Word Count in IELTS Writing: What You Need to Know
In the IELTS writing test, you are required to write at least 250 words for Task 2 and at least 150 words for Task 1. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of bad advice about this, such as “You don’t need to write exactly 250 words in Task 2; 10% less is fine,” or “Write as much as possible to get a good mark.” These are misconceptions and can hurt your score.
What Happens If I Write Below the Word Count?
The most important advice you should follow is this: write at least 250 words in Task 2 and 150 words in Task 1. If you write fewer than these amounts, you will lose marks under Task Achievement, because you haven’t fully answered the question.
Examiners are required to count words, and even if your answer is great but falls short of the word count, it could cost you marks. It’s disappointing when a candidate gives a fantastic response but writes 249 words in Task 2. Unfortunately, they would lose marks for this.
Should I Write More Words to Get a Better Score?
No! Writing more than necessary is not the best approach for several reasons:
Time Management: You only have a set amount of time to answer both questions. Spending too much time on one task will leave you with less time for the other, affecting your overall performance.
Grammar Mistakes: The more you write, the more likely you are to make grammar errors, which will hurt your score.
Quality Over Quantity: You’re being assessed on quality, not quantity. Focus on making your writing clear, concise, and well-organized instead of just writing as much as you can.
Remember, it’s important to allocate time for planning, writing, and checking your work.
How Many Words Should I Write?
Since you won’t have time to count your words during the test, aim for about 10% more than the minimum required. So, for:
Task 1, aim for 160-170 words.
Task 2, aim for 270-280 words.
By aiming for these word counts, you’re more likely to exceed the required limit without going overboard.
How Can I Track My Word Count?
Although you won’t have time to count every word, there are ways to estimate your word count. I recommend practicing with the official IELTS writing answer sheets. These sheets are the same size every time, so you’ll learn how much space to fill for the required word counts.
This practice will also help you get used to the test format and avoid surprises on the test day.
Are All Words Counted the Same?
Not exactly. Here’s how it works:
Hyphenated words (e.g., “first-class” or “state-of-the-art”) count as one word.
Contractions (e.g., “I’ll” or “we’re”) count as one word.
Articles like “a”, “an”, and “the” are counted towards the word limit.
Punctuation is not included in the word count.
Can I Copy Words from the Question?
You can copy single words, but copying full sentences from the question is a big no-no. Repeating the question verbatim means you’re not showing your paraphrasing skills, and the examiner will subtract these words from your word count, essentially making it like you haven’t written anything at all.
Example Question: Successful sports professionals can earn much more money than people in other important professions.
Paraphrased Example: Successful athletes can earn significantly more than people working in other essential professions.
In this example, I’ve used synonyms for most of the words, which shows that I can paraphrase effectively.
Can I Repeat Sentences?
Repetition is another mistake many students make, especially when they’re running out of time. If you repeat the same idea without adding anything new, the examiner won’t count those words. It’s always better to write something new than repeat the same sentences.