IELTS Writing Task 2 is a short essay. You get a statement about a general topic and an instruction, and you write at least 250 words. IELTS advises spending no more than 40 minutes on it, and it counts twice as much as Task 1 in your Writing score. Academic and General Training candidates write the same kind of essay, marked with the same band descriptors.
Three decisions come before your first sentence: the type of question, what exactly it asks, and your answer. This guide shows how to make them in 5 minutes and turn them into 4 paragraphs.
Task 2 rules at a glance
| Rule | Official wording | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Length | "You must write at least 250 words." | Aim for 260 to 290: too short may not give "enough evidence" for higher bands. |
| Time | "You should spend no more than 40 minutes on this task." | Both tasks share 60 minutes: protect the 40 for Task 2. |
| Weight | Task 2 "contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score" | Half a band on Task 2 is worth more than half a band on Task 1. |
| Form | Penalised if the answer is "not written as a whole piece of connected text" | Full sentences in paragraphs, no notes or bullet points. |
| Topic | Penalised if what you write "is not related to the topic" | Answer this question. A "totally memorised" response gets band 0. |
Which criterion holds first essays back?
Each essay gets four scores of equal weight. In first Task 2 essays on GoPrep, grammar was most often the lowest, but Task Response (did you answer the question?) was the lowest on its own in 15% and 5.0 or lower in 42%.
| Criterion | Lowest on its own | Lowest, tied with another | Average (rounded) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 21% | 54% | 5.5 |
| Task Response | 15% | 31% | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4% | 50% | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 1% | 26% | 6.0 |
Each learner's first scored Task 2 answer on GoPrep, counted when it fell in this period. In 15% of essays all four scores were equal; tied shares overlap.
Grammar takes weeks of practice. Task Response depends on your first 5 minutes: read the question correctly and plan an answer to all of it. At band 5, the official descriptors describe the main parts of the prompt as "incompletely addressed".
The 5 essay types and how to spot each
The 5 types are useful teaching categories: each needs a slightly different plan. IELTS also describes common essay types, 7 in its list because it counts multi-part and positive/negative questions separately. But it advises reading what each question actually asks rather than matching a learned answer to a category. Use the type to plan, then answer the exact question. The instruction line, usually the last sentence, tells you the type.
| Type | Typical instruction line | What you must do | Body paragraphs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opinion | To what extent do you agree or disagree? | Take one position and keep it from the introduction to the conclusion | 2 or 3, all serving your position |
| Discussion | Discuss both views and give your own opinion. | Explain both views fairly, then give and support your own position (it can combine the two) | 1 per view |
| Advantages and disadvantages | What are the advantages and disadvantages? or Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? | Cover both sides. With outweigh, also say which side is stronger | 1 per side |
| Problem and solution | What are the causes (or problems)? What can be done? | Name the causes or problems, then solutions that match them | 1 for causes or problems, 1 for solutions |
| Two-part question | Two direct questions, e.g. Why is this happening? Is it a positive or negative development? | Answer each question fully and with equal care | 1 per question |
One topic, five instructions
The instruction, not the topic, decides the essay. Free public transport under all 5 instructions:
| Type | Instruction on the same topic | Body 1 / Body 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Opinion | Public transport should be free for everyone. To what extent do you agree or disagree? | 1: what free fares would achieve. 2: why the cost outweighs it; your position throughout |
| Discussion | Some think public transport should be free; others think passengers should pay. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. | 1: why free fares appeal. 2: why fares fund the service. Your view in the introduction and conclusion |
| Advantages and disadvantages | Some cities have made public transport free. Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? | 1: the advantages. 2: the disadvantages. Which side wins, stated at start and end |
| Problem and solution | Fewer people use public transport than before. What are the causes, and what can be done? | 1: causes, e.g. slow and unreliable services. 2: a solution for each cause |
| Two-part question | More cities are making public transport free. Why is this happening? Is it a positive development? | 1: the reasons. 2: your verdict, with one developed reason |
How to recognise the type in 30 seconds
Run four checks on the prompt:
- Read the instruction first, then the statement. The instruction tells you the task. The statement tells you what to argue about: underline its limits, like for everyone or in cities.
- Find the judging words from the table above: agree, discuss both views, outweigh, causes, solutions.
- Count the questions. Two direct questions (other than causes plus solutions) make a two-part essay. Is this a positive or negative development? alone asks for a verdict, like outweigh.
