IELTS Writing Task 2: Sample Answers,Topics, Question Type, and Score

Rituparna Nath

Feb 22, 2023

Candidates taking the IELTS writing task 2 must write an essay of 250 words within a time limit of 40 minutes. This task holds a significant weightage of about 66% of the total writing marks in the IELTS exam. The total score for the writing section is based on four criteria, which include Task Response (25%), Coherence & Cohesion (25%), Vocabulary (25%), and Grammar (25%). IELTS writing task 2 includes various types of essays such as Opinion, Discussion, Advantage/Disadvantage, Direct Questions, and Solutions.

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Candidates are required to follow a formal approach for presenting an argument in both IELTS general writing task 2 and IELTS academic writing task 2. There are several structural errors that must be avoided, including:

  • Avoiding the use of contractions such as don't, haven't, won't.
  • Refraining from using casual language or dialects in essay writing, such as "I wanna."
  • Avoiding the use of personal examples in IELTS writing Task 2 essays.
  • Avoiding the use of memorized essays.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Structure

How to Write Introduction for Task 2?

Numerous experts recommend that candidates should rephrase the question when writing the introduction for IELTS writing task 2. However, although it may appear to be an effortless approach, it will not guarantee a band score of 7. To score well on an IELTS essay, it is necessary to present an independent perspective. Some students opt to substitute a few words from the question with synonyms, but if the introduction fails to convey the complete meaning, marks may be deducted.

How to Write an IELTS Essay Logically?

It is crucial to plan when writing an IELTS essay within the given 40-minute timeframe. The examiner evaluates the essay's structure and coherence of argument. To enhance the quality of your IELTS essay, consider the following guidelines:

  • Ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence.
  • Use linking words like "on the other hand" and "first of all" to facilitate continuity for the examiner.
  • Provide detailed explanations to support your arguments.
  • Continuously refer back to the question and use appropriate examples and explanations to reinforce your points.

How to write less complex writing for IELTS Writing Task 2?

Examiners always prefer reading an IELTS essay that is easy to understand. Candidates should never use complex language to express opinions. Few small changes can land you a good IELTS band score for writing task 2. Steps to be followed are:

  • Use conjunctions like and, but, because to join two simple sentences
  • For conditional sentences always prefer using “if” or “although”
  • Use relative clauses like That, What to make the sentence

How to Improve IELTS Academic Writing Task 2?

In the IELTS academic writing task 2, the candidate will be required to write articles that will be based on their reactions to an idea or premise. Everything should be in a formal manner, without any usage of ‘slang’ or informal words.

  • Segregate your essay into 2 – 3 body paragraphs;
  • 1st para: Outline the main point, introduce the topic, reveal how to describe the argument/present the discussion or you can check this video out.
  • 2-3 paras: Will be based on certain points of explanations which will be further supported by examples;
  • 4th para: All the points will be concluded and summarised.
  • Ensure your sentence has an independent clause with a subject and verb;
  • Don’t repeat words or ideas;
  • Engage in a thoughtful tone that doesn’t sound angry, negative, and excited;
  • Don’t use short forms
  • Practice from IELTS writing task 2 sample answer
  • Writing Task 2 topics can be of varied types like – art, environment, health, jobs, relationships, government and society

How can I Improve my IELTS General Writing Task 2?

The IELTS General writing task 2 aims at testing the candidate’s proficiency in daily communications which are related to general topics. When a statement is placed, the test taker might be asked to agree or disagree with it, or answer a few questions laid out.

