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Writing

60 minutes · Task 1 (20 min) + Task 2 (40 min)

What moves your score most

  1. 1Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1. Do Task 1 first but never let it eat into your 40 minutes.
  2. 2Task 1 needs an overview paragraph — the single biggest trend or difference. Missing it caps your Task Achievement score.
  3. 3Never give an opinion in Academic Task 1. Report what the data shows, nothing more.
  4. 4In Task 2, answer every part of the question. "Discuss both views and give your opinion" is three jobs, not one.
  5. 5Under length is an automatic penalty. Aim for 170 and 270 words rather than the bare 150 and 250.
  6. 6Spend the last 3 minutes checking articles, plurals and verb tenses — the errors that cost the most marks.

The other three