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IELTS Writing Task 2: Free Tips, Lessons & Model Essays

Success in IELTS writing task 2 is based on using the right techniques. These free tips, model essays, lessons, videos and information will help develop the skills for writing task 2. This page will teach you how to maximise your IELTS writing task 2 score. All lessons are on this page are for both GT and Academic writing task 2.

On this page, you will find for free:

• IELTS WRITING TASK 2 TEST INFORMATION
• PRACTICE ESSAY QUESTIONS
• ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR IELTS ESSAYS
• MODEL ESSAYS
• PRACTICE LESSONS (writing skills, topic ideas etc)

1. IELTS Writing Task 2 Test Information

Learn about your IELTS writing task 2 test. All lessons and tips on this page are for both Academic and GT writing task 2.

• IELTS Writing has two tasks: Task 1 (a report) and Task 2 (an essay).
• The total time is one hour for both tasks. You should spend only 40 mins on task 2.
• The time is yourself to manage. No one will tell you when to move from task 1 to task 2.
• The essay if a formal essay. You should not use informal language in your essay.
• The instructions say “write at least 250 words”. This means you need to write over 250 words.
• Writing task 2 is worth about 66% of your total writing score. Click here: Total Writing Score Calculations
• There are four marking criteria which you must learn about. Click here: WRITING T2 BAND SCORES & MARKING WITH TIPS

The Essay Task

Below is an example task you will be given in IELTS Writing Task 2.

• You will be given a topic.
• Topics contain specific issues or opinions that you must address.
• You are given a task, such as to discuss and give an opinion. 
• Examples are based on your experience of the world in general, not your personal life.
• There are FIVE ESSAY TYPES . 

2. IELTS Practice Essay Questions

Practice essay questions to help you prepare ideas for topics in IELTS writing task 2. These questions have been written based on questions reported by IELTS students.

Over 100 IELTS Essay Questions (repeated topics)

3. Essential IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips

The most important writing tips for a strong IELTS essay in writing task 2. Learn about the recommended essay length, how to plan your essay, when to give your opinion and how to write an introduction etc. Some videos linked below are old, but still 100% relevant today. Click below:

Essay Structure & Paragraphing

Key Linking Words List

Types of IELTS Essays

Essay Planning Tips

Paraphrasing Tips & Examples

Common Essay Topics

When & How to give your opinion

Video  Using the last 5 minutes

4. IELTS Model Essays

IELTS Essays have a specific format, structure, style and band score requirements. These model essays are at band 9 and illustrate how an IELTS writing task 2 essay should be written. Use them as a guide to creating an essay suitable for a high band score in IELTS. Remember, language only counts for about 50% of your marks, the rest is IELTS essay techniques.

• Agree Disagree Opinion Essay: Health
• Advantages & Disadvantages Essay: Language
• Cause  Solution Essay: Crime & Punishment
• Direct Questions Essay: Happiness
• Opinion Essay: Social Media
• Discussion Essay: Work
• Do Advs Outweigh Disavs Essay: Reading
• Direct Questions Essay: Family
• Direct Questions Essay: Art
• Positive or Negative Development: Social Media
• 2 Model Essays about Economy & Money /Buildings
• Model Essay & Question for Topic of Education
• Two Question Essay: Technology
• IELTS ESSAY TOPICS FOR 2024

More Writing Task 2 Tips

• Ideas for Topics Tips with Band Score Info
• Deleting Words in your Essay
• Should I indent the first word of my paragraphs?
• 10 sentences to avoid in your IELTS essay
• Video:  How to add examples to your essay
• Tips: Under Words Penalty
• Can you use quotes, idioms or proverbs in your essay?
• Handwriting: Using cursive writing or not
• Video : Grammar – How to Add a Clause
• Video : Grammar – Connecting Sentences

5. Practice Lessons for Writing Task 2

Various lessons for: IELTS Essay Writing Skills, Topics, Language 

• Improving Sentences for a Higher Score
• Essay Ideas: Advertising to Children in Schools
• Essay Topics for 2024
• IELTS Essay Topics Prediction 2022
• Grammar Test : Using “the” with countries and nationalities
• Paraphrasing Practice
• Using Passive Voice for Giving Opinions
• Essay Ideas: Employment Competition
• Essay Ideas: The Importance of History
• Essay Ideas: Housing & Trees 
• Essay Ideas: International Aid
• Essay Ideas: City Transport
• Essay Ideas: Salaries
• Essay Ideas: Function of Schools
• Essay Ideas: Female Staff in Senior Positions
• Writing Skills: Punctuation Practice
• Writing Skills: Linking Word Practice
• Essay Ideas: Littering in Cities
• Listen and Write Dictation: Natural Disasters
• Discussion Essay with Feedback: Music Topic
• Writing Skills: Improving Sentences: Ebooks Topic
• Essay Ideas: Banning Mobile Phones
• Two Question Essay with Feedback: Judging Business Success
• Essay Ideas: Tourism and Local Communities
• Essay Ideas: Traffic & Pollution
• Writing Skills: Improving a Thesis Statement
• Writing Skills: Improving Sentences (1)
• Essay Ideas: Handwriting Skills
• Essay Ideas: Older or Younger Leaders
• Writing Skills: Introduction Feedback
• Writing Skill: Opinion Essay Introduction Feedback
• Writing Skills: Opinion Essay Body Paragraphs
• Writing Skills: Opinion Essay Introduction
• Writing Skills: Opinion Essay Finding Main Points
• Writing Skills: Thesis Statement
• Essay Ideas: Public Services .

………………

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• IELTS Essay

How to Write an IELTS Essay

In this introductory lesson you will find some guidance on how you should write an  IELTS essay .

There are then more lessons on the following pages for different types of essay and different questions, with lots of tips and strategies for achieving a high score. 

You can also watch a video of this lesson:

Essay Types

It is important to learn about IELTS essays because there are different essay types, and these will require different ways to answer them.

However, as you will see from the guidance on this page, they can all follow the same basic structure.

These are some of the types of IELTS essays you can get in the test: 

• Agree / disagree
• Discuss two opinions
• Advantages & disadvantages
• Causes (reasons) & solutions
• Causes (reasons) & effects
• Problems & solutions

Not every essay will fit one of these patterns, but many do.

You may get some of these tasks mixed up. For example, you could be asked to give your opinion on an issue, and then discuss the advantages or disadvantages of it.

The golden rule is to  ALWAYS read the question very carefully  to see exactly what you are being asked to do.

The second lesson explains more about analysing essay questions. 

How do I Write an IELTS Essay?

In order to answer this, lets first look at a sample question:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

In the last 20 years there have been significant developments in the field of information technology (IT), for example the World Wide Web and communication by email. However, these developments in IT are likely to have more negative effects than positive in the future.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

An IELTS essay is structured like any other essay; you just need to make it shorter. There are three key elements:

• Introduction
• Body Paragraphs

We will look at each of these in turn, using the essay question above as an example.

1) Introduction

You should keep your introduction for the IELTS essay short. Remember you only have 40 minutes to write the essay, and some of this time needs to be spent planning. Therefore, you need to be able to write your introduction fairly quickly so you can start writing your body paragraphs.

You should do just two things:

• State the topic of the essay, using some basic facts (that you may be able to take from the question)
• Say what you are going to write about

Here is an example introduction for the above essay question about IT:

The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have brought many benefits to the world, I strongly believe that these developments in IT will result in more negative impacts than positive.

As you can see, the first sentence makes sure it refers to the topic (IT) and uses facts about IT taken from the question. Note that these are paraphrased - you must not copy from the rubric!

The second part then clearly sets out the what the essay will be about and confirms the writers opinion (some questions may not ask for your opinion, but this one does). The writer clearly agrees as he/she thinks there will be more negative impacts.

View this lesson for more advice on writing IELTS essay introductions.

2) Body Paragraphs

For an IELTS essay, you should have 2 or 3 body paragraphs - no more, and no less.

For your body paragraph, each paragraph should contain one controlling idea, and have sentences to support this.

Lets look at the first paragraph for the essay about IT. The essay is about the benefits and drawbacks of IT, so these will need to be discussed in separate paragraphs.

Here is the first body paragraph:

On the positive side, email has made communication, especially abroad, much simpler and faster. This has resulted in numerous benefits for commerce and business as there is no need to wait weeks for letters or take time sending faxes, which was the case in the past. Furthermore, the World Wide Web means that information on every conceivable subject is now available to us. For example, people can access news, medical advice, online education courses and much more via the internet.  These developments have made life far easier and more convenient for many.

The controlling idea in this first paragraph is the 'benefits of IT', and there are two supporting ideas, which are underlined. No drawbacks are discussed as the paragraph would then lose coherence.

Most of the essay will focus on the negative aspects of IT, as the writer says there are more negative effects in the introduction. So the next two paragraphs are about these.

The topic sentence in the next paragraph therefore tells us we are changing the focus to the negative points:

Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For example, many people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional forms of communication such as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation. This could result in a decline in people's basic ability to socialize and interact with each other on a day-to-day basis.

The final body paragraph gives the last negative effect:

In addition, the large size of the Web has meant that it is nearly impossible to regulate and control. This has led to many concerns regarding children accessing unsuitable websites and the spread of computer viruses. Unfortunately, this kind of problem might even get worse in the future at least until more regulated systems are set up.

3) Conclusion

The conclusion only needs to be one or two sentences, and you can do the following:

• Re-state what the essay is about (re-write the last sentence of your introduction in different words)
• Give some thoughts about the future

Here is an example:

In conclusion, developments in IT have brought many benefits, yet I believe that these are outweighed by the drawbacks. In the future these will need to be addressed if we are to avoid damaging impacts on individuals and society.

The Full IELTS Essay

The last two decades have seen enormous changes in the way people's lives are affected by IT, with many advances in this field. However, while these technological advances have brought many benefits to the world, I strongly believe that these developments in IT will result in more negative impacts than positive.

Nevertheless, the effects of this new technology have not all been beneficial. For example, many people feel that the widespread use of email is destroying traditional forms of communication such as letter writing, telephone and face-to-face conversation. This could result in a decline in people's basic ability to socialize and interact with each other on a day-to-day basis.

(290 Words)

The IELTS essay introduction talks in general about the increasing use of IT, thus introducing the topic well. The thesis then clearly sets out the writers opinion.

The following paragraph mentions the present benefits of these developments, but the opening sentence in the third paragraph is a qualifying statement (Nevertheless, not all the effects... ), so the writer can now focus on the negative elements.

The fourth paragraph provides two other negative examples (lack of regulation, viruses). Both paragraphs suggest that these problems will continue in the future.

The essay concludes with a clear opinion that agrees with the statement.

Overall, it is a well-balanced text that mentions the present situation ( ...this has made life.. .) but importantly, also refers to the future of IT (. ..likely to increase..., might get worse. ..).

Now you know the basics of writing an IELTS Essay, you can go on and look at further sample essays or if you prefer, check out the next lessons for Writing Task 2.

More Task 2 IELTS Lessons:

How to Identify the Topic of an IELTS Essay Question

In IELTS you must identify the topic of your essay as this is a key to making sure your essay is on topic.

Using Pronouns to Improve IELTS Essay Coherency

Find out how to use pronouns to improve your coherency for IELTS task 2 essays.

The 3 Types of IELTS Opinion Essays in IELTS

IELTS opinion essays in IELTS can be placed into three types. This lesson explains the different types and how to analyse these essay questions.

Transitional Phrases for Essays

Learn transitional phrases for essays to get a band 7 or higher in your IELTS writing for coherence and cohesion.

Thesis Statement Tips for IELTS Essays

Your thesis statement in an IELTS essay should be written quickly and concisely. Use these tips to do that.

Can you use Personal Pronouns in Essays for IELTS?

Learn how to use personal pronouns in essays for IELTS correctly. Can you use "I", "we" and "you"?

Requirements for IELTS Band 7 in Writing

Getting to an IELTS Band 7 is a struggle for many candidates. This lesson explains exactly what you have to do to reach this band score.

IELTS Problem Solution Essay Strategies and Tips

In IELTS problem solution essays you have to discuss a particular issue and present ideas to solve that problem.

Using Substitution in IELTS to Improve Writing Coherency

You can use substitution in your IELTS essays in order to improve coherency and coherence.

Writing an IELTS Essay Introduction

Tips on how to write an introduction for an IELTS essay introduction in a quick and easy way.

Writing an IELTS Essay Conclusion

The IELTS essay conclusion is the final part of your IELTS essay. This lesson guides you on how to write a conclusion quickly but effectively.

Generating ideas for IELTS essays for writing task 2

Generating ideas for IELTS essays for writing task 2 can be difficult but complex ideas are not expected.

IELTS Advantage Disadvantage Essay Tips and Strategies

An advantage disadvantage essay is one type of essay that you may get in the test. This lesson shows how to write a pros cons essay.

Paragraph Writing for IELTS: Building strong arguments

This paragraph writing lesson provides tips on constructing the best paragraphs for your IELTS essay.

Tips on How to Score IELTS Band 8 in Writing and Speaking

To score IELTS Band 8 you need to understand exactly what is in the IELTS Band Descriptors for an 8 for writing and speaking first.

How to use brainstorming and planning to generate essay ideas.

Brainstorming and planning is a key step in developing your IELTS essay. This lesson has tips on how to coming up with ideas and organising them.

IELTS Task Response - 25% of your essay grade

The IELTS Task Response criteria in the scoring makes up 25% of your band score for your essay.

How to Identify the Task in an IELTS Essay

Learn how to identify the task in an IELTS task 2 essay question. This is one of the most important steps in responding to an essay question.

IELTS Music Essay: Understanding a Complex Question

An IELTS essay about music is used to show you how to answer a more complex IELTS essay question that does not have a clear 'task' given to you.

Improving Writing Coherence for IELTS essays

25% of the writing grade is on how you organise your essay so this lesson shows you how to improve your writing coherence.

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IELTS Writing Task 2: ✍️ Everything You Need to Know

When helping students prepare for the IELTS test, one of the biggest fears is how to do well in IELTS Writing Task 2. 

IELTS Writing Task 2 is the second part of the writing test, where you are presented with a point of view, argument or problem and asked to write an essay in response. Your essay should be in a formal style, at least 250 words in length and you should aim to complete it in under 40 minutes. 

IELTS Writing Task 2: Everything You Need to Know

In this video, I’ll outline exactly what you must do to create an IELTS Writing Task 2 essay that could score a Band 7, 8 or 9.

It doesn’t matter if you’re new to IELTS or if you’ve failed the exam before – I’ve broken everything down into a simple 3-step process that anyone can use to improve their scores! Watch the video above to find out what they are.

5 Steps to a Band 7 in IELTS Writing Task 2

1. Understand the question.

You must understand the question before you attempt to answer it. This way, you’ll know exactly what the examiner is looking for. One of the biggest mistakes students make is not answering the question fully, which stops them from getting a score higher than a Band 5.

To analyse the question , you must first identify the question type, then identify the keywords in the question and finally identify the instructions words. This will help you understand exactly what the examiner wants you to do with the question.

2. Plan your answer.

The students who get the highest marks in Writing Task 2 always plan their answers for up to 10 minutes. Planning helps you organise your ideas and structure your essay before you write it, saving you time and helping you produce a clear and coherent essay.

3. Write an introduction.

The introduction should answer the question directly. This tells the examiner that you know what you are doing straight away and helps you write your main body paragraphs.

4. Write the main body paragraphs.

This is where you give the examiner more detail . You do this by stating your main points and supporting these with explanations and relevant examples.

5. Write a conclusion.

In your conclusion , you should provide a summary of what you already said in the rest of your essay.

4 Ways to Improve your Score in IELTS Writing Task 2

Many people know they need to improve their writing skills but don’t know how to do it. Here are 4 ways you can boost your score in Writing Task 2:

1. Understand the exam.

You must first understand what IELTS Writing Task 2 is, what you are expected to do and how to give the examiners what they want. This is the first stage and one that is often overlooked.

There are many online resources, often with conflicting and poor-quality information, so finding a reliable source of information is key.

2. Identify your weak areas.

If your car breaks down, you would try and identify which part caused the problem. If you get sick, your doctor will run tests to determine the exact cause of your symptoms.

IELTS Writing Task 2 is the same. We must first identify WHY you are not getting the score you need before we can help you improve.

However, be very careful! You wouldn’t ask the average man on the street for medical advice, so make sure you find someone who knows what they are doing and has the expertise to help you with this.

3. Fix the problems.

Now that we know what the problems are, we must fix them.

If your grammar needs work, fix those issues. If your vocabulary is lacking, work on fixing this issue.

Just as a good doctor can help you fix a medical problem, a good IELTS teacher can help you fix your specific issues.

