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Lesson plan: a 60-minute IELTS Writing lab session

A timed plan for running Task 2 practice with a whole class in a computer lab, using one class join link, plus a student handout.

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Print it, copy it into your own slides, adapt it for your class or share it with other teachers, including in paid courses. The only condition is credit: keep this line with the material, or with your adapted version (and say you changed it).

From IELTS.international — https://www.ielts.international/teaching-materials/writing-lab-lesson-plan — CC BY 4.0

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IELTS.international

Lesson plan · Free under CC BY 4.0

Lesson plan: a 60-minute IELTS Writing lab session

Length
60 minutes
Level
Students aiming for band 5.5 to 7
Room
Computer lab, or students' own phones

Aims

  • Students write one full Task 2 essay under timed conditions.
  • Students analyse a question before writing and plan in under five minutes.
  • The teacher gets a draft band for every essay to review before students see it.

Before class

  1. Create a class in the IELTS.international teacher workspace and choose one Task 2 question (the question bank has twenty).
  2. Copy the class join link. Put it on the projector slide or write it on the board.
  3. Open the join link on one lab computer to check the browser and network allow it.
  4. Print the student handout below, one strip per student, and one copy of the common mistakes worksheet each.

Class join link

Task 2 question chosen

In class

MinutesStageTeacherStudents
0–5Join the classShow the join link. Walk round and help anyone who cannot sign in.Open the link, sign in, read and tick the consent statement, join the class.
5–10Unpack the questionRead the question aloud. Ask: what type is it, how many parts does it have, what must the conclusion do?Underline the topic and every instruction. Write a one-line position.
10–50WriteKeep the room silent and show the time remaining. No dictionaries or translators.Plan for about five minutes, then write at least 250 words in the 40 minutes, and submit.
50–60Self-checkHand out the common mistakes worksheet. Ask students to look for one example of each category in their own essay.Find and note down one mistake of their own that they will watch for next time.

After class

  1. Open the class results. Read each AI-drafted band and the evidence behind it, change any you disagree with, then release.
  2. Pick the most common issue across the class and plan a ten-minute mini-lesson on it.
  3. Next lesson: students rewrite one paragraph using their feedback and resubmit.

The draft bands are practice estimates, not official IELTS scores. No platform? The plan still works on paper: collect the essays and mark them with the teaching rubric.

Student handout (cut into strips)

IELTS Writing practice: 40 minutes

Join link:

  1. Open the class join link your teacher shows you.
  2. Sign in or create a free account.
  3. Read the consent statement, tick it and join the class.
  4. Open the Writing task and plan for about five minutes.
  5. Write at least 250 words in 40 minutes, then submit.

IELTS Writing practice: 40 minutes

Join link:

  1. Open the class join link your teacher shows you.
  2. Sign in or create a free account.
  3. Read the consent statement, tick it and join the class.
  4. Open the Writing task and plan for about five minutes.
  5. Write at least 250 words in 40 minutes, then submit.

IELTS Writing practice: 40 minutes

Join link:

  1. Open the class join link your teacher shows you.
  2. Sign in or create a free account.
  3. Read the consent statement, tick it and join the class.
  4. Open the Writing task and plan for about five minutes.
  5. Write at least 250 words in 40 minutes, then submit.

IELTS Writing practice: 40 minutes

Join link:

  1. Open the class join link your teacher shows you.
  2. Sign in or create a free account.
  3. Read the consent statement, tick it and join the class.
  4. Open the Writing task and plan for about five minutes.
  5. Write at least 250 words in 40 minutes, then submit.

From IELTS.international — https://www.ielts.international/teaching-materials/writing-lab-lesson-plan — CC BY 4.0

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Not official IELTS material; not endorsed by the IELTS partners.

More free materials

Want the essays marked for you? The IELTS.international teacher workspace drafts a band for each criterion that you review before students see it.