Blogs 
Events 
About Us 
What is IELTS Writing Task 2?
IELTS Writing Task 2 is more than just a simple essay—it’s your opportunity to showcase your critical thinking and writing skills. You’ll be given a prompt on a specific topic, and your goal is to craft a well-organised, high-scoring essay that meets all IELTS requirements.
The IELTS writing task 2 questions assess your ability to present ideas, develop arguments, and use appropriate language structures effectively. The essay must be at least 250 words and should be completed within 40 minutes.
Types of IELTS Writing Task 2 Essays
IELTS Writing Task 2 covers many topics, ranging from education to technology. The topics that appear in IELTS Writing Task 2 are divided into categories based on their nature.
Here’s a breakdown of the types of essays that may appear in your IELTS test.
- Opinion Essay: You are asked to express your opinion on a statement and justify it with reasons and examples.
- Discussion Essay: These require you to discuss both sides of an issue and give your opinion.
- Advantages and Disadvantages Essay: You need to discuss a given topic's pros and cons.
- Problem and Solution Essay: You must identify problems related to a given issue and propose solutions.
- Direct Question/Double Question Essay: You must answer one or more direct questions about a topic.
Assessment & Marking/Scoring Criteria for IELTS Writing Task 2
In IELTS Writing Task 2, examiners evaluate your performance based on 4 main criteria, each accounting for 25% of your total score.
- Task response: The student will be assessed based on meeting all the task requirements. It includes the information provided, their perspective, and answering all parts of the questions.
- Coherence and Cohesion: The student is marked on using linking words, paraphrasing skills, and connectors. Furthermore, the number of paragraphs written is also taken into account.
- Lexical resource: Here, vocabulary usage, spellings, implementation of collocations, and word formation is determined.
- Grammatical range and accuracy: This tests your ability to use tenses, sentence construction, punctuations, and a combination of simple and compound sentences.
Each criterion is scored on a band scale from 0 to 9, and the average of these scores determines your final Writing Task 2 band score.
Whether you’re taking the Academic or General Training test, the structure and scoring criteria for IELTS Writing Task 2 remain the same.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Format
IELTS Writing Task 2 is more than just a simple essay—it’s your opportunity to showcase your critical thinking and writing skills.
Each type of essay in IELTS Writing Task 2 follows a specific format. Here’s how you should approach each category:
Opinion Essay
In an Opinion/Agree or Disagree essay, you must take a clear stand—either for or against the topic. These essays test your ability to support your opinions logically using examples, case studies, or relevant facts.
- Introduction: Paraphrase the question and state your opinion.
- Body Paragraph 1: Present your first reason with examples.
- Body Paragraph 2: Present your second reason with examples.
- Conclusion: Summarise your main points and restate your opinion.
Tip
Strengthen your argument using real-world examples and well-researched evidence.
Click here to learn more about Agree Or Disagree Essay with samples.
Discussion Essay
For discussion essays, you need to discuss both sides of the issue and present your personal viewpoint. These essays typically explore causes and effects, helping you analyse the broader implications of the topic.
- Introduction: Introduce the topic and outline both views.
- Body Paragraph 1: Explain the first viewpoint with supporting details.
- Body Paragraph 2: Explain the second viewpoint with supporting details.
- Conclusion: Provide your opinion (if required) and summarise the discussion.
Tip
Brainstorm thoroughly before writing to ensure both sides of the argument are well-represented, and your own opinion is clear.
Click here to learn more about Discussion/Positive or Negative Development Essays with samples.
Advantages and Disadvantages Essay
In an Advantages and Disadvantages essay, you'll weigh the pros and cons of a given topic.
- Introduction: Introduce the topic and state whether you will discuss both sides equally or provide a preference.
- Body Paragraph 1: Discuss the advantages with examples.
- Body Paragraph 2: Discuss the disadvantages with examples.
- Conclusion: Summarise your key points and provide a final thought.
Tip
Organise your essay by clearly outlining both the advantages and disadvantages before stating your overall opinion.
Click here to learn about the Advantages and Disadvantages IELTS Writing Essays.
Problem or Solution Essay
A problem or solution essay asks you to identify a common issue and suggest practical solutions. Your essay should explain the problem, its causes, and its effects on people or systems. The proposed solutions need to be realistic and well-developed.
- Introduction: Introduce the problem and its significance.
- Body Paragraph 1: Describe the problem in detail and its impact.
- Body Paragraph 2: Propose solutions with examples.
- Conclusion: Summarise the key points and suggest the most effective solution.
Tip
Focus on who caused the problem, who is affected, and what solutions are feasible.
Click here to learn how to solve Problem/Solution Essay Questions with samples.
Direct Question Essay
The direct question essay involves answering two related questions, often requiring you to explain causes and effects or suggest solutions.
- Introduction: Introduce the topic and outline both questions.
- Body Paragraph 1: Answer the first question with explanations and examples.
- Body Paragraph 2: Answer the second question with explanations and examples.
- Conclusion: Summarise both answers and provide a final opinion if needed.
Tip
Address each question separately with clear examples and avoid mixing answers.
Click here to learn how to solve Direct question Essay Questions with samples.
Commonly Asked IELTS Essay Topics in IELTS Writing Task 2
IELTS essay task 2 topics are commonly asked about the environment, society, culture, travel and technology. These questions are often general knowledge and familiar to the public, so we advise you to brush up on the latest news and topics!
Here are a few IELTS essay task 2 topics to ace your essay-writing game.
To excel in this section, practising different IELTS writing task 2 topics with answers is essential to understand the question types and develop effective strategies.
Master the IELTS with Leap's expertly designed courses, led by India’s top trainers, in dynamic, live online classes. Access class recordings and earn a certificate to showcase your achievement. Don’t wait — join the IELTS MasterClass today and achieve your dream score!
Link sent to your number