4. Practice and get feedback.

Practice alone will not help you. It is an essential part of your preparation, but you must also get feedback on your work if you are really going to improve.

You wouldn’t try to teach yourself how to drive without an instructor, would you?

Find someone who will give you accurate and helpful feedback on your work. Otherwise, you will not be able to move to the last stage.

Now that you have understood what you need to do, identified the exact areas you need to work on, improved those areas, and received feedback on your work, you are now ready to get the IELTS Writing Task 2 score you deserve.

Writing Task 2 Structures 

I want to warn you about structures because they are not a magic wand that will help you automatically get a higher score. They WILL help you, but please realise that they are just a small part of your overall score.

These structures provide a sentence-by-sentence template for all the main Task 2 question types, making your job much easier on exam day.

• Task 2 Essay Structures

Essential Writing Task 2 Skills 

No matter how good your English is, you must still learn IELTS writing skills before taking the Writing Task 2 test. These helpful guides will take you through each of these skills step-by-step:

• How to Plan an Essay

Making a good plan actually saves you time when you write your essay. This guide will show you how to plan and write a clear essay every time.

• How to Think of Relevant Ideas

This guide provides 5 different methods to help you quickly think of relevant ideas that are directly linked to the question.

• How to Write a Complex Sentence

Complex sentences help you boost your score for grammar. They are actually very simple to write and are not complex at all.

• How to Paraphrase

Paraphrasing is one of the essential IELTS skills for all parts of the IELTS test. You should paraphrase the question in the very first sentence of your essay to help boost your vocabulary score in Writing Task 2.

• How to Write a Supporting Paragraph

Supporting paragraphs are the main body paragraphs and are the meat in the sandwich. This is where you provide the detail the examiner is looking for in the form of explanations and examples.

• How to Write a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement tells the examiner your opinion. Many IELTS Writing Task 2 questions specifically ask for your opinion, and if you don’t write it clearly, you have not answered the question properly. This article shows you how, where and when to give your opinion.

How many words should I write?

Around 250 words? Exactly 250 words or over 250 words? How many words over? How do I know how many words I have? Will I lose marks if I write too many words? This article answers all those questions.

• How to Understand and Analyse Any Question

A critical part of answering any question. This article shows you how to break down any Task 2 question and identify the keywords, micro-keywords and instruction words to help you answer the question effectively.

• How to Write a Great Introduction

The introduction is the first thing the examiner reads; therefore, we must give them a good first impression. I share a very specific sentence-by-sentence structure in this article to help you write introductions quickly and effectively.

• Task 2 Marking Criteria 

Do you know how Task 2 is marked? What is the difference between a Band 5 and a Band 8 answer? This article breaks down the marking criteria and explains it in simple language so you can give the IELTS examiners exactly what they want.

• How to Write a Conclusion

A good conclusion should be a summary of your main points. The conclusion is the last thing the examiner reads, and if you can write a good one, you will leave them with a very good impression.

• Using Examples

Each of your supporting paragraphs should have a specific example that supports and illustrates your main point. This is an essential skill to learn if you want to get one of the higher band scores.

• Cohesive Devices

Cohesive devices (sometimes called linking words) are one of the most misunderstood and misused elements of writing. Therefore, you must learn how to use them and when to use them.

• The Danger of Synonyms

While synonyms are very important, they can also really reduce your mark if used incorrectly.

• Paragraphing and Editing

This article will show you how to make your writing as clear and as easy to read as possible. It will also advise you on whether to use a pen or pencil.

• IELTS Writing Task 2: 8 Steps to Success

Read this blog now to access our 61-page Task 2 strategy.

• IELTS Writing Tips

I have compiled these tips after years of teaching IELTS, and all of them have been approved by IELTS examiners.

• Coherence and Cohesion

This is a video lesson that shows you in practical terms how to improve your coherence and cohesion score.

Writing Task 2 Common Topics 

Knowing the common topics can help you prepare for the test more efficiently. Here are the 10 most common topics over the last few years. Studying hard is great, but don’t forget to study smart.

The article below will show you the top 10 most common IELTS topics.

• Most Common Task 2 Topics 

Full IELTS Writing Task 2 Practice Lessons 

Here are some lessons that I have used when teaching students about IELTS Writing Task 2. I have changed them so that you can easily learn from home. They are very long but contain all the necessary information combined with the skills above.

• Agree or Disagree (Opinion) Lesson

In this lesson, we look at how to tackle an ‘agree or disagree’ question. Many people worry about whether to take one side of the other or discuss both sides. Additionally, people also worry about how to deal with ‘To what extent’ question types. We allay all of these fears in this lesson.

• Discussion Essay Lesson

‘Discuss both views’ questions often confuse people because you are asked to do many things in one essay. As such, it is very important to remember that the question asks you to discuss BOTH views AND give YOUR opinion.

• Problem and Solution Essay Lesson

These questions are much easier than you think. You probably discuss problems and solutions in your day-to-day life all the time. Keep it simple.

• Advantages and Disadvantages Lesson 

There are a couple of different types of advantages and disadvantages questions. This lesson will show you how to answer them.

• Writing Task 2 Exercise with Video

Writing is a skill, and just like any other skill, it is important to practice to improve.

• From Band 6.5 to 8 Demo Lesson

This is my most comprehensive free lesson on IELTS Writing Task 2. We show you how we took one VIP student from Band 6.5 to an amazing 8.

Sample Answers

You must have some good examples to compare your writing and see if you are on the right track. Click the link below for lots of sample answers and over 100 questions.

Task 2 Sample Answers

• Agree or Disagree Sample Essays
• Task 2 Band 9 Sample Essay
• Latest Real Task 2 Questions
• Official Sample Test Questions
• Cambridge Sample Questions
• Free Practice Test
• How To Use Task 2 Samples
• Recent Confusing Questions
• IELTS Writing Practice Guide

IELTS Writing Task 2 Essential Information

• You must write an essay in response to a question.
• You must write 250 words or more.
• Task 2 is worth 2/3 of your total mark on the Writing test.
• You should spend around 40 minutes on this part of the test.
• General Training and Academic are essentially the same for Task 2. However, they are different for Task 1.
• There are certain types of questions that you will be asked, for example, opinion, discussion etc. See below for more detail on these.
• Task Achievement (25%)
• Coherence and Cohesion (25%)
• Lexical Resource (25%)
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy (25%)

Grammar and Vocabulary

Grammar is one of the four things you will be marked on in the Writing Task 2 test. Finding out what your common grammar mistakes are and then fixing them is a very powerful way to boost your score in this area. Here are some common grammar mistakes I have found after making hundreds of tests.

• Top 10 Grammar Mistakes

For most IELTS students, the problem is not grammar in general. In fact, it is usually just 1-2 problem areas. Therefore, when you fix these main weaknesses, you’ll be able to improve your grammar and your writing score dramatically.

• Using Personal Pronouns

Hint- They aren’t as big of a deal as you think.

See the interactive tool below for the answers to the most commonly asked questions we receive about IELTS Writing Task 2: 

IELTS Writing Task 2 FAQs

How can i improve my writing.

You will find all the resources you need on our Writing Task 2 page. Click the link below:

Writing Task 2

We also have two Task 2 courses for those that need to improve their Task 2 skills and strategy. They are both based online and completely free of charge. Learn more about them below:

Task 2 5 Day Challenge

Task 2 Essay Builder

If you need serious help or personalised feedback, you should check out our VIP Course. There is a waiting list, but you can add your name here:

How can I get a Band 7, 8 or 9?

The answer to this question is different for every individual IELTS student, as it depends on a number of factors, including your work ethic, English skills and exam strategy. You'll find a guide to answering this question in this article

If you need serious help with improving your IELTS scores, you should check out our online writing course. There is a waiting list, but you can add your name by clicking the link below:

Can you correct my writing?

Please click the link below and it will give you all the information you need about our writing correction service:

Writing Correction Service

Do you have any sample answers?

Yes, you will find them at the link below:

Will using 'high level' or 'academic' words help me improve my score?

Probably not.

Read my recent article about IELTS vocabulary here:

5 Things You Need to Know about IELTS Vocabulary

Can I use idioms?

No, you should not write idioms for Task 2.

Can I use personal pronouns?

You should avoid using personal pronouns, but it is fine to use them when giving your personal opinion.

Do you write a conclusion for Task 2?

Yes, it is very difficult to get a good score in Task 2 if you haven't finished your essay with a conclusion. You will find an in-depth lesson on conclusions here:

How to Write an Effective Task 2 Conclusion

How many paragraphs should I write?

Most IELTS task 2 essays follow the same basic four paragraph structure:

• Introduction
• Supporting Paragraph 1
• Supporting Paragraph 2

However, you can find more comprehensive help with structuring your Task 2 essays here:

5 Day Challenge

Do I need to plan my essay?

I would highly recommend planning your essay. A good plan acts like a map that guides you through the essay, ensuring that you give the examiner exactly what they need to award you the score you need. You can find help with planning your essays here: How to Plan an IELTS Essay

You must write at least 250 words in Writing Task 2.

I would suggest that you aim to write around 270-280 words in total. Aiming for 20-30 words more than the required amount makes you more likely to reach the word limit without setting an unrealistic goal.

Will I lose marks if I don't write enough words?

Yes, if you don't write the required number of words, you will lose marks in 'Task Achievement' for not answering the question fully. Read more here .

Can I use contractions?

No, should not use contractions when you are writing an academic essay.

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IELTS Task 2 Essay Structure: How to Write a Band 9 IELTS Essay

Struggling with the IELTS essay section? Can't figure out how to lay down your thoughts into an organized masterpiece? Trust us, you're not alone, and you've just clicked your way to a solution! Today, we're not just skimming the surface; we're diving deep, real deep, into the step-by-step blueprint for crafting that elusive Band 9 IELTS essay. 🌟

You're probably thinking, "Another guide? Really?" But hold on—what sets this post apart is its practical, hands-on approach. No fluff, just actionable insights that you can apply right away. And guess what? These insights are fortified by the treasure trove of tips found in our comprehensive eBooks . If you haven't got your hands on them yet, it's about time! These eBooks are like your IELTS Swiss Army knife, covering everything from crafting compelling introductions to summing up your arguments with finesse. Trust us; you won't want to walk into the exam room without this knowledge arsenal at your disposal.

So, fasten your seatbelts and keep your notebooks ready, because we're about to take your IELTS writing skills from "Meh" to "Wow!" Shall we get started? 🚀

Key Elements of an IELTS Essay

Navigating the complex structure of an IELTS essay can feel like a daunting task. But fret not, as we're here to demystify each critical element that contributes to crafting a compelling essay that even impresses seasoned IELTS examiners. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get down to business.

The Thesis Statement: Your Guiding Light

Picture the thesis statement as your GPS coordinates for a successful essay—it tells the reader exactly where you're headed. Nestled within the closing lines of your introduction, a robust thesis statement can help keep your essay focused. For example, if you've ever wondered how to distill your entire argument into one or two sentences, you'll find actionable strategies in our in-depth eBooks to help you craft a spot-on thesis.

Topic Sentences: Steering Your Paragraphs

Imagine going on a road trip without a map; you're bound to get lost. Similarly, topic sentences serve as navigational guides for each paragraph. They set the stage for what you're about to discuss, helping your reader—and, more importantly, the examiner—follow your logic with ease. If you find that your topic sentences often lack clarity or focus, the feedback you receive from our IELTS Essay Correction Service can be an eye-opener. Our experienced examiners guide you on how to refine your topic sentences for maximum coherence and impact.

Supporting Ideas: The Muscle Behind Your Argument

Topic sentences alone won't win the day; you need solid supporting ideas to back them up. Whether you're citing statistical data, recounting personal experiences, or offering logical explanations, varied and robust support strengthens your essay considerably. If you've used our Essay Correction Service , you'll notice that examiners often highlight the strength or weakness of your supporting details, giving you a crystal-clear idea of what to retain and what to improve upon.

Crafting a Smart Conclusion

Finishing strong is as vital as starting strong. A well-crafted conclusion does more than just recap your essay; it offers a fresh perspective on your thesis statement. It serves as the final imprint you'll leave on the examiner, so make it count. If you're struggling with this, our eBooks   delve deep into techniques for formulating conclusions that resonate.

By understanding and applying these key elements, you not only improve your essay but also significantly boost your chances of achieving that elusive Band 9. So, the next time you find yourself staring at a blank screen, remember these guidelines and the valuable insights you can gain from our eBooks   and Essay Correction Service .

IELTS Task 2 Essay Structure: A Step-by-Step Guide

Embarking on your IELTS essay journey can sometimes feel like navigating a labyrinth. But fret not, for we’re here to break down the process into simple, actionable steps. We'll also employ a sample question from a past IELTS exam to give you an illustrative roadmap for your own essays.

Step 1: Analyse the Question

The first step in writing a compelling IELTS essay is understanding the question like the back of your hand.

Why is this so important?

A misinterpretation could lead you down a path that results in a poorly focused essay. The sample question in our example asks,

"Do governments spend too much money on projects to protect wildlife? Is it a waste of resources?"

This question requires you to evaluate governmental spending on wildlife projects and decide if it constitutes a waste of resources. This isn't just a yes-or-no question; it calls for a nuanced discussion that covers multiple angles of government spending and wildlife conservation.

Our eBooks   delve into the complexities of question analysis, offering strategic insights on identifying keywords and understanding the context—essential skills that can elevate the quality of your essay.

Step 2: Create a Perfect Outline

After decoding the question, you'll need to draft a solid outline, which acts as the skeleton of your essay.

How detailed should the outline be?

Your outline should specify what each paragraph will discuss and list the points you plan to cover. Having an outline ensures that your essay remains focused and coherent, preventing you from wandering off-topic. And if outlining is a challenge for you, don't worry. Our eBooks   and Essay Correction Service provide tailored guidance to help you organize your thoughts effectively, pinpointing areas where you can improve your structuring skills.

Step 3: Write an Effective Introduction

The introduction is your first opportunity to make a strong impression. Think of it as rolling out the red carpet for your reader or, in this case, the IELTS examiner. A well-crafted introduction sets the tone for the entire essay, so it's crucial to get it right.

Paraphrase the Question

The first thing you should do is paraphrase the original question. This serves a dual purpose: it demonstrates your language proficiency and ensures that you are focused on the topic at hand. A well-paraphrased question shows that you comprehend the nuances and intricacies of the subject.

For example, the original question might be: "Do governments spend too much money on projects to protect wildlife? Is it a waste of resources?"

A paraphrased version could be: "Is the financial investment by governments in wildlife conservation initiatives justified, or does it squander valuable resources?"

State Your Stance - Give a Preview

After paraphrasing, you'll need to assert your stance on the topic. This not only establishes the direction of your essay but also piques the examiner's interest. It's a sneak preview of the argument you're about to unfold. In our ongoing example, you could clearly indicate your position by saying, "Far from being a waste, investing in wildlife preservation projects is an essential and responsible use of governmental resources."

When you craft your introduction this way, you’re not only laying out a roadmap for your essay but also giving the examiner a glimpse into your analytical and language skills. And remember, if constructing an impactful introduction feels overwhelming, our Essay Correction Service can provide tailored feedback to help you improve this crucial segment. We offer detailed commentary on how effectively you've introduced your topic and stated your stance, complete with actionable tips for enhancement.

This approach ensures that you're well-prepared for the subsequent body paragraphs and conclusion, supported by insights you can gain from our eBooks   .

Step 4: Construct the Convincing Body Paragraphs

The body of the essay is where you bring your arguments to life. It's not just about stating facts; it’s about weaving a compelling narrative backed by evidence.

Why is the body so vital?

Well, imagine the body as the engine room of your essay. If it doesn't function well, the entire essay suffers. You should aim for at least two to three body paragraphs, each guided by a topic sentence that supports your thesis statement.

Say, for example, you want to argue that spending money on wildlife preservation isn’t a waste of resources. You might want to include real-life instances where governmental investment has made a significant impact on wildlife conservation. By consistently using the same example, you not only make your essay more cohesive but also offer tangible proof to back your argument.

Here, our Essay Correction Service becomes indispensable. It can provide real-time, personalized insights into your strengths and weaknesses, ensuring your body paragraphs are as strong as they can be. You'll receive feedback about your logical flow, use of examples, and even your grammatical structures.

Step 5: Wrap It Up with a Strong Conclusion

The conclusion is not merely a summary; it's your final chance to impress the reader.

What should a strong conclusion contain?

Begin by reiterating your thesis statement, but don’t just copy and paste—show that you've come a full circle in your argument. Next, summarize the key points you’ve discussed in the body paragraphs. Finally, if possible, include a thought-provoking statement or a call to action to leave a lasting impression on the examiner.