  • IELTS essay writing of general training is branched into 4-5 paragraphs.
  • The 1st paragraph is always dedicated to presenting the subject of the essay, and how the candidate is planning to display it;
  • The last paragraph is about summarising the whole ideas presented throughout along with the thoughts and recapitulate the overall things mentioned;
  • The middle paragraphs or the body deals with all the aspects that they have curated from the topic and dealing with them is the task there;
  • Precise explanations, responses, proper opinions, and examples – all these are needed in the middle paragraphs.
  • It is always recommended to thoroughly read IELTS writing task 2 vocabulary to enhance the essay’s quality
  • Practice from IELTS general writing task 2 samples for understanding the format.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Score 

The IELTS writing task 2 score is marked on a scale of 1 - 9 similar to task 1. As already mentioned, there are four criteria on which the task is measured and each of them holds 25% of the weightage, namely,

  1. Task achievement (25%)
  2. Coherency (25%)
  3. Vocabulary (25%)
  4. Grammatical Accuracy (25%)

The IELTS writing task 2 band 9 is the highest score one can obtain, to better understand the score, check the below score descriptors:

IELTS Writing Task 2 band descriptor

How to improve my score in IELTS Writing Task 2? 

IELTS experts predicted the upcoming IELTS writing task 2 topics will be mostly about health, food, and education. IELTS Writing Task 1 is different from task 2 in terms of the writing approach. Practicing more of agree/disagree, and advantages/disadvantages will increase the score to 7 or 8. Steps to be followed to improve IELTS Writing Task 2

  • Need to answer each question
  • Express your opinion within 250 words (40 minutes) for IELTS Essays
  • Argument with critical thinking along with relevant examples
  • Developing and organizing the ideas for IELTS writing task 2
  • Coherence in style
  • Choose a proper introduction and conclusion for the writing task

To get a perfect band of 8 for IELTS essay writing, one needs to follow instructions

  • Answer all the parts of the questions and write what is relevant to the question
  • Use linking phrases to make the IELTS essay looks logically coherent
  • For IELTS essay task 2, you need to organize each paragraph in a progression
  • Try to use good vocabulary for IELTS writing task 2
  • Always use a wide variety of complex sentences to convey your argument
  • There should not be any grammatical errors

IELTS Writing Task 2 Topics

IELTS writing task 2 topics are based on general topics, which the candidate discusses daily in universities or workplaces. So, a minimal idea about the topic is mandatory to construct the essay. Trending IELTS writing task 2 topics are as following

Animal Time and Resources Are Spent On The Protection Of Wild Animals And Birds IELTS Writing Task 2
Energy Fossil Fuels Are The Main Source Of Energy Around The World IELTS Writing Task 2
Independent and influential art Art Is Considered An Important Part Of A Society IELTS Essay
Reading Reading Stories from a Book is Better than watching TV IELTS Writing Task 2
Art Art, Culture, and Technology IELTS Writing Task 2
Animal Animal Rights Have Become a Topic of Discussion For Individuals and Government IELTS Writing Task 2
Environment Protecting the Environment is the Responsibility of the Government IELTS Writing Task 2
Job

