Frequently asked questions

The Dollar Writing Club is a service to help all students improve their IELTS or TOEFL essay writing skills through awesome feedback and guidance.

We provide instant, high-quality feedback and an estimated score on a practice essay for just $1 - per essay.  

There are no subscriptions - Students can practice anytime they like - no tricks!

We see three types of students using DWC:

1. Students at A1 - B1 level:
   These students need guidance in how grammar, punctuation, and spelling impacts on sentences and clarity. Most writing tools just correct mistakes, but DWC offers much more. DWC explains each error with advice for every sentence. We even translate the feedback into native language to help students understand better.
   
   
2. Students learning good essay techniques :
   Writing for IELTS and TOEFL exams is different from normal writing. Proficiency exams focus on technique and fluency. DWC helps students plan their writing for each type of essay because good planning is critical to writing a good essay. Students really like these core features:
   
   
   • Planning guidance: Writing an essay needs to reflect logical steps. DWC gives students tools to plan and organize their ideas.
   • Handwriting is supported: Practice writing by hand - take a picture on your phone and upload it to DWC. We do the rest!
   • Quick feedback: Students get feedback that guides them forward one level. Too much feedback is too much to consume. DWC feedback is what they need to focus on right now.
   • Two cycles of feedback: DWC gives you two submissions and cycles of feedback per essay.
     
     
3. Students at B1- C2 level preparing for exams:
   These students want to practice essays regularly for pending IELTS or TOEFL exams. They practice writing across different topics to improve skills and grow their vocabulary. Human feedback can be slow and really expensive. These students also practice handwriting essays by loading a picture into DWC for grading and feedback. YES ! DWC grades handwriting. More practice, more time and money saved.
   
   

We set out to solve three common problems that slow progress in writing for many students.

• To write better, students need to write more, more often. Writing more often needs means students need more feedback. Human feedback on practice writing is hard to find, takes too long to receive and many students tell us the feedback is often 'general'.  We fix this.
  
  
• The expense of writing tutors slows down the rate of student practice. Students can only afford to have one or two essays checked and most times have lost momentum by the time the feedback arrives. We fix this.
  
  
• Many students spend a lot of money siting the IELTS and TOEFL tests over and over. Students need to know when they are ready for the writing test before they sit the test. This saves money and reduces stress. We fix this.

At Dollar Writing Club, we help ESL learners lift their writing skills before they spend money on exams.

Yes! Register with us and practice your first few essays for free.   

Go here : https://www.literatu.com/dwc#/register

A1 (Beginner)

1. Sentence Structure:

• Can write simple isolated phrases and sentences.
• Sentences often follow basic subject-verb-object patterns.
• Limited use of conjunctions (e.g., "and," "but") to link ideas.

2. Vocabulary:

• Limited to high-frequency words and phrases.
• Often includes common expressions related to familiar topics (e.g., family, hobbies, daily activities).

3. Grammar:

• Frequent grammatical errors (e.g., verb tense misuse, incorrect word order).
• Very limited use of grammatical structures such as articles and prepositions.

4. Ideas and Organization:

• Simple, short texts (e.g., postcards, forms, or lists).
• Ideas are not developed or connected extensively.

5. Spelling and Mechanics:

• Spelling errors are common but may not hinder comprehension.
• Limited punctuation use, often incorrect or inconsistent.

6. Purpose and Audience:

• Can convey very basic personal information (e.g., name, age, address).
• Writing tasks are often formulaic and rehearsed.

A2 (Elementary)

1. Sentence Structure:

• Writes short, simple texts with multiple sentences.
• Begins to use conjunctions (e.g., "and," "then," "because") to connect ideas.

2. Vocabulary:

• Expands to include everyday, functional vocabulary (e.g., shopping, travel, weather).
• Word choice can still be repetitive or imprecise.

3. Grammar:

• Some control over basic tenses (e.g., present, past, future) but with occasional errors.
• Limited use of complex sentence structures.

4. Ideas and Organization:

• Can describe personal experiences or events in simple terms.
• Logical progression of ideas but with limited detail.

