What is meant by under length? How to avoid it in the IELTS writing test?
When it comes to IELTS Writing, one of the most common reasons candidates lose valuable marks is underlength. This happens when you write fewer words than required, and trust me, the examiner will notice.
In this post, we’ll look at what underlength means, why it matters, and how you can avoid it in both Task 1 and Task 2.
What Does Underlength Mean?
IELTS Writing has a minimum word requirement:
- Task 1 (Academic Report or GT Letter): at least 150 words
- Task 2 (Essay): at least 250 words
If you don’t meet the minimum word count, your work is considered underlength. This directly affects your Task Achievement / Task Response score because it shows you haven’t fully developed your ideas.
Why Is Underlength a Problem?
IELTS examiners use band descriptors (the official marking criteria). For Writing, they assess:
- Task Achievement / Task Response
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
If you don’t write enough, you cannot fully explain or support your points. For example:
👉 If the essay question asks about problems and solutions, you need to discuss at least two problems and two solutions. Writing only one of each makes your essay incomplete — and underlength.
So, even if your grammar and vocabulary are good, underlength will automatically pull your score down.
❌ Other Common Writing Mistakes That Lower Scores
Underlength isn’t the only danger. Students also lose marks for:
- Memorised essays or templates
- Illegible handwriting
- Spelling mistakes
- Overusing very simple sentences
- Weak vocabulary
- Wrong punctuation
- Poor sentence structure
- Subject–verb disagreement
- Repeating words or ideas
- No clear paragraphs
- Overusing or underusing linking words
Examiners are trained to notice these errors — so awareness is key.
✅ How to Avoid Underlength in IELTS Writing
Here are some practical strategies to make sure your answers always meet the minimum word count:
1. Plan Before You Write
For Task 2, start by paraphrasing the question and writing a clear thesis. Make sure your outline includes enough points (e.g., 2 problems + 2 solutions).
For Task 1, identify the key trends or features of the chart/diagram (Academic) or address all bullet points clearly (General Training letter).
2. Develop Your Ideas Fully
Don’t just list ideas — explain them. For example:
❌ “Pollution is a problem. The solution is public transport.”
✅ “One major problem is air pollution, which is mainly caused by traffic congestion. A practical solution is to promote the use of public transport by making it cheaper and more efficient. This would reduce the number of cars on the road and improve air quality.”
Notice how the second version adds explanation and examples. That’s what gets you to 250+ words naturally.
3. Practice With Real IELTS Answer Sheets
The official writing paper has ruled lines. Download a sample sheet and practice on it. This way, you’ll know roughly how many words you write per line, making it easier to estimate word count in the real test.
4. Count and Estimate Your Words
During practice, count the words in a few lines of your writing. If one line is about 10 words, you’ll know that 15 lines is roughly 150 words, and 25 lines is about 250 words. This trick saves time in the exam.
Final Advice
Underlength is one of the easiest mistakes to avoid — but it can cost you dearly if ignored. Always:
- Plan enough ideas before writing.
- Explain and support your arguments.
- Practice on real IELTS sheets.
- Keep an eye on your word count.
Remember: writing more than the minimum is fine (as long as it’s relevant), but writing less will always hurt your score. Aim for 170–190 words in Task 1 and 270–290 words in Task 2 to be safe.
Over to you: Have you ever finished a practice essay only to realise it was under 250 words? What strategies do you use to make sure you hit the word limit?