Starter
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- 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
By English Test Coach · Updated
Academic reports and General Training letters
IELTS Writing Task 1 checker: reports and letters
Task 1 is judged differently from an essay. For an Academic report, the checker looks at your overview and whether your comparisons match the visual. For a letter, it checks the purpose, every bullet point and your tone.
You get 3 free checks a month with a free Starter account, and the first needs no sign-up. Each report estimates a band for all four writing criteria and is a practice estimate, not an official IELTS score.
Academic Task 1: what the checker looks for
Alongside coherence, vocabulary and grammar, the task achievement part of your report is marked on three checklist items. Each one is shown as a strength, developing or a priority, with quotes from your report as evidence.
| Checklist item | What the checker looks for |
|---|---|
| Overview and key features | Whether your report gives a clear overview of the main trends, differences or stages, and selects the features that matter instead of listing every number. |
| Accurate comparisons and data | Whether your figures, comparisons and time references match the visual. Mixing up categories, units, years or a forecast with a recorded figure is marked here. |
| Response coverage | Whether the report covers everything the task gives you, such as both charts in a mixed visual or both the old and the proposed map. |
The most common reasons a report loses marks are covered in our Academic Task 1 guide: a missing overview, too many numbers without comparison, and figures that do not match the visual.
Upload the visual with your report
Upload a complete, readable image of the chart, table, map or process diagram. The AI reads the visual first and lists what it observed, along with any part it could not read. It then compares your report with that reading, so a misread figure or a missing feature shows up in the checklist above.
Include the title, labels, units and years in the image. If part of the visual is cut off or blurred, the report tells you which details it could not confirm. Our original Academic questions open in the workspace with their visual already loaded.
General Training letters: what the checker looks for
For a letter, the task achievement part of your report is marked on these three checklist items, again with quotes from your letter as evidence.
| Checklist item | What the checker looks for |
|---|---|
| Purpose and bullet coverage | Whether the reader understands why you are writing from the start, and whether every bullet point in the task is answered with enough detail. |
| Suitable tone | Whether the tone suits the reader: formal for an office you do not know, semi-formal for a manager or neighbour, informal for a friend. |
| Relevant detail | Whether your details are specific and useful to the reader, rather than general statements or padding. |
See how tone changes with the reader in our guides to formal, semi-formal and informal letters.
Practise Task 1 with original questions
- 13 Academic Task 1 questions with bar charts, line graphs, tables, pie charts, maps and processes, each with an annotated sample report.
- 14 General Training letters, from complaints and requests to letters to a friend, each with an annotated sample letter.
- A full IELTS Writing mock test pairs a Task 1 with a Task 2 under exam timing.
Write first, then compare your answer with the annotated sample before you run a check. You will understand the feedback better once you have seen a different approach.
Free checks and Pro
The Task 1 checker uses the same allowance as every writing check: 3 free checks a month with a free Starter account, and the first needs no sign-up. Pro (£12 a month) has no monthly limit on personal writing checks. For what the report includes and how close its estimates come to official marks, read how accurate the band estimate is.
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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.
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Questions about the Task 1 checker
Can the checker read my chart?
Yes, for Academic Task 1. Upload a complete, readable image of the chart, table, map or process with your report. The AI reads the visual first, lists what it observed and anything it could not read, and then compares your report with it.
What image formats can I upload?
PNG, JPEG or WebP. Use a clear image of the whole visual, including its title, labels and units, so the reading is complete.
Does it check General Training letters?
Yes. Choose General Training Task 1 and paste the whole task, including its bullet points. The report marks the purpose and bullet coverage, the tone and the relevance of your details.
Is Task 1 worth as much as Task 2?
No. Task 2 counts for twice as much as Task 1 in your Writing band, but a weak Task 1 still pulls the band down, so it is worth checking both.
Is the Task 1 checker free?
Yes, within limits. You get 3 free checks a month with a free Starter account, and the first needs no sign-up. Pro (£12 a month) has no monthly limit on personal writing checks.
Check one Task 1 response today
Write a report or a letter in 20 minutes, then run your first check. A free account keeps your reports so you can compare them over time.
Checking an essay instead? Read how the IELTS writing checker works for Task 2, or compare tools in English Test Coach vs Engnovate.