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IELTS - Writing Task 2

Introduction

IELTS Writing Task 1 vs. IELTS Writing Task 2

IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 involves composing a formal five-paragraph essay in 40 minutes.

The first section—Task 1—should take you only 20 minutes. Why spend more time on IELTS
Writing Task 2? This basic comparison offers a few reasons:

 Points: Task 2 counts more towards your Writing band score

Task 1 = 1/3rd of your score
Task 2 = 2/3rds of your score
 Word count minimums: Task 2 is longer
Task 1 = 150 word minimum
Task 2 = 250 word minimum
 Planning your response: Task 2 questions require more thought
Task 1 = transfer of information from a visual into writing
Task 2 = answer an open/abstract question with no clear or “correct” answer

 You will be assessed in four areas:

Task Achievement (25%)
Coherence and Cohesion (25%)
Lexical Resource (25%)
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (25%)

Let’s look at some basic IELTS essay writing tips for IELTS Writing Task 2:

Timing

Writing speed varies a lot from student to student. How you allocate time depends a lot on how

fast you can write. The more you practice Task 2 responses, the quicker you will become. Your
goal should be to allow enough time for these three things:

 Essay planning 3 – 5 minutes

 Writing 27 – 30 minutes
 Editing 5 minutes (or more if possible)

Academic/Formal Writing
The IELTS expects you to use an academic/formal writing style. This means you should use the
same kind of language that you would when writing a report for work or an essay for school.

 Organize ideas into separate paragraphs: You will lose points if you do not divide your essay
into paragraphs. The template includes the essential paragraphs you should include in your Task 2
response. Generally speaking, your essay must have an introduction paragraph, 2 – 3 body
paragraphs, and a conclusion.

 Write in complete sentences: Make sure each sentence you write has an independent
clause with a subject and verb. When you write complex or compound sentences, use “connectors”
like coordinating conjunctions (and, but, so, etc) or subordinating conjunctions (when, although,
because, etc).
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Introduction
 Avoid repetition of words and ideas: Your ideas should move from one to the next logically,
and you should show off your vocabulary by avoiding redundancy (don’t repeat the same words
over and over).

 Avoid “slang:” The English you hear in the movies or read on social media is often inappropriate
for formal writing. It is a big problem to use words like “dude” or spellings like “U” (for “you”) on
the IELTS.

 Thoughtful and Neutral Tone: Academic/formal writing has a very careful and thoughtful tone.
It rarely sounds angry, excited, or overly certain about an idea. It is also best to avoid broad
generalizations in formal/academic compositions. Here are some examples to demonstrate:

NOT ACADEMIC: I hate this idea! (Too excited/angry)

ACADEMIC: This idea has some problems to consider.

NOT ACADEMIC: Everyone is distracted by cell phones these days.(Too broad)

ACADEMIC: Many people are distracted by cell phones these days.

NOT ACADEMIC: I have the best solution to the problem. (Too certain)

ACADEMIC: I would suggest this solution to the problem

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Question

Planning Before You Write

When you first encounter an IELTS Writing Task 2 question, try to decide what perspective you will
take fairly quickly. Unfortunately, the IELTS doesn’t give you much time to do this.. Don’t worry.

Task 2 questions are (intentionally) debatable, with no clearly “correct” answer.

“What is the easiest way for me to answer this question?”

Can you think of some main ideas and/or examples quickly for one side of an argument? Even if

these ideas don’t fully represent your perspective, just go with them on the IELTS. You don’t want
to waste too much time thinking about how to express your true opinions. Once you’ve chosen a
perspective on your question, you can do some planning/brainstorming.
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Introduction

Writing your Essay

When you’ve done some initial planning, you’re ready to dive into a writing. Let’s take a closer
look at how to organize your Academic Writing Task 2 response paragraph by paragraph.

The Introduction Paragraph

An introduction is a very important element of your Task 2 essay. Practicing introductions can

really pay off, even if you don’t follow through and write a full practice essay every time. Many

students get stuck at the very beginning, not knowing how to respond to the question in the

introduction. Let’s look at what to do. IELTS Writing Task 2 introductions can be short and simple.

A two-sentence introduction should be your goal. There are two main parts of a Task 2
introduction to include every time:
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Introduction
 Topic Presentation:

In this first sentence of your introduction, you simply need to paraphrase the topic described in your question

prompt. In other words, find a way to accurately state the topic in your own words. Try to avoid using the

same words and phrases as the prompt.

