IELTS Writing for Candidates with 7 days before the exam
With one week left, protect what you can control: timing, structure, a clear position and a proofreading routine. Do not change your whole style.
Why this group needs its own plan: panic leads to switching methods and memorising last-minute phrases.
A strength to build on: A short, fixed plan can still remove the biggest avoidable errors.
Planning note: Two full timed papers, one proofreading drill per day and no new templates is a safe plan.
Fix these first
- Running out of time in the Writing paper
Split the 60 minutes as about 20 for Task 1 and 40 for Task 2, with 5 minutes of planning and 3 to 5 minutes of checking inside each.
- An unclear position in Task 2
State your position in the introduction in one plain sentence, repeat it in the conclusion, and make every body paragraph support it.
- Answering only one part of a two-part question
Split the question into its parts before planning, give each part its own body paragraph, and say in the introduction that you will address both.
- Having no time or method to proofread
Reserve the last three minutes for a fixed proofreading routine: articles, plurals, verb forms and punctuation.
- Memorised paragraphs that do not match the question
Keep reusable structure, not reusable sentences.
Every guide for candidates with 7 days before the exam, by scoring criterion
Task Achievement and Task Response
- An unclear position in Task 2
- Ideas that are listed but not developed
- Memorised paragraphs that do not match the question
- Answering only one part of a two-part question
- Examples that are too general to prove the point
- A conclusion that only repeats the introduction
- Essays that finish under the minimum word count
- Running out of time in the Writing paper
- Writing scores that go up and down between attempts
- The gap between Band 6 and Band 7 in Writing
- A missing or weak overview in Task 1
- Choosing the wrong features to describe in Task 1
- Misreading or misreporting data in Task 1
- Task 1 reports that are too long or too detailed
- The wrong tone in a General Training letter
- Missing or thin bullet points in a General Training letter
Coherence and Cohesion
Lexical Resource
Questions and answers
What do candidates with 7 days before the exam need to know about IELTS Writing targets?
With one week left, protect what you can control: timing, structure, a clear position and a proofreading routine. Do not change your whole style.
What should candidates with 7 days before the exam fix first in IELTS Writing?
Start with running out of time in the writing paper, an unclear position in task 2, answering only one part of a two-part question. A short, fixed plan can still remove the biggest avoidable errors.
How should candidates with 7 days before the exam organise IELTS Writing practice?
Two full timed papers, one proofreading drill per day and no new templates is a safe plan.
Which IELTS test should candidates with 7 days before the exam take?
Check whether the organisation that will read your result asks for Academic or General Training, because Task 1 differs: a chart, map or process for Academic, and a letter for General Training. Task 2 is an essay in both.
Check your own essay
Find which of these problems is holding back your own Writing score before you decide what to practise.
Feedback is a practice estimate, not an official IELTS score. Last reviewed 2026-11-11. Score requirements change, so confirm them with the organisation that will read your result.