IELTS WRITING TASK 2

 So, how much do you know about Task 2 of the

IELTS Academic Writing Test?
 Well, in this, we’ll introduce you to the Task 2
essay, where you are required to write an essay
in response to a statement or question.
 We’re going to take a closer look at the essay
question to help you answer all its parts and we
will examine ways of planning and organising your
essay.
 We’ll also analyse the different parts of an
IELTS essay and look in more detail at some
possible task types you can find in Task 2, as
well as the criteria used.
 By the end of this, you’ll have a better idea of
what’s needed to write a Task 2 essay.
 Let’s now focus on Task 2 of the IELTS
Academic Writing Test.
 In this section of the Writing Test, you need to
write an essay, a short piece of writing written
in formal language with a clear structure and
purpose.
 So let’s begin with a brief overview of this task.
 You need to write an academic essay in response
to a question.
 So, in other words, your essay must relate to
the question that you have been asked.
 You should show that you understand the
question and you should answer it by taking a
position and giving reasons and examples to
support your points.
 You have to write at least 250/300-400 words
and your essay should be organised logically.
 It should also show that you can use a range of
language accurately and appropriately.
 Now, you have about 40 minutes to do all of
this, so you need to approach this task quickly
and efficiently.
 I’ll give you some advice on how you can do this.
 Let’s start by looking at an example of an essay
question.

TOPI

TASK

PART 1 PART 2
 Can you see the highlighted text?
 Those are the instructions for this task.
 They are the same for Task 2 in every IELTS
Academic Writing Test.
 So, as you can see, you are told how long to
spend on this task - about 40 minutes – and how
many words to write - at least 250 words.
 This is good advice.
 As you know, you have two writing tasks to
complete in one hour.
 Task 2 of the IELTS Writing Test is longer and
is worth slightly more of your IELTS Writing
score than Task 1, so that’s why you should
spend a little more time on it.
 Notice that you’re also told that when you
answer the question, you should support your
position by giving reasons and examples.
 These can come from your own knowledge and
experience of this topic.
 Now, let’s look at the essay question.
 Unlike the instructions, the essay question will
change from one IELTS test to the next.
 So, the topic of this essay is

Childhood obesity or children who are overweight. We’re told that this
is a problem in some western societies, such as Australia and the United
States.

 Now, let’s look at the task.

 What do we have to do in this essay?
 Well, we’re asked to explain the causes of this
problem, so in other words, why do so many
children in these developed countries become
overweight?
 Now we’re also asked to suggest some possible ways
of overcoming this problem, so as you can see this
question has two parts.

 To do well in this task, you need to address all

parts of the question, so be sure to read the
question carefully.

Parts of the Essay

 We’re going to look at Task 2 of the Writing
module of the IELTS test in more detail.
 In this, we’ll look at three important parts of
the essay:

The Introduction
The Body
The Conclusion.

 You’ll look at how to structure these parts of

the essay.
 Finally, we’ll also look at some of the language
you’ll need to write a good Task 2 essay.
 You'll learn about writing complex sentences,
constructing an argument, supporting your ideas
with reasons and examples, as well as improving
the cohesion and coherence of your writing.
 So what exactly should an essay look like?
 Well, an academic essay has a standard format
or structure that writers are expected to
follow.
 You should write in full sentences; no notes or
bullet points, and your essay should be organised
into paragraphs.
 The IELTS Task 2 essay is only 250 words, so
four or five paragraphs for your essay is
sufficient.

 The essay begins with an introduction [1

paragraph].

This should introduce the topic and briefly

give some background information, followed
by your position and a very brief outline of
the main points of the essay.

 The next part of the essay is the body [2/3

paragraphs].

This contains the main points that you are

using to support your position.
Two or three paragraphs is sufficient here,
depending on how many main points you
have in your argument.

 And the final paragraph is your conclusion [1

paragraph], in which you sum up your main
points and restate your position.
Let’s look at a sample essay now so that you can see what the
structure looks like.
First, here is the question.

You can see it’s about why countries host large sporting
events like the Olympics, even though they’re very
expensive.
What do you think?
What might be some possible reasons?

And this is what the whole essay looks like.

