Free

Free IELTS Writing Task 1 checker for the Academic report, plus a General Training letter checklist

Last updated September 15, 2026

Short answer: paste your IELTS Writing Task 1 answer into the ParrotTalk checker and the AI returns, in under a minute, an estimated band on the four official Task 1 criteria: Task Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Free, no sign-up, 150 words minimum. The band is an estimate to guide your practice, not an official IELTS result.

Task 1 is the short task of the Writing test: 150 words in about 20 minutes, a report on a graph, chart, table, diagram, map or process in IELTS Academic, a letter in IELTS General Training. It counts once in the Writing band where Task 2 counts twice, but it is also where candidates lose easy marks: no overview, figures left uncited, an opinion where none was asked. This page explains what the checker looks at in a Task 1 answer and opens the checker with Task 1 selected. It is the same checker as for Task 2, not a second tool.

4
official criteria, Task Achievement first, each with its own band and comments
150
words minimum in about 20 minutes, counted as you write
0
sign-up, email or card to get your estimated band

What the checker looks at in Task 1

Task 1 is marked on Task Achievement where Task 2 is marked on Task Response: the question is not whether you argued well but whether you reported what the task asked, completely and accurately. The three language criteria are the same as in Task 2. Here is what that means for each version of the test.

Academic Task 1: the report

Graph, chart, table, diagram, map or process. 150 words, 20 minutes.

  • A clear overview of the main trend or the main contrast, in its own short paragraph.
  • Key figures cited from the visual: the highest, the lowest, the start and end points, the turning point.
  • Comparisons between categories or periods, not a list of numbers read one after the other.
  • No opinion and no explanation of causes: a report describes, it does not argue.
  • Full paragraphs, at least 150 words: notes or bullet points cap the band.
Check my Task 1 report

General Training Task 1: the letter

Formal, semi-formal or informal letter. 150 words, 20 minutes.

  • The three bullet points of the prompt all covered, each with a detail, not a single line.
  • A tone that matches the reader: formal to a manager or a company, semi-formal to a landlord or a tutor, informal to a friend.
  • An opening and a closing that fit the tone: Dear Sir or Madam with Yours faithfully, Dear Anna with Best wishes.
  • A clear purpose stated in the first lines, then one paragraph per bullet point.
  • At least 150 words, in full sentences.

The Task 1 questions in the checker are Academic reports today, so there is no letter question to write to. Use this list as your checklist: the four criteria and the 150-word minimum are the same for a letter.

Open the Task 1 checker

How Task 1 counts in your Writing band

Task 2 counts double and Task 1 counts once: Writing band = (Task 1 + Task 2 x 2) / 3, rounded to the nearest half band. A strong Task 1 cannot rescue a weak essay, but a weak Task 1 pulls a good essay down by half a band or more. See how the four criteria are averaged on the IELTS Writing band score page, and combine your four section bands on the IELTS band score calculator.

Common Task 1 mistakes the checker flags

How to check your Task 1 report

  1. Open the Writing test with Task 1 selected (button below), pick one of the four Task 1 questions (line graph, bar chart, table, pie chart) and tap Start. Task 1 comes first; Task 2 opens later if you want it.
  2. Write or paste your report, at least 150 words. The counter runs as you type.
  3. Tap Get AI Feedback, Task 1. Band per criterion, the sentences that cost marks and the fix for each appear in under a minute.

Quick answers

Is the Task 1 checker free?

Yes. The ParrotTalk Writing checker is completely free, with no sign-up, no email and no card. Open the Writing test, write or paste your Task 1 report, and the AI returns an estimated band on the four official criteria in under a minute.

Does it handle General Training letters?

Not with a letter question yet. The Task 1 questions in the checker are Academic reports: a line graph, a bar chart, a table and a pie chart. A letter pasted into the checker would be marked against a report question and lose marks on Task Achievement. The letter checklist above gives you what the examiner looks for; the four criteria and the 150-word minimum are the same in both versions of the test.

What band can I expect from a 150-word report?

It depends on the report, not on its length. 150 words is the minimum, not a target: below it, Task Achievement is capped; above it, the band depends on a clear overview, the key figures you select, the comparisons you make and the three language criteria. No band can be promised before the text is read.

Is the result official?

No. It is an AI estimate anchored to the official band descriptors, and it can differ from an official result by roughly half a band to a full band. ParrotTalk is independent and not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP, or Cambridge English.

Check my Task 1 report Task 2 checker Full Writing test, Task 1 and Task 2

ParrotTalk is free, with no sign-up. AI bands are estimates, not official IELTS results. See also the Writing checker and the free AI correction pages.