Writing is the section most people stall on. There is no «right answer» here: the band comes from four criteria and each one has to be worked on separately. The good news is that structure is learnable, and structure carries a large part of the mark.
What it is: You describe the data in a chart, table, map or process diagram in your own words.
Tactic: Structure: introduction (paraphrase the question) → overview (2-3 sentences on the biggest trends) → two detail paragraphs. Without an overview, Task Achievement is capped at 5. No opinions here — this task only reports.
What it is: A formal, semi-formal or informal letter. The prompt gives three bullet points.
Tactic: Cover all three bullets — dropping one costs you marks. Hold the register: no contractions (I'm, don't) in a formal letter, and get «Yours faithfully / Yours sincerely» right.
What it is: You argue how far you agree with a statement.
Tactic: Take one clear position and hold it to the end. «Both sides are right» wrecks Coherence. Each paragraph: point → explanation → concrete example.
What it is: The «discuss both views and give your own opinion» type.
Tactic: One paragraph per view, and state your own opinion explicitly — that last part is what most candidates forget, and it costs them Task Response.
What it is: You write about the causes of a problem and ways to solve it.
Tactic: Every solution must answer a cause you named. One solution developed properly scores higher than three listed superficially.
Sixty minutes is enough, but only if some of it goes to planning. An unplanned essay almost always drifts off the question.
What changed, where the highest and lowest values are. That becomes your overview.
150-180 words. Writing more adds no marks and steals time from Task 2.
Position + two main points + an example for each. The most valuable five minutes of the hour.
260-290 words. Short introduction, two-sentence conclusion.
Tenses, plural «-s», articles, word count. These five minutes are usually worth half a band on grammar.
Each level has its own barrier — going from 5.5 to 6.5 and going from 6.5 to 7.5 are two completely different pieces of work.
Lock down the structure: clear introduction, two developed body paragraphs, conclusion. Then cut the basic grammar errors — at this level marks go on articles and tenses.
Develop the argument: back every claim with a specific, real example. And use complex structures accurately — band 7 needs both range and accuracy, not one of them.
Precision of vocabulary decides it: not «big problem» but «pressing concern». Introduce one new expression per essay and then reuse it.
Karvon marks Task 1 and Task 2 against the four official criteria and shows exactly what to change to move the band.