This essay is about 290 words long, and it is divided into four
paragraphs.
Let’s briefly look at each one now.
 This is the Introduction.

o It introduces the topic and gives some background

information, and then it gives the writer’s position and gives a
preview of what the essay will be about.
o Notice how the writer uses some of the information given in
the question, by putting it in her own words.

 This is the first paragraph of the body of

the essay.
 o It explains the first reason why countries want to host big
sporting events.
o Note the use of signpost language here.
o It’s clear that the writer is going to explain the first main point
in this paragraph.

 This is body paragraph 2.

o It explains the second reason why countries want to host big

sporting events.
 o Notice how the writer refers back to the previous reason and
then signals that this paragraph will be about another reason.

 And this is the conclusion.

Notice how the writer uses a concluding linker, “In

conclusion”, to show that we have come to the end of the
essay.

Essay Task Types

 In addition to understanding the question, the
topic and the limits of an Academic IELTS Task
2 essay, you also need to identify the type of
essay you have to write.
 Short, academic essays in English tend to fall
into a limited number of categories, or types,
and knowing these in Task 2 may help you write
a better answer.
 So, what are some of those common task types
for the IELTS Writing Test?
 The keywords which can help you decide what
type of task it is are often in the instructions.

One of the most frequent task types is an

AGREE/DISAGREE ESSAY.

 In this essay, you’re given a statement and asked,

firstly, to write whether you agree, or disagree,
with the statement, and, secondly, how much, or to
what extent, you agree or disagree with it.
 Your position or opinion, whether it be agree or
disagree, should be clearly seen.
 Which words helped you identify this task type?
 “To what extent do agree or disagree with this
opinion?”.
  This is the instruction part of the essay question
and the keywords in this part show us what type of
essay to write.

Another common task type is the ADVANTAGE-

DISADVANTAGE ESSAY.

 These types of questions ask you to talk about the

benefits, or advantages, of a situation as well as its
drawbacks, or disadvantages.
 “Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this
situation.”
 The words ‘advantages and disadvantages’ clearly
show us what we need to write about.
 Remember, in this essay, it’s important to write
both about the positives and the negatives of this
situation.

A third task type is what we can call a DISCUSS

BOTH VIEWS style essay.

 In this essay type, you’ll be presented with a

statement with two opposing opinions on a
particular topic.
 You‘ll then be asked to talk about both sides of
this opinion and also to provide your own opinion.
 You may agree with one side or the other, or you
could even have a different view.
  You must talk about both sides if you want to
achieve a high score in the Task Response criteria.
 Which words show us the task type?
 The instruction part of the question shows us that
we need to talk about both opinions and give our
own position.
 Other words that identify the two opposing
opinions are “some”, “other people” and
“however”.
 These words can all help you to identify the task
type.

One more common task type is the CAUSE, OR

PROBLEM AND SOLUTION ESSAY.

 This task is usually introduced with a statement

which includes some type of issue or problem.
 You are then asked to discuss possible reasons or
causes for this problem as well as present some
ideas about what can be done to solve the issue.
 What are the keywords that show us the question
type?
 The keywords “caused”, “problem” and the phrase
“what can be done about it?” clearly show that this
is a cause/problem - solution essay.

 So these are four of the more common task

types in the Academic IELTS Writing Task 2.
 When you’re analysing the question to
understand the topic and its limits, it’s essential
to also identify the type of task you’re required
to complete.
 It’s important to note, however, that not all
essay types fall neatly into these categories and
there may be other combinations of the task
types in the test.
 Remember, you should always look at the
instruction part of the question very carefully.
 It’s also a good idea to brainstorm and think
about some topics related to these common
essay types that you may be asked to write
about.
 However, don’t try to memorise any essays
before the exam.
 Your examiner will notice that your essay has
been memorised, and you’ll lose points.

Assessing the Essay

 In this, we’ll take a closer look at how the Task
2 essay is assessed.
 In other words, what criteria the assessor uses
to decide what score you receive for your
essay.
 Similar to Task 1, the examiner will assess your
Task 2 essay in four different areas or criteria.

Firstly, TASK RESPONSE; in other words, how well

you answered the question.

 Your essay should address the question and have

a clear position, supported by reasons and
examples.

