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IELTS Writing · Task 2

IELTS Writing Task 2 69 questions, 69 model answers

Task 2 is the essay, and it is worth twice as much as Task 1 in your Writing band. Every question below comes with a complete model answer and a measurement of what that answer does: sentence length, cohesive devices, vocabulary range. Free, no signup.

Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS

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What Task 2 is

You get 40 minutes and a written argument to make in at least 250 words. It is the second half of the Writing paper, but it carries twice the weight of Task 1, so if you are short of time it is the one to protect. The question always states a position or a situation and then tells you what to do with it: agree or disagree, discuss both views, explain the causes, suggest solutions. That instruction is the whole task. Answering a different question well is the fastest way to cap your Task Response band, and it happens most often to candidates who recognise the topic and stop reading.

The four things you are marked on

Task Response asks whether you answered the question that was asked, covered every part of it, and held a clear position throughout. Coherence and Cohesion asks whether the reader can follow the argument: paragraphing, logical order, and the linking words that signal how one idea relates to the next. Lexical Resource is vocabulary range and precision, not length or difficulty. Grammatical Range and Accuracy is the mix of structures and how often they are right. All four carry equal weight. That matters more than it sounds: a candidate with excellent grammar and a memorised essay that half answers the question does worse than one with ordinary grammar who answers it directly.

What each writing criterion actually measures The mistakes that cap a Task 2 essay at band 6 Linking words that help cohesion, and the ones that hurt it

The word count, and why going under it is worse than it looks

The minimum is 250 words. Going under it is penalised directly under Task Response, and the penalty is not the only cost: an underlength essay is almost always underdeveloped, so it loses marks a second time for thin arguments. The median model answer in this library is 291 words, which is the range to aim for. Well over 300 is not rewarded and eats the time you need for Task 1. Wording copied from the question does not count towards the total, so padding an introduction with the prompt does nothing at all.

How to use this library

Write first, read second. A model answer read before you attempt the question teaches you almost nothing, because you cannot notice what you would have missed once you have been shown it. So pick a question, set 40 minutes, write, and only then open the model answer. Each page measures the model answer it publishes: how long its sentences run and how much they vary, which cohesive devices it uses and how many different functions they cover, how much of its vocabulary repeats, and how many words it copies from the question. Compare your own answer against those numbers before you compare the wording. The measurements are the part you can act on.

Which Task 2 question type is this, and what each one needs

Task 2 questions come in a small number of shapes, and the shape decides the essay. Read the last line of the prompt before you read anything else, because the instruction lives there and the topic above it is only the setting. Getting the shape wrong is expensive in a way that better English cannot repair. Task Response is marked against the question that was asked, so an excellent discussion essay written for an opinion question is still an answer to a question nobody set.

Question typeThe line that gives it awayWhat your essay has to containIn this library
Opinion (agree or disagree)To what extent do you agree or disagree?One position, stated in the introduction and held to the last line. Both body paragraphs support it, or one concedes the other side and then answers it.19 questions
Discussion (both views)Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.One body paragraph per view, plus your own opinion in your own words. All three parts have to be visible or Task Response is capped.29 questions
Advantages and disadvantagesDiscuss the advantages and disadvantages, or do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?Both sides either way. The second wording also asks for a verdict, so an essay that lists both sides and stops has not answered it.8 questions
Problem and solutionWhat problems does this cause, and what measures could be taken?The problem named precisely, then a solution that addresses the problem you named. One paragraph each, and the two have to match.2 questions
Two-part (also called a double question)Two direct questions after a statement.An answer to each question, each in its own paragraph, so the examiner can see both are covered.2 questions

Counts are of the questions listed further down this page and are read from the bank at build time, so they move when the bank does. 9 further questions carry no shape tag and are grouped separately below.

Get your own essay marked on all four criteria The four-paragraph opinion essay, in detail

How to plan a Task 2 essay in five minutes

IELTS tells you to spend no more than 40 minutes on Task 2 and to write at least 250 words. The usual way to spend those 40 minutes is about 5 minutes planning, 30 writing and 5 checking. Five minutes feels like a lot when the clock is running. It is the cheapest five minutes in the paper, because almost every structural fault an examiner marks down is decided before the first sentence. Minute one: read the last line and name the shape, using the table above. Minute two: decide your position, in one sentence, in plain words. If you cannot say it plainly you cannot argue it for 250 words, so pick the side you have reasons for rather than the side you believe. Minute three: write two body-paragraph ideas as short phrases, and next to each one a reason or an example. Two developed ideas beat four undeveloped ones, and the descriptors reward extension rather than quantity. Minute four: check the plan answers every part of the question, including the second half of a two-part question, which is the part that gets dropped. Minute five: decide the order, and start. Then protect the last five minutes for checking. Re-read for the faults you personally repeat, not for everything at once: articles, subject and verb agreement, plurals, tense. Those are Grammatical Range and Accuracy marks that are already yours if you find them.

