Last updated September 13, 2026
Short answer: write your answer to an IELTS Writing Task 1 or Task 2 question on ParrotTalk and get an estimated band score online in seconds: one band per official criterion, an overall band, and the reasons behind it. 100% free, no sign-up, no card, no quota of free checks.
Most free band score tools give you one number and stop there. ParrotTalk gives you the four numbers the examiner actually writes down, then the overall band, so you can see which criterion is pulling your score down and fix that one first.
For each task you submit, the AI returns an estimated band on the four official IELTS Writing criteria, then an overall band for the task.
| Criterion | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2) | Did you answer the whole question, with a clear position and developed ideas? |
| Coherence and Cohesion | Is the essay organised in paragraphs that follow each other logically, with the right linking? |
| Lexical Resource | Range and precision of vocabulary, including repeated or misused words. |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | Variety of sentence structures and the number of errors. |
Each band comes with the sentences that cost you marks and the fix to make, so the score is not the end of the feedback but the start of it. The full logic is described in IELTS band descriptors explained.
When you take the full Writing test, both tasks are scored and combined the way the real exam does it: Task 2 counts double. Final Writing band = (Task 1 + Task 2 x 2) / 3, rounded to the nearest half band. Task 1 asks for at least 150 words in about 20 minutes; Task 2 asks for at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. The word count is automatic, and answers under the minimum are penalised on the task criterion, as they would be by an examiner.
No. It is an estimate produced by an AI model anchored to the official band descriptors. It can differ from an official result by roughly half a band to a full band, and ParrotTalk publishes no accuracy figure it has not measured. The useful way to read it: as a direction, and as a diagnosis of which criterion to work on. ParrotTalk is independent and not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge English.
Strict. After each test, ParrotTalk asks how the band compared with what you expected. Among 405 test-takers who answered, 58% found their band lower than expected, 25% about right, 17% higher. A tool that flatters you is pleasant and useless; the details are on the proof page.
No. There is no sign-up, no email and no card, and no quota of free checks to unlock. Your bands are saved on your own device and appear on your progress dashboard, so you can see the score move from one attempt to the next.
ParrotTalk is 100% free, with no sign-up. AI bands are estimates, not official IELTS results. See also the free AI correction page.