Secondly, COHERENCE AND COHESION.

 This means that your essay is organised logically

and has a clear structure, with an introduction, a
body, and a conclusion.
 Your essay should be divided into paragraphs,
with each paragraph having a clear central idea.

Thirdly, LEXICAL RESOURCE, that is, your ability

to use a range of vocabulary accurately and
appropriately.
 And finally, GRAMMATICAL RANGE AND
ACCURACY, or how well you can use English
grammar.

 Now that you know what criteria are used, let’s

take a quick look at an example essay.

We can see from the question that we’re looking at the essay
about
why countries host large sporting events like the
Olympics, even though they’re very expensive.
In this essay, you are required to give reasons and explanations.
Below that, we can see a sample introduction response to this
question.

We can see that a lot of the keywords and phrases from the
question have been paraphrased in the introduction.
Expressions like “international sporting event”, “host”, and the
idea that this costs a lot of money, as is shown by the different
coloured lines.
Importantly, the writer has also indicated that in this essay, they
will answer the question
“Why” countries compete to host these events, as is shown by the
phrase “for various reasons”.
So, already from the introduction, the assessor can see that this
task response seems to be on-topic and will likely address all parts
of the task with clear reasons.

Let’s turn to the body paragraphs next.

In terms of coherence and cohesion, we can see that these
paragraphs have a clear structure, with one central idea in each
paragraph.
The main ideas are introduced by the phrases at the beginning of
the topic sentence of each paragraph.
We can also see how this relates back to the essay question by
repeating and paraphrasing keywords from the question.
All of these techniques help create coherence and cohesion in an
essay.
We’ve talked a little about the first two areas here - that is, how to
answer the question and how to organise your essay, so now let’s
briefly consider what the examiner is looking for in terms of your
grammar and vocabulary.

Let’s start with lexical resource, or vocabulary.

Look at body paragraph once again.
Notice how the writer shows that they have a wide range of
vocabulary to describe the idea of prestige by using synonyms,
that is, words and phrases that have a similar meaning.
Also, some of the expressions used are less common, which shows
a good lexical range.
Now let’s look at grammatical range and accuracy.
In body paragraph two you can see how the writer uses complex
sentences and a range of grammatical structures, such as passive
voice, and creates complex sentences with a subordinate
conjunction like “because” to show that they have a good
command of English grammar.
Finally, let’s take a look at this writer’s conclusion.

We can see how they’ve linked their conclusion back to the essay
question again by paraphrasing keywords, and also how they’ve
used the reference word “these” to refer back to the central ideas
in their body paragraphs as well.
All of these techniques strengthen coherence and cohesion.
Looking at the essay as a whole, it was 290 words in length with
four, clear paragraphs.

 So, coming back to our assessment criteria, we

can see that this writer has answered all parts
of the question well.
 They have met the word requirement, and given
relevant examples and reasons to support their
main ideas.
 They have organised their ideas logically and
each body paragraph has one, clear main idea
with good linking between ideas.
 They've also demonstrated that they can use a
variety of words and expressions with very few
mistakes in spelling or word choice.
 And, we can see a good range of complex
sentence structures.
 Paragraph Structure

 In Task 2 of the IELTS Academic Writing Test,

one of the four areas on which your essay is
assessed is coherence and cohesion.
 One important aspect of this is paragraphing,
that is, how well you can organise your ideas
into paragraphs.
 Remember, your essay will probably consist of
four or five paragraphs.
 You’ll have an introduction and a conclusion
paragraph, as well as two or three body
paragraphs.
 So now, let’s focus on how you can write a well-
organised paragraph.
 So let’s begin with a brief overview of the
structure of a paragraph.

 First, a paragraph should contain ONE CENTRAL

IDEA.
 This main idea should come in your first
sentence, the topic sentence.
The topic sentence should be a general statement,
it shouldn’t be too specific.
You should develop the idea in the paragraph
with about three supporting sentences.
These sentences may give reasons, examples,
effects, or details.

 After the topic sentence, the writer uses the

REMAINING SENTENCES in the paragraph to
develop the main idea.

Now, let’s take a look at an example paragraph.

