David Recine

Free IELTS Writing Practice Tests

Student writing in IELTS Writing Practice Test

What if you could measure your basic IELTS Writing ability right now? With each IELTS Writing practice test in this post, you can! Here, you’ll find:

  • a full IELTS Academic Writing section in video format
  • a full IELTS Academic Writing practice test with answers in PDF format
  • a full IELTS General Training Writing section
  • links to bonus posts containing additional IELTS Academic Writing Academic and General Training Writing sections.

In other words, all of the IELTS Writing Test practice online for free that you could want!

Free IELTS Writing Test (Academic): Video

In this video, Magoosh’s expert Eliot will take you through a full-length IELTS Academic Writing Practice Test!

Once you’ve written your responses, check out the sample answers to see how you did and check your work against the model responses.

Get a higher IELTS score? Start your online IELTS prep today with Magoosh.

Free IELTS Writing Practice Test PDFs (Academic and General Training)

If you’ve already worked through the IELTS Writing practice test in the video, or if you just prefer a written version of a free IELTS Writing practice test with answers, no worries! Here are PDFs you can use for more IELTS writing test practice online (for free).

IELTS Academic Writing Section PDF

If you’re taking the Academic version of the IELTS, check out this IELTS Academic Writing Practice Test 1 PDF for a full writing section you can practice with.

Button to download IELTS academic writing practice test

When you’re done, follow these guidelines and answer these questions to score yourself based on the band descriptors for Task 1 and Task 2.

  • Make sure Task 1 word count met the 150 word minimum, your Task 2 word count is at least 250 words long. If you haven’t reached those bench marks, your “Task Response” score will be less-than-perfect.
  • Did you address each part of the task? Look at each part of the prompt. Can you match each part to a part of your essay? This also impacts your “Task Response” score.
  • Do your paragraphs all have clear topic sentences and sufficient supporting details? This is necessary for full points in “Coherence and Cohesion.”
  • Does your essay have clear, sufficient IELTS Writing linking words to show how ideas are connected? If not, do not give yourself full points for “Coherence and Cohesion.”
  • Is your vocabulary free of serious errors, and varied enough that it doesn’t deem repetitive? If so, that’s a perfect score in “Lexical Resource.” If not, take away some points in this area.
  • Do you use grammar with confidence and skill, with no serious mistakes? And do you use a variety of sentence structures? If the answer to any of that is “no,” give yourself a less-than-perfect score in “Grammatical Range and Accuracy.”

IELTS General Training Writing Section PDF

Taking the General Training IELTS instead of the academic test? Then use this IELTS General Training Writing Test 1 PDF!

Button to download IELTS general training writing practice test PDF

Just like with the Academic test, you’ll use similar band scoring guidelines to grade yourself. First, look at these the band descriptors for Task 1 and Task 2. Then, review your answers using the following guidelines.

  • Where are you with word count? You need at least 150 words for Task 1 and 250 for Task 2 to get full points for “Task Response.”
  • Did you address each part of the task? Carefully read the task instructions and see if you really responded to everything that was asked of you. If you did not address one or more parts of the task, do not give yourself full points for “Task Response.”
  • Does each paragraph have its own clear topic sentence and supporting details? If not, then take some points away in “Coherence and Cohesion.”
  • Do the tasks use adequate transitional language to tie paragraphs together and move from the paragraph to the conclusion? If not, do not give yourself full points for “Coherence and Cohesion.”
  • Do you use vocabulary clearly and fluently, avoiding serious errors in word choice, and varying word choice to avoid repetition? If not, your self-score in “Lexical Resource” should not be perfect.
  • Similarly, does your grammar demonstrate variety, and have you avoided serious grammar problems? this will determine whether or not you have full points in “Grammatical Range and Accuracy.”

Full Magoosh IELTS Practice Tests, Writing Sections Included

Magoosh also offers to free full-length IELTS exams, one for Academic, and one for GT. Click here to take full Writing sections in the context of the whole test.

Bonus IELTS Writing Practice Tests

If you’ve worked through the above free IELTS Writing practice test with answers for your test and still want more, I’m impressed! And I can also help you out. Here’s even more IELTS Writing test practice online for free.

Bonus IELTS Writing Practice Test for Academic

In the IELTS Academic Writing Practice Test post, you’ll find a PDF practice test with two prompts: one each for Task 1 and Task 2. The PDF also contains answers and scoring rationales for these prompts so you can check your work.

Extra IELTS Writing Practice Test for General Training

Similar to the Academic PDF, the IELTS General Training Writing Practice Test post has two prompts—but these ones prepare you for the GT version of the exam! This free IELTS Writing practice test with answers also contains scoring rationale to help you see how you did.

Additional IELTS Writing Practice Questions

That may already seem like more IELTS Writing practice tests than you could ever need. But wait, there’s more! You can also practice with individual questions here on the blog, as well as polish your skills with our IELTS Writing guides. Take a look below.

Additional IELTS Writing Practice Questions

For more practice prompts similar to those you’ll find on the IELTS Writing section, check out these posts!

IELTS Writing Guides

If you’re struggling to write any (or both) of the tasks on these IELTS Writing practice tests, check out Magoosh’s experts advice for different IELTS sections in these guides!

Between the initial Academic IELTS Writing practice test above, the first General Training one, the bonus IELTS Writing sections and questions, and the guides above, you should have all the practice and guidance you need to get started. After that, you can get a start on assessing the rest of your IELTS skills by going through the skills checklists and linked diagnostic tests in our article “How Hard is the IELTS?

As you continue with your IELTS prep from there, consider trying a free trial subscription to Magoosh IELTS. We offer one week free trials for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training.

Author

  • David Recine

    David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he’s helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in many scholarly articles, his Master’s Thesis is featured on the Reading with Pictures website, and he’s presented at the WITESOL (link to PDF) and NAFSA conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru. Come join David and the Magoosh team on Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram, or connect with him via LinkedIn!

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