You will be required to write an essay for the IELTS writing task 2. You will have 40 minutes to complete this task. Now the question which arises is that how many words should you write for the IELTS essay? The answer is that you should write at least 250 words.
IELTS candidates want to know what will happen if they write more than 250 words. Well the answer is that nothing will happen. You will get penalized if you write less than 250 words, but you will not be penalized if you write more than 250 words.
Experts say that it is not advisable to write more than 250 words because you are not going to be awarded with extra marks for the extra words you have written, and you will spend more time on the essay part (Writing task 2) which might affect your performance on the IELTS writing task 1.