Not Finishing the IELTS Writing Task 1

by meki
(milano)

Hi

I've done the ielts test this morning. I had no problems with all the sections, but writing test one: I ran out of time and I didn't finish the first task. Now, are there any chances for me to achieve good marks (5.5 at least) in this section?

Task 2 was ok, I did everything coherently, so I wonder: how much the previous one could penalize my mark?

Thank you in advance

Dom

Comments for Not Finishing the IELTS Writing Task 1

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Feb 10, 2015
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Ran out of time for the Task 1
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Dom,

It is still possible to get a 5.5 but it is impossible to say much more than this as it depends on so many other things.

For instance, an incomplete Task 1 with very good grammar, coherency etc is going to still get a better score than an incomplete Task 1 which is also poor in other respects.

Also, it depends to what extent it was incomplete. What data were being described? How much of it was not described etc?

All these kinds of things get taken into account, not just the fact that it was under-length itself.

And of course it will also depends on how well you did in the Task 2. That is weighted more heavily, so obviously that will go in your favour if you think you did well on that.

Really you will just have to wait for your score.

Good luck

May 18, 2015
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My experience
by: Michael

When I first took the IELTS exam, I didn't finish my Task 1 as well, but I did get 6 on writing. I think, if you wrote a clear and good Task 2, it will pull up your score.

Also, if you were able to include the main points in your Task 1, then I think you can get 5.5 even if you did not finish your essay.

Jul 23, 2015
Rating

I didn't finish the IELTS Task 1. Can I still get a band score of 7?
by: Anonymous

Hi,

Is it possible to get a band score of 7, if I wasn't able to complete task 1?

I have missed out only on the last part but I was able to properly convey the required points.

Also, I have completed task 2 properly and I feel pretty much confident about it.

Do let me know. Thanks

Jul 27, 2015
Rating

Not finishing task 1
by: IELTS buddy

Not finishing one of the tasks doesn't automatically mean you can't get a 7, so it is possible, but it is impossible to say for sure as there are so many factors that can influence your score.

If the part you didn't complete meant that you didn't describe something important in the graph then it can have quite a negative affect on your score, but you seem to say you described the key points.

Also, if you went below 150 words, this could impact your score as 150 is a requirement of the task.

Of course your task 2 is important as well because this is weighted more heavily than the task 1 so if you got say an 8 in this it may compensate for a slightly lower score in the task 1.

So really you need to just wait for your result.

Jul 09, 2016
Rating

Couldn't do the IELTS Task 1
by: Anonymous

Today I had ielts exam but I could not write task 1 at all.

What will happen in that case. Is it possible to get 5 or more than 5 score?

Jul 10, 2016
Rating

Task 1
by: IELTS buddy

It's really not possible to give you any kind of prediction on this because saying "could not write task 1 at all" is too vague.

It depends what you did do but we can't know that without seeing your answer.

Sep 04, 2016
Rating

Didn't put similar things together
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I was supposed to put 2 similar looking data in BP1 and the 3rd thing in BP2. But, somehow I ended up writing 2 non similar things in BP1 and third thing in next BP.

Writing task 2 was OK. Just curious to know whether this thing could lead to a score of less than 6?? Sentence formation was OK allover. Please help

Sep 04, 2016
Rating

Didn't put similar things together
by: IELTS buddy

The marking really doesn't work in that way.

There isn't something in the marking criteria that says "Candidate did not put similar data together in the paragraphs = band 5".

You are graded on the way you organise things, and grouping similar trends together helps to make a coherent answer that is easy to read. But it's really not possible to know how well you organised your answer without seeing it.

So in theory yes you could still get a 6, but whether what you did was good enough overall to get a 6 is impossible to know. You are graded on many different factors.

Nov 26, 2016
Rating

Penalty for doing task 2 only
by: Anonymous

Hello,

if one only completes task 2 and does not attempt to write the answer for task 1 at all, does this mean getting a zero for task 1 when calculating the writing score?

Thanks

Nov 26, 2016
Rating

Penalty for doing task 2 only
by: IELTS buddy

Yes you would get no score if you wrote nothing, and so of course it would considerably reduce your overall writing score as it is an average of both.

