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ChatGPT vs Bandly for IELTS Writing
ChatGPT is a general assistant with a free plan, and plenty of candidates paste essays into it. It is flexible in ways a single purpose tool is not. Bandly runs the same fixed setup on every essay. Neither gives you an IELTS score.
you want to ask follow up questions, brainstorm ideas, practise speaking out loud, or get feedback on an Academic Task 1 answer with the chart attached.
you want the same four criterion setup on every essay without writing a prompt, and a history of your past estimates in one place.
At a glance
As of 26 October 2026. Numbered sources are listed at the end of the page. Plans and features change, so check each site before you decide.
| ChatGPT | Bandly | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A general purpose AI assistant. It is not built around IELTS; what you get depends on what you ask.Source: 1 | A Writing feedback tool for IELTS. Each criterion is scored by its own prompt with the public band descriptors. |
| Free use | A free plan with unlimited text chats, subject to abuse guardrails, and limited uploads.Source: 1 | Your first essays are free, no card needed. |
| Charts for Academic Task 1 | You can attach an image within the free plan upload limits.Source: 1 | Not in the web app yet; there is no upload. |
| Speaking | Limited voice chats on the free plan, which some candidates use to rehearse.Source: 1 | No. No Speaking, Reading or Listening scoring. A free band score calculator converts Reading and Listening raw scores. |
| History | Your chats, in whatever form you asked for them. | Every essay you check, with its estimate and a running average of your last three. |
| How far to trust the band | It will give a band if asked. Ask twice and compare before you rely on one. | Not yet compared against examiner marked essays, so no accuracy figure is published. In our own tests it runs generous, most of all on Task Response. |
Where ChatGPT is better
- Conversation. You can ask why, ask for an example, ask for a plan for the next essay, or argue with the feedback. Bandly gives a report, not a conversation.
- It can see the chart. Attach the Task 1 image and it has the data to check your figures against. Bandly cannot take a chart in the web app yet.
- Everything else. Vocabulary practice, idea generation, speaking rehearsal and grammar explanations all live in the same chat.
Where Bandly is better
- No prompt to write. Bandly runs the same setup on every essay: one prompt per criterion with the public descriptors. With a chat assistant, the setup is whatever you remembered to type that day.
- Estimates you can line up. Your checked essays are kept with their estimates, so you can see the four criteria side by side across attempts.
One thing Bandly is not better at is the number itself. Its band estimates have not been compared against examiner marked essays, and in our own tests they run generous, most of all on Task Response. Read the guide to what a writing checker can and cannot see before you rely on any checker’s band, ours included.
Using both
They work well together. Use Bandly to see which sentences are pulling a criterion down, then take those sentences to ChatGPT and ask it to explain the problem or give you three ways to fix it.
Questions
Can ChatGPT give me an IELTS band?
It will give one if you ask. It is not an IELTS score, and the result depends on how you ask. The same is true of Bandly, which is a practice estimate from software.
Is ChatGPT free?
There is a free plan with unlimited text chats subject to abuse guardrails, and limited uploads, voice chats and other features.
What is a good prompt for IELTS feedback in ChatGPT?
Paste the task question as well as the answer, ask for each of the four criteria separately, and ask it to quote the sentences behind each judgement. Then ask a second time and compare.
Sources
- ChatGPT plans and pricing: https://chatgpt.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-26
- Bandly terms: https://bandly.shop/terms, checked 2026-10-26
Facts about ChatGPT were taken from the public pages above on the dates shown. Bandly facts come from how Bandly works today. ChatGPT is a trademark of its owner; Bandly is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by it. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email hello@bandly.shop and we will fix it.
Other comparisons
See what Bandly says about your essay
Paste a Task 2 essay or a General Training letter and get an estimated band for each of the four criteria, with the sentences behind it. It is a practice estimate from software, not an IELTS score.
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