- Say the task in plain words. Should everyone travel free? I think... If you can't finish the sentence, read again.
Do scores differ by essay type?
Average scores were similar in this sample: 5.5 to 6.0 after rounding. That doesn't show the types are equally hard, because different learners wrote different types.
| Essay type (first essays) | Task Response 5.0 or lower | Under 250 words | Average band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opinion (1,255) | 38% | 24% | 6.0 |
| Discussion (1,233) | 39% | 25% | 5.5 |
| Two-part question (444) | 36% | 21% | 6.0 |
| Advantages and disadvantages (377) | 30% | 18% | 6.0 |
| Problem and solution (300) | 28% | 16% | 6.0 |
3,609 first scored attempts at a type by 2,421 learners, counted when they fell in this period. Advantages and disadvantages includes "positive or negative" prompts; problem and solution includes causes and effects. Bands rounded as in IELTS (unrounded 5.7 to 6.1). Word count is a rough split on spaces.
Among 783 learners with first attempts at two or more types in this period, the average deviation from each learner's own mean score was under 0.1 band for every type, and Task Response at 5.0 or lower ranged from 25% to 32%. So the gaps between rows partly reflect who wrote each type.
Word-choice feedback was common across all five groups: among the up to three priority fixes the GoPrep AI examiner gives each essay (a Band Contract), it appeared in 47% to 57% of answers of each type (8,010 Task 2 essays with a Band Contract, same period). Which synonym fits which sentence is covered in Task 2 vocabulary by meaning.
The 4-paragraph structure that works for every type
Four paragraphs work for all 5 types:
- Introduction (2 sentences). Paraphrase the prompt (say it in your own words), then give your answer.
- Body paragraph 1. One main idea: a topic sentence, then why it is true, then an example or a consequence.
- Body paragraph 2. The second idea, view, side or question, built the same way.
- Conclusion (1 or 2 sentences). Your answer again in fresh words. No new ideas.
A workable 270-word shape is about 40 + 95 + 100 + 35 words, as a guide: body paragraphs don't need equal length. An opinion essay can take 5 paragraphs when you fully agree or disagree: two reasons plus a short paragraph on the other side.
Connect ideas with words like this and these problems rather than a linker on every sentence: see linking words for Task 2.
Your 40 minutes, minute by minute
| Minutes | What you do | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Find the instruction line, name the type, underline the key words | The type and the exact task |
| 1 to 2 | Say the question in plain words and choose your position | One sentence: your answer |
| 2 to 5 | List 4 to 6 ideas, test each one, keep the best two | A 4-line outline |
| 5 to 35 | Write: introduction about 4 minutes, each body paragraph about 11, conclusion about 3 | About 260 to 290 words |
| 35 to 40 | Check every part is answered, the position matches at start and end, then verbs, articles and word count | Fewer careless errors |
To test an idea, turn it into a chain of so what? steps. If it runs for three or four links, it can fill a paragraph; if it stops after one, drop it.
These 40 minutes share one clock with Task 1: see how to split the whole 60 minutes.
Worked example: from prompt to plan
A practice prompt written by the GoPrep team:
Some people believe that public transport in cities should be free for everyone. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
0 to 1 minute: the type. To what extent do you agree or disagree? means opinion. Key words: free and for everyone. You can accept free travel for some people and still disagree.
1 to 2 minutes: the position. Should everyone travel free? Largely no: free travel should go to those who need it most.
2 to 5 minutes: ideas, tested.
- Less traffic: free fares → some drivers switch → fewer cars → cleaner air. Keep.
- Helps low incomes: fares are a burden → easier access to jobs and hospitals. Keep.
- Costs money: fares fund running costs → a gap → possible cuts → fewer, fuller buses → drivers return to cars. Keep: the main argument.
- Tourists travel free too: so what? Drop.
The outline. Introduction: largely disagree. Body 1: the case for free fares. Body 2: the cost, and targeted free travel instead. Conclusion: the same answer.
The full essay (260 words)
Written by the GoPrep team as a practice example. It is not an officially marked script, so we don't give it a band.
Free buses and trains for every city resident is an attractive idea, and some cities have already tried it. While free travel would help certain groups, I largely disagree that it should be offered to everyone, because the money would do more good if it were spent on a reliable service.