Nov 28, 2016
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Writing band score
by: Anonymous

I gave my IELTS exam on 26th November. I completed my writing task 2 with good discussion of both sides because it's a discussion essay. I'm slightly weak in preposition.

But, I wrote only the introduction and 1 more sentence in writing task 1. Is it possible to get a 6 in writing?

Dec 01, 2016
Rating

Not finishing the IELTS Task 1 Writing
by: IELTS buddy

To be honest it may be very difficult if you wrote that little amount on the Task 1. You will get a very low score for just an introduction then one sentence.

It's possible but you'd have to get a great score, like 8 or 9 on the Task 2 to even have a chance as they average it out.

Dec 05, 2016
Rating

Ran short of words in task 2
by: Anonymous

Hi, Just want to ask how much score you can lose if you run short of words in task 2. Can I still get 7 band?

Jan 27, 2017
Rating

Not enough words in Task 2
by: Anonymous

Completed writing task 2 but short of the word limit. What will be the score in that case?

Feb 02, 2017
Rating

Not enough words in Task 2
by: IELTS buddy

It's impossible to predict scores even with knowing how many words you wrote. You are marked over several criteria then given the average so it really can't be worked out at all what you may have got.

Feb 11, 2017
Rating

Task 1 under length and one bullet point not mentioned.
by: Anonymous

Hello sir,

I am so tense about the writing task that I took today. In the task 1:

Firstly, I wrote 126 words only.

Secondly, I was unable to address the last point resulting to forget to write about one bullet point.

Lastly, I made 5-6 paragraphs because I panicked as I ran out of time. But managed to conclude the task 1.

But, in the task 2:

I have written very well covering all the aspects and crossing 250 words with good vocab and grammar and all.

How will this affect/effect my score either band wise or individual score? I request for a reply, please.

Feb 14, 2017
Rating

Task 1 under length and one bullet point not mentioned
by: IELTS buddy

I understand your concerns but it really is impossible to predict how your overall score could be affected by the points you mention without seeing the whole response for both parts.

There are many other factors taken into account apart from the ones you mentioned and all those things will be put together to give the result. So you can't really pick out one or two things and work out what may be the impact.

You will just have to wait for your result unfortunately.

Good luck

Mar 18, 2017
Rating

Overthinking IELTS writing word count
by: Anonymous

Hi, yesterday I took my IELTS exam. In the writing section, I did really well; however, I didn't have time to check how many words I wrote. I filled up 1 and a 1/4 pages in task 1 and 1 and 1/3 pages in task 2. Also, I have small to medium sized handwriting. Do you think I'll be okay? <_<

Mar 19, 2017
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Overthinking IELTS writing word count
by: IELTS buddy

I'm sure that much for the Task 1 is ok. I'm not so sure about the Task 2 but it's really difficult to know.

Mar 29, 2017
Rating

my bad lol
by: Anonymous

Oh, I'm sorry! I meant 1 and 3/4 pages. My bad @_@
(Just for further clarification: if I were to write another paragraph, I'd run out of space. haha. Thanks :3)

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Can you write less than 150 words in IELTS Task 1?

by KD

What if one completes the writing task 1 in less than 150 words? (All the points are covered). Does that affect the final band score?

Comments for Can you write less than 150 words in IELTS Task 1?

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Sep 23, 2013
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Writing less than 150 words
by: IELTS buddy

Yes, you will be penalised so make sure you write at least 150 words.

Sep 23, 2013
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Thanks
by: KD

Thanks a lot.

Can you also let me know how will it affect the score? Will it affect the band score or will my task 1 be considered as incomplete?

Sep 24, 2013
Rating

ielts task 1
by: Anonymous

Although words limit is essential, organizjng ideas and the use of cohesive devices are the main focus. I can write less than150 words but i pay more attention to ideas than the words count.

Nov 01, 2014
Rating

help??
by: Anonymous

I am worrying so much. Because I
have written 70 words for task 1 and
274 words for task 2 (by
approximation). How heavy am I
going to be penalised, especially task
1?

Nov 02, 2014
Rating

Under the word length
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

You will not be penalised for your Task 2, but your Task 1 is considerably under-length so you will be penalised.

