Updated: September 2026
Reading Time: 9 minutes
Reading Time: 9 minutes
Reading time: 9 minutes
Quick answer: If you want instant, examiner-style band scores with per-criterion feedback on both Task 1 and Task 2, use SmallTalk2Me (AI, results in minutes, free first check).
If you want an official score benchmark and don't mind waiting and paying per test, use IELTS Progress Check (human-marked by official markers).
Writing9 is a solid budget AI option for essay drilling, ChatGPT works if you're willing to build your own prompts and accept inconsistent scoring, and Grammarly is useful for grammar polish but doesn't understand IELTS band descriptors at all.
If you want an official score benchmark and don't mind waiting and paying per test, use IELTS Progress Check (human-marked by official markers).
Writing9 is a solid budget AI option for essay drilling, ChatGPT works if you're willing to build your own prompts and accept inconsistent scoring, and Grammarly is useful for grammar polish but doesn't understand IELTS band descriptors at all.
The rest of this article explains how we compared them, where each tool wins, and just as important what no AI checker can do for you.
How we evaluated (our criteria)
An IELTS writing checker is only useful if it mirrors how real examiners score. Examiners grade four criteria, each worth 25% of your band:
- Task Achievement / Task Response — did you actually answer the question?
- Coherence and Cohesion — is the essay logically organized and linked?
- Lexical Resource — vocabulary range and precision
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy — sentence variety and error density
So we tested each tool against five questions: does it score all four criteria separately; does it handle both Task 1 and Task 2; how consistent is the score on resubmission; does feedback tell you what to fix; price and speed.
Comparison table (2026)
*Prices as of August 2026 — always check the current pricing page.
The tools in detail
1. SmallTalk2Me – best overall for regular practice
What it is: an AI IELTS simulator that scores writing (Task 1 and Task 2) and speaking in one platform. You submit an essay, and in a few minutes you get an estimated band score broken down by all four examiner criteria, with specific feedback on grammar errors, vocabulary range, coherence, and whether you actually addressed the task.
Strengths:
- Scores like an examiner reads: four criteria scored separately, so you can see that your grammar is band 7 while your task response is dragging you to 6.
- Feedback is actionable – it highlights the sentences that cost you points and suggests stronger vocabulary and linking structures.
- The same account covers speaking practice — preparing writing and speaking together is cheaper than two subscriptions.
- Used by universities, language schools and employers via API, which forces scoring consistency at scale.
- First check is free, so you can see the report format before paying.
Limitations: like every AI scorer, it estimates – treat scores as ±0.5 band; feedback is in English, so total beginners may struggle.
Try it: smalltalk2.me/ielts-writing
2. IELTS Progress Check – best official benchmark
The official practice test from the IELTS partners, marked by trained IELTS markers. This is the only option on the list whose score carries official weight the closest thing to your real result without booking the exam. Report with band score and marker feedback arrives within five days, with 90 days of test access.
Limitations: you pay per attempt, wait days for results, and get relatively brief feedback, it tells you where you are, not really how to improve. Use it once, 3-4 weeks before your exam date, not as a practice tool.
3. Writing9 – best budget AI drilling
A focused IELTS essay checker: paste your essay, get a band estimate across the four criteria with sentence-level suggestions. Cheap, fast, IELTS-specific, with a free tier and a score-guarantee refund policy.
Limitations: writing only (no speaking), and score consistency is looser than we'd like — the same essay can drift noticeably between submissions, so track trends over many essays rather than trusting a single number.
4. ChatGPT / Claude – best if you like doing it yourself
A general-purpose LLM can absolutely critique an IELTS essay, if you feed it the band descriptors and a well-built prompt. The problems are consistency and honesty: generic chatbots tend to score generously (a "band 7.5" from ChatGPT is often a real-world 6.5), drift between sessions, and won't reliably apply Task 1 report conventions.
Use it for: brainstorming, paraphrasing practice, asking "why is this sentence wrong?" Don't use it for: trusting the number it gives you.
5. Grammarly – grammar polish, not IELTS scoring
Grammarly finds surface errors well, but it has no concept of Task Achievement, band descriptors, or IELTS structure, a grammatically flawless essay that ignores the question would still score band 5. Use it as a final pass, never as your scorer.
6. Human tutors – best at band 7+
Above band 7, marginal gains come from argument quality and nuance, exactly where humans still beat AI. If you're stuck at 7.0 and need 7.5+, budget for a few essays with an experienced IELTS tutor and use AI tools for volume practice between sessions.
What no AI checker can do (read this before paying for anything)
Honest limits, which apply to every tool above including ours:
- AI scores are estimates. Well-calibrated tools land within ±0.5 of a real examiner most of the time. If a tool shows you 6.5, plan as if you might be a 6.0.
- A checker can't write the essay for you – and if you memorize AI-generated essays, examiners are trained to spot it, and off-topic memorized answers score brutally low.
- Volume beats perfection. One perfectly analyzed essay teaches you less than eight essays with quick feedback loops. This is the real argument for AI checkers over per-essay human marking: iteration speed.
A workflow that actually raises your band
- Diagnose: write one Task 2 essay under timed conditions (40 minutes, no tools). Check it. Note which of the four criteria is lowest – that's your priority.
- Drill the weakest criterion 3–4 essays in a row (e.g., if Coherence is lowest: outline for 5 minutes before writing, force linking devices, one idea per paragraph).
- Re-check every essay and watch the criterion score, not the overall band.
- Alternate Task 1 and Task 2 weekly — most self-study candidates over-practice Task 2 and lose easy points on Task 1 conventions.
- Two weeks before the exam: one official benchmark (IELTS Progress Check or a tutor-marked essay) to calibrate.
FAQ
How accurate are AI IELTS writing checkers?
The good ones score within ±0.5 band of human examiners on most essays. Accuracy is best in the band 5.5–7.5 range where most candidates sit, and weakest at the extremes.
Can I use an AI checker for Task 1 (graphs and letters)?
Yes, SmallTalk2Me, Writing9 and IELTS Progress Check all handle Task 1. Generic chatbots handle it poorly unless you prompt them with Task 1 report conventions explicitly.
Is there a free IELTS writing checker?
SmallTalk2Me's first check is free, and Writing9 has a limited free tier. Free ChatGPT works with effort. Fully free unlimited checking with reliable band scoring doesn't really exist in 2026, accurate scoring models cost money to run.
AI checker or human tutor – which should I choose?
Below band 7: AI, because you need volume and fast feedback. At band 7+ aiming higher: combine AI volume with occasional human review.
Do universities or employers accept AI writing scores?
No, only the official IELTS (or equivalent) counts. AI checkers are preparation tools. (The exception: some employers and schools use platforms like SmallTalk2Me for internal English assessment, where the official certificate isn't required.)
Bottom line
- Practicing weekly? → SmallTalk2Me (both tasks, examiner-style criteria, plus speaking).
- Need one trustworthy number before booking the exam? → IELTS Progress Check.
- Minimal budget? → Writing9 free tier + ChatGPT for brainstorming, Grammarly for final polish.
- Band 7 aiming for 8? → AI for volume + a human tutor for nuance.
Whichever tool you choose: the checker doesn't raise your band. The essays you write because checking became fast and cheap, those raise your band.
SmallTalk2Me is an AI-powered IELTS preparation platform used by individual candidates, universities, and employers worldwide. Try a free writing check at smalltalk2.me/ielts-writing.
👉 Deciding between the official test and AI tools? We broke that exact question down: IELTS Progress Check vs AI checkers — which do you need. And if Speaking is also on your list — the best AI apps for IELTS Speaking, compared honestly.
