IELTS Writing Task 2: Everything You Need to Know

As part of IELTS Writing Task 2, you are asked to write a response to a point of view, argument, or problem. Ensure that your essay is in a formal style, is at least 250 words long, and is completed in under 40 minutes.

How many writing tasks are there in IELTS Writing?

IELTS Writing involves two different tasks: task 1 and task 2. You will have 60 minutes to complete these tasks. Whereas it is suggested that you spend 20 minutes for task 1 and 40 minutes for task 2.

What is the length of the tasks?

In task 1, you have to write at least 150 words, and in task 2 you have to write at least 250 words.

How much weight does each task carry?

Task 2 carries more value. It carries around 67% of marks and task 1 carries almost 33% of marks. So, I recommend placing more emphasis on task 2.

IELTS Writing task 2 example question

Some people believe that schoolchildren should not be given homework by their teachers, whereas others argue that homework plays an important role in the education of children.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Writing task-2 question types

There are 5 most common types of questions in task 2 which are as follows.

Opinion essays
Discussion essays
Advantages and disadvantages essays
Problems and solutions essays/ causes and solutions
Mixed essays/ double-question essays

How to identify different question types?

1. Opinion essays

• With the increased usage of the internet, children are losing their interest in study and socialization.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
• Scientists and technology experts are more valued in society than musicians and artists.
To what extent do you agree?
• Some people say success is the best measure of intelligence. Others say that intelligence can be measured in other ways.
What is your opinion?

2. Discussion essays

• Some people think that exercise is the key to health. Others think that having a balanced diet is more important.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

• Some people believe that the internet has brought people closer together, while others feel that people and communities have become more isolated.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.

3. Advantages and disadvantages essays

• With the rise of e-books comes the decline of paper books. Some people see this as a good step forward, others do not.
What are the advantages of this trend?
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

• Multinational companies are becoming increasingly common in developing countries.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

4. Problems and solutions essay

• Many small businesses are being forced to close because they are unable to compete with multinational corporations.
What problems does it cause and how those problems can be solved?

• Nowadays more and more people have to compete with young people for the same jobs.
What problems does it cause?
What are the possible solutions?

5. Double question essays

• Most people believe that money cannot buy happiness.
Why is happiness difficult to define? How can people achieve happiness?

• Art and music are considered some of the fundamental elements of all societies.
Do you think art and music still have a place in the modern world of technology? Should children spend more time learning art and music at school?

5 simple steps for you to get ready for the Writing task-2

• Familiarize with the most common topics of IELTS writing task-2.
• Write on as many different topics as you can regularly
• Have your scripts checked by someone good at English, especially with an IELTS expert.
• Work on the feedback given by the IELTS expert.
• Take a few mock tests before you sit for the actual test.

Idea generation tips for task 2

When I first started mentoring IELTS candidates, I thought they would find the writing module very easy as Writing allows them to think before they write, unlike Speaking. What’s more, they find some time to think about what they are going to write. When one of my students performed exceedingly well securing 7 plus in all the modules but writing in the mock test, I began discovering the stumbling blocks and found that he found it challenging not because his grammar is not up to the mark, but because he cannot generate ideas when dealing with writing an essay. What to do to generate ideas? I’m sharing five tips to grow your idea generation power.

Make a list of vocabulary for the most common topics

Sometimes you might get into trouble lack of sufficient vocabulary. Even if you have ideas, you cannot express them. So a list of vocabulary can help you use topic-specific vocabulary efficiently.

Read sample essays, newspapers, and magazines, and keep note of good ideas, vocabulary, and sentence structures.

In authentic materials (newspapers, magazines, journals), you have access to articles from a series of different topics starting from education to business, culture, politics, sports, entertainment, and so on. When you read about various topics, you grow your knowledge on different aspects. In this way, you never fall short of ideas about what topic you confront.

Think of the topic from various perspectives at a time.

If you can instinctively, please do so. But if you cannot do so naturally, there is a short trick. Make questions with WH words (what, why, when, where, how, who) against the topic, and try to find as many answers as possible for that particular topic. It’s not necessary to find answers for all WH words for a single topic. Let’s look at an example.

