Writing task 2

There is not much of a difference between Academic IELTS and General training with regards to Writing Task 2. Both are required to write an essay. The question format and subject tend to be a little bit easier with General training.

Writing task 2

Writing type: essay

Time: around 40 minutes

Word count: at least 250 words

Tip: Some people can type very quickly, so when they do the test on the computer, they can write far more than the minimum requirement. I advise not writing too much because the more you write, the more errors you will be making. My advice is to target around 300 words, and if you want a higher band score (7 and above), you can try up to 350 words.

What do I need to do?

You need to write a full essay in 40 minutes.

What does an essay need?

A complete essay must have 3 components; an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

How many body paragraphs do I need to write?

You need to write at least two, one is not enough. I recommend just writing two as the questions often divide easily into two parts.

What if I don't know much about the topic of the essay?

IELTS is testing your ability to communicate and write in English, you are not expected to be an expert in the topic area. Just general ideas and information are fine. However, being familiar with the topic does make it a lot easier to think of ideas and vocabulary. You can be lucky and unlucky with the topic on the day.

How will they assess my writing?

There are four areas where they will assess your writing:

Task response: Your ability to answer the question and support your answer well and clearly.
Coherence and cohesion: Your paragraphing, organisation, and connecting of ideas to allow smooth reading.
Lexical resource: your range of vocabulary, use of less common items, and spelling.
Grammatical range and accuracy: your range of simple and complex structures, and your accuracy of these structures.

What kind of essays will I need to write?

There are common essay styles which come up in IELTS. These are:

More information on these can be seen in the common essay types page.

Writing task 1 / Useful grammar / Speaking / Listening / Reading