Supporters of free fares make two reasonable points. First, if a bus ride costs nothing, some people who now drive to work may leave their cars at home, which would ease traffic and reduce air pollution in city centres. Second, fares are a real burden for people on low incomes, and free travel would make it easier for them to reach jobs, colleges and hospitals.
However, making transport free for everyone would come at a serious cost. Where ticket sales fund a substantial share of running costs, removing fares would require new funding, and without it, services could be cut. Buses would then run less often and trains would become more crowded, which are precisely the problems that push commuters back into their cars. A more effective policy would be to offer free or reduced fares to students, older people and low-income residents, who gain the most from them, while other passengers continue to pay for a service that runs on time.
In conclusion, free public transport could cut traffic and support poorer residents, but offering it to everyone would put the quality of the service at risk. Targeted free travel, paid for by the fares of those who can afford them, is the fairer and more sustainable choice.
Why it works: the position opens the essay, drives body 2 and returns in the conclusion, and each body paragraph develops its ideas through a chain of consequences.
Band 6, 7 or 8: one body paragraph, three levels
The same argument written three ways. These are practice examples, not marked scripts: the examiner scores the whole essay against all the features of a band, so the labels only show the direction. From the Task 2 band descriptors: at band 6, main ideas "may be insufficiently developed"; at band 7, "Main ideas are extended and supported but there may be a tendency to over-generalise"; at band 8, "Ideas are relevant, well extended and supported".
Less developed (closer to band 6)
However, free transport for everyone is not good idea because it is very expensive. The government will lose a lot of money and it will not pay for other things. Also, many people will use buses and they will be very crowded. So it is better when people pay for tickets, because then the city has money.
More developed (closer to band 7)
However, making public transport free for everyone would be very expensive. Ticket sales pay for a large part of running buses and trains, so without fares the city would have to raise taxes or cut services. If services were cut, buses would come less often and become overcrowded, and this could make people drive again. Therefore, free travel for everyone will never solve the traffic problem.
More precise (closer to band 8): paragraph 3 of the essay above.
| Criterion | Less developed | More developed | More precise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task Response | Short, general reasoning: very expensive leads only to not pay for other things; crowding is mentioned and dropped | A specific chain: no fares → taxes or cuts → fewer buses → more driving. The last sentence over-generalises (will never solve) | The same chain, stated with a condition (Where ticket sales...), and an alternative that links back to the writer's position |
| Coherence and Cohesion | Also and So open sentences: ideas are added, not connected | Clear progression; this points back to the cuts | which are precisely the problems links the effect to the argument without an extra linker |
| Lexical Resource | General words: lose a lot of money, pay for other things | More precise: running buses and trains, raise taxes, overcrowded | Precise and natural: substantial share of running costs, new funding, reduced fares |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | The same patterns repeat (it is, will), with an error: not good idea | Conditional and complex sentences, error-free | A wider range of structures, error-free |
Check yourself: name the type
Practice prompts written for this guide. Use the 30-second checks.
FAQ
What are the 5 types of IELTS essay?
Opinion (agree or disagree), discussion (both views and your opinion), advantages and disadvantages, problem and solution, and two-part question. These are teaching categories. IELTS lists 7 common types in its own guide, counting multi-part and positive/negative questions separately, and advises answering the exact question rather than forcing a template.
How can I get 7+ in IELTS Writing Task 2?
Answer every part of the question, keep one clear position to the end, and extend each main idea with a reason and an example or consequence. Task Response is only one of four equal criteria: band 7 also asks for flexible linking, some less common words used with awareness of collocation, and frequent error-free sentences.
Is Task 2 the same in Academic and General Training?
Yes, in the main: both write an essay of at least 250 words, marked with the same Task 2 band descriptors. Academic asks for an academic or semi-formal/neutral style, General Training for a semi-formal/neutral discursive essay.
Where to go next
Each type has its own guide:
- Opinion essay
- Discussion essay
- Advantages and disadvantages essay
- Problem and solution essay
- Two-part question essay
For ideas, see Task 2 topics; for marking, the Writing band descriptors. New to Task 1? Start with the line graph.
To plan your Task 2 practice, tell the quiz your target score, exam date and hardest part of IELTS, and GoPrep will build a personal study plan around your answers. The GoPrep Writing course also has a full lesson and practice tasks for each of the 5 types.
GoPrep Team
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