Overview
Are you planning on preparing for the IELTS Writing Task 2 exam? It is an essay writing task administered to check your ability to express and develop ideas on a given topic in 40 minutes. The topic will be a question or a statement, and you need to prepare both sides of the argument.
Writing is a critical skill for communicating your thoughts or opinions. When you plan to study abroad, some universities make the IELTS mandatory to demonstrate that you have strong writing skills and won’t have problems communicating with your classmates or professors. We will give you all the details and tips you need to know to prepare for the IELTS Writing Task 2 exam.
Understanding the IELTS Writing Task 2
Before starting the preparation for IELTS Writing Task 2, let’s discuss all the details in the points below.
Format & Requirements : The essay writing task starts with a statement or question-related topic, followed by a structure consisting of an introduction, body paragraphs, and summary. It is important to fulfil the requirements, plan your essay effectively, avoid mistakes, manage your time, and be prepared for the exam. The essay's total word count should be at least 250 words, and the given time limit is 40 minutes.
Example of Common Topic : Many people believe that social networking sites (like Facebook and Instagram) negatively impact individuals and society. To what extent do you agree?
Task Type : Identifying the question you’re being asked will help you stay on topic, organise your ideas, plan your essay accordingly, express yourself with appropriate language and vocabulary, and achieve a higher band score in IELTS Writing Task 2. Look at the table below to learn the different types of essay tasks.
| Essay | Prompt for Sample |
|---|---|
| Opinion on the Essays | To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement/opinion? |
| Discussion essay | Debate both views and give your own opinion. |
| Multi-part essay | Why is shopping so popular? What effects does its increase in popularity have on individuals and society? |
| Multi-part and opinion essay | What dimensions do these issues take? Do the issues outweigh the advantages? |
| Advantages/disadvantages of the essay | What are the pros and cons of...? |
| Positive/negative essay | Is this a good or bad development? |
| Cause/solution essay | What are the reasons for these problems, and what are some possible solutions? |
IELTS Writing Task 2 Format
The IELTS Writing Task 2 can be divided into 4 main parts, which are-
Introduction
In the introduction, you need to paraphrase the question while giving your opinion on the given topic. Along with giving your opinion, make an outline of the main ideas and introduce them briefly.
Main Body Paragraph 1
In this part of the essay, you need to create a sentence for the topic and then explain the safe topic sentence with an example. It would be an extension of the things mentioned in the introduction with a structure.
Main Body Paragraph 2
This is similar to the main body paragraph 1. Like the way you made a topic sentence in that one and explained it with an example, the same thing needs to be done even in this section as well. Make sure you are mentioning the things given in the introduction while explaining things thoroughly.
Conclusion
Last is the conclusion. This section can be tricky for students, but the key to a good conclusion is summarising the main points and opinions mentioned in the entire essay. Make sure you do not introduce new things in the conclusion.
Planning and Organising for IELTS Writing Task 2
It is important to have a proper plan and organise writing task 2 to prevent needing to rewrite the body paragraph later on. Brainstorm some ideas first and get insights on what to write for the IELTS Writing Task 2 exam. Here are some detailed tips for organising your essay:
Introduction : Paraphrase your question first, then state your opinion when required
Body Paragraph 1 : Explain the main idea of your essay, elaborate on the topic, and write down examples on the paper.
Body Paragraph 2 : Use the same method as above, explain the main idea, elaborate on your statements, and state examples again.
Conclusion : Point out the main ideas of the particular topic and restate your opinion when needed.
Examples are important in every section because they will help you get a better grade for ‘Task Response’ and ‘Coherence’ according to the IELTS Score Scale. Using examples to illustrate your points will make your writing easier to understand. An example is easier to write than trying to explain a complex subject and must be properly presented.
Steps to Attempt IELTS Writing Task 2 Efficiently
This section will help guide you to score a good score of 7 bands and above in the writing section with these easy steps:
Understand the Question : Before attempting to respond, it is necessary that you comprehend the question. You'll be fully aware of the examiner's objectives in this manner. One of the most common errors made by students is not providing a complete response to the question, which prevents them from receiving a score greater than a Band 5.
In order to analyse the query, you must first determine its kind, then its keywords, and lastly, the words that are making the instructions. This would make it more clear to you what the examiner wants you to accomplish in response to the question.Plan your Answer : The students who score the highest on Writing Task 2 consistently spend up to ten minutes planning their responses. Prior to writing, planning allows you to arrange your thoughts and give your essay structure, which will save you time and help you create a clear, logical essay.
Write Introduction : First and foremost, the question should be mentioned appropriately and addressed in the introduction. This helps you compose your key body paragraphs and immediately conveys to the examiner that you are competent.
Write the Main Body Paragraphs : Here's where you elaborate further on the examiner's questions. You outline your key arguments and provide evidence through pertinent examples and explanations.