5. Spelling and Mechanics:

• Spelling is generally accurate for familiar words.
• Basic punctuation (e.g., periods, commas) is used but inconsistently.

6. Purpose and Audience:

• Can write simple messages, notes, or emails on familiar topics.
• Demonstrates an awareness of the reader in a limited way.

B1 (Intermediate)

1. Sentence Structure:

• Writes clear, connected text with a mix of simple and compound sentences.
• Uses a range of conjunctions and linking words (e.g., "however," "although").

2. Vocabulary:

• Demonstrates a wider range of vocabulary for familiar topics and situations.
• Word choice shows some variety but may still lack nuance.

3. Grammar:

• Control over basic grammatical structures with occasional errors.
• Begins to experiment with more complex structures (e.g., relative clauses, conditional sentences).

4. Ideas and Organization:

• Can organize text into paragraphs with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• Provides supporting details for ideas, though descriptions may lack depth.

5. Spelling and Mechanics:

• Spelling of common and familiar words is mostly accurate.
• Punctuation is more consistent, but errors may still occur in complex sentences.

6. Purpose and Audience:

• Can write letters, essays, and stories on familiar topics.
• Shows some awareness of tone and formality (e.g., informal vs. formal).

B2 (Upper-Intermediate)

1. Sentence Structure:

• Can write clear, detailed text with a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and complex).
• Uses subordinating conjunctions (e.g., "although," "while," "unless") effectively.

2. Vocabulary:

• Demonstrates a good range of vocabulary, including topic-specific terms.
• Can paraphrase effectively to avoid repetition.

3. Grammar:

• Mostly accurate control over grammatical structures, including complex tenses and passive voice.
• Occasional errors in more advanced constructions (e.g., conditionals, reported speech).

4. Ideas and Organization:

• Produces coherent and well-structured text with clear paragraphing.
• Ideas are logically organized and sufficiently developed, though depth may still be limited.

5. Spelling and Mechanics:

• Spelling errors are rare and do not hinder comprehension.
• Punctuation is largely accurate, though minor inconsistencies may remain.

6. Purpose and Audience:

• Adapts tone and register appropriately for different purposes (e.g., essays, reports, informal letters).
• Shows awareness of audience needs but may lack subtlety in tone.

C1 (Advanced)

1. Sentence Structure:

• Writes flexible, varied sentences, integrating complex clauses and rhetorical devices.
• Effective use of advanced conjunctions and transitions (e.g., "consequently," "nevertheless").

2. Vocabulary:

• Demonstrates a broad and precise vocabulary, including idiomatic expressions and academic terms.
• Word choice is contextually appropriate and often sophisticated.

3. Grammar:

• Consistently accurate with advanced grammar, such as modal verbs, relative clauses, and nuanced verb forms.
• Minimal errors, often in highly intricate constructions.

4. Ideas and Organization:

• Produces well-structured, cohesive text with clear argumentation and logical flow.
• Ideas are thoroughly developed with supporting evidence or examples.

5. Spelling and Mechanics:

• Spelling is accurate, even for less common words.
• Punctuation is consistently accurate, including for complex sentences.

6. Purpose and Audience:

• Can write for varied purposes and audiences, adapting tone, style, and formality with ease.
• Demonstrates nuanced awareness of tone and the reader’s expectations.

C2 (Proficient)

1. Sentence Structure:

• Produces fluent, effortless writing with sophisticated sentence variety.
• Seamlessly integrates complex structures (e.g., inversion, parallelism, ellipsis).

2. Vocabulary:

• Displays a near-native range of vocabulary, using precise and nuanced language.
• Employs idiomatic and culturally appropriate expressions effortlessly.

3. Grammar:

• Full command of advanced grammatical structures.
• Errors, if any, are extremely rare and subtle, often related to stylistic choices.

4. Ideas and Organization:

• Writes with clarity, depth, and sophistication, adapting style to complex ideas or arguments.
• Ideas are presented with precision, supported by detailed reasoning or analysis.

5. Spelling and Mechanics:

• Spelling is accurate across a broad range of vocabulary.
• Punctuation is mastered, even for complex rhetorical purposes.

