IELTS Computer-Delivered Practice: Vocabulary, Writing and Typing Speed
IELTS can be taken on paper or on a computer. If you choose computer-delivered IELTS, you type the Writing tasks. Typing speed and comfort then affect how much you can plan and edit in the time. Type to Study helps with vocabulary, ideas and typing fluency. It does not mark IELTS essays.
What IELTS covers
IELTS is owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge University Press and Assessment. It tests Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The Academic version is used for university admission, and the General Training version for migration and work. The Speaking test is a face-to-face or video interview with an examiner, while Listening, Reading and Writing can be taken on paper or on a computer. Results are reported in bands, and each institution sets the band it requires. Check ielts.org for the current test details and your test centre's options.
Why it is hard and how to prepare
The difficulty is time and precision in English, not subject knowledge. Writing Task 1 asks you to describe data or a process in about 150 words, and Task 2 asks for an essay in about 250 words, both against the clock. Examiners score on task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource and grammatical range and accuracy, so each is something you can practise.
Work through official practice tests, write timed responses, and get feedback from a teacher or experienced tutor, because self-marking essays is unreliable. Read widely at the level of the exam, and learn vocabulary in collocations, not as isolated words.
A plan using Type to Study
Upload articles, your own corrected essays, or a vocabulary book you own, and build lessons on topics that come up often, such as education, environment, technology and health. Use Type mode to retype model paragraphs, which builds both language and typing rhythm. Use the Recall pass and flashcards to learn collocations and linking phrases.
Measure your typing speed at /typing-test, and aim to type a 250-word essay comfortably, leaving time to plan and proofread. We have a longer guide at /blog/ielts-writing-on-computer-tips and at /features/typing-for-computer-based-exams. Type to Study does not score IELTS essays or replace Listening, Reading and Speaking practice with official materials.
Questions
IELTS is a trademark of its owner. Type to Study is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organisations that set this exam.
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