IELTS Writing Task 2 – Tips, Essays & Practice Test Online In 2022

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a standardised test that evaluates the language skills of non-native speakers of English to understand, use and produce oral and written English. The IELTS test has four sections: Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking. The test is globally recognised by the British Council and approved by government agencies, such as Cambridge ESOL Examinations, for admissions to universities in the UK.

Here, we will be taking a detailed look at the IELTS Writing Task 2, which candidates often see as time-consuming and challenging to score even Band 6.

What is Band 6 IELTS Writing task 2?

IELTS writing task 2 band score of 6 requires the candidate to write an essay on the assigned topic clearly answering the question. The score varies based on the candidate’s density of errors while writing. Thus, it is essential to practice as many questions on various topics and analyse the essay based on the four marking criteria:

• Task Response (25%)
• Cohesion & Coherence (25%)
• Lexical Resources Vocabulary (25%)
• Accuracy & Grammar (25%)

The suggested essay word count is 250 words or more. The candidate can go beyond that, but that would consume more time. Besides, a higher word count doesn’t guarantee a higher band score.

Type of IELTS Essay

There are five different IELTS essay types that a candidate may get. Depending on the type of essay, the candidate has to frame their essay.

Opinion Essay: This essay presents the candidate with someone’s opinion, and they have to agree or disagree with it. The candidate needs to outline various views and put down their own opinion. The candidate may agree, disagree or show partial agreement to the question asked.

Discussion Essay: In the discussion essay, the candidate is asked to discuss both sides of a statement. For example: ‘Some people think exercise is the key to staying healthy, whereas others may think a balanced diet is enough to stay in shape and active. Discuss both these sides and give your opinion’. ‘ Here, the candidate can give a few examples and use their knowledge to support the answer.

Advantages & Disadvantages Essay: This is almost the same type of essay as the previous one. Here, the candidate needs to describe the advantages and disadvantages in relation to the given topic.

Direct Questions: This type of essay asks the candidates to answer the question(s) asked. The essay may have one, two, or three questions. One question doesn’t make the answering an easy process, and three questions do not make it hard. The candidate must try to answer them in a logical order.

Solutions Essay: In this essay type, a candidate is asked questions across three categories:

• Solution only
• Problem-solution
• Cause-solution

Example: A large population of America is falling prey to obesity. What are the possible solutions? Example: More trees are cut for urbanisation. What problem does this cause? What is the possible solution? Example: More children are becoming overweight in recent years. Why is this the case? What are the possible solutions?

7 Steps to a Band 6 in IELTS Writing Task 2

A band score may depend on various factors like the use of tenses, advanced vocabulary skills, grammatical errors, linking words, and paraphrasing. Here are 7 steps to achieve a band score of 6 in IELTS writing task 2.

Step 1: Answer all parts of the question

To get a band 6 or higher, a candidate must answer the questions in an organised way. The focus must be to answer all the parts of the given question. For example, in the advantages-disadvantages questions, the two body paragraphs must have both advantages and disadvantages. It is important to answer every part of the question asked in the essay such that it appears the candidate has understood the question and point raised completely.

Step 2: Present a clear position

As discussed above, the main idea should be clearly expressed in every paragraph. The candidate must present a clear position in each of the body paragraphs. This will demonstrate their thinking process while answering questions. Even if the candidate is answering both viewpoints, they should take a clear position throughout the essay.

Step 3: Structure your essay

In general, a good essay should have 4 to 5 paragraphs. The first paragraph is an introduction, whereas the last one should serve as the conclusion. Now, there can be 2 or 3 body paragraphs in an essay. There is no point in extending the number as this might confuse the IELTS examiner. To score band 6 or higher for cohesion, each paragraph should express a main idea with supporting statements.

Step 4: Use linking devices

Transition or linking word (connectors) will further help with improving the cohesion band score. A candidate should focus on creating one cohesive paragraph after another.

Step 5: Use a range of vocabulary

The band score also depends on the use of vocabulary related to the topic. The words should flow naturally and be easy to understand. There should be a natural collocation between two sentences or paragraphs. Furthermore, this essay should include idiomatic language/phrasal verbs. Make sure to check for spelling errors and avoid using very advanced or complex vocabulary. For your IELTS preparation to get a high band score, you must go through these terms thoroughly and enhance your vocabulary related to the various essay topics.

Step 6: Use correct grammatical structures

This dimension of the scoring is about the use of grammar and its accuracy in the essay. The main goal is to reduce grammatical errors. A mix of long and short sentences will improve the grammar score. The best way to avoid grammatical errors is to practise using simple sentence structures and hecking for different aspects of grammar.

Step 7: Review your essay thoroughly

A candidate should read the essay thoroughly to check if it sounds right. Even during the exam, the candidate should allocate at least 5 minutes of the time to read and check for errors. While reviewing the essay, keep in mind the following pointers:

• Have you used the right sentence structures?
• Did you use easy-to-pronounce words?
• Are the linking words used correctly?
• Did you address all the crucial points of the essay question?

These are some of the best tips to achieve Band 6 or higher in IELTS Writing Task 2.

Conclusion

In trying to improve your IELTS score, you should always look for ways to enhance your writing skills. This can only be achieved by practising and choosing the right resources. The best strategy is to pick one topic daily and create a checklist of all scoring criteria. To assist you with your preparation, Leap Scholar provides one-on-one assistance and a free masterclass to address every nitty-gritty of Writing Task 2.