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IELTS Writing Word Limits

by Divya

What if I exceed the maximum word limit?



What will happen if, in writing, I exceed the words more than the maximum limit?

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Nov 03, 2013
 IELTS Writing words limit
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

I think you are getting mixed up.

There is no maximum word limit. There is only a MINIMUM.

You cannot write less than 250 words in the Task 2 and less than 150 words in Task 1.

You can write as much as you want over that. You should not write too much though because quality is more important than quantity.

You need time for analysing the question, brainstorming, outlining, writing and checking your grammar.
Aug 16, 2017
 I wrote 246 words in writing task 1
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I recently practised on IELTS writing task 1 and, despite the fact that I wrote a rather satisfying report, I think I used more words than I should. I'm aware that the minimum amount of words one can write is 150, but I don't know if there is a maximum limit. Are 246 words considered too much? Thanks in advance.
Aug 17, 2017
 I wrote 246 words in writing task 1
by: IELTS buddy

There is no maximum. But remember you have to report the main features, and compare and contrast things, not just describe mechanically everything you see.

So there is no upper word limit but there is a danger if you are writing too much that your answer is not satisfying the task requirements.
Sep 23, 2017
 Word limit exceeded
by: Amrit

I have written around 330 words approximately. Marks will be deducted or not.
I'm worried a lot. Please help me.
Sep 24, 2017
 Word limit exceeded
by: IELTS buddy

You are penalised if you do not meet any of the task requirements, and the word length is a task requirement, so yes you will be penalised if you did not meet it. That is if you are referring to the essay.

If you mean the Task 1, then you met the requirement. You are not given a penalty for going over the word limit obviously (it's a limit, not a ceiling).

But if you write to much on the Task 1 you could be giving too much detail rather than focusing on the key trends.
Dec 17, 2017
 Penalty for under word count
by: Anonymous

Wanted to know how much score on an average can be affected if someones writes a task 2 essay containing 220 words or so. But with relevant content and good vocab.
CONCERNED

======

That's kept confidential so you will not find the information.

IELTS buddy
Mar 06, 2018
 About word limit
by: Anonymous

Hi, I am recently going to be seat for IELTS Exam but my writing between task 1 & task 2 contain more words all the time. I would like to assure u that i can write maintaining under the questions requirements such as comparing summarising etc. is it happer my score?
Mar 08, 2018
 About word limit
by: IELTS buddy

Sorry but I don't understand your question.
Mar 02, 2021
 writing task 2 - wrote less than 250 words
by: Anonymous

i write only 187 words in task 2. how much i will score and how much band will be deducted?
Mar 03, 2021
 writing task 2 - wrote less than 250 words
by: IELTS buddy

It's not possible to know how it will affect your score, but it certainly will.

It will mean you have less developed ideas (TR) and of course less vocabulary and grammar. It could affect CC too.

So they could all be affected, but without seeing your answer it's impossible to know what you could be awarded.
Oct 17, 2021
 Task 2 word limit
by: Anonymous

Hey, I wrote more than 300 words in writing task 2 in my IELTS exam. I believe the information provided by me was overall relevant and I did not deviate from the notion. So, will it be affecting my score?

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IELTS Task 2 - Wrote Less than 250 Words

Dear all,

I just had my IELTS exam and everything went pretty well. Altough my preparation was very efficient in the exam i couldnt manage to finish Writing Task 2 (wrote about 220 words). I think my writing is pretty average. Does anybody know how much influence this could have on my writing band score? And is it still possible to get a 6?

Sincerely Sina

Comments for IELTS Task 2 - Wrote Less than 250 Words

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Apr 14, 2019
 Less than 250 Words
by: IELTS buddy

It's not possible to say what extent it could affect your score.

The issue is that if you are writing less than what is expected, the examiner is going to have less there to justify a higher score e.g. less extension and support of your ideas (TR), less vocabulary (Lexis), and fewer examples of complex language (Grammar).

So it could potentially affect any of those but it's not possible to say if or to what extent it did as that is the examiner's decision.

In theory you could still get a 6. If in what you wrote you still had good ideas that answered the question and had reasonable support, and you did very well with your CC, Lexis, and GR.

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Incomplete IELTS Writing Task 2

by maheshmk

Hello IETLS buddy,

I wrote task 1 to full content with proper representation of the facts.

In the case of task 2 which is essay, I was asked an agree or disagree question. I wrote an intro of 4 lines. One paragraph on an opinion of agreement and one paragraph on disagreement.

But due to shortage of time, I couldn't write the conclusion for the same. And I fear I don't fulfill the word limit criteria as in my opinion, I only wrote 1 and half side of the page which results to 160 words approx.

How much can I expect to achieve? Will I atleast get a band score of 6 and above?

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Feb 15, 2020
 Incomplete IELTS Writing Task 2
by: IELTS buddy

It's not possible to predict overall scores on the basis of certain errors because you are marked on a whole number of factors. It's not possible to know how well you answered the question, your grammar accuracy and range, etc.

But if you only wrote 160 words it would reduce your score across various of the criteria. Your task response would get affected because obviously you would not have given adequate support to your ideas. Also you would have a lower range of grammar and vocabulary with fewer words. But I really can't say how you may have got penalised without seeing how good what you did actually write was.

No conclusion could also possibly limit your coherence and cohesion to band 5 because for a band 6 there has to be an sense of progression throughout the response - without a conclusion this may not be the case.

So really if you have around 160 words and no conclusion I think a band 6 could be difficult but I can't say for sure because as you say you don't know exactly how many words you wrote (you could have nearly been on the 250) and also as I said I have no idea how good your essay was in other criteria.