6. Purpose and Audience:

• Writes with complete adaptability, shifting tone, register, and style seamlessly for any context.
• Shows deep awareness of subtle nuances in tone, humor, and cultural references.

The Dollar Writing Club offers several types of feedback to help users improve their IELTS and TOEFL essay writing:

• Targeted feedback aligned to the rubric, indicating areas for improvement: We deliver feedback that is directly related to the scoring criteria of the exams, showing students exactly where and how their writing needs to improve.
  
  
• An estimated score for the essay: Students receive an instant grade for their essay, giving them an idea of how they would likely perform in the actual exam. This save a pile of money!
  
  
• A full feedback report that can be downloaded for revision: This report likely contains the feedback and score, allowing students to review and revise their work.
  
  
• A complete sentence by sentence analysis of your text. We show you where you could improve and why you should take note of the suggestions. We help you build your text into better shape for your next feedback check. 
  
  
• An exemplar essay: We provide a high-scoring example essay for students to compare with their own writing. Just seeing what a good essay looks like is incredibly helpful.
  
  
• A second score upon resubmission: Students have the option to submit their essays twice, receiving additional feedback and a second score to track their progress. Pre and Post feedback hones skills.
  
  
• Feedback in the user's native language: We offer feedback in other languages, making it accessible to a wider range of students.

All of the feedback is designed to help students "lift your writing up a level". It is impossible to lift writing skills in a day however it is possible to move up one level quicker with consistent practice and feedback.

We have been working in English language assessment and feedback for over 5 years building accurate AI models that deliver and personalise great feedback on writing. We work with the British Council and we work with MOE's in Asia to deliver this capability.

It's impossible for teachers to grade and create personalised feedback for every student, non stop. Our proven AI to delivers you feedback in seconds. We have deep experience in this domain and our AI is used by over 700,000 students and 40,000 teachers most days of the year.

DWC feedback is consistent, reliable, fast and helpful. We don't try to tell you everything you should do to your text because that is not helpful. We show you exactly where you could improve with a full explanation and suggestions to help you remember. 

Writing skills take time to develop and we build this into the feedback we give you. We keep feedback simple, targeted to your level and even translate suggestions into your native language. Being exam ready is the mission of every student. We get it!

• We have a wide range of essays that mirror the IELTS and TOEFL writing exams. Practice across a range of topics to increase your vocabulary and genre expertise.
  
  
• Each essay has a full guidance scaffold to help you plan your writing  and understand what you have to achieve in each essay. Learning how to plan and break down the question into the elements you must cover is half the skill of answering a question.
  
  
• You can handwrite your response (IELTS is still a handwritten text) or write with us, or write anywhere and cut and paste. Create draft-one for feedback on your phone - yes your phone! We will never stop you in your writing moment. 
  
  
• Targeted, human-quality feedback based on the official IELTS and TOEFL rubrics is delivered when you are ready for feedback. 
  
  
• Students get two cycles of feedback. Take on board the suggestions and feedback from version one, make some adjustments and then get a second review with more feedback. See how your grades improve with the edits you make.
  
  
• There is an exemplar essay for comparison and the option to receive feedback in your native language. 
  
  
• Stop reading this and try us out!

Practicing to improve writing skills without feedback is like studying a topic with blank flashcards. 

You need personalised guidance to understand your strengths and weaknesses and how to align your writing with the official exam rubric and expectations. 

The sooner feedback is with you, the more impactful the feedback will be. DWC delivers awesome feedback in about 20 seconds with full explanations - way more that grammar, punctuation and spelling suggestions, but we do this as well!

Did you know that the English Proficiency / testing market is worth over $5US Billion dollars a year? 

64% of amount that represents education services like English tuition colleges and tutors. Access and affordability to these market based services is challenging for many students. As education costs continually rise in all markets across the world, everyone needs a good, economic alternative.

Our quality service is a globally affordable and accessible option for all students. "Every IELTS and TOEFL student can now access quality writing feedback on any device, no matter where they live in the world." 

Our mission is to give all students an equal opportunity to excel in their education and vocational future.