For example, you could conclude by saying, "In light of the successful wildlife preservation initiatives funded by governments, it’s evident that such investments are not just a necessary expenditure but a long-term investment for a sustainable future."

Through our Essay Correction Service , you can get targeted feedback on your conclusion, making sure it’s the cherry on top of a compelling essay. The service emphasizes the elements that can turn a good conclusion into a great one, helping you to maximize your IELTS essay score.

So there you have it! A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to constructing a Band 9 IELTS essay. Armed with this knowledge and the resources from our invaluable eBooks   and Essay Correction Service , you're more than ready to tackle any IELTS essay question that comes your way.

Practical Tips and Strategies: Elevate Your IELTS Writing Skills

When it comes to mastering the art of IELTS essay writing, it's not just about what you write; it's also about how you write it. Let's delve into some crucial strategies and tips, supported by unique resources like our IELTS Essay Correction Service and eBooks   , that can elevate your IELTS essay to Band 9 quality.

Get a Band 7 and above in IELTS Writing

Writing a top-notch IELTS essay is a challenging endeavor that requires attention to detail, a sound understanding of the English language, and the ability to construct compelling arguments. This is where our Essay Correction Service comes in handy. Unlike generic feedback you might find online, this service is tailored to your unique needs. Real examiners will review your essay and provide comprehensive feedback. They'll point out your errors, explain why they are mistakes, and offer corrective measures. Plus, you'll receive a Band 9 sample response for direct comparison. Knowing exactly where you stand can significantly improve your confidence and performance.

Download the Exclusive eBooks Written by Examiners

You've heard it before, "practice makes perfect," but informed practice can make you exceptional! Our eBooks   provide you with actionable tips, comprehensive strategies, and in-depth analyses to help you nail every section of the IELTS exam. Whether you're struggling with introductions, conclusions, or anything in-between, our eBooks   serve as your handy guide through the labyrinthine world of IELTS essay writing.

A Band 9 IELTS Essay Structure: Summary

To further elucidate these strategies, let's consider how they would come together in an example of a Band 9 IELTS essay:

Introduction: Make sure to paraphrase the question and clearly state your viewpoint. As our eBooks   often emphasize, the introduction sets the stage for your entire essay.

Body Paragraphs: Utilize topic sentences to indicate what each paragraph is about. Support these with evidence or examples, ideally from credible sources. In our eBooks   , you can find detailed suggestions on structuring these paragraphs effectively.

Conclusion: Sum up your arguments and restate your thesis. The eBooks   often stress that your conclusion should not be a mere repetition, but a recapitulation in a new light.

Don't Just Dream About That Band 9 Score, Make It Happen!

With these tips and strategies, paired with resources like our Essay Correction Service and eBooks   , you're not just preparing for the IELTS exam; you're practically ensuring your success. So, why are you waiting? Start practicing now and secure that coveted Band 9 score!

Feel free to share this article with anyone who might find it useful, and if you have questions or need further clarification, don't hesitate to drop us a comment. Wishing you all the best in your IELTS preparation and beyond. Happy studying!

How to write an IELTS opinion essay

Ielts opinion essay: structure, model answer, and analysis..

Updated: February 2023

There are 5 types of essays in IELTS writing task 2 and a common one is an opinion essay.

So how do you know if it is an opinion essay?. You will first need to study the instruction words. These words tell you what you should write about and this should be the first step to take before you even begin to plan. Analyse the task and especially the instruction words so you do not go off-topic or write a different essay altogether.

Here are 2 essay tasks below, which one do you think is the opinion essay?

1.  Most people agree that money cannot buy happiness. Why is happiness difficult to define? How can people achieve happiness? 2.  Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Looking at the instruction words we can see that the second one is an opinion essay as it asks ‘ To what extent do you agree or disagree? ‘

The first task is called a ‘Two-part question essay’ or sometimes called a ‘Direct question essay’.

Instruction words

Opinion essays will have various instruction words such as:

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Do you agree or disagree?

What is your opinion?

Do you think…?

What do you think….?

In your opinion what is ….?

In some cases the instruction words ask your opinion it may be a discussion essay such as:

‘Discuss both views and give your own opinion’ 

The structure of a discussion essay is different from an opinion essay as you will need to explain peoples views before you go into your own opinion.

This task below is a 2 part question essay and the second question asks your opinion.

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

The opinion essay that I am referring to asks ‘ To what extent do you agree or disagree?’ means how much do you agree/disagree? , do you completely agree/disagree?  or somewhat agree/disagree?  or do you neither agree nor disagree?

You can write in your thesis statement something like:  ‘ I completely agree because…..’ or if you don’t agree, something like: ‘ I absolutely disagree because…..’

What is an effective opinion essay structure?

There is no magic Band 9 structure but my students have found that the structure below works well in an opinion essay.

Tips on structure:

• The main body paragraphs will cover the reasons for your opinion; however, do not list ideas just use one central idea and explain and support it.
• Don’t wait until the conclusion to give your opinion. It must be throughout the whole essay .
• Don’t give 2 different opinions. Do not agree then disagree as it will confuse the examiner. You can balance it with why someone would hold an opposing view but it is not a discussion essay.
• I advise keeping the introduction under 60 words , each body paragraph should be approximately 90 to 105 words , the conclusion needs to be shorter than the introduction and no new ideas should be added to the conclusion
• Aim for between 270 to 295 words , over 300 words is not realistic as you only have 40 minutes to write the essay .

Which body paragraph is better?

Take a look at these 2 main body one paragraphs to the task below, what do you think will score higher?

Task question:

Some people believe that nowadays we have too many choices . To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

A long time ago people used to go to market places and they bought basic daily necessities, now people can buy online and go to many high street shops. In addition, we can choose any hotel we like at cheap prices. Also, businesses compete with each other which means customers can buy items at low cost as well as a bigger selection of goods. Furthermore, the economy benefits because people can select from so many different products. For example, Amazon.com has millions of products that are much cheaper than buying at a shopping mall.

Admittedly, these days there are far too many choices which can be overwhelming; however, I think that for consumers this is an advantage because it forces businesses to compete with each other. This means that shoppers can benefit greatly from lower prices. For example, over the past two decades, Ryanair and EasyJet budget airlines have considerably reduced the cost of airfares for flights all over Europe. Before this, there was only one airline to choose from at exorbitant costs. Presently, many more budget airline options are serving destinations worldwide with incredible bargains for customers.  

Click below for the answer.

The 2nd example is better because I wrote one central idea (lower prices for consumers) and expanded on that. The example given is not entirely true but it looks very feasible. You can just make up examples but they have to be specific and realistic looking. The point of an example is to support your main idea.

At the start of the paragraph I mentioned that too much choice is overwhelming but then contrast that with my opinion (Admittedly, these days there are far too many choices which can be overwhelming; however, I think that…) .

To see how to balance the essay click here for a lesson on balancing your opinion .

In example 1 above this has too many ideas and too many points. It jumps around and is not focusing on one central idea. The points are relevant but there is too much going on.

You will also notice an opinion is not given directly in the first example (I think / I believe etc)  the whole paragraph affects coherence and cohesion as well as task response. The example given about amazon.com is also quite weak and not well explained.

Analysing the question.

As with all IELTS essays, it is crucial to spend a couple of minutes analysing the task and underling the keywords so that you are writing relevant points in the essay. If you go off-topic or write irrelevant points it will affect your score.

This is the task question for my model answer below and it is clear that the essay is about having too many choices these days . This means that there is something negative about having many choices, as the word ‘too’ implies something negative. In my model answer, I disagree with this being a negative and in fact, many choices are beneficial.

Click here for the 5 steps you need to take before writing.

I advise 10 minutes of planning time, this includes time analysing the question and getting relevant ideas.

Click here for a lesson about examples in main body paragraphs.

Model Answer

Some people believe that n owadays we have too many choices . To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is argued that in recent times people are overwhelmed by so many choices. Although I agree with this to some extent, for consumers I believe that having so many options enables them to purchase more competitively priced and higher quality products.

Another reason why I believe that more choice is beneficial is that the quality of products has improved in recent years. This is because many businesses are vying for customers’ attention, so their main selling points are not only low prices but also much higher quality. For instance, smartphone costs have decreased in the past 5 years and these devices are more powerful and more durable than ever before. This is primarily because manufacturers have focused on quality control to compete with rival products. I would argue that this has been a benefit to consumers which would not have been possible with one or two companies monopolising the smartphone market.

To conclude, despite the argument that there is too much freedom of choice nowadays, I hold the view that this is a positive trend as so many options allows customers to buy inexpensive items without compromising on quality.

Click below to see more detail and an analysis

1. My thesis statement says: Although I agree with this to some extent, for consumers I believe that having so many options enables them to purchase more competitively priced and higher quality products.

I am giving a balanced opinion here and focusing specifically on choice for consumers.

2. I have covered the points about how more choices have resulted in lower prices in main body one, while in main body two I cover the point about higher quality products because of the fact there are more choices. Notice how I have balanced my view: Admittedly, these days there are far too many choices which can be overwhelming; however, I think that for consumers this is an advantage because it forces businesses to compete with each other. .

3. The examples I gave are made up and not entirely true but they look realistic, the examiner does not check your examples for validity. Examples are there to support your main ideas. Do not put statistics in the examples either.

4. The points I have made in the essay connect with consumerism and shopping, but I have linked them to the points about how having many choices are of benefit to customers or consumers , because my opinion is that having many choices is a good aspect

5. In this type of essay, you could write about other areas where having many choices are relevant such as the choices of universities we can attend, the choices of work we might engage in, The choice of health care options available….and so on.

Here is a good news article from ‘ Business Insider’ that connects with this task question. Reading is a very good way to get ideas for IELTS essays.

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IELTS Writing Task 2: 8 steps towards a band 8

In IELTS Writing Task 2, you will need to write an essay. Let our IELTS Experts walk you through 8 steps that can help you get a band 8. Take a closer look at the assessment criteria, how to structure your essay and common mistakes to avoid.

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To achieve a band 8 in IELTS  Writing Task 2 , you will need to produce an essay that contains all the positive features contained in the band 8 writing assessment criteria. Let's take a look at these in the table below.  

Using the band descriptors as a guide we are going to go through the 8 steps to get you on your way to a band 8 in Writing Task 2.  

We will start with the task response before moving through all the criteria to show you what an examiner will be looking for in your response.

Step 1: Answer is relevant to the question

Answer what you have been asked in the question. Don’t produce an essay that is close to a topic you have previously prepared. Make sure your examples and ideas are relevant. If you generalise too much and are not specific enough this will affect how your ideas are presented to the examiner.  

Make sure your ideas are directly related to the question  

Use ideas and examples that you are familiar with, and that relate directly to the topic 

Extend your answer to include a number of ideas that will support the question.  

Don't: 

Include irrelevant information  

Over-generalise  

Produce a memorised essay  

Present ‘recent’ research or statistics related to the topic “At least 41% of all men…”

Step 2: Answer all parts of the question

You must read the question carefully and decide how many parts are in it. You must answer all parts of the question to reach a band 6 or higher.  

Let’s look at some example IELTS question prompts and see how many parts are in each, if you need to present your opinion. Remember, it is very important to present a clear position when answering the statement to show that you understand the question being asked and to keep that position clear throughout the essay.

Read the question carefully and decide how many parts are in it 

Present your opinion and support it throughout the whole essay 

If asked to present both views, make sure each view is presented equally (similar paragraph length) 

Watch for plurals. If you are asked to give ‘advantages’, you must present a minimum of 2  

Watch for ‘and’. You may need to comment on more than one element  

Write more than 250 words.  

Don’t: 

Ignore parts of the question  

Assume that your opinion is clear, use the first person to ensure the examiner knows it’s your opinion ‘I think’  

Tell the examiner what you are going to say and what you have said  

Produce a short essay. 

Step 3: Organise your essay logically, with clear progression using linking phrases

Ideas must be expressed and ordered clearly - starting with an introduction and moving through to a conclusion. 

If you are asked to present both views and your opinion, state your opinion at the beginning of the essay and then move on to present both views. You can then come back to your own opinion and then conclude the essay. This is a logical way to present these ideas.  

Use a range of linking words and phrases, but don’t overuse them 

Use adverbial phrases, rather than single basic linkers 

Use referencing and substitution to avoid repetition (this/them/the issue/the problem)  

Use punctuation to make your writing coherent  

Make sure your ideas are sequenced correctly  

Make sure your ideas are logical and easy to follow  

Use a separate paragraph for the introduction and the conclusion   

Use one paragraph for each idea or topic area. 

Overuse basic linking words like firstly (instead, try using ‘The first reason for/ The primary reason for this’)  

Start every sentence with a linker (Try to put it in the middle of a sentence. E.g. “Some people believe, however, that individuals must also take responsibility for the environment” or “I believe, on the other hand, that individuals do have a responsibility to…”)  

Use numbers, symbols or abbreviations (1, 2, etc, &, +)  

Use headings or subheadings  

Underline words or phrases 

Use one-sentence paragraphs  

Start every sentence with a linking device. 

Step 4: Organise your essays into paragraphs

Use paragraphs to organise your essay into clear parts. Make sure each paragraph contains a clear and developed topic with a minimum of two sentences.  

You can use the acronym “PEEL” when writing your essay:  

Point – introduce your topic or topic sentence 

Example – an example that supports your point 

Explain – why this evidence supports your point 

Link – transition to the next topic or paragraph 

You must use enough paragraphs to clearly show a structured response. This will show that you can organise and present your thoughts and ideas logically.  

Here are some ideas on how many paragraphs you could include in an essay: 

Use paragraphs 

Use linkers between and within your paragraphs 

Leave a space between each paragraph (a line)  

Use a paragraph for each topic  

Use an introduction and a conclusion. 

Don't 

Use single-sentence paragraphs 

Use very long paragraphs that cover a whole page (IELTS on paper)

Step 5: Use less common vocabulary and spell it correctly

You will see in the band descriptors that a band 8 writer skillfully uses uncommon lexical items. When we learn a language, we use common and uncommon terms.  Common terms  are words and phrases we use every day to refer to personal experience and daily habits.  Uncommon terms  are used when we discuss specific topics or when we use idiomatic language (phrasal verbs).  

Words that are old-fashioned and not used in everyday speech should not be used. If you choose a synonym, the meaning must be the same and must not alter the idea being presented. For example, adolescent/teenager have close meaning and can be used interchangeably, however, toddler/baby have quite different meanings. 

Collocation is also mentioned in band 8, and it is assumed that you know which words go together, and which words are suitable to use for different topics.  

If you are discussing child crime, you could use the term ‘minor’ as this is a legal term used to describe children under the age of 18.  

If you use phrasal verbs, make sure that you are using the correct preposition as it can change the meaning:  

throw  out/away = discard  

throw up  = vomit/get sick  

Idioms (cultural language) should only be used if you understand them completely and if they fit the topic you are discussing.  

Use precise word choices  

Use language that we use in everyday speech  

Use words that you understand  

Use words and phrases that are related to the topic  

Use collocation and phrasal verbs (words that go together naturally – environmental pollution | major issue | promising future) 

Make spelling mistakes  

Make typos  

Mix up American and British spelling (You should use one or the other)  

Use a word if you don’t understand it or cannot spell it.  

Use imprecise words like ‘stuff/thing’  

Use slang like ‘gonna’  

Use old-fashioned language [the masses| denizens | myopic view | Hitherto]  

Overuse synonyms, one is enough 

Use idioms/clichés  

Use contractions (can’t, doesn’t)

Step 6: Don’t use memorised language, phrases or examples

Don’t use any memorised language, phrases or examples throughout your essay. They are easy for examiners to spot and don’t demonstrate your ability to write fluently.  

Overused phrases, idioms, proverbs and clichés should also be avoided, again, they are often used when speaking. These include phrases like:  

The grass is always greener on the other side  

Love is blind  

Off the top of my head  

Old is gold  

A friend in need is a friend indeed  

Additionally, the following terms should not be used when writing as they are vague and do not address a task appropriately. You should always be using clear language and make appropriate word choices that will express your ideas clearly. 

Step 7: Use a variety of complex sentence structures

At band 8 it is expected that you can use a wide range of structures accurately to present your ideas and opinion. Show the examiner that you can use a wide range of structures and make sure your sentences are error-free. 

It is important to use a mix of complex and simple sentences. But remember, your complex sentences should not be long and complicated.  

Your punctuation needs to be accurate, using capitalisation, commas and full stops correctly.  

The most common errors made can be found below:

Step 8: Checklist

Use the following checklist to make sure that your writing contains all the positive features at a band 8

If you follow these 8 steps, you will be well on your way to a band 8 in Writing Task 2. 

Is IELTS writing hard?