 Thesis:

After presenting the topic, you need to provide your perspective on it. This is your thesis. It is a sentence that

expresses the main idea of your essay. At a minimum, you need to provide a general answer the question

prompt in your thesis: “I believe that…”, or “I agree that…”. A really great thesis also introduces the main ideas

of each body paragraph in a general way. Take a look at the sample essay below. Notice how the thesis

introduces the main idea of both body paragraphs.

Important! You MUST answer the essay question directly in your thesis. Students sometimes lose

points because their thesis does not answer the question directly enough. Read your question

prompt carefully and make sure your essay will answer every part of the question.

2-3 Body Paragraphs

The next two (or if necessary, three) paragraphs of your IELTS Task 2 essay are your opportunity

to explain your thesis. Each body paragraph should present ONE main point. If your question

prompt includes several questions, you should write a body paragraph for each one. The main

point of each body paragraph must relate directly to your thesis statement in the introduction. Use

supporting details and/or examples to explain your main point before moving on to the next body

paragraph.

Conclusion

Don’t spend a long time on your conclusion. A good IELTS Task 2 conclusion should be one or two

sentences long. Simply paraphrase your thesis and main points from your body paragraphs to
close out your essay. This means you should avoid using the same words, phrases, and sentence

structures as your thesis statement. Definitely do not copy your thesis statement word-for-word as

your conclusion.

Before we dig into an example IELTS Task 2 essay, check out the video below and try your hand at
writing an introduction paragraph.

Two main Categories of Essays

 Opinion Type Essays

 Non-Opinion Type Essays
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Template

Basic IELTS Task 2 Writing Template Structure (Opinion

type)

Please Note that for Opinion Type Essays we are not writing Thesis (state opinion) in the

Introduction and Final thought in Conclusion.

Below is more detail on the sentences that should be contained within each of these paragraphs

along with examples based around this sample Task 2 Question:

Government investment in the visual arts, the kind you commonly see in art galleries, is

a waste of money. Governments must invest this money in public services instead. To

what extent do you agree with this statement?

Introduction
Aim to write three sentences around 60 words in total.
 Sentence 1 – Paraphrase the task question or write a general statement relating to the topic
using synonyms of the key words used in the question. E.g. These days, many local governments
spend large portions of their budget not only on public services, but also on the visual arts.
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Template
 Sentence 2 – State your opinion or point of view on the question being asked. E.g – Although I
agree that it is important to invest in local amenities, I do not think spending on the visual arts is a
waste of money.
 Sentence 3 – Give an essay overview including a summarizing phrase like: E.g. This essay will
discuss this issue using examples to support arguments and demonstrate points.

Supporting Paragraphs
The two supporting paragraphs should include your ideas and supporting examples to answer the

task question. Aim to write only two supporting paragraphs with roughly 85 words in each. Each

paragraph should contain the following four sentences and stick to one idea per paragraph:

Paragraph 1:
 Sentence 1 – State your 1st position. Eg. On the one hand, spending a significant amount of the
government budget on public services is beneficial for society.
 Sentence 2 – Explain why you hold that position. Eg. Providing for basic amenities, such as
hospitals, roads, and schools, helps to determine the quality of life that most citizens will have.
 Sentence 3 – Give an academic example that backs up your idea. Eg. For example, a recent
survey by Education Today shows that countries that spend more on schools have a population
that is higher in literacy, by 65%, compared to those that dedicate no money to education.
 Sentence 4 – Summarise the paragraph showing how your example links your idea/argument
back to the main idea. Eg. Therefore it is apparent that spending on public services is a worthwhile
investment for a government.

Paragraph 2:
 Sentence 1 – State your 2nd position. Eg. However, this does not mean that the visual arts
should be completely neglected.
 Sentence 2 – Explain why you hold that position. Eg. The visual arts also have an important
impact on our quality of life.
 Sentence 3 – Give an academic example that backs up your idea. Eg. For example, a recent
study conducted by the World Health Organization concluded that individuals that regularly visit
art galleries are cited as being 20% happier in life than people who do not.
 Sentence 4 – Summarise the paragraph showing how your example links your idea/argument
back to the main idea. Eg. Seeing the health benefits that many people get from the visual arts, it
is important that the government assists such institutions so that they can continue to provide
pleasure to the public.

Conclusion
For the conclusion, aim to write just one or two sentences that paraphrase what you’ve discussed

in the essay. Try to keep to under 45 words.

