How can I quickly calculate the number of words I've written?
For both the handwritten IELTS writing exam and the computer-based test, you can calculate the average number of words on each line and then multiply that by the number of lines written.
So for example, above the first line has 12 words and the second line 15, the average would be 13, so you could estimate that there are 13 words in each line. You can also know that you need to write around 20 lines for a task 2 essay.
Word Counter Plus is a simple and useful tool. Simply highlight some text on a webpage, right-click on it, and select the Word Counter Plus menu item. It will tell you the number of words and characters selected as well as the average and longest word length. You can download it from the Google Chrome Webstore.
