06 · IELTS Writing Task 2 Basics¶
Task 2 asks you to write an essay of at least 250 words in about 40 minutes, responding to a statement or question with your own position, supported by reasons and examples. It carries more weight than Task 1 in the overall Writing band score, so a clear, well-planned structure matters more here than almost anywhere else in the test.
1. The four essay question types¶
| Type | Typical wording | What's required |
|---|---|---|
| Opinion (agree/disagree) | "To what extent do you agree or disagree?" | State and defend one clear position |
| Discussion (both views) | "Discuss both views and give your own opinion" | Present both sides, then give your own view |
| Problem/solution | "What problems does this cause and what solutions can you suggest?" | Identify problems, then propose solutions |
| Two-part question | "Why is this happening? Is it a positive or negative development?" | Answer both parts explicitly |
Identifying the type correctly is the first step — answering a "discuss both views" question as if it were a plain opinion essay is a common cause of a low Task Achievement score, since half the task goes unaddressed.
2. The five-paragraph structure¶
| Paragraph | Content |
|---|---|
| 1. Introduction | Paraphrase the topic (1 sentence) + a clear thesis stating your position (1 sentence) |
| 2. Body 1 | One main idea, explained, with a specific example |
| 3. Body 2 | A second main idea (or the opposing view, for "discuss both" questions), explained with an example |
| 4. Body 3 (optional) | A third point, or your own opinion if the question is "discuss both views" |
| 5. Conclusion | Restate your position in different words + a brief summary of your main reasons |
Each body paragraph should follow one idea per paragraph — mixing multiple unrelated points in one paragraph is the most common Coherence and Cohesion penalty at this level.
3. A paragraph-level formula (PEEL)¶
| Step | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Point | State the paragraph's main idea | "One major advantage of remote work is improved productivity." |
| Explain | Say why this is true | "This is because employees avoid time-consuming commutes and office distractions." |
| Example | Give a concrete illustration | "For example, a 2021 Stanford study found remote workers were 13% more productive than office-based staff." |
| Link | Connect back to the question | "This suggests remote work can benefit both employees and employers." |
4. Worked example — opinion essay outline + intro/conclusion¶
Question: Some people think universities should focus on preparing students for careers, while others think universities should focus on broadening knowledge. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Introduction: There is ongoing debate about whether the primary purpose of universities should be to equip students with job-specific skills or to provide a broad, general education. While both perspectives have merit, I believe universities should aim to combine the two rather than favor one exclusively.
[Body 1 — career-focused view, with example: vocational degrees, employability statistics]
[Body 2 — broad-knowledge view, with example: critical thinking, adaptability in a changing job market]
[Body 3 — your own opinion, with reasoning for a balanced approach]
Conclusion: In conclusion, although career-focused education offers clear short-term employment benefits, a broader education builds skills that remain valuable throughout a person's working life. A balanced curriculum that includes both is therefore likely to serve students best.
The introduction paraphrases the question and states a clear position ("combine the two"); the conclusion restates that position without repeating the same wording.
5. Cheat sheet — Task 2 checklist¶
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Did I correctly identify the question type (section 1)? | Answering the wrong task type caps Task Achievement |
| Does my introduction state a clear position? | Examiners look for this specifically |
| Does each body paragraph cover exactly one main idea (PEEL)? | Central to Coherence and Cohesion scoring |
| Did I include at least one specific example per body paragraph? | Generic, example-free paragraphs score lower |
| Is my essay 250+ words, with a distinct conclusion? | Under-length or conclusion-less essays lose Task Achievement marks |
How It Actually Works¶
The one-idea-per-paragraph rule and PEEL formula both target Coherence and Cohesion, a criterion that scores something subtly different from grammar: whether the logical structure of your reasoning is recoverable by a reader without effort. A paragraph containing two unrelated ideas forces the reader to mentally re-segment your text to figure out where one argument ends and another starts — extra processing cost identical in kind to the "extra listener work" problem from linking words in Level 1 Module 6, just applied to written argument structure instead of spoken discourse. PEEL enforces a fixed, predictable information sequence (claim → justification → evidence → relevance) so a reader's expectations are met at each sentence, which is the actual mechanism behind why formulaic-seeming structure scores higher, not lower — predictability reduces reader effort, and that reduced effort is what "coherence" is measuring.
Correctly identifying the question type (Section 1) matters because each type demands a different underlying argument schema — a "discuss both views" question requires you to represent two positions faithfully before adding your own (a comparative schema), while an opinion question requires sustained one-sided argumentation (a persuasive schema). Applying the wrong schema doesn't just under-address part of the prompt superficially — it produces an essay whose entire paragraph-to-paragraph logic doesn't match what the reader is primed to expect from that question type, which compounds into Coherence penalties beyond the direct Task Achievement penalty for missing content.
The requirement for a concrete example per point (PEEL's second "E") exists because unsupported general claims are, linguistically, low- information: "remote work improves productivity" could be true or false and gives a rater no way to assess whether you can build an evidenced argument versus simply assert opinions. A specific example anchors the abstract claim to a falsifiable, concrete instance — invoking the same concreteness-effect processing advantage noted in Speaking Part 3 — and gives the rater actual linguistic material (numbers, named studies, specific scenarios) to credit under Lexical Resource.
Exercise¶
Choose one question type from section 1, write your own practice question in that style, and produce a full five-paragraph essay following the structure in section 2, using PEEL (section 3) for at least two body paragraphs. Check your final word count and confirm your introduction and conclusion state the same position in different words.