the car and the bus'). The 2014 bus figure is misread as 19% (the table shows 24%), which hides the one exception in the data, a bus share that rose before it fell. With no overview attempted the report can't fully fit band 6; it stays above 4 because it addresses the task and most figures are right. |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6 | The report is arranged mode by mode, so it has a clear overall progression, and reference works in several places ('its percentege went down', 'However, it grew to 10%'). The linking is mechanical, though ('Firstly, the car', 'Secondly, the bus', 'Finally, the bycicle'), and repetition such as 'the percentage of car decreased ... the percentage of car had decreased again' shows referencing that isn't always used where it should be. That fits band 6; for 7 the information would need grouping and the linking more flexibility, with reference and substitution doing more of the work. |
| Lexical Resource | 5 | The vocabulary is just enough to describe the table, but it is narrow and repetitive ('decreased', 'decreased again', 'went down', 'increased', 'grew'), and the description is often simplified ('the bus was 20%', 'the percentage of car', 'a big decrease'). There are noticeable word-form and spelling errors ('increasement', 'percentege', 'bycicle'). A limited range with this much repetition fits band 5; for 6 the writer would need some variety in the language of change and fewer word-form errors. |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6 | The report mixes simple sentences with a fair range of accurate complex ones: a passive with a relative clause ('the car was used by 58% of commuters in 2004, which was the highest number in the table'), a past perfect ('by 2024 ... had decreased again'), 'because it increased', and 'when only 7% of commuters used it'. Errors appear mainly in the longer sentences ('The table show', 'for going to work', 'in this years', a comma splice before 'it is a big increasement', 'double of 2014'), but they never block meaning. That fits band 6; for 7 the report would need more flexible use of complex structures and many more error-free sentences. |
What would raise it: Add a short overview of the main trends (car down, train and bicycle up, bus up then down) straight after the introduction; without one, Task Achievement can't reach 6.
You give the figures, but group them and say what the big picture is first, and double-check each number against the table.
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Report B
198 wordsThe table compares how commuters in one city travelled to work by car, bus, train and bicycle in 2004, 2014 and 2024.
Overall, the car remained the most famous way of commute during the whole period, but its share fell considerably, while rail and cycling became steadily more common. Bus was the only mode that did not move in one clear direction.
Looking first at the modes that lost users, car use dropped from 58% in 2004 to 47% ten years later and to 36% in 2024, which means it has declined by 11 percentage points in each decade. Even so, it was still higher than the other modes at the end of period. The bus, however, did not fall steadily: its share has risen from 20% to 24% in 2014 before falling back to 17%, which was lower than at the start.
In contrast, train and bicycle grew throughout. Train use rose from 15% to 27%, and by 2024 it is the second most common mode. The increase for bicycle was even bigger in relative terms, as the proportion of cyclists nearly tripled, from 7% to 20%, with the most of the growth in last ten years.
| Criterion | You | PrepEx | Gap |
|---|
PrepEx reference marks · average 7.0
| Criterion | Band | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Task Achievement | 7 | A clear overview is given ('the car remained the most famous way of commute during the whole period, but its share fell considerably, while rail and cycling became steadily more common'), and the data is grouped into modes that lost users and modes that grew. The figures are all accurate, including the bus exception ('risen from 20% to 24% in 2014 before falling back to 17%') and the near tripling of cycling, though 'steadily' is loose, since train and bicycle both grew faster after 2014. The rising modes could be illustrated more fully: no 2014 figures are given for train or bicycle, the claim about 'the most of the growth in last ten years' is left without numbers, and the report never says that by 2024 cycling had overtaken the bus, leaving the bus as the least used mode. That fits band 7; band 8 would need the key features selected and illustrated more completely. |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 8 | The report is easy to follow: an overview, then one paragraph for the modes that lost users and one for those that grew, linked by 'Looking first at', 'Even so', 'however' and 'In contrast', with reference such as 'its share' and 'it was still higher'. The bus, which breaks the pattern, is flagged in the overview and handled with a clear signal ('did not fall steadily'). The one small lapse is the last sentence, which strings three ideas together ('as the proportion of cyclists nearly tripled, from 7% to 20%, with...') and ends the report a little crowded. That fits band 8; band 9 needs cohesion that never draws attention. |
| Lexical Resource | 7 | The language of change is accurate and varied ('fell considerably', 'declined by 11 percentage points', 'falling back to', 'nearly tripled'), and 'percentage points' is used correctly. There are a few slips: 'the most famous way' where popular or common is meant, and 'way of commute' instead of commuting. Elsewhere the wording is plainer ('even bigger', 'higher than the other modes'), so this is some less common vocabulary with occasional inaccuracy, which fits band 7 rather than the wider, more precise range of 8. |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6 | The report uses a good range of complex structures ('Looking first at...', 'which means it has declined...', 'before falling back to 17%, which was...', 'as the proportion of cyclists nearly tripled'). However, article and tense errors recur in most sentences: missing or wrong articles ('Bus was', 'at the end of period', 'the most of the growth in last ten years') and present tenses for finished periods ('it has declined by 11 percentage points in each decade', 'its share has risen from 20% to 24% in 2014', 'by 2024 it is'). Because error-free sentences are not frequent, the mark stays at 6 despite the range; it stays above 5 because the errors never cause difficulty and the complex sentences are otherwise well formed. |
What would raise it: Proofread for articles and past tenses: 'the bus', 'at the end of the period', 'in the last ten years', and past simple for finished periods ('its share rose ... in 2014', 'by 2024 it was').
Your overview and grouping are strong; the next step is consistent articles and past tenses, plus one more comparison such as cycling overtaking the bus by 2024.
Free PrepEx account. Two graded answers a day across all four skills. Bands are practice estimates, not official IELTS results.
Scripts and transcripts are original PrepEx material written for this guide. Reference marks are PrepEx practice estimates against the public descriptors, not official IELTS scores.
What Task 1 is worth in the Writing band
The Task 1 score is the average of its four equally weighted criteria. Task 2 counts double, so the usual working formula, which IELTS doesn’t publish, is Writing ≈ (Task 1 + 2 × Task 2) ÷ 3. Task 1 is about a third of the estimate: with Task 2 at 6.5, a Task 1 of 6.0 gives 6.33 and a Task 1 of 7.0 gives 6.67. IELTS doesn’t publish how that figure is rounded.
| Letter | TA | CC | LR | GRA | Task 1 | Writing estimate, Task 2 at 7.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All bullets covered | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| One bullet missing | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6.25 | 6.75 |
The only published rounding rule is for the overall IELTS band, explained in our band score calculation guide.
To try this on your own writing, answer PrepEx’s free Task 1 prompt, an Academic data task, mark it with the sheet, then compare with our estimate for each criterion. You need a free account, and the result is practice feedback, not an IELTS score.
Using the Task 1 descriptors with a class
Task 1 TA turns on two things a class can drill: the overview in Academic and the bullet points in General Training.
- Overview drill. Show a chart and give everyone five minutes to write only the overview. Compare the results against band 6 (attempted, relevant) and band 7 (clear, with grouped data and main trends).
- Bullet audit. Students swap letters, tick each bullet and mark how far each is extended, then check the tone against the reader named in the task.
- Calibrate first. Mark a calibration script as a class before anyone marks a classmate.
- Keep the modules apart. In a mixed class, use the Academic and General Training lines on the sheet so nobody hunts for an overview in a letter.
With the PrepEx teacher dashboard you can invite students individually or in batches, assign Writing Task 1 or seven other task types with a due date, open each saved response with PrepEx’s criterion feedback, track progress and send parent-facing PDF reports. Teachers can’t edit PrepEx’s scores, and full IELTS tests and the diagnostic aren’t assignable. Access is set up with PrepEx, usually with a short complimentary evaluation: IELTS for schools.
FOR TEACHERS
PrepEx gives every student a first mark against these criteria, and you review each saved answer in one place.
Set this task for a classIELTS Writing Task 1 marking sheet
One response per sheet. Use the Academic or General Training line for TA, run the limit checks, then give each criterion the highest band it fully fits. PrepEx paraphrase; official descriptors are on ielts.org.
TA Task AchievementBand ____
- Academic: overview present and clear? Figures support it?
- General Training: purpose clear? Bullets 1 / 2 / 3 covered and extended?
- Anything inaccurate, or beyond what the data show?
- Format, and in letters tone, right for the task?
CC Coherence and CohesionBand ____
- Information grouped so the pattern or purpose is clear?
- Progression clear throughout?
- Linkers and reference words accurate?
LR Lexical ResourceBand ____
- Exact words for change and comparison, or the right register?
- Less common items used correctly?
- Spelling and word-form errors: rare / some / frequent
GRA Grammatical Range and AccuracyBand ____
- Error-free sentences: __ of __
- Complex structures varied and controlled?
- Do errors block meaning?
