IELTS Writing Task 2: Key Facts
You should spend around 40 minutes on Task 2
You should write at least 250 words, although I recommend around 280 to 300 words
Task 2 is worth double the marks of Task 1: in other words, two-thirds of your overall writing score comes from Task 2
You sit the Writing Test immediately after the Listening and Reading Tests.
For the vast majority of IELTS test takers all over the world, writing is the hardest part of the IELTS test.
Your task is to write an essay in response to a question about a specific topic.
IELTS Examiners assess you against 4 criteria: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Each of the 4 criteria is worth 25% of your score
IELTS Writing is NOT just a test of your English language skills. It also tests your academic writing skills.
All questions are on topics that you should reasonably be expected to have a view on. No question requires specialised knowledge.
There are a variety of different question types, which require you to address the topic in different ways. These include essays where you may be asked to discuss 2 contrasting views on an issue or to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of something.
IELTS Writing Task 2: What Is It?
In IELTS Writing Task 2, you write an academic-style essay in response to a question about a topic, such as the environment, health or education.
Your task is to present and extend your views on the topic. You should explain your ideas using a logical structure, using language that makes your ideas clear to the reader.
It is very important to remember that IELTS Writing Task 2 assesses your academic writing skills as well as your English language skills. In other words, your ability to present and explain your ideas in a logical way is as important as your vocabulary and grammar.
You do NOT need to persuade your reader that you are correct. You only need to show the reader that you have thought about the issue in a balanced, thoughtful way.
So here is an example of the kind of essay you will write in Task 2:
Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the number of sports facilities. Others, however, say that this would have little effect on public health and that other measures are required.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
The Statement
The first part of the task description is a statement about a topic. (In this example the statement presents two different opinions on the topic, but it might include one opinion, a factual statement or a problem).
Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the number of sports facilities. Others, however, say that this would have little effect on public health and that other measures are required.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
The Question
Then you are given a question: this tells you how to respond to the topic.
Some people say that the best way to improve public health is by increasing the number of sports facilities. Others, however, say that this would have little effect on public health and that other measures are required.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
In this example, you need to discuss the two views and make your own opinion on the topic clear. In other words, the question tells you how to respond to the task.
However, there are other ways you might be asked to respond to the statement. IELTS tends to use one of five different question types:
IELTS Question Types
The above example is often called the “Two-Sided Discussion” question type. However, five main question types appear in IELTS Writing Task 2:
Two-sided discussion
Agree or disagree
Advantages and disadvantages
Problems and Solutions
Direct questions
So you might be asked to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of something, or whether you agree or disagree, or to come up with solutions to a problem. Or you might simply be asked 1 or 2 direct questions about the statement.
All of these questions ask you to do the same thing: to make your views on the issue clear.
So that is your task: to respond to a statement about a topic by answering a question (or questions) about the statement.
So how should you approach your task? Here is a 4 Step Approach:
IELTS Writing Task 2: The 4 Step Approach
Writing an IELTS essay is quite a challenge. Like any difficult task, you should break it down into smaller chunks. I tell my students to break the writing process down into 4 easy steps.
Step 1: Analyse The Question
Read the statement carefully. Look at the keywords (the main content words). What is the topic about? Then look at the question. How does it want you to address the issue?
Step 2: Decide Your Position
What do you really think about this issue? In other words, what’s your position on this issue?
Step 3: Generate Your Ideas
Why do you hold this position? What are the reasons for your views?
Step 4: Develop Your Ideas…logically
Finally, you need to develop your ideas in more detail. You can do this by explaining your views in more detail, and by giving examples of what you mean. You should also put your ideas, explanations and examples into a logical order.
IELTS Academic v IELTS General Training
The information in this guide is for both the Academic and the General Training IELTS. Your task is broadly the same in both tests and IELTS examiners use the same assessment criteria when they assess the tasks. There are 2 main differences between General Training and Academic:
The topics in the General Training exam are usually related to more everyday topics than the Academic test.
Questions in the General Training Test are sometimes slightly different to questions in the Academic Test: for example, in the General Training Test, you may be asked to “discuss the advantages and disadvantages” of something, whereas, in the Academic Test, you may be asked whether “the advantages outweigh the disadvantages“. However, many questions are the same in both tests: e.g. you may be asked to “discuss both views and give your own opinion” in both the General Training and Academic Tests.
How Is IELTS Writing Task 2 Assessed?
The IELTS Examiner will assess you using 4 separate criteria: Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
Task Response
Task Response (TR) is about how relevant your response is – in other words, have you answered the question – as well as how well you develop your ideas, and how clear your position on the issue is.
To get a high band score for TR, you need to explain and support your ideas well and make your views clear throughout your essay.
If you don’t answer the question, or if your views are unclear, you will get a low band score for TR.
Coherence and Cohesion
Coherence and Cohesion (CC) is about the overall clarity and fluency of your writing.
To get a high band score for CC, you should ‘unpack’ your ideas in a logical sequence and link your ideas and sentences well, using a variety of “cohesive devices” (such as pronouns, relative clauses, connectives and conjunctions).