IELTS writing is not so hard if you have a thorough understanding of the test format and are able to organise your thoughts into grammatically-correct, well-structured sentences. Obviously it requires a fair amount of practice. To make it easy, IDP has launched IELTS Prepare where you can access a range of preparation materials: from practice tests, sample answers, videos and articles, all the way to expert assessments, online courses, webinars and more.

IELTS writing for beginners

Join our free IDP IELTS webinars that are designed to give you a sense of what to expect during the IELTS Writing test and guide you towards reaching a high band score:

Improve your understanding of the writing test format and questions

Identify key points

Make your answers relevant

Organize your answers in a more coherent manner

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IELTS with Fiona

Your comprehensive guide to IELTS

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IELTS Writing Task 2 essay structures

By ieltsetc on October 8, 2018 8

This lesson will show you two IELTS Writing Task 2 essay structures that you can use for any question type .

I recommend

• a 4-paragraph structure
• a two-sided (balanced) essay
• stating your opinion in the introduction 
• using PEEL paragraphs

In the 2 examples below, you can see how this structure works for most essays.

This structure will help you meet the Band Criteria for Band 7 according to the IELTS Band Descriptors

• presents a clear position throughout the response
• logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout
• presents a clear central topic within each paragraph

Learn how to write a perfect PEEL paragraph here.

Structures for ANY IELTS essay

Introduction

• General Statement (No opinion, just a neutral observation)
• What’s the issue? (What do some people think? Show awareness of both sides)
• What’s your opinion? (What do you think?)

Paragraph 1: 

Topic sentence

• Point 1 (e.g. an advantage, a reason to agree)
• Point 2 (another advantage or reason to agree)

Link back to question

Paragraph 2:

• Point 1 (e.g. a disadvantage, a reason to disagree)
• Point 2 (e.g. another disadvantage or reason to disagree)
• Summary of the issue.
• Summary of your opinion.
• A final thought, recommendation or consequence.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Structures: Example 1

‘Using animals to test the safety of cosmetics or drugs used for medical reasons is never acceptable’.

To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Before any new product is put on the market, the manufacturers have to ensure that it is safe for humans to use. Some people argue that testing products on animals is the only reliable method of doing this. Although I can see strong arguments in favour of testing drugs on animals for medical purposes, I am strongly opposed to the practice of using animals to test the safety of cosmetics, and I will outline my reasons below.

Paragraph 1 (in favour) :  

Animal testing has helped scientists to make great discoveries in the field of medicine, providing effective drugs against cancer, heart disease and other potentially fatal illnesses.  As a result, m any lives have been saved and prolonged. However,  there are new ways of testing products, using cell cultures, which need not involve animals at all. Therefore I would prefer such testing to be kept to a minimum wherever possible.

Paragraph 2 (against) :

On the other hand, when it comes to the cosmetic industry it is difficult to see why it is necessary to test these types of products on animals.  For example , several well-known brands such as The Body Shop have always used human ‘guinea pigs’ to test their products without any detrimental effects. So in my view , we no longer need to exploit animals for the sake of human vanity, and this kind of testing is now completely unacceptable .

In conclusion, though testing on animals has undoubtedly brought advances in medical treatments, I believe it must be reserved for essential scientific work and to help end human suffering, and never for enhancing our appearance.

 Task 2 Essay structures: Example 2

Advances in technology have meant that they increasingly use machines to do jobs that were previously done by humans. The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Introduction:

We are living in an age of fast-paced development, and machines are often chosen over humans as they are more efficient and cost-effective. Despite some undesirable outcomes such as physical inactivity and loss of jobs, I believe that there are more advantages than drawbacks and I will outline my reasons below.

Paragraph 1 (disadvantages):

The main argument against using machines is that they have made people redundant.  In factories, for example, fewer people are required as the production line becomes more mechanised. This has led to unemployment and hardship for many people who relied on this type of job. Increased technology and mechanization have also affected our general levels of activity. For instance , in the past, most people would work in the fields, and manual labour kept people fit, whereas nowadays people are more like to invest in a labour-saving device to do the work for them. As a result , we have become less active and problems linked to this, such as obesity, are on the increase.

Paragraph 2 (advantages):

However, this development has brought with it some benefits.  First of all , we have been liberated from certain household chores thanks to labour-saving devices like washing machines, vacuum cleaners and dishwashers. This means we have more time available for leisure activities and seeing friends and family. Furthermore , technology has actually created many jobs, from design to production and sales. In order to  do these jobs, people need training which has led to more jobs in education and people having more highly specialised careers.

 Conclusion

To conclude , although technology has had both desirable and negative effects, it has given us the potential to reach new heights that would not have previously been possible. I believe we should focus on ensuring that we receive a higher level of specialization in the workplace whilst not letting ourselves become less healthy and active.

To conclude

There are many ways to write a good essay, but using 4 paragraphs with 2 PEEL points inside each Main Body Paragraph will help your provide a balanced answer in 40 minutes.

Remember to always

• write a plan
• have a topic sentence for each paragraph
• make the opening sentence a general statement  about the issue – no opinion, just facts.
• put your opinion clearly  in the first paragraph and then throughout the rest of the answer
• expand your points – give an example or say why it is important (see PEEL Paragraphs )
• end with a final thought, recommendation or consequence

5-paragraph IELTS Writing Task 2 structures

The examples of Task 2 essay structures in this blog are intended to give you very general guidance.

There are many other ways to structure essays, using 5 or sometimes 6 paragraphs (especially if you are a strong writer).

A 5-paragraph structure is often effective if you are writing a one-sided argument and you have 3 main arguments (one Main Body Paragraph per argument).

The one-sided argument is often in response to questions like:

• To what extent do you agree or disagree?
• Do you agree or disagree?

In these situations, you do NOT need to show both sides, and you can simply give 3 strong points to persuade the reader that your opinion is valid and correct (but I always recommend you show awareness of the other point of view).

Get more Writing Task 2 tips here.

FREE LESSONS

• 14 ways to quickly improve your IELTS Writing Score.
• Which is the best online IELTS essay checker?
• How to correct your own mistakes
• 40 feedback words you need to understand
• IELTS essay structures

BRONZE MEMBERS

• Positive or negative development (alternative medicine)
• Discuss both views (managers’ salaries)
• 2-part questions (young people and farming)
• ‘To what extent?’ questions (School uniform)
• For and Against: brainstorming ideas (dress codes)
• Cause and Effect essays (public transport)
• ‘Discuss both views’ essays (fixed punishments)
• How to answer ‘should’ questions (the aim of science)
• How to answer IELTS essay questions
• How to write a Band 9 essay (charity).
• Features of a Band 9 essay: PEEL paragraphs (CEO topic).
• Features of a Band 9 essay: Organisation (human impact on the environment)
• 20 words you should stop using in Task 2
• 20 ways to sound more formal in Task 2
• PEEL Paragraphs (sharing information)
• How to hedge in a Task 2 essay.
• How to write a Task 2 introduction.  (bicycles vs cars)
• Coherence and Cohesion for Task 2 (zoos)
• A simple 4-paragraph structure (prisons)
• Option: 5-paragraph structures (vivisection, machines)
• Categorising Task 2 arguments (Should education be free? Distance learning vs face to face)
• An alternative essay structure for Task 2 (zoos)
• How to refer to research and articles
• Grammmar: reference words (such)
• Grammar: ‘despite’ and ‘in spite of’
• Grammar:  How to use ‘although’ (concession) in Task 2.
• Grammar: Complete guide to conditionals
• Grammar: How to make complex sentences
• Grammar: ‘ing’ verbs for linking
• Grammar: ‘ing’ vs infinitive
• Grammar: ‘not only but also’ and other inversions
• Grammar: How to make predictions

Do you need motivation, high-quality materials, a roadmap, feedback, guidance and an IELTS specialist teacher?

Join the Members Academy today.

Get instant access to all courses, challenges, boot camps, live classes, interactive and engaging classes, 1:1 support, and a friendly tight-knit community of like-minded learners to get you to Band 7+ .

Reader Interactions

March 17, 2023 at 5:31 pm

Fina, this has really given me a great insight on how to go about my task 2 in writing.

This is very helpful.

March 18, 2023 at 1:14 pm

Many thanks for your comment Oladigbolu. I hope the blog helps you with your Task 2, Best wishes Fiona

December 6, 2020 at 9:53 pm

This article is very educative. I have learned new information about how to structure IELTS writing task 2 essay from your article, you are doing a great job. Keep it up. Thanks.

August 26, 2022 at 8:30 am

I’m so sorry I didn’t see your comment – thank you for posting, Best wishes Fiona

December 6, 2020 at 9:52 pm

I am really happy to say it’s an interesting post to read. I have learned new information about how to structure IELTS writing task 2 essay from your article, you are doing a great job. Keep it up. Thanks.

Thank you Anna!

August 11, 2023 at 1:07 am

This is truly a superb article. The depth of the writing shows the time you’ve put into the topic yourself in an effort to understand.

Thank you so much..

August 11, 2023 at 5:27 pm

Thank you so much for your comment. I’m really happy that you found the article useful.

Best wishes Fiona

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IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips, Topics and Sample Answers

You can ace IELTS Writing Task 2 on IELTS test day by being prepared and confident! To help you with both, in this article, we give you:

• An easy three-step strategy that will boost your confidence by helping you plan and write a good IELTS Writing Task 2 essay;
• IELTS Writing Task 2 sample topics for all IELTS Writing Task 2 question types;
• An IELTS Writing Task 2 sample answer; and
• A video that brings all this help together in an IELTS Writing Task 2 lesson.

To use all this help best, you need to practise with real IELTS Writing Task 2 sample questions. Sign up for our IELTS course on E2 Test Prep for a free trial to practice for your exam.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Overview

Writing task 2 tips & strategy, i. writing task 2 agree or disagree questions, ii. writing task 2 advantages and disadvantages, iii. writing task 2 discuss both views, iv. writing task 2 discuss both views and give your opinion, v. writing task 2 problem / solution question, vi. writing task 2 double question, identify the subject – focus your answer.

For both the IELTS General and IELTS Academic exams, Writing Task 2 is an essay. You are given 40 minutes to write an essay of over 250 words about a Writing Task 2 topic. This is what the Writing Task 2 essay topic will look like on your test paper.

Before we look at each part of the three-step strategy in more detail, a summary of this confidence building formula is:

Step 1 – Learn and identify all the question types. There are several different IELTS Writing Task 2 question types. If you learn all these to quickly identify the type of question you were given, you will save time on test day and can move to steps 2 and 3 below more quickly. In addition, if you are familiar with all the Writing Task 2 question types, there will be no surprises on test day, reducing the likelihood that you will panic during the test. We will set out all the different IELTS Writing Task 2 question types along with IELTS Writing Task 2 sample topics below.

Step 2 – Analyse the question to identify the subject of the Writing Task 2 topic. Identifying the subject of the question will help you focus your thoughts, making it easier to formulate your ideas more clearly and stay on point.

Step 3 – Plan and fit the content of your answer to a simple structure that has a clear beginning, middle and ending that align with the question type you are given. We will give you a Writing Task 2 sample answer by starting with an introductory paragraph, followed by two body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question Types

Step 1 of our strategy is to identify which IELTS Writing Task 2 question type you are given on your test. The question type will influence how you will structure your answer. The different IELTS Writing Task 2 question types you can expect to see on IELTS test day are:

The  agree/disagree  essay or opinion essay question gives you a topic and asks you to what extent do you agree or disagree with an idea related to that topic. An IELTS Task 2 agree or disagree sample topic is:

In the age of digital communication and social media, face-to-face interactions are becoming less common. Some people think that this is decreasing people’s ability to communicate well in person. Do you agree or disagree with this view?

Knowing right from the start that you are dealing with an agree/disagree topic gives you a big clue as to how you will structure your essay answer. This question type requires that you give your opinion supporting one side or the other – not both. It means that you must take a side. The body of your essay will focus on writing supporting ideas and examples.

The   advantages/disadvantages  essay question gives you a topic and then asks you to discuss its advantages and disadvantages. A sample advantages and disadvantages essay topic looks like this:

The rise of online shopping has transformed the way many people purchase goods. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this. 

Here you will need to present both sides of the argument, one side per paragraph (discussed in more detail below) with supporting ideas and examples for each.

The  discuss both views question type gives you two positions or opinions related to a topic and asks you to discuss both. A Writing Task 2 discuss both views sample topic is:

Some people think it is the government’s responsibility to tackle environmental issues. Others believe it is up to each individual to be environmentally responsible. Discuss both sides.

We will explain in more detail below that for this topic type, you should write one body paragraph on each opinion, giving explanations and examples in support of each view.

The  discuss both views and give your opinion  question is very similar to the question type above. However, instead of asking you to discuss two views, it also asks you to state which one you agree with. A Writing Task 2 discuss both views and give your opinion sample topic is:

Some people believe that artificial intelligence (AI) has the power to improve our lives. However, others are worried that it could have a negative impact. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

To write a good essay, you need to discuss both opinions (one in each body paragraph) giving arguments and examples to support each view. You also need to say which view you agree with most.

The   problem/solution  essay question presents you with an issue that you need to discuss and then provide possible solutions for. A Writing Task 2 problem / solution sample topic is:

The overuse of plastic packaging has led to numerous problems. Identify one or two serious ones and suggest ways that governments can tackle these problems.

In a good Writing Task 2 problem / solution answer for this sample topic, you will write about the problems caused by the overuse of plastic packaging in the first body paragraph and suggest some government-led solutions in the second body paragraph.

In the double question  essay, you are asked  two  questions, and you need to make sure you answer both. For example:

Nowadays, more and more people are shifting to a plant-based diet. Why is this the case? What are some drawbacks of plant-based diets?

Here you have two questions to answer. 1. Why are people shifting to a plant-based diet? 2. What are the drawbacks of this diet? You should spend one paragraph answering each question, it is essential that you don’t forget to answer both!

Step 2 of our three-step strategy is to identify and focus on the subject of the question. Although this seems obvious, pausing for a second and forcing yourself to identify the subject of the question helps avoid misreading the question and has planning benefits. The mental process of ‘identifying and focusing’ will help you plan your ideas and, importantly, keep your essay on point. Staying on point is key because the clearer your answer, the easier for an IELTS examiner to grade it and give you a better mark. 

For example, let’s looks at the ‘Discuss Both Views’ topic presented above:

For step 2, we need to ask ourselves: what is the core idea, or subject, of this question? On first read, ‘the government’s responsibility’ seems important. Then we see ‘environmental issues’, followed by ‘individual … environmentally responsible’. Which of these is the core subject? In this topic, the core subject is ‘responsibility for environmental issues’. This is the centrepiece of the topic and will be the anchor for your answer. 

Given that we know that it is a both views question type, we can also see the question has given us the two sides of the argument, being: i. government responsibility for environmental issues; and ii. individual responsibility for environmental issues. These clues are important because they are the two sides of the argument impacting on how we fit our written arguments within a good IELTS Writing Task 2 essay structure. You will need to practice identifying and focusing several times by looking at the IELTS Writing Task 2 sample topics given above, as well as in the IELTS Writing Task 2 practice questions you will find when you sign up to E2 Test Prep . The better you get at this, the more confident tackling any essay topic you will become.

Writing Task 2 Essay Structure and Sample Answer

Step three of the strategy is to plan the structure of your essay depending on the question type and the core subject of the question. Once you know this, you can fit the content of your answer to this structure. Don’t try to be fancy; a simple structure is best. Your essay should include four paragraphs:

• An introduction
• Body paragraph 1
• Body paragraph 2
• A conclusion

Let’s go back to the IELTS Writing Task 2 sample topic we looked at above. Here it is again:

At this point, we know that:

• it is a Writing Task 2 discuss both views question type
• the subject of the sample essay topic is ‘responsibility for environmental issues’ 
• an introduction that clearly identifies and states the subject (responsibility for environmental issues) of your essay as well as introduces the two points of view (government responsibility and individual responsibility) to be discussed in your essay
• body paragraph 1 which gives reasons why governments should be responsible
• body paragraph 2 which gives reasons why individuals should be responsible
• a conclusion that summarises and concludes the essay.

Note: for discuss both views , even if the question doesn’t say ‘discuss both views and give your opinion’, you should still give your opinion The IELTS Task Two Writing Descriptors for Task Response state that in order to get the highest marks, you need to present a ‘clear and fully developed position’. 

Pulling it all together, here is a brief Writing Task 2 sample answer:

Who should take responsibility for environmental issues? Should governments take the lead and act to solve environmental problems? Or should individuals take responsibility for their choices and actions to avoid harming the environment as much as possible? By looking at both sides of this issue, this essay will aim to show that it is, in fact, individuals that can make the biggest impact on the environment and therefore should take the most responsibility.