Practise the plan, then have the essay marked

How many paragraphs should a Task 2 essay have?

Four or five. Four is an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and it is enough for every question type on this page. Five is the same with a third body paragraph, which is worth writing only when you genuinely have a third developed idea. Of the 69 model answers in this library, 25 use four paragraphs and 44 use five. None use more, and none use fewer. There is no paragraph count in the band descriptors. What Coherence and Cohesion asks for is one clear central topic per paragraph and a logical progression between them, so the count only matters because a wall of text has no visible topics and eight short paragraphs have no development in any of them. Here is what the model answers on this page actually measure, so you have a target instead of an adjective.

MeasurementMedian across these model answersWhat it means for your essay
Words291Comfortably past the 250 minimum, with room to develop two ideas properly. The shortest way to lose Task Response marks is to finish at 251.
Paragraphs4 or 5 (25 use four, 44 use five)One idea per paragraph, introduced and then extended.
Sentences14, averaging 21.1 wordsLong enough to subordinate, short enough to stay accurate. The spread matters more than the average, so keep some short ones.
Cohesive devices6Fewer than most candidates use. Cohesion is marked on whether the reader can follow you, not on how many connectors you fit in.
Complex sentences7About half the sentences carry a subordinate clause. The rest are simple on purpose, because variety is the criterion, not difficulty.
Lexical variety85 percentShare of the content words that are a different word, ignoring the and of and their kind. Range comes from not repeating yourself, which is cheaper than learning rare words.

Measured by src/lib/answer-analysis.ts across every Task 2 model answer published on this page. They are medians of good answers, not thresholds for a band.

See how your own essay measures up

Band 7 or band 8? What changes in the script

Both scripts answer the question, hold a position and use paragraphs. The step from 7 to 8 is not a longer word list or a grander argument. It is fewer errors, tighter development and cohesion you stop noticing. Read the two columns as directions of travel rather than as a checklist.

CriterionA band 7 scriptA band 8 script
Task ResponseAddresses every part of the task and keeps a clear position, but some ideas over-generalise or lose focus.Addresses every part sufficiently, with ideas that are relevant, extended and supported all the way through.
Coherence and CohesionOrganises logically with a clear progression, though linking words can be over-used or mechanical and a paragraph can carry more than one topic.Sequences ideas logically and manages every aspect of cohesion well, with paragraphing that is used sufficiently and appropriately.
Lexical ResourceEnough range for some flexibility and precision, using less common words with some awareness of style and collocation, with occasional slips in choice, spelling or word form.A wide range used fluently and flexibly to convey precise meaning, with only occasional inaccuracies in choice or collocation and rare spelling errors.
Grammatical Range and AccuracyA variety of complex structures with frequent error-free sentences, and good control that still admits a few errors.A wide range of structures with the majority of sentences error-free, and only very occasional errors or inappropriate usages.

Paraphrased from the public IELTS Writing Task 2 band descriptors, which IELTS publishes in full on ielts.org. A criterion band is a best fit across the whole script, not a count of mistakes, and your Writing band is the mean of the four.

What every band from 4 to 9 means Find out which criterion is holding you back

Which Task 2 topics come up, and how to prepare without a prediction list

Predicted topic lists for a named exam window are guesses. Nobody outside Cambridge knows the rotation, and preparing by memorising essays on a forecast list is the fastest route to a Task Response penalty, because a memorised essay answers a topic rather than the question in front of you. What does hold is that Task 2 topics are general-interest and keep returning as families. Here is how the 69 questions on this page fall out. It is a count of this library, not a forecast of your test.

Topic familyQuestions hereWorth having ready
Education19What school is for, who should pay, and whether online study replaces a classroom.
Technology and media10What a technology replaces as well as what it adds, and who is left out.
Work and money15Pay, hours, automation, and who carries the cost of a change.
Environment8Individual habit against government regulation, and what growth costs.
Health and food6Prevention against treatment, and how far the state should push behaviour.
Government, law and society7Punishment against prevention, public money, and city living.
Culture, travel and the arts3What is worth preserving, what tourism does to a place, and public funding.
Everything else1The questions whose tags name no family. Open them and see.

Derived from the tags on this library's own questions, first match wins, so the counts sum to the size of the bank. Not a prediction of what appears in any sitting.

The topic families in full, with sample questions

Write one, then have it marked before you write the next

Reading model answers is how you learn what good looks like. It is not how you find out what your own essay is doing, because the faults you can see in your own writing are the ones you have already fixed. So write one against a question on this page, and then have it marked. The checker returns a band for each of the four criteria, an overall band, and the sentences costing you marks with corrected versions. Three writing scores are free and no card is asked for. The scorer on the home page gives you a band with no account at all; the three-minute diagnostic asks for an email address first so it can save the result. Then do the narrow thing that works. Read your lowest criterion, take another question from the list below, and write it again with only that criterion in mind.