 Sentence 1 – Summarise the essay. Be sure to start this sentence with an appropriate linking
phrase (i.e. In conclusion, To sum up, Consequently) followed by an overall summary of what
you’ve just written. E.g. To sum up, although there are clear benefits of ensuring a large amount
of investment goes into public services, I do not believe spending money on the arts is a waste of
money as this too provides important benefits.
 Sentence 2 – Give a Final Thought. Eg. In the future, governments should consider budgeting
for both.
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Question Types

IELTS Writing Question Types: To what extent do you agree…

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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Question Types

IELTS Writing Question Types: Causes and Solutions to a Problem

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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Question Types

IELTS Writing Question Types: Discuss both sides (and give your opinion)

IELTS Writing Question Types: Advantages and Disadvantages

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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Question Types

IELTS Writing Question Types: Thematic

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IELTS - Writing Task 2

IELTS writing task 2 Essay topic areas :

 Art
 Business & Money
 Communication & Personality
 Crime & Punishment
 Education
 Environment
 Family & Children
 Food & Diet
 Government
 Health
 Housing, Buildings & Urban Planning
 Language
 Leisure
 Media & Advertising
 Reading
 Society
 Space Exploration
 Sport & Exercise
 Technology
 Tourism and Travel
 Transport
 Work

Generating Ideas for Opinion Type Essays

Essay Topic: Taking risks in personal and professional life

+ New challenges to keep people on their toes

▪ “to keep people on their toes” – idiom – keep people alert and prepared for potential
problems (an idiom suitable for WT2)

+ Risks help us grow and learn new skills

+ Life is always changing and full of risks so people should embrace this aspect of life rather
than try to avoid it

- Risk can lead to negative consequences for individuals and families

-It is better to be safe than sorry

- Avoiding risk is the responsible thing to do

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IELTS - Writing Task 2

Essay Topic: Truth in people's communication is most important

+ Truth helps people develop honest, meaningful relationships

+ Truth develops open communication instead of repressed relationships

+ Without truth, there is only deceit which is toxic to relationships and erodes trust

+ Truth leads to trust

- Social media encourages people to present a version of truth rather than the whole truth
in order to impress others and create a particular

impression - this can lead to misconception and lead others in the wrong direction

- Sometimes the truth can be hurtful and needs to be approached step by step rather than
directly

- Some people are not ready to hear the whole truth

- Truth may be something that needs time to emerge in cases such as abuse or where
someone may be at risk

- Truth sometimes has to be edited for children

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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Examples
The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and
clean energy. The benefits of nuclear technology far outweigh the disadvantages. To what
extent do you agree or disagree?

Some people suggest that nuclear technology has had more positive than negative impacts
on the world. In this essay, I will outline both the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear
technology and say why I disagree that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Looking first at the advantages, some suggest that we currently have world peace due to the
threat of nuclear weapons. While it is true that mutually assured destruction has prevented
a war between the world’s nuclear powers, it is not the case that world peace has been
achieved. There are many armed conflicts in process around the world at present, and it
seems unlikely that they will end any time soon. It is also claimed that nuclear power is a
cheap and clean energy source. I believe this is simply false. Nuclear power plants are
expensive to build and operate, as is processing nuclear waste. We would be much better off
investing resources into energy production from renewable sources such as solar, wind and
wave energy.

On the other hand, it is clear that the disadvantages of nuclear technology are significant –
both in terms of weaponry and as a power source. For nuclear weapons, the disadvantages
are obvious. Any use of them would certainly be catastrophic for the nation targeted, and
could lead to the annihilation of millions around the globe. Nuclear power also has massive
downsides, as was seen in the past at Chernobyl and more recently at Fukushima. The
meltdown of a nuclear reactor, either due to a natural disaster or human error, leads to the
surrounding area being radioactive for decades. The clean-up costs are huge, both
economically and environmentally.

In conclusion, due to the seriousness of the drawbacks described above, I do not believe that
the benefits of nuclear technology can reasonably be claimed to outweigh the
disadvantages.
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Examples

Nowadays many countries have very cosmopolitan cities with people from all over the world.
How can the government ensure that all these people can live together harmoniously?

In today's cosmopolitan world it is unusual to find a major city or country where there are no
immigrants. People travel more now than they ever did in the past and populations have had to adapt
to this transitional lifestyle much more quickly than in the past. Ultimately society, as a group of
individuals, directs the way that new arrivals in a country are treated. But the government can do a
number of things to support this.

Firstly, all governments should insist that schools teach history and culture from more than one
country, not just the home nation. By learning how others have lived we gain insight into alternative
cultures and ways of life which makes us more accepting when we meet people from those countries.
Of course we don't have time to learn about the history of every country in the world but
understanding at least one other culture opens our minds and makes us more tolerant.