Some people argue that governments are in the best position to deal with environmental issues. Governments have the power to make laws that prohibit businesses and individuals from taking actions that harm the environment. For example, they set legal limits for the amount of carbon emissions a company is allowed to produce. Governments also have access to funding, experts and resources that are needed to launch environmental initiatives, such as using greener fuel, and to promote environmentally friendly lifestyles among the general public.

On the other hand, avoiding environmental issues and damage before any harm occurs is something that all individual citizens and individuals in businesses have within their power to achieve. We, as individuals, can reduce our power consumption and waste production. We can choose to install solar energy for our homes and businesses, or buy electric or hybrid cars and trucks. Also, we can also avoid spraying pesticides on our gardens or fields, and disposing of dangerous chemicals into public drains and sewerage systems. Through all of these small acts, collectively, we can have a wide-reaching impact. What is more, individuals can take this action today, without having to wait for long-winded government projects to eventually get the funding and backing to actually get off the ground. 

In summary, it can be argued that governments have a large responsibility for environmental issues because they hold the power and resources needed to deal with them at a leadership level. However, it is clear that individuals can have the greatest impact on the environment, so the duty must fall on them to be more environmentally responsible.

Summary and Next Steps

Firstly, if you feel you need more help with IELTS Writing Task 2, you should watch this E2 IELTS Youtube video and subscribe to our channel.

Secondly, you need to go to our  IELTS info page  and sign up for a FREE trial to access the best quality IELTS practice questions and activities. 

Preparing online for your IELTS with E2 Test Prep gives you effective methods, practice essays and expert feedback to feel confident and prepared for writing and every other exam task.

Looking for more general English? Try E2 English .

Author Bio:  E2 is the world’s leading test preparation provider. Our expert teachers are fully accredited English teachers with TESOL, British Council or IELTS certification, and years of IELTS examiner or IELTS teaching experience.

• Pingback: Olga's Amazing IELTS Success Story With E2Language

Rohit Kanwalu says:

very helpful information keep sharing

Nice information please keep sharing

Advice taken! Thank you :)

Shomoy says:

I have already become a thirsty watcher & learner. i think it could be very helpful for me.

Hi, how we can write a opinion essay such as balanced approach type? for example , to what extent do you agree?

olivia says:

CHECK THIS OUT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFlx4ZS7YSk

Varun Sangani says:

How do I access my writing add on package

Go ahead and message us via this STUDENT HELP LINK: https://help.e2language.com/support/tickets/new

This way we can directly correspond with you & answer any further questions you may have.

The E2 Team

Prasad says:

Very interesting! I got many ideas …..

Anna H. Smith says:

Thank you so much for the useful material you produce and generously sharing with us. It has improved my understanding of IELTS writng and the topics will help practice ,thanks for this article.

Rajib Barua says:

Very informative article. I appreciate your efforts. Thank you so much.

E2Language Team says:

Thank you, you’re welcome!

Sneha Rateria says:

Thank you for sharing article on Writing Task 2. It will be definitely helpful for many people. Keep posting more like this.

Htar Inzale says:

Helpful and informative video, thank u so much, indeed.

Winifred Kashim E says:

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IELTS Writing: Structure, Tips, Strategies (Academic & General)

IELTS Writing: Structure, Tips, Strategies

Writing is one of the IELTS sections which assesses your writing skills.

A lot of candidates consider this part of the test the most challenging one.

We asked people on  Quora   about their IELTS results and came to the conclusion that it is actually true as in most cases the band for Writing was lower than for other parts.

In this article, IELTS Game will look at this part of the exam in more details and you will learn how to deal with it in the easiest way.

Table Of Contents

• General Information
• General Writing
• Academic Writing
• Writing assessment
• How to deal with writing section?
• How to Write an essay?
• Types of Writing essay
• How to Improve your score?

General Information about IELTS Writing exam

First of all, it’s necessary to know that Writing is different in two modules of the test.

• In the General Training IELTS you will need to write a letter in Task 1 and an essay in Task 2.
• Academic IELTS requires to write a report on some graph or chart in Task 1 and an essay in Task 2.
• The topics for essays in General and Academic modules can be different, but the strategy to write essays is the same.
• You will have 60 minutes for completing both tasks in the Writing part.

As a rule, the second task of writing, which is essay, requires you to write more and proves to be more challenging than the first one, and it is worth more points.

That is why it’s advisable to spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2.

General Training Writing

Writing in this module of the test includes two tasks: a letter and an essay. You will have 60 minutes to complete both tasks.

1. Task one General training

Task 1 is a letter concerning everyday situation that you are likely to encounter while living in an English-speaking environment.

For example , a letter to an accommodation officer, your employer or a friend. It is recommended to spend 20 minutes on it.

You may be asked to write an informal letter to your friend, a semi-formal letter, or an official letter. You will have to write at least 150 words.

Example of Task 1:

You have received a letter from your bank, asking you to acknowledge receipt of a new bank card. However, the card was missing from the envelope.

Write a letter to the bank’s head office. In your letter:

• explain why you are writing;
• express concern about the missing card;
• ask them what they intend to do.

2. Task two General training

Task 2 is an essay on some common topic, such as family, society, TV, school, communication, etc.

You should write at least 250 words and spend about 40 minutes on this task. Look at the example of an essay question:

Some people believe that teaching children at home is best for a child’s development while others think that it is important for children to go to school.

Discuss the advantages of both methods and give your own opinion.

IELTS Academic Writing

1. task 1 academic.

In Task 1 of the Academic module you will be asked to describe any of the 6 types of charts: a bar chart, a line graph, pie chart, a table, a diagram or a map.

However, in some cases you may have a combination of charts: such a table and a pie chart.

You don’t need to write about everything you see in a picture, you should sum up the information, talk about general trends and changes, and make comparisons.

The most important thing here is that you are not supposed to express your personal opinion, so you should avoid using such phrases as I think, In my opinion, etc.

2. Task 2 Academic

Task 2 is an essay on a given topic. Here,  the examiners assess your ability to express your opinion on a topic and support your ideas with arguments and examples and make conclusions.

Essay tasks in the Academic module are more challenging than in the General module.

Look at the example of an essay question:

It is generally believed that the Internet is an excellent means of communication but some people suggest that it may not be the best place to find information.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

How is Writing assessed in IELTS test?

Writing is marked using a 9-band scale. The examiners use 4 assessment criteria to score your writing:

• Task response / Task achievement;
• Coherence and Cohesion;
• Lexical Resource;
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

The first criterion (task response or task achievement) looks at the content of your answer to assess whether it is accurate and relevant to the topic in the question.

The next criterion (coherence and cohesion) describes how well you organize your ideas and how logically  they are sequenced.

Lexical resource assesses your ability to use a wide range of vocabulary .

According to the last criterion (grammatical range and accuracy), you should use a variety of sentence structures and grammar forms correctly.

You can look through the assessment criteria in more details on the official IELTS Website:  Task 1  and  Task 2 .

How to deal with the Writing part?

On a test day you will receive a question paper and two answer sheets: the first for Task 1 and the second for Task 2.

You won’t have any draft paper but you will be able to write on the question paper.

It’s really important to track your writing  time. It’s recommended to spend 20 minutes on first task and 40 on the second, as the essay is worth more marks.

So make sure that you allocate reasonable time for both tasks.

You must answer the questions you are asked.  Here is what you are supposed to do in your writing part.

• For Task 1 , select and report the main features, compare, summarize the data, identify trends illustrated in the charts, but don’t give your personal opinion.
• For Task 2 , read the question carefully and then write your answer on the topic, making sure you support your answer.

You should save enough time to proofread and check what you have written.

Don’t forget, you have to write at least 150 words in Task 1 and 250 words in your essay.

If you write shorter, you will lose points. You can write more words than necessary, but don’t expect to gain extra points for it.

How to write an Essay?

The majority of IELTS candidates really struggle with the second task of the Writing paper.

They have a lot of questions concerning types of questions, essay structure and ideas they have to talk about in their essay.

So, let’s take a closer look at this part of the Writing test.

As I have already mentioned above, essay questions can be different in two modules of the test.

But types of essay questions and structure of the answer is the same in both Academic and General Training modules.

You should always start completing Task 2 with making a plan for your answer.

It’s really important to think of the ideas you will write about before writing.

Without a plan you may get confused with different ideas, and your point of view may not be clear to the examiner.

Another point to consider is the paragraph structure.

In your essay you must have 4 or 5 paragraphs: the first paragraph is an introduction , then two or three body paragraphs , and the last paragraph is a conclusion .

Always keep in mind this general structure when you practice writing.

That was the general structure for writing an essay.

But you need to remember that there are several types of essay questions in the IELTS, so the structure of your answer can be a little bit different depending on the question.

So before planning your essay, read the question properly to understand what type of essay you have.

Types of IELTS Writing Essay

In general, there are 5 common types of essays in the IELTS test:

• Advantage/Disadvantage essay
• Opinion essay
• Problem and Solution essay (or Cause and Solution)
• Discussion essay
• Two-part Question (General Questions) essay

1. Advantage/disadvantage essay

In the advantage/disadvantage essay, you are going to have a task to discuss benefits and drawbacks of something or to compare whether advantages of some tendency outweigh disadvantages, or the other way round.

Some countries show their criminal trials on TV for people to watch.

Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

2. Opinion essay

In the opinion essay you will be given some statement and you’ll have to give your opinion on it (What is your opinion?) or agree/disagree with this point of view (To what extent do you agree or disagree?).

Here it’s important to choose only one side of an argument and stick to it throughout your essay.

Or you may not agree with both sides and suggest your point of view, but it should be completely different from what you have in the task.

This approach is called balanced opinion.

Some businesses now say that no one can smoke cigarettes in any of their offices. Some governments have banned smoking in all public places. This is a good idea but it also takes away some of our freedom.

Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons.

3. Problem & Solution Essay

The next type of essay ( problem and solution ) will ask you to find problems and suggest the solution to the problems.

In some cases you may be asked to write about causes of some problem.

Nowadays, more and more older people who need employment compete with the younger people for the same jobs.

What problems does this cause? What are the possible solutions?

4. Discussion Essay

The discussion essay will give you two opposing ideas and you will have to discuss these two points of view.

Here you don’t have to stick to this or that idea if you’re not asked to.

Very often, there will be the following phrase in the task  “… and give your opinion “, in this case you must give your opinion supporting one point of view.

Or you may express your personal opinion on this question ( balanced opinion ).

Some people believe that living in big cities is becoming more difficult. Others believe that it is getting easier.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

5. Two-part question Essay

In  two-part question essay  you will have to answer two questions.

The questions are usually of the same topic, and you will need to present a detailed answer to each question in a separate paragraph.

Cycling is more environmentally friendly than other forms of transport.

Why is it not popular in many places? How to increase its popularity?

How to improve your score for Writing?

To improve your score for writing, you will have to practice a lot and regularly.

While practicing make sure you comply with the following rules:

• Find out all the necessary information about types of questions in Task 1 and essay types in Task 2;
• Be aware of the assessment criteria, it will help you know what the examiners will be looking for;
• Practice describing different types of charts , graphs and diagrams (or writing different types of letters) in Task 1 and write as many essays of different types as possible;
• Track the time every time you practice writing : spend 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 minutes on Task 2. However, you need to remember that it is highly recommended that you save some time for proofreading;
• Every time you practice writing an essay or a diagram description / a letter, count your words and try to remember what space 150 and 250 words take on Writing Answer Sheet, you can download it from the Internet. You are not likely to have enough time to count words at the exam, so it would be good to be able to visually count the approximate number of words on the answer sheet.
• Remember that at the exam you will have to write your answers with a pencil, so while practicing you’d better use a pencil all the time to get used to it.

Important Links

Writing preparation.

• Basic Principles of IELTS Academic Writing task 1 & 2
• How to Distribute Your Time in IELTS Writing Exam?
• 4 Steps to write a band 9 IELTS essay introduction
• How to Write a Perfect Closing Paragraph for IELTS Essay?
• IELTS Writing Academic: Task 1 analysis with model answer

Grammar for Writing

• Spelling in IELTS exam: Rules | mistakes | British vs American
• Top 5 Grammar rules you should know for IELTS writing task 1 & 2
• Master Punctuation marks in IELTS Writing exam
• Complex Sentences in IELTS Writing Task 2

Vocabulary in IELTS writing

• How to use linking words in IELTS Writing exam? [Examples]
• What is Coherence and Cohesion in IELTS Writing exam?
• Master Lexical resources in IELTS Writing exam
• Download IELTS Advantage Writing Skills pdf book
• Collins Writing For IELTS pdf direct download with answer keys
• Download Get IELTS Band 9 pdf for speaking, Writing task 1 and 2
• Cambridge IELTS test books

Recent Exams

• Recent Academic IELTS Writing task 1 exercises – Bar Charts
• Expected topics for IELTS writing task 2 in January 2020

It is important for people to take risks IELTS writing task 2

Writing tips to score higher grades in assignments, how is a grammar checker important in creative writing.

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IELTS Essay Paragraph Structure

This tutorial goes into detail about writing strong coherent paragraphs for your IELTS writing task exam, especially task two.

What makes a good paragraph?

Well the first thing to remember is that your paragraphs should be logical , clear and coherent . In IELTS a body paragraph usually consists of 6-12 sentences that relate to ONE topic . In your paragraph, you may:

• Explain the idea. Remember, if you have a new idea, start a new paragraph.
• Give details.
• Express your opinion.
• Give an example.

In IELTS usually all of the sentences in the same paragraph should stay with the same idea. If this is a challenge, if you have problems organising your thoughts you may want to look at the online course available here .

Before you get to expressing your ideas on a paper, brainstorm for the ideas. If you’re now preparing for the exam, write every idea that comes to your mind. (Don’t worry if your mind goes blank, there is a tutorial for that here) Write them on a separate sheet of paper. During the exam, your time will be limited. Therefore, the more you train in generating ideas, the easier and faster you’ll complete the task when time comes. Don’t worry if you don’t like some ideas, you don’t necessarily have to include all of them in your future essay. Making a mind map with words or short phrases related to the topic is a great idea as well.

Remember the IELTS exam is a language exam, not an intelligence exam. Therefore the quality of your ideas is secondary (but they still must be logical!).

Put numbers to your points. This way it’ll be easier to construct your essay. At the exam, you can make a list of ideas, have a look at it and give each point a number in order of importance. Above all, your points should follow a logical order. For example, parts of one and the same idea should be united in one paragraph. Besides, you may organize them in a chronological (time-related) order. Some authors suggest the strongest sentences at the end of each paragraph. This is also advantageous since it would be the last sentences the examiner sees.

Look at your list and start writing according to the numbers expanding the ideas. Do not forget that there are topic sentences and supporting sentences. A topic sentence is the one that states your idea, opinion or topic clearly and gives sufficient information to give details about in the next (supporting) sentences. Supporting sentences are the ones where you expand on the idea, add specific details and provide further explanation.

A Strong Topic Sentence

Pollution is undoubtedly one of the most complex challenges facing the world at the moment.

Why is this a strong topic sentence to start your paragraph with? It’s clear, contains just one idea, provides enough to write about in your next supporting sentences.

Pollution, crime and poverty are very bad for the world, but environmental problems are probably going to be the most serious.

Why is this a weak topic sentence to start your paragraph with? Attention too scattered over a few different topics

Pollution , crime and poverty are very bad for the world, but environmental problems are probably going to be the most serious.

Very general, covers lots of problems with the world -doesn’t focus the examiner on what you will write about.

Strong or weak?

Nowadays pollution is a serious issue, especially for those living near industrial production hotspots. This is strong, from the start we know the topic (pollution is the second word), and we have a good idea about what comes next in the essay (industrial hotspots).

This kind of sentence sets the paragraph up to follow a very useful rule when constructing paragraphs: GENERAL > SPECIFIC.

Linking Ideas in your paragraphs

Link your ideas and paragraphs. You may use conjunctions and comparison devices. The choice is rather large here. For example, you may use: “Nevertheless”, “Despite of”, “In addition” etc. Once you finish your essay, have a look at it once again. Pay special attention to the linking devices. If you notice “But” or “Also”, you may consider replacing them with “However’ and “In addition”, this will make your work sound more academic . This tutorial covers linking ideas in more detail.

Where do you put your opinion?

The most frequent question most students have is whether they should mention their opinion in the essay. If so, where should they put it. Our answer is – this is up to you to decide. In the majority of cases, it depends on whether you write too much or you can barely meet the required number of words. If it’s about the first case, do not mention your opinion in the body paragraphs. Write the paragraphs so clearly and coherently that the examiner is able to understand what your opinion is by reading them. If you have problems with meeting the required number of words, state your opinion in the conclusion and in any body paragraph.