Free IELTS writing checker Task 1 questions and model answers

Opinion questions (agree or disagree) (19)

The question states a position and asks how far you agree. Pick a side in the introduction and hold it. A balanced answer to an opinion question is the single most common way a strong writer loses marks on Task Response.

Public Transport vs Roads Investment · Government Spending267-word model answer · AcademicPractical Skills in School Curriculum275-word model answer · General TrainingShould Primary Schools Teach Money Management?292-word model answer · General TrainingAre Traditional Festivals Losing Their Meaning?289-word model answer · AcademicPublic Transport vs Roads Investment · Policy277-word model answer · AcademicShould Fast Food Be Taxed to Reduce Obesity?307-word model answer · AcademicWorking From Home: Younger or Older Workers?294-word model answer · General TrainingOnline Communication and Face-to-Face Skills327-word model answer · AcademicBanning Mobile Phones While Driving296-word model answer · AcademicTourism and Damage to Destinations277-word model answer · AcademicCompulsory Art and Music in Secondary School293-word model answer · General TrainingShould Secondary School Pupils Do Community Service?300-word model answer · AcademicShould Home-Grown Food Labels Be Legally Promoted?295-word model answer · AcademicIs Relocation to Cities for Work a Positive or Negative Trend?275-word model answer · General TrainingIs Creativity Innate or Can It Be Taught?285-word model answer · AcademicShould Employers Allow Time Off for Family Emergencies?314-word model answer · General TrainingAre Customers Becoming Too Demanding of Businesses?319-word model answer · General TrainingShould Countries Aim for Self-Sufficiency?267-word model answer · AcademicShould Universities Set Gender Quotas in Subject Enrolment?274-word model answer · Academic

Discussion questions (both views) (29)

You are asked to discuss two views and then give your own. All three parts have to be there. Leaving out your own view caps Task Response no matter how well the two sides are argued.

Does Technology Make People Less Social?263-word model answer · AcademicShould University Education Be Free?292-word model answer · AcademicReducing Crime Through Education307-word model answer · AcademicSpace Exploration vs Funding Earthly Problems282-word model answer · AcademicPractical Skills vs Academic Theory at University302-word model answer · AcademicDo Pets Benefit Children's Development?326-word model answer · General TrainingWorking After School vs Going to University290-word model answer · General TrainingIs Travel the Best Way to Learn About Other Cultures?297-word model answer · General TrainingExtreme Sports: Ban or Life Skills?320-word model answer · AcademicOne Foreign Language or Several?319-word model answer · General TrainingThe Influence of Advertising on Consumers275-word model answer · General TrainingIs History the Most Important Subject Schools Teach?308-word model answer · AcademicShould the Retirement Age Be Raised?309-word model answer · General TrainingCity or Countryside: Where Is It Better to Raise Children?309-word model answer · AcademicShould Museums Be Free, or Should They Charge for Entry?314-word model answer · General TrainingReading Fiction: Beneficial or a Waste of Time?307-word model answer · AcademicDedicated Cycling Lanes: Encouragement or Disruption?306-word model answer · General TrainingCompetition Between Students: Healthy or Harmful?285-word model answer · General TrainingSugar Taxes and Obesity303-word model answer · AcademicAre Zoos Still Relevant for Conservation?291-word model answer · General TrainingShould Governments Invest in Public Art?303-word model answer · General TrainingShould Voting Be Made Compulsory?286-word model answer · AcademicAre Video Games Educational or Harmful?289-word model answer · General TrainingShould Friends Lend Each Other Money or Valuable Items?310-word model answer · General TrainingShould Employees Be Allowed to Work Flexible Hours?323-word model answer · General TrainingRenewable Energy: Government or Individual Responsibility?273-word model answer · AcademicReducing Urban Traffic: Private or Public Solutions?266-word model answer · AcademicAre Older People Being Left Behind by Technology?275-word model answer · AcademicShould Universities Spend More on Facilities or Teaching?273-word model answer · Academic

Problem and solution questions (2)

Name the problem precisely before you solve it. Vague problems produce vague solutions, and the examiner is marking whether your solution actually addresses the problem you named.

Problems of Sedentary Lifestyles and Government Solutions288-word model answer · General TrainingChildren, Television and Screen Time272-word model answer · General Training

Advantages and disadvantages (8)

Read the last line carefully. 'Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages' asks for a judgement; 'discuss the advantages and disadvantages' does not. Answering the wrong one is a Task Response penalty.