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What are the maximum IELTS writing word limits?

by noel - anu
(New Zealand)

Hi all,

I am not familier with the IELTS exams. In acadamic writing part 1 we have to write 150 words and part two 250 words. what is the maximum number of words we could write. I looked at few examples but couldn't get the idea of how many maximum words to write

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Jun 20, 2015
 IELTS Writing Word Limits
by: IELTS buddy

Hi Noel,

There are no maximums, only the minimums.

The amount you write will obviously depend on how competent a writer you are.

However, it is not recommended that you write too much. You only have 20 minutes for task 1 and 40 for task 2 and you need time to brainstorm your ideas, plan and check the grammar.

You must exceed the minimums but it's about quality, not quantity.
Jun 20, 2015
 what matters is relevancy of ideas
by: Adebiyi A.

Hi,

There's no maximum word limit in the writing test. The test is to examine your writing skills and how you can cover all relevant tasks within the given time. You will be penalized for any irrelevant ideas in your writing.

Therefore, it's advisable you adhere strictly to to instructions,less grammatical errors and be on point always.

All the best.
Jun 20, 2015
 thank you - maximum IELTS writing word limits?
by: Anonymous

Hi
Thank you, it's really a value point for me.
Nov 02, 2015
 The answer is simple
by: Anonymous

As far as I know there are no maximums
Jun 05, 2019
 Word count penalty for task 2
by: Abrar

I recently sat the academic test. In all other sections I achieved eithr band 8.5 and 9 but in writing I got 6.5! I needed a 7 minimum. I can not think where I may have gone wrong other than the word count. I estimated my essay to be approx 230 words yet it was a structured and complete answer. Would this short fall potentially affect a whole band on its own or is that unlikely?
Jun 18, 2021
 Closing the Letter
by: Anonymous

hi i wrote my ielts exam recently where in letter writing I have written thank instead of yours faithfully do they reduce more marks
Jun 20, 2021
 Closing the Letter
by: IELTS buddy

If it's a formal letter it could affect task achievement slightly as that is not the right tone for the letter.

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What is the IELTS word length penalty?

by sammy

Please tell me how much of the overall writing band can i lose if i write under the word limit?

My essays had proper grammar and vocabulary, and i did not go off topic. However, my words were about 130 for Task 1 and 200 for Task 2.

Will i be able to get at least 6 bands now in the writing section?

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Mar 28, 2015
 IELTS word length penalty
by: IELTS buddy

The kind of penalty you get for being under-length is not made public so you won't be able to find this out unfortunately.

You'll just need to wait for your result.
Feb 18, 2016
 Ilets writing less word
by: Anonymous

I did same thing like u bro
Plz tell did u get ur result and how was ur score. .
BR
Badr
May 06, 2017
 Incomplete words in task 2
by: Syed irfan

I have written less than 250 words in task 2 how many bands I will get ..please reply soon I'm worried...
Sep 19, 2017
 Ielts
by: Anonymous

Same situation only 200 words

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IELTS Penalty - less than minimum words

by Trang

can i still get a 6.0 without writing 250 words in writing task 2 ielts and 150 words in task 1?

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Dec 10, 2018
 Writing less than 150 / 250 words
by: IELTS buddy

Yes you could. If you were just under so it was not a very big issue and also you did very well in the other criteria, that could push you band up overall.

If you were well short of the word count or you did not do particularly well in some of the other criteria though it would be unlikely you could get 6.

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What happens if a student writes less than the minimum word lengths?

by Gurbuz Asici
(Turkey)

Hello,

I've been searching online for a couple of days now and couldn't find the accurate information about the problem that I'm having. The problem is IELTS students are supposed to write at least 150 words for the 1st task and supposed to write at least 250 words for the 2nd task.

However, what happens if a student writes less than those numbers? How much points should be taken away and where should it be taken? Is there a chart or a scale to guide me about this?

Thank you.

Comments for What happens if a student writes less than the minimum word lengths?

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Feb 20, 2014
 word length makes significant impact on overall score
by: Anonymous

if u write less than minimum word limit, you will be penalized heavily for task response.

so, they won't give you more than band 5 for TR if you haven't had clear intro, conclusion and supporting paragraphs with examples, as examples are mandatory to convince reader.
Nov 21, 2016
 writing task 2
by: Anonymous

Hi

Last week I had my exam, all modules went well except writing, in task 2 I was able to write 220-230 words only due to poor time management.

So how much score I will get.
Nov 22, 2016
 Not writing enough words in the IELTS Essay
by: IELTS buddy

Hi,

It's really not possible to say. You are not just marked on the number of words. There are lots of factors taken into account in the scoring so you can't pick up on one thing and work out how it could affect the score.
Jul 22, 2018
 Ielts writing word length
by: Anonymous

I gave written above 400 words in task 2. So i am worried about that they will deduct my band but what ever i wrote is relevant?? Plz tell
Jul 22, 2018
 Ielts writing word length
by: IELTS buddy

There is no deduction made for writing too much. If what you wrote answers the question that is fine. If you have written things that are not relevant to the question or topic then of course your score could be affected.

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Writing too many words in IELTS Task 2

by Josephine
(Italy)

Hi,

When doing task 2 I often find myself writing 300 words or (way) more but there is not much I can cut or it would lose coherence.
I usually make it within the time limit of 40 minutes.

I am aware there is only a lower limit in writing, however, my concern is that I would get penalized because of the exceeding number of words.

Please let me know if I should work more on my ability to synthesize for a better assessment.

King Regards
Josephine

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Sep 08, 2018
 Writing too many words in IELTS Task 2
by: IELTS buddy

There is no upper limit so if you write 300 words that is fine.

As long as when you write 300 words you have enough time to check your grammar etc then that is not a problem. 300 words for an essay is about right.

If you are rushing to write 300 and possibly making errors with grammar or coherence then yes you should try to write less.

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