Anyway, you have to state your opinion at least in the conclusion to fulfil the task. You will get less points if you never say, what you personally think about the problem discussed in the essay. My personal recommendation here is to write your body paragraphs so your opinion is clear without having to be explicitly expressed. This way you avoid redundant repetition when it come to explicitly expressing your opinion in the conclusion.

A fast way to improve your essays?

If you are feeling a little lost regarding IELTS task two, don’t worry most students face terrible confusion over this task. It’s often the reason a lot of students are stuck at 6.5 🙁

If this is your situation you may want to stop taking IELTS exams for a month or two and focus on really improving your IELTS writing skills. To be serious about scoring a 7 or more in the exam you need to master your language skills and your IELTS exam skills. If you feel stuck at 6.5 then try getting some feedback on your essays. Learn about the IELTSPodcast.com essay correction service.

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Ielts writing tips for task 2 simply and completing the test quickly.

Task 2 accounts for 60% of the total score in the IELTS Writing test. Therefore, Task 2 is always more challenging to score well compared to Task 1. Additionally, IELTS Writing Task 2 requires candidates to have a deep and broad knowledge base. So, let's refer to the following article shared by a Preppies member on IELTS Writing tips for Task 2 quickly and effectively to improve your writing skills!  

1. IELTS Writing tips for Task 2 - Read Carefully & Understand the Prompt

• 2. IELTS Writing tips for Task 2 - Brainstorm Before Writing 

3. IELTS Writing tips for Task 2 - Each Paragraph Should Focus on One Main Point 

4. ielts writing tips for task 2 - provide relevant and highly authentic reasoning.

The first thing you should do when writing Task 2 is to read the prompt carefully and understand its requirements. Did you know that you shouldn't underestimate the prompt and think that you just need to paraphrase it to write the introduction? The prompt in Writing Task 2 actually tells you what the examiner expects you to write. It also indicates the direction you should take. This is the part that informs you about what to include in your thesis statement and topic sentence.

➡ IELTS Writing Task 2 Prompt:  “Some people think spoken communication is more powerful than written communication. To what extent do you agree or disagree?”

➡ In this prompt, the examiner presents two aspects:  “spoken communication” and  “written communication” . They want you to argue which one is more important. And of course, you can only choose one side based on your personal opinion. So, if your approach to Writing Task 2 here is  to agree with the given opinion, you will think that "spoken communication" is more important, and vice versa . Don't be wishy-washy in your essay, as it will weaken your argument and reduce focus.

2. IELTS Writing tips for Task 2 - Brainstorm Before Writing  

In the past, when writing persuasive essays in high school, teachers always required us to outline our essays before writing them. The purpose of this was to identify the ideas we needed to include and arrange them logically within the essay. The same applies to writing argumentative essays in English. Therefore, brainstorming before writing is an effective approach to Writing Task 2!

➡ The IELTS Writing tips for Task 2 here is to spend  at least 2-3 minutes on brainstorming. This is even applicable during the actual exam because it is extremely helpful. When you have organized your ideas beforehand, you will be able to write higher-quality topic sentences. The writing time is reduced as you don't need to think while writing. Once you have control over your writing speed, you can calculate the time to go back to the essay and proofread it.

For more information, refer to the following article:

• The ultimate guide to mastering the detailed approach to writing IELTS Writing Task 2

To ensure clarity of your essay and to be highly persuasive, show the examiner the "valid" reasons you present to support your viewpoint as correct. This is one of the highly effective approaches to Writing Task 2. Consider the following example to practice writing an effective IELTS Writing Task 2:

➡ Prompt:  Nowadays it is not only large companies that can make films. Digital technology enables anyone to produce films. Do you think it is a positive or negative development?

The two ideas for the body paragraphs in this prompt are: 

• ➡ The fact that filmmaking is increasingly more accessible has helped add variety to cinematography.
• ➡ Additionally, easy access to filming technology helps discover hidden talented people.

To support the personal viewpoint that modern digital technology allows everyone to make films is a positive development, the author presents the main benefit of this, which is that it makes cinematography in general  more diverse , and with the advantages of the technology, we have  discovered many hidden talents .

In their essay, they present these two main points. And they use introductory phrases and paragraph structure to let the examiner know which point they are addressing. Learn these IELTS Writing tips to have an effective Task 2!

To achieve a band score of 7.0 or higher for the Writing Task 2, you must provide authentic evidence to persuade the examiner. Refer to the following example to understand more about how to write IELTS Writing Task 2:

Using the same prompt as above, the development would be as follows, for the first argument:

• The fact that filmmaking is increasingly more accessible has helped add variety to cinematography. Movies made by big companies, on the one hand, are restricted to a handful of themes and backgrounds, several of which are even heavily censored. On the other hand, films made by potential filmmakers, albeit amateur, transcend barriers of ethnicities and backgrounds.
• Around 400-500 movies are made by Hollywood every year, many of which are Americentric and revolve around superheroes, romance, thrillers, and comedies. Meanwhile, with a phone sitting in our pockets and film editing applications at our disposal, that number can add up to millions, with more themes covered and a great array of settings shown.

They prove the point that the increasing accessibility of filmmaking has helped diversify cinematography. They mention that films produced by large companies often face issues with censorship and copyright. Additionally, they provide two figures, 400-500 and millions, to talk about the number of films made by major producers and amateur filmmakers.

Hopefully, some IELTS Writing tips for Task 2 shared in this article will help you complete the exam quickly and efficiently. PREP wishes all Preppies good luck in their exam preparation, knowing how to write IELTS Writing Task 2, and achieving high results in the real exam!

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• Essay Task 2

Guide to Advantage Disadvantage IELTS Essay Type

• Essay Types
• Double Question
• Advantage Disadvantage
• Problem Solution
• Essay Length

IELTS advantage/disadvantage essays ask you to write about the benefits and drawbacks of a topic as well as (sometimes) asking for your opinion.  This guide covers everything you need to know to complete an Academic IELTS advantage/ disadvantage essay. Let’s start preparing with Benchmark IELTS!

Table of Contents

1.1 understanding the question, 1.2 example advantage/disadvantage questions, 2.1 essay structure 1, 2.2 essay structure 2.

• 3.1 Identify key words and phrases

3.2 Organise your ideas

3.3 identify vocabulary, 4.1 introduction, 4.2 main body paragraphs, 4.3 conclusion, 5.1 complete the sample advantage/disadvantage essay, 5.2 advantage/disadvantage sample essay, 1. advantage/ disadvantage essay overview.

This section of the guide will show you how to identify an IELTS advantage/disadvantage question.

Remember, there are five main types of writing task 2 questions:

• Advantage/disadvantage
• Double question
• Problem/solution

It is very important to understand what type of question you are given in the exam so you can respond in an appropriate way: different question types will require different responses.

Advantage/disadvantage essay questions can be presented in several different ways.

Here are some examples of the way an advantage/disadvantage question may be worded:

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your opinion.
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of _____ and give your opinion.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of _____?

You may also see questions using synonyms for advantage and disadvantage, for example:

• What are the benefits and drawbacks of…?

Be careful, the question itself might not always use words or phrases relating to advantage/disadvantage and they could be hidden in the statement,  as seen here:

• Some people believe that using a bicycle as your main form of transport has a lot of advantages , whereas others believe that it has many disadvantages . Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Here is another example of a question where you are asked to give your opinion:

• Do the advantages of … outweigh the disadvantages

After you have identified the essay type , you need to understand what you are being asked to do. To do well in the Task achievement marking component, you need to ‘ address all parts of the task’ .

This type of essay question will always be split into two parts:

• The IELTS statement
• The question

You must always write about both the advantages and disadvantages of the given topic. As we can see in example questions 1-6, sometimes you are asked to give your opinion on the question, and sometimes you are not. Let’s compare the following questions:

You are not being asked to give your opinion

Here are some example advantage/disadvantage essay questions:

In the past, when students did a university degree, they tended to study in their own country. Nowadays, they have more of an opportunity to study abroad.

Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Today children spend a lot of their free time watching TV.

Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of this practice?

Also, read the following IELTS Essay Writing Guides

• IELTS Discussion Type Questions
• Double Question IELTS Essay Topics
• Opinion-based Task 2 IELTS Guide
• Problem Solution IELTS Writing Task Statement

The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy.

The benefits of nuclear technology far outweigh the disadvantages.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

In the past, when students did a university degree, they tended to study in their own country. Nowadays, they have the opportunity to study abroad.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this development?

More and more people prefer to read news online rather than on paper.

Do you think the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.

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2. Essay Structures for Advantage/Disadvantage Essays

There is more than one way to structure your advantage/disadvantage essay. You could take a thesis-led (opinion in the introduction) or an evidence-led (opinion in your conclusion).

You could also choose to focus on one or more than one advantage/disadvantage in each of your main body paragraphs.

The next two sections will give you two possible ways that you could structure your essay using four clearly organized paragraphs.

Thesis-led approach

Evidence-led approach

3. Planning your Advantage/Disadvantage Essay

Before you start writing your essay, you should give yourself 5 minutes to analyze the question and organize your ideas . Follow the tips below to create a well-planned essay!

3.1 Identify keywords and phrases

It sounds simple, but it is very important that you read the question carefully and understand what you are being asked to write about. To analyze the question, first, identify any keywords and phrases .

You should first identify the topic of the essay. If you do not write about the correct topic, you will score poorly in Task achievement . The general topic can always be found in the IELTS statement.

Let’s take a look at one of the previous examples:

The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace . Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy .

The topic words are underlined and show the general topic of this essay question in nuclear weapons/power/technology .

After you have identified the general topic, you need to locate other keywords that give you more detail about the topic. In this question, the words world peace and cheap and clean energy in bold give you more information about the general topic. Therefore, your essay should only relate to these aspects of nuclear weapons/power/technology .

Now take a look at the question for our model answer at the end of this guide. Can you identify the general topic?

This is an important step that is often skipped by test-takers. By quickly writing down your key ideas, you will avoid repeating or missing any points and improve your score in both Task achievement and Coherence and cohesion .

You could use bullet points , columns , or another preferred method of writing down ideas . Here is an example for our sample essay:

Take a look at our Master Guide for a more in-depth look at idea generation and organizing your ideas.

Taking a moment to write down more uncommon vocabulary related to the essay topic will not only make you feel more relaxed in the exam but will also help you to improve your score in Lexical resources .

This doesn’t have to be a long list, just a few ideas that come into your mind. Here are some examples of the topic of studying abroad:

• Culture shock
• Language barrier
• Broaden one’s horizons

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4. Writing your Advantages/Disadvantages Essay

Your introduction should be the shortest paragraph in your essay (about 40-60 words is perfect).

You need to rephrase the IELTS statement in your own words. This is known as paraphrasing (a key skill to develop for the IELTS exam).

Take a look at our example:

You can also briefly state what your essay will be about in one clear sentence. For instance:

This essay will discuss both points of view and then I will give my opinion.

If you are taking a thesis-led approach, you can use one of the following sentence starters to briefly give your opinion:

• I believe that…
• It is my belief that…
• In my opinion,…

A note on the use of the first person ‘I’: Unlike writing task 1, it is appropriate to use the first person in your writing task 2 essay. In fact, it is unavoidable when giving your opinion. But , you should not overuse ‘I’ in your essay and we recommend you limit your use to your introduction and conclusion.

Topic sentences Usually, the first sentence of your main body paragraph will be a topic sentence . The purpose of your topic sentence is to introduce the main idea of your paragraph .

You should include one topic sentence for each advantage/disadvantage . This means that, if your main body paragraphs focus on two advantages/disadvantages , then you should have two topic sentences per paragraph.

Here’s an example: One advantage of studying abroad is that students can improve their language skills.

Here are some other sentence starters you can use for your essays (you can replace the underlined words with vocabulary linked to your topic):

• One advantage of studying abroad is that ….
• Another benefit of studying abroad is that…
• One downside of studying abroad is that…
• Another downside of studying abroad is that…

Supporting sentences You should then expand on your topic sentence with a supporting sentence/sentences . Your sentence(s) could either describe a result of the advantage/disadvantage, go into more detail , or explain the reason(s) why these benefits/drawbacks occur.

Our example supporting sentence describes a result of the advantage given in the topic sentence.

Topic sentence – One advantage of studying abroad is that students can improve their language skills.

Supporting sentence – This means that when the students return to their home countries, they will have more employment opportunities.

Here are some sentences starters you can use to begin your supporting sentences:

• This is because…
• The result/consequence/reason is that…
• This means that…
• As a result/consequence,…
• In other words,…  

Giving examples For all writing task 2 essay types , you must support your response with examples. Do not personalize your examples and link them to your life instead, Keep your examples more general . Also, do not refer to made-up statistics .

Here are some instances of suitable and non-suitable examples:

Suitable For example, many young people who study in an English-speaking country for a few years develop strong communication skills and have the confidence to work in an international company when they return home.

Not suitable My cousin spent three years in an English-speaking country and they got an excellent job with an international country when they came back to Spain. ( this example is too personal as it refers to the writer’s family ) ❌

According to statistics, international students are 30% more likely to get a job in an international company when they study overseas. ( this example contains a made-up statistic )

You must include a conclusion to achieve a good score in Task achievement . Your conclusion does not have to be very long, but it needs to be clear and do two main things:

• Paraphrase yourself : summarise the key points in your body paragraphs
• Give your opinion : It depends if you have taken an evidence-led or thesis-led approach, you will either be re-stating the opinion given in your introduction or giving your opinion for the first time.

Make your conclusion easy to identify for the examiner by starting with linking phrases such as:

• To sum up,…
• To summarise,…
• In conclusion,…

When you are paraphrasing the main points of your essay, you need to state that you have examined both sides of the argument (as that is what the question has asked you to do). To do this, consider using a phrase like:

In conclusion, having looked at this topic in detail, it is clear that there are both advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad .

You would need to replace the underlined section with your essay topic.

To give your opinion, you need to use a range of cohesive devices to introduce each example such as:

• From my perspective,…
• In my view,…

You then need to clearly state which side of the argument you agree with (advantage or disadvantage). Remember, your actual opinion does not matter, it is how you present your opinion using English that is important.

Here are some example sentences to do this effectively:

• In my opinion, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
• From my perspective, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits .

5. Example Advantage/Disadvantage Essay and Exercise

Now you’ve taken a look at how to write an advantage/disadvantage essay, let’s look at a model answer.

We have removed some of the words so you can put your knowledge to the test.

Select the correct missing words and complete the model answer.

In recent years, it has become much more common for students to complete their degree overseas instead of their house country. Many persons believe that there are significant benefits of doing this, while others argue that there are also drawbacks connected to studying abroad. This essay will discuss both points of mind and then I will give my opinion.

One advantage of study abroad is that students can improve their employee skills. This means that when the students return to their home countries, they will have more employment opportunities. An example, many young people who study in an English-speaking country for a few years develop strong communication skills and have the confidence to work in an international company when they return home. On the other hand benefit of studying abroad is that you can develop a better understanding of other cultures, Example , learning about a country’s customs, traditions and cuisines. The consequence of this is that people become more open-minded.

In the other hand, there are some disadvantages of studying abroad. One backdraw is that students may miss their friends and family and feel homesad. They may also find it difficult to connect with other students and make friends due to a language barrier . Another disadvantage is that students can experience a real culture shock when moving to another country. This is because the culture and language may be different which could lead to frustration for the student and dissatisfaction with their study experience.

To overall , it is clear that there are both advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad. In my thought, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Although it is true that the experience may be challenging at first, on balance , if you study abroad you will have an enriching experience that will broaden your horizons and increase your future prospects.

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IELTS Writing Tips

So you want to score a band 8 on IELTS Writing ?

Many IELTS test-takers spend a lot of time training to write top-notch essays. To achieve a desired score, they stuff their essays with uncommon vocabulary, overuse complicated grammar or write too many words. But are these means really necessary? The answer is NO.

There are a lot of much simpler writings that score 8.0 and higher! This is because you don’t need any special knowledge: the examiner will assess your writing, not your thoughts. Even simple but accurately expressed ideas score better than too complicated ones. To succeed in IELTS Writing , you need to

• be accurate
• write simple things well

Ridiculously, even well trained candidates often lose points on IELTS Writing because of making simple mistakes: from going off topic to writing too many words.

On this page we’ve gathered top 10 IELTS Writing tips that will help you score band 8+ on IELTS Writing:

Read the question

The government should pay to the parents of very young children, so that one of them can stay at home and look after their children.

What do you think are the pros and cons of this policy? Justify your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

• Write pros & cons
• Give examples

Read what you have written

Go back and read the paragraph you have just written before you start the next one. You may think that this is a waste of time. If so, you’d be wrong. It’s important to link your paragraphs together – what easier way to do that than just read what you have written?

The practical advice here is to select your best idea and write about that. That means not writing everything you know – leave some ideas out. Don’t worry if it is not your best explanation, worry about whether it is your clearest explanation.