In this paragraph, which is from an essay about the benefits of
education, the writer begins with a topic sentence.
Notice how he uses the phrase 'generally speaking' to show that
this is a general statement.
In other words, it may not be true for all people, but it is true for
most people.
So the main idea of this paragraph is that it is not until people get
older that they appreciate the value of their education.
When you’re a child or a teenager, you may not realise how
important school is.
As you can see, the writer gives an example of a useful skill that is
learned at school, reading.
Notice how the writer uses a linking expression, 'For example', to
show that he is giving an example of the main idea.
The writer then gives an additional reason, and uses the word
'also' to show this.
And finally, notice how the writer gives a personal example from
his own experience.
He uses the expression, 'In my case' to signal this.
This diagram shows the structure of a good paragraph.

Notice the final sentence here, a concluding sentence.

Now this is optional, but you can include a concluding sentence
at the end of your paragraph, which sums up the main idea.
Think of it as a re-statement of your topic sentence.
Let’s look at an example of this.
This is the same paragraph on the benefits of an education, with
the addition this time of a concluding sentence.
Can you see how the writer uses the linker, 'Therefore' to begin
the concluding sentence? And notice how the concluding sentence
is a general statement, like the topic sentence.
So the purpose of the concluding sentence is to remind the reader
of what the paragraph is about. Now remember, a concluding
sentence is optional, but it can help to make your argument a
clear one.
You might find it helpful to think of your paragraph as a
hamburger.
The topic sentence and the concluding sentence are the buns, and
the supporting sentences are the filling, the meat and the salad.
Let’s just remind ourselves where this paragraph would fit into an
essay.
This paragraph would be part of the body of the essay, and you
would have two or three of these paragraphs in the IELTS Section
2 essays.
So, I hope you now have a better understanding of paragraph
structure.
KEEP THE FOLLOWING IN MIND WHEN ASSESSING YOUR OWN AND YOUR
PEERS' WRITING WITH THE CRITERIA SHEET.

1) Copying from the Question:

When writing the Task 2 response, it is important not to copy from the
question. Any words which are copied directly from the question will not
be counted or assessed by the examiner.  

2) Word Count:

Meeting the minimum number of words required is important for a

complete Task 2 response. However, in this activity you will only write and
assess the body paragraph(s) and not a full response so word count is not so
important. 

3) Meeting the Criteria:

To receive a High Range grade in any of the four areas (Task Response,

etc), the response must meet ALL of the criteria in that range.

To receive a Mid-Range grade in any of the four areas, the response must

meet SOME, but not necessarily ALL, of the criteria in that range.

To receive a Low Range grade in any of the four areas, the response need
only meet ONE of the criteria in that range.

Writing the Introduction

 The first paragraph in your essay is called the

introduction.
 In this, we are going to learn about writing a
good introduction.
 A good introduction is important because it tells
the reader what your essay is going to be about
and it also provides the reader with their first
impression of your writing.
 A good introduction should summarise the essay
topic in your own words, state your position or
perspective on the topic and briefly outline what
the essay will discuss.

So let’s look at an example.

We’ll start with the essay question.

Let’s have a look at the topic, the task and the parts of the
question.
Do you remember the three things you need to make a good
introduction?
Here are those three key points once again to refresh your
memory;

 summarise the topic

 state your position or perspective on the topic and
 Outline what the essay will discuss.
Here is an example introduction.
Take a look at the highlighted part.

This is where the essay question has been summarised and the
candidate has been sure to use their own words.
'However, it is now becoming clear that space exploration
programs are a waste of money.'

This is the candidate's position on this argument. Clearly, he or

she agrees that 'space exploration is a luxury we cannot afford', as
stated in the essay topic.
Notice, though, that the writer also mentions the opposite opinion
in the previous sentence.
Finally, the introduction needs to explain what the essay will
discuss and the candidate has listed those ideas here.
Remember, the introduction gives the reader the first impression
of your writing so make sure it’s a great one!
 Here are some dos and don’ts to help you achieve that
when writing an introduction.

Firstly, don’t copy the question word-for-word

into your introduction as anything copied
directly from the question will not be assessed.
Make sure you include one or two general
statements introducing the topic and include a
thesis statement which shows your opinion or
position on the topic and the direction your
essay will take.