IELTS Writing Task 2: A Complete Guide to a Higher Band

What Task 2 actually tests

In IELTS Writing Task 2 you write a formal essay of at least 250 words in about 40 minutes, responding to a prompt that asks for your opinion, a discussion, or a solution to a problem. It carries roughly two-thirds of your total Writing score, so it deserves the larger share of your practice time.

Your essay is marked against four equally weighted criteria. Understanding them is the fastest way to stop guessing and start writing for marks:

• Task Response — do you answer every part of the question with a clear position and developed ideas?
• Coherence and Cohesion — is it logically organised into paragraphs that flow?
• Lexical Resource — is your vocabulary precise, varied and used naturally?
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy — do you use a mix of sentence structures with few errors?

The five question types

Almost every Task 2 prompt is one of five types, and identifying the type tells you which structure to use:

• Opinion (agree or disagree) — state and defend one clear position.
• Discussion (discuss both views and give your opinion) — cover both sides, then your stance.
• Problem and solution (or causes and solutions) — explain the issue, then realistic fixes.
• Advantages and disadvantages — weigh both, and say whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks if asked.
• Two-part (direct) questions — answer each separate question the prompt contains.

A reliable four-paragraph structure

You do not need a clever structure — you need a clear one. This template works for every question type:

• Introduction (2 sentences): paraphrase the prompt, then state your thesis or what the essay will do.
• Body paragraph 1: one main idea in a topic sentence, then explained and supported with an example.
• Body paragraph 2: a second main idea, developed the same way.
• Conclusion (1–2 sentences): restate your position; add no new ideas.

Two well-developed body paragraphs beat three thin ones. Depth of explanation is what moves you from Band 6 to Band 7 and above.

How to spend the 40 minutes

• 5 minutes — decode the question and plan two body-paragraph ideas.
• 30 minutes — write, keeping one idea per paragraph.
• 5 minutes — proofread for verb tense, articles, subject–verb agreement and spelling.

Writing for each band descriptor

Small, deliberate habits map directly onto the descriptors:

• Task Response: take a clear position in the introduction and keep it consistent to the end.
• Coherence: open each body paragraph with a topic sentence and use linking words (however, as a result, for instance) without overusing them.
• Lexical Resource: prefer one precise word to three vague ones; show topic-specific vocabulary, not memorised big words.
• Grammar: deliberately include a few complex sentences — conditionals, relative clauses — but never at the cost of accuracy.

Why many candidates plateau at Band 6

• Ideas are listed but not explained or exemplified.
• The position is unclear or changes between paragraphs.
• Memorised phrases (Nowadays, in this modern era…) add words but no meaning.
• Part of a two-part question is left unanswered.

Fixing those four things is often worth half a band on its own.