Write a Conclusion : You need to summarise the main points from the remainder of your essay in your conclusion.
Examples are important in every section because they will help you get a better grade for ‘Task Response’ and ‘Coherence’ according to the IELTS Score Scale. Using examples to illustrate your points will make your writing easier to understand. An example is easier to write than trying to explain a complex subject and must be properly presented.
Steps to Improve on IELTS Writing Task 2
This section is centred towards certain tips that will help you in improving your IELTS writing task 2-
Understand the Exam
Before beginning, you must comprehend the nature of IELTS Writing Task 2, your expectations, and how to satisfy the examiners. This is the initial phase, which is frequently disregarded.
Locating a trustworthy source of information is essential because there are many internet sites, many of which include contradictory and subpar material.
Identify your Weakness
If something went wrong with your car, you would try to figure out which part was at fault. Your doctor will do tests if you become ill in order to pinpoint the precise source of your symptoms.
The same is true with IELTS Writing Task 2. Before we can assist you in improving, we must first determine WHY you are not receiving the necessary score.
But exercise extreme caution! Make sure you locate someone who is knowledgeable and qualified to assist you with this, just as you wouldn't ask a random guy on the street for medical advice.
Fix the Problems
We need to address the issues now that we are aware of them.
Correct any grammar mistakes. If you lack vocabulary, work on expanding it.
A skilled IELTS instructor can assist you in resolving your particular problems, much as a good doctor may assist you in resolving a physical condition.
Practice and Get Feedback
Receiving feedback on your work is a crucial component of preparation, but if you want to improve truly, you also need to receive it.
Without a teacher, you wouldn't attempt to teach yourself how to drive, would you?
Look for a feedbacker who can provide you with constructive criticism of your work. Otherwise, you won't be able to proceed to the last step.
Writing the Essay for IELTS Writing Task 2
Do you know how to write a compelling overview? First, write a hook statement, then general information, followed by a concise statement and a 2-3 line summary of what you will cover in the essay.
Moreover, before developing your main arguments, brainstorm your ideas, use examples, add statistics, address counterarguments and maintain a balanced approach. For such essays, various sentence structures exist, and which one you need to use depends on the task type. Using the right sentence structure shows language proficiency, enhances clarity and coherence, effectively expresses complex ideas, avoids repetition, and keeps it interesting and engaging.
Apart from this, it is very important to avoid common grammatical mistakes which make your essay dull and monotonous. Grammatical errors make your essay difficult to understand and lower your score.
Editing and Proofreading
The IELTS Writing Exam may seem difficult, but careful planning and writing can help you score higher. After writing your essay, editing and proofreading are mandatory to avoid silly mistakes. Proofreading reduces your errors made when:
Writing with Speed
Uncertain Flow of Thoughts
Setting aside time for proofreading is difficult, but you must try. So that you face less difficulty, you should learn grammar beforehand, especially on verb tenses, prepositions, spellings, etc. From making clear and organised ideas to following and understanding the arguments on your essay topic, checking your work leads to a high score.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample
Let us look at the IELTS writing task 2 sample in this section. Here, we have mentioned the IELTS academic writing task 2 and IELTS general writing task 1 question comprising the IELTS writing task 1 questions for the exam types to give you an idea:
Q1. Essay Writing - Companies should provide sports and social facilities for local communities. To what extent do you agree?
Q2. Essay Writing - Every person should adopt to vegetarian diet as eating meat can lead to a series of serious health problems. Do you agree or disagree?
You should practise the IELTS Sample Questions at Prepare IELTS Exam (PI). To help students prepare for the IELTS Exam, our professionals have crafted the questions and produced sample test papers. By logging in here, you may access the documents.
If you still need clarification or would like to get deeper insight, we encourage you to have a word with our team of expert counsellors at Prepare IELTS Exam(PI). If you are unable to travel to our offices, we offer online counselling services via our website. Our dedicated counsellors will provide you with the best guidance regarding your preparation for the IELTS Writing Task 2 exam. Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@prepareieltsexam.com or call us at +91 9773398388.
FAQs
Although you can never guess what questions may arise in the exam, some of the main topics are education, technology, health, environment, government spending, and sociology. Read newspapers regularly, learn vocabulary, and be updated with information about topics like those above.
The total time is 60 minutes in the IELTS Writing exam. For task 1, you need 20 minutes, while task 2 requires 40 minutes. It is completely on you to manage your time efficiently between both papers.
A certified IELTS examiner will grade your Writing test. Task 2 of the IELTS Writing is worth twice as much as Task 1. Scores are provided in whole and half bands.
IELTS tests are divided into two parts - Academic and General. The difference is in the type of prompts and the level of formality needed. Academic tests are measured in English proficiency for the academic environment and whether you can study there; they need to be written in a formal style. Whereas, the IELTS General tests are only for conversational contexts and should be written more casually.