Working from Home: Advantages and Disadvantages303-word model answer · General TrainingWorking From Home Permanently · Advantages and Disadvantages287-word model answer · AcademicRapid Adoption of Electric Vehicles · Advantages and Disadvantages278-word model answer · AcademicOnline Learning Replacing Traditional Classrooms · Advantages and Disadvantages284-word model answer · AcademicMoving to a Cashless Society · Advantages and Disadvantages285-word model answer · General TrainingThe Growth of Global Tourism · Advantages and Disadvantages287-word model answer · General TrainingUsing AI to Make Hiring Decisions · Advantages and Disadvantages297-word model answer · General TrainingPedestrianised Town Centres · Benefits and Drawbacks277-word model answer · Academic

Two-part questions (also called double questions) (2)

Two direct questions, both of which need an answer. Give each one its own body paragraph so the examiner can see both are covered.

Are Celebrities Paid Too Much?289-word model answer · General TrainingWhy Working From Home Has Grown, and Whether the Trend Will Last283-word model answer · Academic

Every other Task 2 question (9)

The rest of the bank, by topic. Task 2 topics repeat across sittings: education, environment, technology, health, work and crime cover most of what appears.

Has Technology Improved Education?290-word model answer · AcademicWorking From Home · Employees vs Employers292-word model answer · General TrainingFunding Space Exploration vs Solving Earth's Problems288-word model answer · AcademicAre Four-Day Work Weeks Realistic for Most Industries?296-word model answer · AcademicUrbanisation and Rising Housing Costs282-word model answer · AcademicWhy Social Media Harms Mental Health, and Its Effects on Young People274-word model answer · General TrainingBusiness Travel · Advantages for Companies and Problems for Family Life337-word model answer · AcademicRenewable Energy Investment · Benefits and Barriers345-word model answer · AcademicStudying Abroad · Benefits to the Home Country and Personal Challenges357-word model answer · General Training

Frequently asked questions

How many words should IELTS Writing Task 2 be?+

At least 250. Below that you are penalised under Task Response, and the essay is usually underdeveloped as well, which costs a second time. The model answers in this library run to a median of 291 words.

Is Task 2 worth more than Task 1?+

Yes. Task 2 carries twice the weight of Task 1 in your Writing band. If you are running out of time, protect Task 2.

Are these real IELTS Writing Task 2 questions?+

They are written in the format and register of the exam, across the topics that recur in it. Real exam questions are not published by the test owners, so no site can offer them. What matters is that the task shape and the marking criteria are the same.

Should I memorise a model answer?+

No. Memorised essays are recognisable and examiners mark them down under Task Response because they answer a general topic rather than the specific question. Use the model answers for structure, cohesion and vocabulary, then write your own.

Can I get my Task 2 essay scored for free?+

Yes. Paste it into the IELTS writing checker and you get a band for each of the four criteria plus the sentences costing you marks, in about a minute, with no card required.

What are the IELTS Writing Task 2 question types?+

Five shapes cover almost everything: opinion (agree or disagree), discussion (both views plus your own), advantages and disadvantages, problem and solution, and two-part questions, sometimes called double questions. The instruction in the last line of the prompt tells you which one you have, and the shape decides the structure. This library holds 19 opinion questions, 29 discussion questions and 8 advantages and disadvantages questions, among others.

How long should I spend planning an IELTS Task 2 essay?+

About 5 minutes of the 40. Name the question type, write your position in one plain sentence, then two body-paragraph ideas each with a reason or an example, and check the plan covers every part of the question. Keep the last 5 minutes for checking the errors you know you repeat.

How many paragraphs should an IELTS Task 2 essay have?+

Four or five. Four is an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Of the 69 model answers here, 25 use four paragraphs and 44 use five. The descriptors do not count paragraphs, they ask for one clear topic per paragraph and a logical progression.

What is the difference between band 7 and band 8 in Writing Task 2?+

Not bigger words. A band 8 script develops and supports every part of the answer, manages cohesion so well you stop noticing it, uses a wide range of vocabulary precisely, and keeps the majority of its sentences error free. A band 7 script does the same things with occasional slips, some over-generalising and more visible linking.

Can I use the same essay template for every Task 2 question?+

No. A template that fits an opinion question will not answer a two-part question, and the missing half is a Task Response penalty. Keep the habits that transfer, which are the paragraph plan and the checking routine, and let the last line of the prompt decide the rest.

Reading about it is not practising it. Get a band in seconds.

Write an answer to any question above, paste it in, and get a band for each criterion with the sentences that cost you marks.

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IELTS Writing Task 1 questions and model answersFree IELTS writing checkerHow IELTS band scores are calculatedThe Task 2 opinion essay structure, paragraph by paragraphThe Task 2 topic families, with sample questions