Task 1 and Task 2: what each one is worth
The IELTS Writing test lasts 60 minutes and has two tasks. Task 1 (at least 150 words, about 20 minutes) asks you to describe a chart, graph, table, diagram or process in Academic, or to write a letter in General Training. Task 2 (at least 250 words, about 40 minutes) is an essay in both.
Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1 in your Writing band. That is one reason the usual timing advice is 20 and 40 minutes rather than half and half, and it is why a well-argued Task 2 answer moves your band further than a polished Task 1.
| Task 1 | Task 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum length | 150 words | 250 words |
| Suggested time | About 20 minutes | About 40 minutes |
| What you write | Academic: a chart, graph, table, diagram or process description. General Training: a letter | An essay |
| Weight in the Writing band | Counts once | Counts twice |
| First criterion | Task Achievement | Task Response |
The four Writing criteria, and where marks tend to go
Each task is marked against four criteria, weighted equally: Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Bands run from 0 to 9 in half-band steps. The public band descriptors set out what each band looks like for each criterion, and they are the reference used for feedback in these sessions.
The gaps between a Band 6 answer and a Band 7 one come up again and again:
- Task Response. The question has two or three parts and the essay answers one well and the others in passing. The position is not clear from the introduction, or has shifted by the conclusion. Ideas are listed rather than developed with an explanation and an example. Answers under 250 words are penalised.
- Coherence and Cohesion. Paragraphs without one central topic each. Linking words used mechanically, so every sentence starts with "Moreover" or "Furthermore" whether or not it adds anything; the descriptors mention over-use as well as under-use. Pronouns such as "this" and "it" that do not clearly refer to anything.
- Lexical Resource. Less common words attempted for effect but used with the wrong collocation or register. Spelling and word-form errors, such as "economic" for "economy". A memorised phrase bank that does not fit the topic.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Complex sentences attempted but rarely error-free, or the opposite: safe, simple sentences throughout, which limits the range. Missing articles, subject-verb agreement, comma splices and tense shifts inside a paragraph.
For Task 1 Academic, a frequent gap is the overview: a clear summary of the main trends, differences or stages is expected, and an answer that lists every figure without one is marked down under Task Achievement. For the General Training letter, tone matters: the answer is judged partly on whether it fits the purpose of the letter.
Why marking against the band descriptors matters more than corrections
A returned essay with every grammar slip underlined feels thorough, but grammar is one criterion out of four. If your Task Response is at Band 6 because the essay never takes a clear position, fixing forty article errors lifts only one criterion of the four and leaves that problem untouched.
Marking against the descriptors works differently. Each criterion is looked at on its own, the answer is placed against the wording of the neighbouring bands, and the feedback is specific: this paragraph has no central topic, so it is holding Coherence and Cohesion at 6; the position is stated in the introduction but not carried through the body; these three sentences are the error-free ones, and here is why the others are not. That tells you what to practise next week, not only what was wrong today. It also shows why adding rarer words and longer sentences to sound more academic often lowers accuracy without raising anything else.
What happens in a Writing session
Sessions are one-to-one over Google Meet, and every session is taught by Mike, who holds the Cambridge CELTA (July 2017), has taught English and IELTS for more than twelve years in Vietnam, Turkey and Iran, and has taught over 500 one-to-one sessions. His background is on the about page.
A Writing session runs like this:
- Read for the task first. Before touching the language, we check the question against your answer: does the essay cover every part of it, is the position clear, are the ideas developed?
- Paragraph by paragraph, live. We go through the essay on screen one paragraph at a time: a structure comment first (its central topic, whether the first sentence signals it, whether it progresses or repeats itself), then a language pass for vocabulary and grammar, with corrections explained, not just supplied.
- Coherence across the whole essay. Then we step back: does the introduction set up what the body delivers, do the paragraphs follow a logical order, does the conclusion match the position? This is where over-used linkers and unclear referencing get fixed.
- A criterion-by-criterion estimate. You leave with an estimate of where each criterion sits against the public descriptors and what the next half band asks for: a teacher's estimate, not a test result, but specific enough to plan around.
- Written notes afterwards. After each session, written progress notes are added to your account, so the corrections and priorities are there to reread. Sessions can be recorded on request.
Feedback happens during the session, not days later, so you can ask why a correction is a correction and try a rewrite on the spot.
Student results reported back include 5.5 → 7.0 Writing and 6.0 → 7.5 overall. No band is promised: progress depends on your starting point and on the writing you do between sessions.
How to prepare an essay before a session
The session is most useful when there is a real, timed piece of writing to work on. Here is how to prepare one:
- Pick a question of the usual Task 2 kind (opinion, discussion, problem and solution, or two-part) and copy the full task wording at the top of your document. If Task 1 is your weaker task, bring a Task 1 instead; the process is the same.
- Write it under test conditions: 40 minutes for Task 2, 20 for Task 1, no dictionary, no checking online.
- Count the words. If you were under 250 (or 150) in the time, that is the first finding.
- Bring it in a form you can share on screen. A typed document is easiest to work through together; if you are practising handwriting for the paper-based test, a clear photo of the page can be shared instead.
- Do not edit it after the time is up. The mistakes you would have fixed with more time show what you can catch yourself and what you cannot.
Price and booking
In Vietnam, a 60-minute session is 500,000 ₫ and a 30-minute trial is 150,000 ₫, available once, on your first booking. Booking 3 sessions at once gives 10% off; 5 or more gives 20% off, which brings an hour to 400,000 ₫. Outside Vietnam, prices are shown in your own currency automatically. Current offers are shown on the booking page.
There is no subscription and no package to commit to. The full list is in the pricing section of the home page.
To start, book a trial session and choose a time from the live calendar, shown in your own time zone. Payment is by PayPal (cards work through guest checkout), VietQR bank transfer in Vietnam, or USDT on TRC20 or BEP20; the site never sees or stores card details. As soon as payment goes through, a Google Meet link and calendar invite arrive by email, with a link to set up your account. You can reschedule free up to 12 hours before the slot; cancellations inside 12 hours are not refunded.
If Speaking is the other score you need to lift, there is a separate page on one-to-one IELTS Speaking coaching, and for all four skills together see the online IELTS tutor page. Vietnamese readers can read this page as chữa bài IELTS Writing 1 kèm 1. If you have a question before you book, email mkcenter007@gmail.com or message +84 383 390 963 on Zalo, WhatsApp or Telegram.