A Complete Guide on IELTS Writing Task 2
Writing Task 2 question types and scoring system are same for both GT and Academic IELTS. Therefore, our Writing Task 2 discussion applies to both Academic and General Training IELTS.
You will need to write an essay on IELTS Writing Task 2. This essay should be written in academic-style.
Don't panic about the topic. It will be from a very common area so that everyone can write about.
In IELTS Writing Task 2, you have to write at least 250 words. Never write less than 250, not even 249. If you write less than 250, you will lose marks. However, there is nothing wrong with writing a few more such as, 280-290 words.
What Examiners Expect
Before marking you, examiners look for the following four criteria in your writing:
Each of these criteria ​carry 25% of your total Writing section marks. That means, if you cannot meet one of these criteria in Task 2, you will lose 25% of your Writing Task 2 marks. Click on each item to go into the extensive discussion.
Use the Opportunity
You can demonstrate your free hand writing skill in IELTS Writing Task 2. Because this Task will be open and you can use more words than that of Task 1. You will be asked to expand your ideas in response to the question statements such as, opinion, discussion, advantage-disadvantages, and problem-solution etc. You should use this opportunity to impress the examiner, and avail your desired score.
For your best preparation in Task 2, we've given a huge volume of resources spread over hundreds of pages at this website. Make sure you navigate through all the links. However, click here if you need any help with your writing. We are happy to help you.
Know the Question Types
Mainly there are four types of questions that you might face in IELTS Writing Task 2. You need to have a clear understanding on all these question types. Don't forget to click on each title to go through the detailed discussion.
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Opinion (Agree/Disagree) Question
This question usually asks whether you agree or disagree with the given statement. That means the examiner expects you to take a side. Therefore, you have to state your position clearly and explain the supportive logic. Don't forget to click on the title for the details.
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In Opinion/Agree-Disagree question, you take a side and present your logic to establish why your position is stronger than the other way around. But in Discussion question, you need to discuss both sides of the logic. Check the title for the details.
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Problem solution essay is not just about listing the problems and the solutions. You have to explain your ideas. If you just give some points without expanding them, you cannot expect a good band score. Click on the title for an extensive discussion.
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Advantage/Disadvantage Question
There are three types of Advantage/Disadvantage question. How you respond will depend on which one of these three question types you are answering. Check the title for a complete discussion.
Essay Structure
There are so many writing structures that you might come across. Feel free to follow the one that you are most comfortable with. Because we know that one writing style might not suite for everyone. We will go with the structure that we follow, and we suggest our students check if this structure suits them.
We construct four paragraphs for an IELTS Writing Task 2 response:
We have discussed in detail how you can construct them. Check the links to see the complete guide.
A good plan is half of done. If you have made a plan, you don't need to do like think-write-think-write-delete-write-edit. Rather you can keep writing smoothly and confidently. This confidence will be very visible to the examiners when they will see your essay organization.
There are so many strategies to make a good plan for the Writing Task 2. You can follow whatever suits best for you. We have discussed our suggested plan which has already been proved very effective. Click on the title and see our step by step demonstration for Task 2 planning process.
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Remember, if you need our one to one help with your writing, please check our IELTS Writing Assist.
Don't forget to check the following resources: