IELTS Writing Task 2 Questions
Test Format
The second writing task in the IELTS exam is the same for the academic and general versions of the test.
In this task you need to write an essay of at least 250 words. As with task 1, there is no upper limit on how many words you can write.
Task 2 may ask you to:
- State how far you agree with a proposition and back up your opinion (agree/disagree essay);
- Discuss two opposing sides of an argument and give your opinion (balanced opinion essay);
- Explain the causes of a problem and suggest possible solutions (problem/solution essay).
Question Types
Click on the different question types below to see a full guide on how to answer such a question.
Scoring
The IELTS academic writing task 2 is graded accorded to four criteria:
- Task response – essentially, how well you have answered the question.
- Coherence and cohesion – whether your writing makes sense logically in the connections within and between sentences.
- Lexical resource – in other words, the width and depth of your vocabulary.
- Grammatical range and accuracy – whether you know more complex structures and are able to use them appropriately.
For a more in-depth look at the IELTS scoring, click here.
General Hints
The following tips should help you to answer any of the essay types:
- Your introduction needs to engage with the topic in the first sentence. A simple way to do this is to answer the question “why do we care about this issue (now)?”
- You should include your opinion in the introduction and rephrase it in the conclusion. These should be consistent and not contradicted in the body of the essay.
- Each body paragraph should have a clear topic statement or main idea. This should then be developed through explanation and examples.
