IELTS General Writing

About the IELTS General Writing test

The writing test is different for IELTS Academic and IELTS General candidates.

General Writing

2 pieces of writing, 60 minutes

  1. In Task 1, candidates are presented with a situation and are asked to write a letter requesting information or explaining the situation. The letter may be personal, semi-formal or formal in style.
  2. In Task 2, candidates are asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. The essay can be slightly more personal in style than the Academic Writing Task 2 essay

See IELTS Marking Schemes

Read these articles explaining how to answer the writing questions .