Write about what you know

You are being tested on the quality of your English, not on the quality of your ideas. So you shouldn’t worry about finding the “right answer”. You need a simple idea that you can clearly describe and justify.

Follow the standard structure

• Introduction : briefly describe what your graph shows.
• Overview : state main trends.
• Specific details : describe specific changes, providing data.

IELTS Writing task 2 answer should have such backbone:

• Introduction : rephrase the topic + give your opinion.
• Body paragraphs : each should have its central idea, which is generally stated in the first sentence.
• Conclusion : just rephrase your opinion from the introduction.

Don’t write too many words

It’s a bad idea to write more than 300 words in task 2 and more than 200 words in task 1. Firstly, it’s difficult for the examiner to read long essays and he/she will check your writing less carefully. Secondly, you are likely to make more mistakes and have less time to check what you wrote.

Choose your writing style

Never use informal language in academic writing or in essay. Only in general module task 1 you may be asked to write an informal letter.

Don't learn model answers by heart

Do not memorize model answers - you will receive less points for such essay. The chance of getting exactly the same essay as you've learnt is very small. And going off topic will result in achieving a low score. So instead, spend some time learning to adopt advanced vocabulary to make it fit into your answer. This way you'll be able to use various words phrases in different writings and show your broad range of vocabulary.

Don't branch off!

Write only according to the theme. Do not include irrelevant information. If you wander from the subject, you'll get a much lower score even for a well-styled answer.

Write clearly and coherently

Do not repeat yourself with different words, avoid being redundant. Also, make sure that each paragraph in Writing task 2 has a central idea. It's very important for IELTS Writing that every paragraph in you essay is clearly separated and has its main thought. This simple thing makes your essay neat and coherent.

• Information about IELTS Writing test
• IELTS Writing task 2 topics list
• IELTS Writing lessons & exercises

IELTS Writing Task 1

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“Explore this comprehensive guide on IELTS Writing Task 1 and learn how to improve your writing skills and avoid common mistakes to achieve that band score! “

Interpreting visual data and summarizing information accurately is a vital skill for higher education and global communication and this skill is evaluated in IELTS Writing Task 1 exam. It is, thereby, a crucial component of both the Academic and General Training modules.

In this comprehensive guide, we will examine all aspects of IELTS Writing Task 1, exploring its different formats, question types with IELTS exam examples, tips for success, and common mistakes to avoid.

Understanding IELTS Writing Task 1

Task 1 of IELTS Writing assesses the candidate's ability to interpret and present information in a clear and coherent manner. It requires candidates to describe visual information or frame a letter in a minimum of 150 words in 20 minutes. The key skills tested in Task 1 include:

• Understanding Visual Data or Prompts: Candidates must accurately interpret the visual data provided or prompts for letters and convey the main trends, comparisons, and significant points accurately.
• Organizational Skills: Structuring the response effectively is essential, including introducing the topic, providing an overview or a purpose, and presenting key details logically.
• Language Accuracy: Candidates are evaluated on their ability to use a range of vocabulary, grammatical structures, and cohesive devices to express ideas precisely.

IELTS Writing Writing Task 1 Question Types

You have to keep in mind that Task 1 differs for both IELTS General and Academic purposes. So, the different types of questions in these two types of IELTS exam are given below.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1

You will be required to represent data relevant to an academic context that are shown in one or more figures, such as graphs, charts, tables, diagrams, or processes in Task 1 of IELTS Academic . There are typically seven types of questions in IELTS Writing Task 1 Academic:

• IELTS Table chart
• IELTS Bar chart
• IELTS Line graph
• IELTS Pie chart
• IELTS Map Diagram
• IELTS Process diagram
• Combination (Mixed) charts

For a deeper comprehension of the subjects, it is crucial to regularly practice using the IELTS writing task 1 practice tests with answers.

Get set to take a look at the IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 question types with band 9 sample answers now!

Table Chart Sample

Sample Answer

The table compares the oil production in four different African countries, Nigeria, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, and Cote d’Ivoire from 2000 to 2004.

Overall, it can be seen that Nigeria registered the highest oil production in all the years. Also, while the oil production in Chad and Cote d’Ivoire increased, it fell in Congo Brazzaville and fluctuated in Nigeria.

There was no oil production in Chad from 2000 to 2002. In 2003, Chad produced about 50,000 barrels, and this increased and reached 290,000 barrels in 2004. Similarly, Cote d’Ivoire’s production also increased from 8000 barrels in 2000 to 45,000 barrels by 2004. On the other hand, the production of oil in Congo Brazzaville decreased continuously. In 2000, 280,000 barrels of oil were produced in Congo and its production fell by 10,000-20,000 barrels year by year and reached 205,000 barrels in 2004.

Finally, oil production in Nigeria varied. In 2000, 2,000,000 barrels were produced and this increased slightly to 2,100,000 by 2001. However, in the next year, production fell by 200,000 barrels. From 2002 onwards production increased continuously and in 2004, a production of 2,200,000 barrels was recorded.

Bar Chart Sample

The bar graph compares the spending of 18-20-year-olds on food, clothes, books, smartphones, and toiletries in 2010 and 2014 in a particular country.

Overall, it can be seen that the spending on all the products except books and clothes rose with time. Furthermore, the maximum spending was done on food in both years.

In 2010, the 18-20-year-olds spent roughly 3700$ million on food, which was followed by clothes at about 2500$ million dollars. Smartphones and toiletries accounted for about 2000$ million in spending each. The least expenditure was done on books, with a figure of only $1000 million.

In the next four years, the expenditure on food, smartphones, and toiletries increased and in 2010, about $4300 million was spent on food, whereas about $2700 million was spent on smartphones. The amount spent on toiletries rose minimally by about $100 million. By contrast, the spending on books became nearly half. Lastly, the expense of clothes remained unchanged at $2500.

Pie Chart Sample

The pie chart depicts the average electricity usage in a typical English household. The highest proportion of energy consumption, amounting to 52.5%, is attributed to heating rooms and water.

Overall, the chart shows the electricity consumption in a typical English home. Most energy is devoted to heating, followed by kitchen appliances, while the remaining portion is divided between essential and less frequently used household items.

This significant allocation can be attributed to the unpredictable weather patterns in the UK, where temperatures rarely exceed 20 degrees Celsius during the summer compared to other European countries experiencing temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius. Consequently, households in these countries utilize less electricity during the summer months. Kitchen appliances, including ovens, kettles, and washing machines, account for the second largest portion of British electricity usage, representing 17.5% of total household energy.

The remaining 30% of electricity is divided equally. Half of this share is utilized by essential appliances like house lighting, televisions for entertainment, and radios for music, which are integral components of our daily lives. The other half of the 30% is consumed by appliances such as vacuum cleaners, food mixers, and electric tools, which are typically used weekly.

Line Graph Sample

The graph shows changes in the birth and death rates in New Zealand since 1901, and forecasts trends until 2101.

Overall, these opposing trends mean that the death rate will probably overtake the birth rate in around 2041 and the large gap between the two levels will be reversed in the later part of this century.

Between 1901 and the present day, the birth rate has been consistently higher than the death rate. It stood at 20,000 at the start of this period and increased to a peak of 66,000 in 1961. Since then the rate has fluctuated between 65 and 50 thousand and it is expected to decline slowly to around 45,000 births by the end of the century.

In contrast, the death rate started below 10,000 and has increased steadily until the present time. This increase is expected to be more rapid between 2021 and 2051 when the rate will probably level off at around 60,000, before dropping slightly in 2101.

Process Diagram Sample

The given diagram shows different stages of brick manufacturing for the building industries.

Generally speaking, overall the brick production involves 7 steps, starting from the digging stages and ending at the delivery stage.

As is given in the graph, the first step of brick manufacturing is digging the clay with a large digger. This clay is then filtered and processed in a roller machine and then mixed with sand and water. In the third stage, the mixture is either kept in a mold or cut in a wire cutter to make the raw shape of the bricks. In the next step, the shaped raw bricks are dried for 24 to 48 hours in a drying oven.

After that, the dried raw bricks are kept in a kiln, both at moderate and high temperatures, up to 1300 degree centigrade, and then placed in a cooling chamber for about 48 to 72 hours. This process makes the brick to be packed and delivered in the final two steps. The delivery process is the final process of brick manufacturing and as it is noted, brick-making is a moderately complex process that requires some predefined work to make it usable.

Map Diagram Labelling Sample

The maps illustrate an industrial zone in Norbiton town currently and a proposed redevelopment scheme for the whole area.

Overall, Norbiton will become more residential, so the factories will be demolished to make way for new housing. Moreover, two new roads and a mini roundabout will be built along with new shops, a medical center, and a school.

Looking at the current layout, a main road runs from east to west with a roundabout in the middle, which is surrounded by factories that extend to the east. In the north, farmland is situated over the river. There are currently no houses or other facilities in this industrial zone.

Regarding redevelopment, from the central roundabout a new road will extend north and a bridge is to be constructed over the river with plans for new housing on the farmland. In addition, a road extending northwest with housing and shops is earmarked for construction. Next to the new mini roundabout, a medical center will be built. To the east, a school and playground are proposed with extra residential facilities. Notably, no factories are expected to remain in the plans.

Combination Charts Sample

The bar chart outlines how many Japanese travelled overseas between 1985 and 1995 while the line graph delineates the percentages of these tourists who visited Australia in particular between 1985 and 1994.

Overall, the number of Japanese who made overseas travels soared and this is also true for the Australian visiting travelers from Japan.

As can be seen from the illustration, around 5 million Japanese citizens travelled to different countries in 1985 which kept on increasing each year except in 1991. From approximately 7 million tourists in 1987, it went as high as 12 million in just 6 years. Finally, in 1995, around 15 million Japanese toured foreign countries which was three times higher than that of a decade earlier.

The line graph shows that 2% of Japanese tourists reached Australia in 1985 and with a steady increase this figure went as high as roughly 5% in 1988. The next year the ratio slightly dipped but went higher each year in the subsequent years. Australia received more than 6% of Japanese travellers in 1993, the highest, which stood at exactly 6% in 1994.

IELTS General Writing Task 1

The candidate must compose a letter outlining details from IELTS GT Writing Task 1 or provide an explanation of a circumstance. There are three types of letters for IELTS General writing task 1:

• IELTS General Writing Task 1 Sample Formal Letters
• IELTS General Writing Task 1 Sample Semi-Formal Letters
• IELTS General Writing Task 1 Informal Letters

Candidates are assessed on their ability to engage in personal contact, elicit and offer general factual information, express needs, likes, and dislikes, as well as their opinions, in the IELTS general writing task 1.

Get set to take a look at the IELTS General Writing Task 1 question types with band 9 sample answers now!

Formal Letter Sample

I would like to express my regret for having dined at your establishment last night; please allow me to explain. The table was booked two months in advance since it was to cater for a major professional event, and yet we were informed by the maitre d’ upon arrival that there were no tables sufficiently large and we would have to dine separately. I did press this point with your staff as my party needed to remain in each other’s company, but we were told that it was simply impossible to seat us all together.

In addition to this, several menu items were unavailable on the night, including every vegetarian option, meaning that three members of my party were left to eat only bread throughout the meal. As a result of these incidents, I had intended not to pay, but your staff informed us that they would call the police if we refused, and so to avoid further embarrassment, I complied.

This experience was entirely unacceptable, and I would like to request a full refund of the amount paid. I would also suggest that your staff not promise customers the degrees of service that they are unable to provide in order to avoid disappointing experiences such as these ones.

Paul Hollywood

Semi-formal Letter Sample

Dear Rohan,

It has been a while since I spoke to you. I’m writing this letter to inform you that I’ve moved to Brussels to pursue my career as a Senior Consultant in Java at ABC Company. It is one of the prestigious companies here, and I consider myself lucky to have been selected here.

Life is great in Brussels. It has a tremendous maritime temperate climate with summers being warm and winters being cool. Due to its proximity to the Atlantic ocean, it has an almost pleasant weather throughout the year. There is not much snowfall, though. Nearly 70% of the population in Brussels have foreign origins. If circumstances are favorable, I’m planning to stay here at least for the next ten years.

I know you have a strong background in Java, and Brussels has plenty of opportunities for it. I can arrange for an interview at ABC company itself. Please do send me your Resume. Even otherwise, feel free to come here for a holiday. Brussels is such an artistic place.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours truly,

Informal Letter Sample

Dear Reeta,

I got your message that stated your visit to my city. Let me tell you, I am more than excited and elated to receive you. However, I’d like to apologize beforehand for what I am going to say next. The date that you mentioned – 25th February, unfortunately, I am not available on this date.

I have my last exam; thus, I would have to go out of the city for the entire day. If it was not that important, I wouldn’t be asking you not to come. In fact, for months, I was waiting eagerly to meet you.

Why don’t you change the date if possible? I am free anytime after 25th February. You will be more than welcome to stay with me for as many days as you want. We are definitely going to have a fun-filled time together. Once again, I am sorry for this inconvenience. Looking forward to meeting you soon.

Yours lovingly,

Some More IELTS General Writing Task 1 Samples

Here are some latest Writing Task 1 topics with sample answers for IELTS General Training:

Formal Letter

Semi Formal Letter

Informal Letter

Evaluation Criteria for IELTS Writing Task 1

The purpose of the IELTS Writing Task 1 question is to assess a candidate's writing abilities.

• Four criteria are used to assess a candidate's IELTS score: Task Achievement, Coherence & Cohesion in IELTS Writing , IELTS Lexical Resource and IELTS Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
• For IELTS Writing Task 1, each component is worth 25% of the candidate's final score.

Therefore, these are standardized measures that a student needs to follow throughout their answer to achieve their desired IELTS band score . Check the table given below:

Top Tips for Success in IELTS Writing Task 1

Candidates must follow some IELTS preparation tips in order to master IELTS Academic writing task 1 and IELTS GT writing task 1. So, given below are some top tips to structure your answers for IELTS Writing Task 1.

• Understand the Task Requirements: Read the instructions carefully and identify the main features and key trends in the visual data.
• Plan Your Response: Spend a few minutes organizing your ideas before you start writing. This will help you structure your response effectively.
• Use a Variety of Vocabulary: Demonstrate your lexical range by avoiding repetition and employing synonyms to describe the data accurately.
• Focus on Significant Details: Highlight the most important information and avoid including unnecessary details that do not contribute to the overall understanding of the required details.
• Practice Time Management: Allocate enough time to each task and aim to complete Writing Task 1 within the recommended 20 minutes.
• Use Synonyms - Don't just copy words from the prompt. Paraphrase with your own vocabulary.
• Include Units of Measurement - Use measurement units like millions, percentage, tons, dollars. This shows attention to detail and highlights obvious contrasts or similarities between data trends to make logical comparisons.
• Use Linking Words - IELTS Writing Task 1 Connectors add like "while", "in addition", "on the other hand" connect your ideas and show cohesion.
• Stick to Plain English - Don't try to sound overly complex. Keep your language clear and concise.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in IELTS Writing Task 1

While analyzing visuals or framing the letter might seem straightforward, Task 1 can trip you up if you're not careful. Here are some key mistakes to avoid:

• Misinterpreting Data/Prompts: Ensure that you accurately understand the information presented in the visual data before attempting to describe it.
• Ignoring Task Instructions: Pay attention to the specific requirements of each task and avoid straying from the given topic.
• Overlooking Grammar and Spelling: Proofread your response carefully to eliminate grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.
• Lack of Coherence and Cohesion: Ensure that your response is well-structured and cohesive, with clear connections between sentences and paragraphs.

The IELTS Writing Task 1 test may seem challenging, but with dedication and the right strategies, you can conquer it. Remember, consistent practice, a focus on improvement, and a clear understanding of the format are key to achieving your desired band score. If you need any sort of guidance, feel free to interact with our IELTS experts or be a part of IELTS webinars . So, take a deep breath, pick up your pen, and embark on your journey to IELTS writing mastery!

