Starter
£0 / month
- 3 free checks a month (the first needs no sign-up)
- Each writing check uses 1 of your monthly checks; saved full rewrites are Pro
- Four criterion scores and a revision plan
- Saved essay history
Writing checkers · checked 13 October 2026
Best IELTS writing checkers in 2026, compared by need
There is no single best checker. The right one depends on how many essays you check, whether you need Task 1 charts or letters, how you prefer to pay and whether your essays stay private. This page compares seven tools on those points.
Ownership disclosure: English Test Coach is our own product and is one of the seven. This comparison is written by English Test Coach, not an independent reviewer. We do not rank tools or award stars; every fact about another provider links to the page we read.
English Test Coach offers AI writing feedback with a small free allowance and a paid Pro plan. Prices are shown as each provider displayed them; confirm them before paying.
A shortlist by what you need
- The most free checks: AI4IELTS (about 15 essays a month on free credits).
- The lowest yearly price for unlimited checks: LexiBot ($24.00 for 12 months, paid once) or Writing9's yearly plan ($29.99 under an offer ending 18 October).
- Every IELTS skill in one place: Engnovate, whose free plan also includes Cambridge test practice.
- Tasks written by the Cambridge IELTS team: Write & Improve +Test Zone.
- Human expert feedback as well as AI: OneIELTS VIP.
- Evidence behind each band and private essays without paying: English Test Coach.
Side by side
| Tool | Free use | Paid | Tasks covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Test Coach | 3 free checks a month with a free Starter account (the first needs no sign-up). | Pro: £12 a month, renewing until you cancel, with no monthly limit on personal writing checks. | Academic Task 1 with an uploaded image of the visual, General Training letters and Task 2 essays. |
| Writing9 | Write and edit for free; “Premium is required only to generate your report.” | $7.99 a week, $14.99 a month, or $29.99 a year under an offer ending 18 October. | General Training letters, Academic Task 1 charts and Task 2 essays. |
| Engnovate | Writing Task 1 and Task 2 evaluation “2 times/month”. | One-time passes from $11.97 for one month to $61.97 for twelve, shown as a limited-time offer; non-refundable. | Separate checkers for Academic Task 1, General Training letters and Task 2. |
| LexiBot | A free plan measured in credits, which it says may change with system load. | Writing Solo plan shown at $2.00 a month when bought for 12 months ($24.00 in total); one-time payment, 7-day refund for USD payments. | Task 2, Academic Task 1 and General Training Task 1. |
| AI4IELTS | 30 shared credits a month; writing grading costs 2 credits an essay. | Writing plan from $4.27 a month, unlimited writing; one-time payment with no auto-renewal and a 3-day refund. | Task 1 and Task 2; the paid Writing plan adds handwriting upload. |
| OneIELTS | Limited AI scoring on the free plan. | VIP plan with unlimited AI scoring and feedback from its IELTS experts; no price was shown before checkout. | Task 1 Academic or General reports and Task 2 essays. |
| Write & Improve +Test Zone | 10 free Academic tasks or 2 free General Training tasks. | £4.50 a month per workbook (60 Academic or 40 General Training tasks), cancel any time. | Workbook tasks with a band score for each task. |
Notes on each tool
English Test Coach
Evidence quoted for each criterion, private reports on every plan, and a published accuracy check. We make this one. See how our checker works.
Writing9
Premium allows unlimited submissions. Sources: Writing9 plans and FAQ; Writing9 editor. See also English Test Coach vs Writing9.
Engnovate
The checker says essays checked on the site “may become public” unless you have Premium. Sources: Engnovate plans; Engnovate checker notice. Our Engnovate comparison goes into more detail.
LexiBot
Lets you choose the language of the feedback. Sources: LexiBot pricing and FAQ.
AI4IELTS
Credits are shared with speaking and practice tools. Sources: AI4IELTS pricing.
OneIELTS
Combines AI scoring with human expert feedback on the paid plan. Sources: OneIELTS VIP plan.