In addition, when immigrants choose to settle in a country, the host government should offer free
language and culture lessons. It is impossible for new arrivals to integrate if they do not understand
the language and habits of their new home. I believe it is important for immigrants to learn the culture
of the place they have chosen to settle. By acquiring the language and knowledge about the culture,
they will be able integrate more easily and comfortably without necessarily losing their own identity.

Finally the governments of countries should make sure that they have some stringent laws to protect
people from aggression or prejudice so that, should an immigrant face terrible attitudes, they have
some protection. By ensuring people feel safe the host country shows that it is civilized and promotes
integration.

In summary, understanding others is the key to harmonious living but laws should also be in place to
protect people from those who can't behave responsibly.

(317 words)
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Examples
In many countries, very few young people read newspapers or follow the news on TV. What do
you think are the causes of this?

What solutions can you suggest?

There is increasing concern in many countries that newspapers are not being read and the news on
television is not being watched by many young people. As a result, young people in these countries
are not up-to-date with or even concerned about local, national and international events.

The major causes of this problem are that most newspapers and news programmes are designed for
an adult audience and are not presented in a format that teenagers find attractive. Few young people
read newspapers because the language is too difficult and the style and content is usually quite
serious. A lack of interest in the news is also due to the fact that young people are fascinated by new
technology, such as computers and the Internet. As a result of this there is a lower interest in
traditional news formats, which are considered unappealing and unfashionable.

There are some strategies that can be used to encourage young people to keep abreast of the news.
The first is to have news agencies present the news in formats that are appealing for the young. The
easiest way to do this would be to present news on internet sites that are designed for a younger
audience. Another way to confront the problem is to have schools involved in the publication of
regular school newspapers. Recent local, national and international news events could be included,
although schools should also encourage pupils to be involved in the writing of articles and
submissions. This newspaper could then be distributed to all the pupils, which means a greater
number of young people would regularly read news stories.

The low number of young people reading newspapers and following the news on television can be
increased by presenting the news in formats that are appealing to them. The key is to utilise websites
and also have schools publish their own newspapers, which students are involved in.

(317 words)
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Examples

It is generally believed that the Internet is an excellent means of communication but some
people suggest that it may not be the best place to find information.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Model answer
Using the Internet has become a normal part of everyday life for many people. They use it to book
airline tickets, or to access news about world events, or to follow the fortunes of their favourite football
club. Millions of people across the world belong to social networking groups where they keep in touch
with their friends and if they live away from them, their family. In my opinion these are all good ways to
use the Internet.

When it comes to finding out information there are some very good sites where it is possible to check,
for example, someone's biographical details or statistics about global warming. However, information
from the Internet should be used with caution, because although there are many reliable sites, such
as academic journals and well-known newspapers, there are also unreliable ones, so it is important to
check where information originates from before using it.

Some students use websites which offer ready-made assignments. This is not a good idea, even if
you ignore the fact that it is cheating, because such websites may contain factual errors or biased
views. In a recent case, a student found herself in serious trouble when she submitted an essay from
one of these sites only to discover that it was about Austria, not Australia, but had an error in the title.

Nevertheless, it is nowadays possible for people all over the world to study or do business on an
equal footing, in a way that was unimaginable only a few years ago. On the whole I believe that the
Internet is an excellent way both to communicate and to find information, as long as it is used
intelligently.

(278 words)
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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Practice

Test 1

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Many high-level positions in companies are filled by men even though the workforce in many developed
countries is more than 50 per cent female. Companies should be required to allocate a certain
percentage of these positions to women.

To what extent do you agree?

Write at least 250 words.

Test 2

Write about the following topic:

Is freedom of speech necessary in a free society?

Give reasons for your answer.

Write at least 250 words.

Test 3

Write about the following topic:

Machine translation (MT) is slower and less accurate than human translation and there is no immediate
or predictable likelihood of machines taking over this role from humans.

Do you agree or disagree?

Write at least 250 words.

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IELTS - Writing Task 2
Practice

Test 4

Write about the following topic:

In most countries multinational companies and their products are becoming more and more important.
This trend is seriously damaging our quality of life.

Do you agree or disagree?

Write at least 250 words.

Test 5

Write about the following topic:

Recent figures show an increase in violent crime among youngsters under the age of 18. Some
psychologists claim that the basic reason for this is that children these days are not getting the social
and emotional learning they need from parents and teachers.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Test 6

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:

People who have original ideas are of much greater value to society than those who are simply able to
copy the ideas of others well.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

You should write at least 250 words.