My Countries Teenagers are Encouraged to Do Part-Time Jobs IELTS Writing Task 2

Relationship Establishing Good Relationships in The Workplace is Not Important IELTS Writing Task 2
Business Business Culture IELTS Writing Task 2
Entertainment Advantages of Robots Doing The Basic Serving Functions in the Entertainment, Leisure and Retail Sectors IELTS Writing Task 2
Language Children To Begin Learning A Foreign Language At Primary School IELTS Writing Task 2
Science Government Should Invest More Money in Science Education Rather than Other Subjects IELTS Writing Task 2
Communication Modern communications mean that it’s no longer necessary to write letters IELTS Writing Task 2
Exercise and fitness Many Working People Get Little or No Exercise either during the Working day IELTS Writing Task 2
Leadership Some People are Born to be Leaders IELTS Writing Task 2
Society Some People Consider Sport to be Their Career and Role in Society IELTS Writing Task 2
Crime & Punishment Increase of Violence  IELTS Writing Task 2
Family/Kids People Nowadays Tend to Take Their Family to Another Country IELTS Writing Task 2
Leisure Some People Believe That Children Leisure Activities Must Be Educational IELTS Writing Task 2
Space Exploration Some People Think That Space Exploration is a Waste of Resource IELTS Writing Task 2
Corruption Corruption Becomes a Common Disease Among Several Nations IELTS Writing Task 2
Farming Farming is The Backbone of Every Country IELTS Writing Task 2
Libraries Maintaining Public Libraries Is a Waste of Money IELTS writing Task 2
Sports Some People Think That Sports Played In Teams are Better Than Individual Sports IELTS Writing Task 2
Food/Diet/Cuisine Unhealthy Foods IELTS Writing Task 2
Management People In Today’s World Are Still Suffering Poor Sanitation and Waste Management IELTS Writing Task 2
Travel It is said that travel broadens the mind IELTS writing task 2
Culture People Used to Wear Their Traditional Clothes Depending on Their Culture IELTS Writing Task 2
Global health Global Warming is One of the Biggest Threats to Our Environment IELTS Writing Task 2
Media and Advertising The News Media have Become Too Much Influence on People Lives Today IELTS Writing Task 2
Teaching and learning  Teachers Should Be Responsible For Teaching Students To Judge IELTS Writing Task 2 
Demand and supply The Increased World Demand For Oil and Gas Has Made it Necessary for Locating These Sources in Remote Areas IELTS Writing Task 2 
Global poverty Rich Nations Should Change Their Attitude Towards Poor Nations To Eradicate Poverty IELTS Writing Task 2
Money Many people think it is important to spend a lot of money on a large wedding celebration IELTS Writing Task 2
Technology Scientists and Technology Experts Seem to be More Valued IELTS Writing Task 2
Different perspectives Children Are Facing More Pressures Nowadays from Academic, Social and Commercial Perspectives IELTS Writing Task 2
Global warming Global Warming is One of the Biggest Threats to Our Environment IELTS Writing Task 2
Music Modern Technology Has Made It Easier For Individuals To Download Copyrighted Music IELTS Writing Task 2
Tourism Most Countries Believe That International Tourism Has Harmful Effects IELTS Writing Task 2
Economy Education should be accessible to people of all economic backgrounds IELTS Writing Task 2
Government Governments In Many Countries Have Recently Introduced Special Taxes On Sugary Foods And Beverages IELTS Writing Task 2
Personality Research Indicates That the Characteristics We are Born With Have Much More Influence On Our Personality IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answers
Value Humanitarian Subjects that People Study in Universities Have No Value for Their Future Career IELTS Writing Task 2
Education Education in Developing & Rural Areas IELTS Writing Task 2
Health Health IELTS Writing Task 2
Political deals and other happenings Environmental Protection is The Responsibility of Politicians IELTS Writing Task 2
Wildlife and preservation Is it The Right Time to Preserve Wildlife IELTS Writing Task 2
Employment Rising University Fees and Scarce Employment Led People Say that Universities Should Not Teach Arts Subject IELTS Writing Task 2
Housing Park Land Should be Used for Housing IELTS Writing Task 2
Population and Overpopulation Population of Some Countries Includes Large Number of Young Adults IELTS Writing Task 2
Work-life balance What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Working From Home IELTS Writing Task 2

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question Types

The IELTS writing task 2 questions are mostly similar for both academic and general training. There are five main types of questions found in the IELTS general writing task 2 topics:

  1. Advantage/Disadvantage
    Example: More and More Students are Choosing to Study at Colleges and Universities IELTS Writing Task 2
  2. Opinions
    Example: In the Future It Seems More Difficult to Live on Earth IELTS Writing Task 2
  3. Discussion
    Example: People think that Zoos are Cruel IELTS Writing Task 2
  4. Direct Questions
    Example: Today’s World Of Advanced Science And Technology, We Still Greatly Value Our Artists IELTS Writing Task 2
  5. Solutions
    Example: In the Developed World, Average Life Expectancy is Increasing IELTS Writing Task 2

There is a slight difference in the topics of academic and general, the latter has comparatively easier topics than the former.

The IELTS Essay writing task 2 can be either a one-sided or two-sided opinionated essay depending on the question type. The structure of the essay will of following kind

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question Types

For preparation purposes, aspirants can go through the IELTS writing task 2 samples to get a better hold of the section.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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