Write & Improve +Test Zone
Developed by the Cambridge team behind IELTS; you practise its tasks rather than your own questions. Sources: Write & Improve +Test Zone.
How to choose a checker
- Match the task. If you take Academic IELTS, check that the tool can read your chart, map or diagram, not just the text. For General Training, check it marks letters.
- Count your checks. Two essays a week is about eight a month. Compare that with each free allowance before you pay.
- Choose how to pay. A one-time pass suits a fixed study period. A subscription suits stopping and starting, if you remember to cancel.
- Read the privacy terms. Find out whether your essays can be published or used publicly before you submit personal writing.
- Look for evidence, not adjectives. A useful accuracy claim says what it was tested against. No checker gives an official score; our published accuracy check shows how ours performs, including where it is weak.
Would a human examiner be better for you? Read AI checker or human correction. For phone apps, see the best IELTS preparation apps. For free sample answers and practice sites, see the best free IELTS writing practice websites.
Plans for your practice
A clear place to start.
Start with the tools you need and make room for regular practice.
Pro
£12 / month
Or pay once, with no renewal: 1-month pass £12 · 3-month pass £24 · 12-month pass £49
Everything in Starter, plus:
- Unlimited writing checks (fair-use daily limits apply)
- 60 full rewrites each month
- Band progress chart across your saved checks
- Writing mock pack: 5 more timed mocks with printable band reports
- AI essay planner: outline, ideas and topic vocabulary
- AI feedback on your vocabulary practice sentences
- Speaking transcription for your recorded answers
- Cancel any time
Exam passes
Practise until test day.
Pay once for everything in Pro, for as long as you need before your test. A pass never renews and nothing more is charged. Buying another pass adds its days after the current one ends.
Which should I choose? Pro suits regular practice and renews monthly until you cancel. A pass suits a fixed test date: you pay once and it never renews.
A pass starts straight away, so the usual 14-day cancellation right does not apply. It never renews.
Prices in pounds. In some countries checkout shows a fixed local price; elsewhere Stripe converts to your currency, and you can choose to pay in pounds. Show prices in rupees (₹)
Retaking Writing?
If Writing held your band back, practise with a pass until your retake: check every essay against the four criteria, fix one weakness at a time and see each estimate change. The bands are estimates, not official IELTS scores, and no score is guaranteed.
£12 a month, renewing monthly until you cancel. No VAT is added. Cancel any time; Pro stays active until the end of the paid month, with no partial refunds. Outside the UK? You can pay in pounds (GBP) to avoid Stripe's conversion fee.
Pro payments are taken on Stripe's secure checkout page, so English Test Coach never sees your card number.
Questions about IELTS writing checkers
What is the best free IELTS writing checker?
It depends on how often you write. AI4IELTS gives 30 credits a month (2 per essay), Engnovate gives two evaluations a month, and Writing9 lets you write for free but needs Premium for a report. English Test Coach gives 3 free checks a month with a free account; the first needs no sign-up. Count the essays you write each week before you choose.
Are AI IELTS writing checkers accurate?
None of them gives an official IELTS score. Treat a provider's accuracy claim as its own statement unless it explains how it was tested. We publish our own check against official sample scripts: 24 of 27 estimates were within one band, and very strong scripts tended to be scored low.
Which checkers can mark Academic Task 1 charts?
Writing9, Engnovate, LexiBot, AI4IELTS and OneIELTS all list Academic Task 1 support. English Test Coach reads an uploaded image of the chart, map or diagram before checking your report, and AI4IELTS's paid Writing plan lists handwriting upload.
Is a one-time pass better than a subscription?
A one-time pass, as sold by Engnovate, LexiBot and AI4IELTS, never renews, so it suits a fixed study period. A monthly subscription, such as English Test Coach Pro or Write & Improve +Test Zone, suits stopping and starting, as long as you remember to cancel.
Try a check before you decide
Write a response to one of our original questions and run a free check. Then try the same essay in another tool and compare what each report helps you do.