If you don’t organise your ideas, you will get a low band score for CC.
Lexical Resource
Lexical Resource (LR) means your vocabulary.
To get a high band score for LR, you need to use a variety of words and phrases to convey precise meanings. This usually means using some topic-specific vocabulary. You should also use this vocabulary appropriately and accurately.
If you only use basic vocabulary and make lots of errors in word formation, you will get a low band score for LR.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA) is about the variety and accuracy of your grammar.
To get a high band score for GRA, you need to show that you are broadly ‘in control’ of grammar and that you can use structures in a fairly natural way.
Lots of errors, especially errors that make your writing difficult to understand, will restrict your band score for GRA.
Together, Task Response, and Coherence and Cohesion, are mainly about your academic writing skills, while Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy are more concerned with your English language skills. In other words, IELTS writing is not only an English language test, it’s also a test of your ability to complete a piece of academic writing.
Tips for IELTS Writing Task 2
Here are some tips for getting a high band score for IELTS Writing Task 2.
1. Plan Your Essay
The single and most important tip is this: PLAN YOUR ESSAY!
Before you write, you should plan your ideas and arguments for 5 to 10 minutes. A good plan helps you to write a well structured, easy to understand essay, which answers the essay question.
2. Answer The Question
This seems obvious, but it’s very easy to write an essay that doesn’t answer the question. (I’ve done it myself!). If you do not directly answer the question, you will get no more than a Band 5 for Task Response.
What’s the best way to ensure you answer the question? Plan your essay before you write!
3. Make Your Views Clear
When you write, it’s important to remember that someone is going to read your essay. We all know who: the IELTS Examiner! But don’t think about that. Imagine you are writing for your teacher or an intelligent friend. You need to write so that they can understand your ideas.
Note: they do not need to agree with your ideas, but they do need to understand them. So focus on making your views clear. Present your main ideas clearly and concisely and then…
4. Develop Your Ideas
If you want to get a Band 7 or above for Task Response, you need to develop your ideas. This means that you need to explain your ideas in more detail so that your reader understands them fully. This could also include some examples of what you mean so that your ideas are even clearer.
One common mistake: I’ve seen lots of essays with lots of interesting, relevant ideas…but NONE of them are explained in any detail. It’s just a long list of good ideas. This restricts your band score for Task Response to a Band 5.
5. Write more than 250 words
If you develop your ideas properly, your essay is almost certainly going to have a word count well over 250 words. If you write less than 250 words, it’s likely that your ideas are not developed enough. So always aim to write more than 250 words.
Writing well over 300 words is not necessary. In fact, if you write too many words, your writing is likely to be repetitive, which can restrict your band score for Task Response to a Band 6. Aim for around 280 to 300 words.
6. Ideas First – Language Second
Many takers are understandably concerned about their language skills: they worry about the accuracy of their grammar, and they try to use “advanced” grammar and words. But this is the wrong way to approach writing an IELTS essay.
Instead, focus first on your ideas: when you plan and write, you should be asking yourself:
have I presented and explained my ideas clearly?
is the structure of my essay easy to follow?
You should NOT be asking yourself:
have I used enough complex sentences?
have I used lots of “advanced” words?
The role of vocabulary and grammar is to make your ideas clear. That’s all.
7. Use a clear, logical structure
Your essay should have a clear, logical structure:
every paragraph should have one central idea (e.g. the advantages of something, a discussion of one viewpoint, or one reason for writer’s opinion).
within each paragraph, your ideas should be gradually ‘unpacked’ and explained to the reader.
If your explanations are disorganised and repetitive, you won’t score more than Band 6 for both Task Response, and Coherence and Cohesion.
8. Use clear, concise, precise vocabulary
You should write your essay in a clear, concise style, not a “fancy” style with lots of long sentences. Don’t try to be Shakespeare! Just try to explain your ideas.
To do this well, use precise vocabulary. Explain your ideas precisely, using topic-specific vocabulary. Don’t be vague or too general. Be precise.
One very common mistake made by many test takers is throwing in “advanced” or “rare” words. They think this will get them a high band score for vocabulary. This approach usually fails, because it makes your ideas unclear and confusing.
9. Focus On Phrases, Not Words
Also, it’s important to understand that vocabulary is not just about individual words; it is about how words go with other words to form phrases and collocations. So when you choose vocabulary to explain your ideas, think about phrases and collocations, not just individual words.
10. Watch The Time
Timing is very important. Make sure you only spend around 20 minutes on Task 1. This will give you 40 minutes on Task 2. You will need 40 minutes to think about, plan, write and check a Task 2 essay. Many students spend too long on Task 1, which means they do not have enough time to write a good Task 2 essay.
Here’s how long I think you should spend on each part of the writing process:
Essay planning: 5 to 10 minutes
Writing: 25 to 30 minutes
Checking: 5 minutes
11. At The End Check Your Writing
When you have finished writing, spend a few minutes checking your essay. Make sure you check:
spelling
punctuation