Does ChatGPT score IELTS Writing lower than a real examiner?

It can — but it can also score too high.

ChatGPT can be useful for checking your writing, but its band score is only an estimate. It is not an IELTS examiner, and the score can change depending on the prompt you use.

A vague prompt such as “What band is this essay?” may give you a less useful assessment.

Try giving ChatGPT a clearer role and instructions:

Try this prompt:

Act as an experienced IELTS Writing teacher. Assess my writing using the four official IELTS Writing criteria: Task Response/Achievement, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

Give me an estimated band for each criterion and an estimated overall band. Explain the main reasons for each score. Then identify the three most important things I should improve to move up one band.

Do not rewrite my answer until after you have assessed it.

Then paste your writing underneath.

The most useful part isn’t necessarily the overall number ChatGPT gives you. Look for repeated weaknesses in the feedback. If the same problem keeps appearing — grammar accuracy, paragraph development, vocabulary, task response — that’s what you need to work on.

If you’re unsure about an AI assessment, get a piece of writing checked by an experienced IELTS teacher and compare the feedback.