It's not really possible to assess how much it will affect your band. You are assessed on many things, not only the word length, so you will really just have to wait for the result.

Dec 24, 2014
Rating

Task 1 under word length
by: Anonymous

Oh I did the same! Can you tell what happened? What was your writing score?

May 09, 2015
Rating

Task 2
by: Anonymous

I have read your comments. Writing less than 150 words lead penalization. Well! I think I saw someone saying that there will not be penalization for task 2 in the case of incomplete of the word requirement.

Did I understand the points clearly?

May 10, 2015
Rating

Word requirement for IELTS
by: IELTS buddy

You must follow the instructions - minimum 150 words for Task 1 and 250 for Task 2.

Jan 25, 2016
Rating

Under length penalty
by: Bilge

Hello everybody,

I'm really worried about my writing task 2 and I need a bit of information as I'm confused. I took the test last Saturday. My writing task 1 response was good. I addressed all the points. But unfortunately for task 2 I wrote only 220 words. I read in a website that I can get no more than 5 if I write under length. Is that true?

Jan 25, 2016
Rating

Under length penalty
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Bilge,

No there isn't a rule that anything under-length is automatically no higher than a 5.

But the marking rules for writing under-length papers is not in the public domain so you'll just have to wait and see what you get.

Apr 02, 2016
Rating

Writing task 1
by: Anonymous

Hi. I've done the exam this morning. I am so worried after i asked my friend how he had answered in the writing task 1. I think i have misunderstood the questions. From what i have understand, i should write a letter of complaint to my manager but as per my friend we need to write a letter of complaint to the other manager.

Apr 30, 2016
Rating

OMG, I might lose it
by: an IELTS taker

Hi everybody,

People seem to have a very clear idea about what they want. How much is the penalty for under count words?

Somehow, nobody seems answering the question yet they keep dancing around.

You should learn to say "I don't know" when we don't actually know the answer.

May 04, 2016
Rating

Went off track in tAsk 2
by: Anonymous

Hi , I have taken my exam yesterday. I have done very well in listening and reading. I am expecting to get 8.5 in listening and 9 in reading. However I was unable to do well in writing as I misunderstood the topic of essay, but the structure of essay, linkers and grammar used by me was correct.and in task 1 I missed writing anticipation due to shortage of time .lettet was written well. I need 6 in each module. How much I can expect in writing?can I get 6 in writing? Thanks

May 04, 2016
Rating

Went off track in Task 2
by: IELTS buddy

It's still possible to get a 6 based on what you said.

If you get a lower score because you did not meet the word length this could get counterbalanced by very good scores in grammar and coherence and cohesion for example.

But it is really difficult to have any idea without seeing your essay and letter so you'll just have to wait.

Jul 17, 2016
Rating

Writing
by: Anonymous

I did my IELTS last week, and everything went very well apart from the writing. I wrote everything I could, but when I started counting my words I found out I had only 90 words. Same thing goes for task 2, when I started counting I found out I was missing roughly 100 words.

Now I only need to get a 5.5, but I am really worried I'm not going to score high enough...
Any opinions?

Jul 19, 2016
Rating

Underlength on both writings
by: IELTS buddy

You wrote quite a lot under the required amount so it will affect your score but you'll have to await your result to see what you get. Nobody can predict it as you are not just marked on the length but a number of other things.

Sep 01, 2016
Rating

Academic Task 1 incomplete - Still a good score
by: Anonymous

Hi,

My Ielts result was released today.

I got overall 7.5. I didn't expect my writing to be more than 6 because I wasn't able to finish task 1 since i spent a lot of time for task 2.

Task 1 essay length was not more than 100 words and i didn't even describe important facts. In fact, I only finished writing the Introduction, summary, description of one of the bar charts of two.

So what i anticipate is that if you did well in task 2, you still can get 6 for writing since task 2 weighs twice as much as task 1. But you need to show some attempts in task 1 (eg. a non-repetitive introduction, an overall description paragraph).

Hope it helps!