Before you settle the bands
- 20 words or fewer → band 1 on all criteria
- Wording copied from the task ignored
- Academic: no figures at all → TA max 5
- Academic: no overview attempted → TA max 5 (our reading)
- General Training: a bullet missing → TA max 4
- General Training: inappropriate tone → TA max 4
- Inappropriate format → TA max 4
- Mostly simple sentences, few subordinate clauses → GRA max 4
Task 1 score = (TA + CC + LR + GRA) ÷ 4. Writing ≈ (Task 1 + 2 × Task 2) ÷ 3; IELTS does not publish this formula or how Writing is rounded.
PrepEx marking sheet · prepex.ai/ielts/band-descriptors/writing-task-1 · Paraphrased from the public IELTS descriptors; the official PDFs are at ielts.org. Get an answer marked free at prepex.ai/ielts.
Questions about Writing Task 1 marking
What are the IELTS Writing Task 1 band descriptors?
They are IELTS’s official scales for marking Task 1, in the same PDF as Task 2. They describe each whole band from 9 to 0 on Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Academic and General Training share them, with separate Task Achievement lines for each.
Do you need an overview in IELTS Academic Writing Task 1?
Yes, if you want 6 or above for Task Achievement. Band 7 asks for a clear overview with grouped data and the main trends or differences picked out, and band 6 asks for a relevant overview to be attempted. Band 5 doesn’t mention one. A response gets a band only if it shows all of that band’s positive features, so with no overview attempted, TA stays at 5 or below. IELTS doesn’t call this a cap; that is our reading.
Is General Training Task 1 marked differently from Academic?
Only in Task Achievement. The other three criteria are judged the same way. Academic TA looks at the overview and how key features are selected and supported with data; General Training TA looks at a clear purpose, all three bullet points covered and extended, a suitable format and a consistent tone.
What happens if you miss a bullet point in the General Training letter?
Not presenting every bullet point is a bold feature at band 4 in Task Achievement. On our reading of the bold features, TA then can’t go above 4, however good the rest of the letter is. With the other three criteria at 7, the Task 1 average falls from 7.0 to 6.25. Cover all three bullets and extend each one with a detail or reason.
How much is Task 1 worth in IELTS Writing?
IELTS says Task 2 counts twice as much, so Task 1 is roughly one third of the Writing band. The usual working formula is (Task 1 + 2 × Task 2) ÷ 3, but IELTS doesn’t publish it or say how the result is rounded. Half a band either way in Task 1 moves the Writing estimate by about 0.17.
Is there a penalty for writing under 150 words in Task 1?
No per-word penalty is published. IELTS says a short answer may not give enough evidence for the higher bands, and its guide for organisations says points are deducted for answers that are too brief. In the descriptors, a badly short response can pull LR and GRA down to band 3, and 20 words or fewer is band 1 on every criterion. Writing more than 150 words isn’t penalised.
Should you explain the reasons for trends in Academic Task 1?
No. IELTS’s key assessment criteria describe Academic Task 1 as reporting the information in the visual, not speculating about causes outside it. Reasons and predictions the data don’t show are irrelevant content, and they take words away from the overview and the key figures, which is where Task Achievement is decided.
How do you get band 7 in IELTS Writing Task 1?
Every criterion has to fit band 7 fully. For Academic TA, that means a clear overview, data grouped sensibly and the main trends or differences picked out. For General Training, a clear purpose, all bullets covered and a consistent tone. Across both: clear progression with flexible referencing, some less common vocabulary used precisely, and a variety of complex structures with many error-free sentences.
Use the criteria on a real answer
PREPARING FOR IELTS
Write or record an answer on PrepEx and see feedback on the same four criteria, with the words from your answer quoted back to you.
Get a Task 1 report marked freeTEACHING IELTS
Assign Writing and Speaking tasks, review every student’s saved answer with its criterion feedback and track progress across a class.
See the IELTS teacher dashboardSources and last check
PrepEx checked these official pages on . The descriptors on this page are PrepEx’s paraphrase; read the official PDFs for the exact wording. IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. PrepEx is independent and not affiliated with them.
- IELTS Writing Band Descriptors, Task 1 and Task 2 (PDF, updated May 2023), ielts.org
- IELTS Writing Key Assessment Criteria (PDF), ielts.org
- IELTS Academic: Writing test format, ielts.org
- IELTS General Training: Writing test format, ielts.org
- IELTS scoring in detail, ielts.org
- IELTS news item on the revised Writing descriptors (3 May 2023), ielts.org
- IELTS Scores Guide 2025 (PDF), ielts.org