Topic: With the increased usage of the internet, children are losing their interest in study and socialization.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Idea generation strategy:
What will happen if children fail to pay attention to study?
Dreams of their better career may fade away.
How are children get addicted to the internet?
They watch interesting videos and animated games, which makes them more addictive.
Why is accessed use of the internet detrimental?
It deteriorates eyesight and fuels eye strain.
Where does it impact if children cannot socialize due to their over engagement with the internet?

Poor adjustment in professional life can take place.

Asking yourself about any topics like that will automatically lead you to many ideas easily.

Write on various topics regularly

You’d be taken aback to know that idea generation is not solely about knowing deeply about the subject, but it is also being used to deal with unfamiliar topics. It’s simply a habit of thinking about incidents associated with life. Once you write on various topics regularly, you’ll be capable of mastering the art of generating ideas because it will require you to think from multiple angles.

Train your brain to make it an ‘idea domain’

Have you heard of mind-training? I assume yes. For IELTS, the ‘Train your brain for ideas’ strategy will lift your score and confidence sky-high. Let’s learn how to do this training.

Take a few topics and jot down only the ideas, not even any sentences. If you practice a few topics every day in this way, your brain will automatically generate ideas for you. After only a month of practice in this technique, you will feel the change.

How to boost your writing score?

• You should address all the parts of the essay that are asked in the question.
• Organize ideas and information logically with a clear progression throughout.
• Use cohesive devices appropriately
• Use less common lexical items along with collocations.
• Write a range of sentence structures bringing a variation to your essay.

IELTS Task-2 sample questions for practice

Some people think that the best way to succeed in life is to get a university education, while others disagree and say that it is no longer true nowadays. Discuss both views and give your own opinions.
In many countries, plastic shopping bags are the main source of rubbish. They cause water and land pollution, and so they should be banned. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Information technology is changing many aspects of our lives and now dominates our home, leisure and work activities. Do the benefits of information technology outweigh the disadvantages?
Some people believe that university students should pay all the costs of studies because university education only benefits students themselves, not society as a whole. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some think increasing business and cultural contact between nations is positive. Others think it leads to the disappearance of the national identity. Discuss both views and state your own opinion.
Many people like to eat unhealthy goods even though they know it’s bad for them. Why? What are the most effective ways to improve people’s eating habits?
Some people think there are not many things individuals can do to resolve environmental problems, while others believe that in order to tackle environmental problems individuals also need to take action. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
There is too much noise in many public places in cities. What are the causes of this problem? What can be done to solve the problem?
In many situations, people who break the law should be warned instead of punished. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some people think employers should not care about the way their employees dress, but the quality of work. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Some people think children should have the freedom to make mistakes, while others feel that adults should prevent children from making mistakes. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
Some people feel that the effects of advertising are positive for individuals and businesses, while others think they are negative. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
In many countries fast food is getting cheaper and more widely available. Do the disadvantages outweigh the advantages?
The government should lower the budget on the arts in order to allocate more money to education. To what extent do you agree?
The manufacturing and use of cars damage the environment but their popularity is increasing. Why is this happening? How could this be controlled?
Many people think that home-cooked food is healthy, but many people still prefer eating out. Why is this so? Provide specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Many people are now trying out different varieties of food which results in the consumption of ingredients from different parts of the world. Do you think this is a positive or negative development? Provide specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Do you think that aging society will disappear? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having more old people in society?
Many countries now face an economic downturn so it is better for each country to focus on its own problems rather than helping other countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
Crime is a growing problem on a global scale. Some think that crime prevention rather than punishment is the key to solving the problem. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Most common topics for IELTS Writing task-2

Health and fitness, coronavirus
Environment
Food and nutrition
Travel and tourism
Work and careers
Books, films and art
Education
Development
Globalization
Public transport
Criminal justice
Youth crime
Technology government spending
Social media
Advertising and media
Fashion and shopping
Language
Communication
Business
Art

In order to progress in IELTS Writing Task 2, you need to be practicing for a certain time. Improvements in Reading and Writing do not take place overnight. Nonetheless, if you follow the guidance I have outlined above, I hope things will be far easier for you. I on behalf of the British American Resources Center (BARC) wish you the best!

British American Resource Center