Sep 09, 2016
Rating

count words in the writing task
by: Anonymous

Please someone let me how to count words in the writing task

Sep 10, 2016
Rating

task 1 incomplete
by: Anonymous

Hello,

I just gave an IELTS test today. In writing I completed task 2.

But task one is incomplete. I almost wrote 150 words but I wasn't able to write a conclusion so can I get 6 band in writing?

Sep 11, 2016
Rating

task 1 incomplete
by: IELTS buddy

Yes you can still possibly get a 6 but it depends on other things.

Firstly, you don't need a conclusion for an academic task 1 but you DO need an overview.

You can find out more about that here:

Writing an Academic Task 1

If you have been penalized for writing under-length you could make up for it by getting higher scores for good grammar, vocabulary etc but it is impossible to know how you did in the other criteria.

So you really just need to wait for the result.

Sep 13, 2016
Rating

Paper Correction
by: Star5

Hello

I wonder if you could tell me how Task 1 and 2 are valued being corrected. Are both papers of the same value meaning 9 and then the calculation happens or that is different. Thanks in advance.

Sep 13, 2016
Rating

Paper Correction
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Star5,

I don't really understand your question. But you are given a band for task 1 and another for task 2.

A total band is then worked out for your writing, but more weight is given to the task 2 as it is longer.

Oct 23, 2016
Rating

Trend opposite match?
by: Anonymous

I have to compare for bar chart for female and male but I came to know that the chart which was for female I name it male and for male I write female,,, What do u think how it will effect my band for task 1?

Oct 23, 2016
Rating

Trend opposite match?
by: IELTS buddy

It may affect your score a bit as you have misinterpreted the data (possibly affecting Task Response) and it may very well have affected coherence as well.

But it's really impossible to say for sure if it did actually impact your score or to what extent. That would have been the examiners decision based on reading the whole answer.

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About word count of writing task 1

by Harish
(Vijayawada)

I've written the task 1 by following this structure by covering all the information.

paragraph 1 - intro by paraphrasing.
paragraph 2 - Overview.
Paragraph 3 - body by using comparisons.
Paragraph 4 - remaining body by using comparisons.

I've written a total of 18 lines with approximately 140 words.

Is it a problem for my assessment. Please help me by answering.

Comments for About word count of writing task 1

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Oct 14, 2016
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Word Counts Task 1
by: IELTS buddy

You should try to write 150 words but it's not really possible to say whether your score will be affected or not.

Nov 19, 2016
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Can I get 6 in writing?
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I gave my IELTS test today, Listening and Reading went well.

But I am worried about the writing task, I have a conditional offer, according to which I need to have at least 6 in each section.

I did okay in task 1 (Missed out in mentioning the values of table 2).

In task 2 (Language was not very complex and also the content was normal with repetition of words. Number of words 240)

If someone has got 6 even after messing up the same way please share the result.

Dec 04, 2016
Rating

task 2
by: Sukhjeet Sidhu

I forgot to wrote my candidate number and name on the extra sheet for writing task 2. Will I lose marks because of it?
Please answer.

Dec 04, 2016
Rating

candidate number and name
by: IELTS buddy

No you won't lose marks for that. You just have to hope they put it together with your first part.

Dec 12, 2016
Rating

Not enough words
by: Anonymous

I wrote 112 words in task 1 and 160 words in task 2. I ran out of time, but I think the content is ok. Do you think I could get a band 5.5? Or the penalty will send me to 5 even if I have good grammar? Thank you.

Dec 14, 2016
Rating

Not enough words
by: IELTS buddy

You are graded on lots of things so it's still possible to get 5.5 overall. Or you may have done very well in the Task 2 which would push your overall score up. And remember the Task 2 is worth more than the Task 1.

Feb 27, 2017
Rating

I wrote 100 words in task 1
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I wrote 100 words in task 1 covering all the main points in the graph,still do they consider to score that part (1) ? or they will just leave as word count is less than required.

Mar 02, 2017
Rating

I wrote 100 words in task 1
by: IELTS buddy

It will be marked but the fact that it is shorted than required will be taken into account when you are given a score.

Apr 20, 2017
Rating

Task 2 Conclusion Missed
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I was not able to conclude the task 2 due to the porblm in my time management.... how much will it effect it???

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