Some More IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Samples

Check out the recent Writing Task 1 topics with IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answers to practice:

• Village of Stokeford in 1930 and 2010- Map
• Paradise Island Map – IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Answers
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Example 4 : Development of the village of Rye mouth – Map
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic: The development of cutting tools in the stone age – Diagram
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Example 3: Civic Centre – Map
• Changes in Modes of Travel in England Between 1985 and 2000- IELTS Writing Task 1 (Table)
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1: Main Reasons why Agricultural Land Becomes Less Productive
• Cinema Viewing Figures for Films by Country, in Millions- Table
• Number of Medals Won by the Top Ten Countries in the London 2012 Olympic Games- Table
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 12: Internet use in six categories by age group – Table
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic : Annual pay for doctors and other workers – Bar chart
• Division of Household Tasks by Gender in Great Britain- Bar Graph
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 11: Different methods of waste disposal in four cities – Bar Chart
• Amount of Leisure Time Enjoyed by Men and Women of Different Employment Statuses- Bar Chart
• Number of Computer and Internet users in Different Arab Countries- Bar Graph
• The Changes In Ownership Of Electrical Appliances And Amount Of Time Spent Doing Housework In Households – IELTS Writing Task 1
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic : The Percentage of Female Members of Parliament in 5 European Countries
• IELTS Writing Task 1 – The graph below shows different sources of air pollutants in the UK Sample Answers
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic: Price changes for fresh fruits and vegetables – Line Graph
• Demand for Electricity in England- Line Graph and Pie Chart
• Average Household Expenditures in a Country in 1950 and 2010- Pie Chart
• Methods of Transportation for People Traveling to a University – Pie Chart
• Percentage of Water Used for Different Purposes in Six Areas of the World- Pie Chart
• Online shopping sales for retail sectors in Canada – IELTS Writing Task 1 Pie chart
• IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Topic 09 : Consequence of deforestation – FlowChart
• Academic IELTS Writing Task 1 Recycling process of wasted glass bottles Sample Answers
• Water Cycle Diagram – IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Answers
• IELTS Writing Task 1 Process Chart 2024 – Process Diagram with Sample Answers
• Percentage of Food Budget the Average Family Spent on Restaurant Meals- Pie Chart + Line Graph
• Amount of Money Per Week Spent on Fast Food in Britain- Bar Graph + Line Graph
• Water use Worldwide and Water Consumption- Line Graph and Table

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format of IELTS Writing Task 1?

How much time should I spend on IELTS Writing Task 1?

Do I need to include my opinion in IELTS Writing Task 1?

Should I include an introduction and conclusion in IELTS Writing Task 1?

How can I improve my vocabulary for describing visual data in Task 1?

Where can I find practice materials for Task 1?

What should I do if I don't understand the visual data in Task 1?

Should I include every detail from the visual data in my response?

Is there a specific paragraph structure I should follow in Task 1?

How can I practice for IELTS Writing Task 1?

Practice IELTS Writing Task 1 based on report types

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IELTS Discussion Essay: Overview, structure and tips

In this article, the brief introduction, structure and strategy to successfully write an IELTS Discussion Essay will be mentioned in order for you to have in-depth knowledge of this type of essay.

1. IELTS Discussion Essay Overview

The format of the question for an IELTS discussion essay will be normally 2 parts: 

• 1st part: a statement of two opposing perspectives
• 2nd part: requirement to discuss the statement

Depending on different questions, the requirement varies in the way of wording:

• Discuss both views and give your opinion.
• Discuss both these views and then give your own opinion. 
• Discuss both sides of this argument and give your own opinion.

IELTS discussion questions seem to be similar to IELTS opinion questions in the first place, but there is a key difference between the two types. While IELTS discussion essay (Discuss both views and give your opinion) asks candidates to discuss both views given and/or give your point of view, IELTS opinion essay (Do you agree or disagree?) requires you to choose between two contrasting views and support your choice with arguments.

In terms of IELTS advantages and disadvantages essay, the first part of the question will be a one-view statement only, compared to the two-opposing-view statement in the IELTS discussion essay. 

2. IELTS Discussion Essay Structure

It is suggestable to write the IELTS Discussion Essay with three parts in four or five separate paragraphs:

2.1. Introduction

– Paraphrase the statement / State both views 

(e.g. It is often held that teachers, peers and the media have a significant influence on the life of children. While some people argue that these factors are predominant in shaping a child’s future, others believe that parents impact their offspring in more critical ways. )

– Thesis statement with your opinion

(e.g. This essay will discuss both these points of view and argue in favour of the latter.)

– Body paragraph 1:

• Topic sentence: state the first view (e.g. On the one hand, the books children read and the music they listen to form their belief system.)
• Explain the topic sentence: elaborate the first view (e.g. In other words, children tend to copy the behaviour of their favourite personality or fictional character. Moreover, when little ones work and play in groups, they are influenced by their peers. Finally, other factors, like the media, prompt children to want things regarded as fashionable.)
• Example: support the first view with an example (optional) (e.g. For instance, children demand toys that they see on television.)
• Brief summary of the first view (optional)

– Body paragraph 2:

• Topic sentence: state the second view (e.g. On the other hand, a child’s personality is malleable at a very young age, and parents are always present in their life at this stage.)
• Explain the topic sentence: elaborate the second view (e.g. On the other hand, a child’s personality is malleable at a very young age, and parents are always present in their life at this stage. Also, very young children love to imitate. An emotionally secure environment at home is critical for the child’s confidence. Moreover, parents also teach children about setting boundaries.)
• Example: support the second view with an example (optional) (e.g. For example, children who come from a dysfunctional family often exhibit behavioural problems at school.)
• Brief summary of the second view (optional)

– Body paragraph 3:

• Topic sentence: state your opinion (e.g. In my opinion, children’s choice of friends, books or music depends on the values instilled in them by their parents.)
• Explain the topic sentence: elaborate your opinion (e.g. Therefore, parents hold more substantial sway over their offspring than media, pop culture and friends circle.)
• Example: support your opinion with an example (optional)
• Brief summary of your opinion (optional)

>>> Practice now: IELTS Writing Practice Test

2.3. Conclusion

– Summarize the main points

(e.g. In conclusion, the outside world influences the intellectual and social development of children.)

– State your point of view

(e.g. However, I believe that it is parents who set the stage for these developments by laying a strong foundation from a very young age.)

3. IELTS Writing Task 2 Discussion Essay Strategy

3.1. analyse the ielts discussion questions.

This step should be prioritized since it decides your understanding of the question. You should analyse the IELTS Discussion question quickly by following these two points:

(e.g. It is commonly believed that nowadays main factors that affect a child’s development are media, pop culture and friends. A different point of view is that family plays the most significant role.)

• Instructions

(e.g. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write at least 250 words.)

3.2. Make an outline

The first thing you should take action on is to decide which view you incline to. Then, you should note down what are the main points for your essay by outlining in the form of bullet points, a table, or a mindmap. 

3.3. Write a complete IELTS discussion essay

You should strictly follow the three-part structure and base on the outline prepared to write a complete IELTS discussion essay.

3.4. Check your IELTS discussion essay

Your IELTS discussion essay should be not only cohesive and coherent, but also correct with regards to grammar and spelling, so it is important to check your essay before handing in.

4. IELTS Writing Task 2 Discussion Essay Tips

• The time limit and word count should be taken into consideration while writing your IELTS Discussion essay. You had better complete the task with the word range from 250 to 290 words in around 40 minutes.
• You should point out clearly what your opinion is between the two opposing views instead of being in favor of both perspectives. 
• Give detailed explanation or example to elaborate each view in the Body part. 
• Do not just list all the reasons without any explanation or example in the body paragraphs.
• Make use of linking words to clarify the cohesion of your IELTS discussion essay.

In short, IELTS discussion essay will be not much of a difficulty if you gain a well-rounded knowledge and practice regularly. Install our mobile app or visit IELTS Online Test website now to practice with diverse tests.

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How to Structure IELTS Writing Task 1 Essays

Posted by David S. Wills | Aug 24, 2020 | IELTS Tips , Writing | 1

I have written many times about structure on this website, but mostly I have focused on task 2 . Today, however, I am going to take some time to show you how to structure IELTS writing task 1 essays . This often seems like a mystery but in fact it is quite simple and you can usually follow a pretty basic template.

I am going to divide this lesson into two parts. First, we will deal with the IELTS Academic exam and then we will look briefly at the IELTS General exam because these require different structures. Also, keep in mind that IELTS academic writing includes line graphs, pie charts, bar charts, maps, and more, so each of these might require some changes to the essay structure.

IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 Structure

When you do IELTS academic writing task 1, you may find yourself presented with one (or more) of the following:

• Process diagram

These require quite different language but generally you can apply a similar essay structure to all of them. Whether you are writing about a line graph or a table, you can pretty much use this IELTS writing task 1 template :

Let’s establish what “group of information” means

When you are doing IELTS Academic writing task 1, you need to examine the data and then describe it. To do this, you cannot just take a random approach and write about the different features of the data. Instead, you need to highlight the important parts.

This can be difficult, so let’s take an example.

In this line graph, we only have two lines to write about. Clearly, we could write one paragraph about men and one paragraph about women. Easy! Our structure would look like this:

To be honest, that is a very, very easy graph to describe so it was not a challenge. Let’s choose something more difficult to explore:

This is not a terribly difficult line graph to describe, but it presents a challenge for our IELTS writing task 1 structure template. How should we group these three lines?

One option is to structure it like this:

Another option is to break the information down according to time:

Grouping by Time vs Grouping by Type

The easiest way to group data for IELTS writing task 1 is to put them into different types. For example, in this line graph about a Caribbean island, we could potentially describe the number of people who stayed on the island in one paragraph and then the people who stayed on the ships in another paragraph.

But is this the best way?

When you write an essay with that structure, it becomes harder to compare the data. Remember that your question will always say “make comparisons where relevant.”

This suggests that grouping by time is better for one major reason: You can compare the different types of data over time. In this case, we can see the two sets of data are opposites, which gives us a great chance to make comparisons.

Sample Essay

Here is my sample essay about the Caribbean island.

The line graph displays the numbers of tourists that visited an unnamed Caribbean island between 2010 and 2017. The tourists are divided into two groups – those staying on cruise ships and those staying on the island itself – and these had a loosely inverse correlation. The total number of visitors, however, rose more or less continuously throughout the eight-year period. In the first year recorded, which was 2010, there were about twice as many tourists staying on the island as those staying on cruise ships. A year later, the number staying on cruise ships doubled to a half million, but this dropped back to around a quarter million in 2012. When the figures for tourists on cruise ships dropped, the number staying on the island rose quickly and over the coming few years, as this sudden increased levelled off, the number of people who stayed onboard their ship continued to grow again. Between 2012 and 2017, there were more and more visitors staying on cruise ships. From just a quarter million, this rose to two million, while the figures for those on the island levelled off at just one and a half million and then dropped slightly in the penultimate year, before finishing at one and a half. This meant that, for the final two years, more tourists stayed on cruise ships than on the island.

Can you write more than 3 paragraphs?

I would like to make clear that there is no such thing as the correct IELTS writing task 1 essay structure. It is possible to write a great essay with 2 paragraphs, but it is also possible to do it with 4 paragraphs. I would not recommend writing more than 4 paragraphs and I would certainly not recommend writing just 1! This would show a total lack of understanding of Coherence and Cohesion.

(P.S. – Read all about the number of paragraphs for IELTS writing task 2 here .)

Anyway, let’s look at an example of an essay that might be best described with 4 paragraphs:

For this task, we have to decide how to group the data. I personally find that the trend for burglary is more interesting than the others because it has much more of a change, which tells me that it should be described first. You could definitely write a paragraph that grouped car thefts and robberies together, but one is much more common than the other, so it might not work well.

I would take this approach:  

Of course, writing this much could mean taking a long time and potentially not finishing your essay. I have written an article about how many words you should write for IELTS, which you can read here .

Sample Essay – 4 Paragraphs

Ok, let’s look at the essay I wrote about crime rates in Newport.

The line graph shows changes in crime rates over a ten-year period in the city centre of Newport. Three types of crimes are listed, two of which ended the period at roughly similar levels to where they began, and one experienced a major drop. In 2003, which was the beginning of the recorded period, burglary was the most common type of crime in Newport, with just under 3,500 cases reported. This rose slightly the following year, before entering into a long downward trend, reaching a low of about 1,200 in 2008. After this, the number of burglaries reported fluctuated until 2012. The number of car thefts was about 2,800 in 2003, and ended the period slightly lower, at 2,700. During the decade-long period, it fluctuated, reaching low points in 2006 and 2008. Car theft was the second most common type of crime in 2003, but the fall in burglaries meant that from 2008 onwards, they were the most common crime in Newport. Robberies were the least common crime and followed a somewhat similar trend to that of car thefts, starting and ending the period with around 700 incidents. It fluctuated only slightly during the ten-year period.

IELTS Writing Task 1 Pie Chart Structure

The previous examples were both line graphs because these are the most common type of IELTS academic writing task 1 question. However, in order to ensure you understand fully, I will also include a pie chart and show you how to structure your essay.

This is actually the most difficult IELTS writing task 1 question I have ever seen!

So how could we produce an IELTS writing task 1 essay structure to fit this?

The obvious choice seems to be writing 3 paragraphs, with 1 paragraph for each of the pie charts. That’s sensible, right?

Well, personally I think that would make it harder to draw comparisons between these data. Instead, I will group the data in terms of meals . I will look at the main meals in one paragraph and then snacks in a final paragraph. This allows me to compare all 3 nutrients!

My structure would then look like this:

**Please note that this is a quite advanced structure and it is difficult to do. I am including it to show you how it is possible to take various approaches and produce a great essay.

Sample Answer

This is my answer to the very difficult question about nutrients:

The pie charts show information about three different kinds of nutrients and their prevalence in typical American meals. There are four kinds of meal mentioned, including snacks. The figures for sodium and saturated fat are loosely similar, but for added sugar they are quite different. Sodium and saturated fat are both extremely common in typical American dinners. According to the pie charts, 43% of sodium is consumed at dinner time as well as 37% of saturated fat, but just 23% of added sugar is found in American dinners. Almost a third of sodium eaten by Americans is consumed at lunch, alongside more than a quarter of saturated fat. Breakfasts contain the lowest amount of these potentially unhealthy ingredients, at 14% sodium and 16% for both saturated fat and added sugar. The figures for snacks look quite different. More than four tenths of the added sugar consumed by Americans came from snacks, which also contained a fifth of the saturated fats and about a sixth of sodium.

IELTS General Training Writing Task 1 Structure

When you take the IELTS General Training (GT) writing test, you will see that task 1 requires you to write a letter. As such, there is no “recommended essay structure” that you can use.

Instead, you should aim to write a letter that follows typical letter-writing conventions and to use paragraphs logically to guide your reader.

How can you structure an IELTS general writing task 1 letter?

I would strongly recommend this sort of approach:

Of course, I will say here that you should not take this as a 100% perfect letter template . It is merely a suggestion and you should pay close attention to the actual task you are assigned. This template can usually be adapted to make a good letter, but sometimes you need to add or combine paragraphs. Also, we might have a short paragraph at the start and/or end of the essay to give some friendly greeting or send some kind regards.

For one thing, sometimes you need to give much more weight to one part of the question, which could require using two paragraphs for that and one for the other parts. An example would be:

How to Adapt an IELTS General Writing Task 1 Format Structure

The people who score band 8 or 9 in IELTS writing are not the ones who memorize structures and vocabulary, or who attempt to predict the questions they will encounter. Instead, these are people who can learn from others but create their own essays and letters by adapting good ideas to the present situation.

Let’s look at an example question from IELTS GT writing task 1.

A large company in your area has decided to spend a certain amount of money, either to sponsor a local children’s sports team for two years, or to pay for two open-air concerts. It has asked for feedback from the general public. Write a letter to the company. In your letter, – describe the benefit of sponsoring the sports ream – summarise the benefits of paying for the concerts – say how you think the company should spend the money

How can we structure a reply to this task?

I am going to use the IELTS general writing task 1 format structure that I suggested above, with two paragraphs of explanation in the middle because there are two sides to the issue. My structure would look like this:

Here is my sample answer to the above question:

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing in response to your request for input on the decision about either spending money on a sports team or for two open-air concerts. Firstly, if you were to sponsor the children’s sports team, it would obviously be a great investment in the community. Nothing is more important to us than our children’s health and happiness. If you decided to sponsor the football team, this would mean a tremendous amount to many families. The concerts would also be beneficial in bringing the community together in a big event. This would foster some positive experiences and allow people to have fun together doing something they don’t normally do. It might also be good for local businesses. It is my opinion that you invest the money in the sports team as I think this would have the greatest benefit. For two whole years, parents would be able to watch their children play sports, and that is much better than going along to two concerts. Sincerely, David Wills

More Resources

This is a massive topic to cover and so I suggest that you continue reading once you are finished with this article. I have countless lessons on this website about IELTS writing task 1 (both academic and general) that you can read. I also have an IELTS writing task 1 template PDF file here .

More articles about structure:

• How to Describe a Bar Chart
• 7 Steps to Structuring an IELTS Essay
• How to Describe a Process Diagram

About The Author

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.

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I liked the course very much. It extended my knowledge about IELTS task 1 essay writing. This article is very insightful, points well explained and use of tutorials and examples to give a more clear picture of how task 1 essay should be tackled. Thanks for the great post! I liked how detailed and helpful it is.

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