Short answer: both tasks share one 60-minute block. Task 1 is a 150-word report (~20 min); Task 2 is a 250-word essay (~40 min). Task 2 counts about twice as much toward your Writing band — so when time is tight, protect Task 2.
✍️ Open Typehush and practise both tasks under the clock →| Task 1 (Academic) | Task 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Report on a chart, graph, table or process | Formal argumentative essay |
| Minimum words | 150 | 250 |
| Suggested time | ~20 minutes | ~40 minutes |
| Weight | ~⅓ of Writing band | ~⅔ of Writing band |
| Your opinion? | No — neutral report | Yes — clear position |
Task 1 tests whether you can describe and compare data accurately and objectively — selecting key features, reporting figures, and identifying trends without opinion. Task 2 tests whether you can build and support an argument — taking a position, developing ideas, and using examples. They reward different skills, so preparing for one doesn't fully prepare you for the other. That said, both share the fundamentals of clear paragraphing, accurate grammar, and precise vocabulary, so the language work you do helps everywhere.
The register is also different in a subtle way. Task 1 leans on the language of data and change — "rose sharply," "levelled off," "the proportion of," "by contrast." Task 2 leans on the language of argument — "one reason for this," "a common counter-argument," "this suggests that." Building both sets of phrasing is part of preparing for each task, and it's another reason to practise them separately as well as together: the vocabulary that lifts a Task 1 report is not the vocabulary that lifts a Task 2 essay, even though the underlying grammar and organisation skills overlap.
Because Task 2 is worth roughly twice as much, the single most important timing rule is to give it its full 40 minutes. The classic mistake is overspending on Task 1 — polishing a data description worth a third of your band while the higher-weighted essay gets rushed. If you must sacrifice quality somewhere, sacrifice it on Task 1. A complete, well-argued Task 2 with an average Task 1 beats a beautiful Task 1 with a half-finished Task 2 every time.
Most teachers recommend Task 1 first, because it's shorter and gets you writing, then Task 2 with a clear 40 minutes ahead. But some candidates do Task 2 first to guarantee the higher-weighted task gets full attention and energy. Either works — what matters is that you protect the 20/40 split and don't let the first task you tackle eat into the second. Decide your order in advance and practise it, so test day is routine.
A reliable plan: Task 1 — 3 min plan, 14 min write, 3 min check (20 total). Task 2 — 5 min plan, 30 min write, 5 min check (40 total). The checking minutes are not optional; they're where you catch the small errors that separate bands. If your typing is slow, this whole plan compresses and something gets cut — usually the checking, sometimes the conclusion — which is why speed matters as much as the split itself.
You can write good individual answers and still mismanage the shared clock, so practise both tasks back to back under 60 minutes, in the format you'll sit. On the computer test, typing speed is what makes the 20/40 split comfortable rather than a scramble. Practising by typing full Task 1 and Task 2 answers together builds the pacing and the speed as one skill — so on test day you're executing a plan you've already rehearsed, not improvising against the clock.
⏱ Test your typing speed — can you finish Task 2 in 40 minutes? →Task 1 is a 150-word neutral report on a chart or process; Task 2 is a 250-word argumentative essay with your opinion. Task 2 counts about twice as much toward your band.
About 20 minutes for Task 1 and 40 for Task 2, each including a few minutes to plan and check. Never let Task 1 eat into Task 2's time.
Either works. Many do Task 1 first because it is shorter; some do Task 2 first to protect the higher-weighted task. Pick one, protect the 20/40 split, and practise it.
Task 2, by roughly double. When time is tight, always protect Task 2, because a rushed higher-weighted essay costs you more marks.
Typehush — practise typing high-band IELTS model essays for the computer-based Writing test. Start practising · Model-essay library · Task 1 structure · Task 2 time management