IELTS Task 2 essay checker — band score in under 60 seconds

The minimum is 250 words. Essays under 250 words are penalised — examiners note an 'under-length response' and your Task Achievement score will be reduced. There is no maximum, but most Band 7+ essays are 260–320 words. Writing significantly more than 320 words does not improve your score and wastes time you need for checking. The checker flags essays that fall below 250 words.

Yes. The AI reads your question prompt and detects whether it is an Opinion/Agree-Disagree, Discussion, Problem-Solution, or Two-part question. It then applies the correct Task Achievement criteria for that type. If you select the wrong type manually, the AI will still assess based on the question's actual requirements. For the most accurate check, select your task type in the dropdown before submitting.

A Band 7 Opinion essay structure: Introduction (paraphrase question + clear opinion statement) → Body paragraph 1 (main reason supporting your view + example) → Body paragraph 2 (second reason or counterargument you then refute + example) → Conclusion (restate position without new information). The key Band 7 requirement is that your opinion is stated clearly in the introduction and every body paragraph supports it — not a balanced discussion followed by a weak opinion at the end.

All four criteria (Task Achievement, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range & Accuracy) are worth exactly 25% each. However, Task Achievement errors are harder to recover from — a missed question part caps TA at Band 5 regardless of perfect grammar. In practice, most students plateau because of TA and CC weaknesses, not grammar. The checker scores all four separately so you can see exactly which criterion is limiting your overall band.

Many students write 'there are advantages and disadvantages to both sides' when asked 'do you agree or disagree?'. This hedging drops Task Achievement to Band 5–6 because the question requires a clear personal position. State your view in the first or second sentence of your introduction: 'I strongly agree that...' or 'While I acknowledge X, I believe Y is more significant because...'. Your body paragraphs should then argue for that position — not present both sides equally.

Yes. IELTS Writing is not a formal academic paper — first person is expected, especially in opinion and discussion essays. 'I believe', 'In my opinion', 'I would argue that' are all appropriate. The register should be formal (no contractions, no slang) but personal opinion language is correct for most Task 2 question types. Avoid excessive use: one or two first-person phrases per essay is enough.

The conclusion must restate your main position and key points — not introduce new arguments or simply copy your introduction. Many Band 6 essays have conclusions that either repeat the introduction verbatim (penalised as copying) or add a new argument that was not in the body (off-structure). A Band 7 conclusion synthesises the essay in 2–3 sentences using different language from the introduction, reaffirms the position, and ends clearly.